Cleaning paintwork

[Shoddy]

Hi All,

Posted a few threads on here since getting our bus a couple of wks back and valuable advice back to a newbie on all so far!

Our bus is in dire need of a good clean in/out. Came from US and looks like it was last licensed in 2008 ....also looks like it was last cleaned then! I believe the paintwork to be orig and on working out the M-Code at the weekend it does match. So I'm thinking I've what people are calling "Patina" or in some cases slight browning and others ....surface rust! I've had the main 6 window seals replaced and plan on working my way through the others.

I've no plans at the mo for spray jobs ....its going to be our rolling project for yrs to come. So any tips re cleaning and getting the paintwork looking the best would be much appreciated! Is it a case of a good sponge and bucket wash then T-cut and wax? I'm hoping we get a dry weekend soon so I can get her out of the garage and the family set too.....

Cheers
Craig

 

[Alex VW Heritage]

Pretty much Yup you have it right,

Big Bucket wash,

Then a good Polish with an abrasive compound, (I personally dont like T Cut)

Then a good waxing.

I would think about waxoiling all the cavities and dealing with the chassis, It's easy to ignore the bits you dont see but they are just as important, if not more so!

 

[Shoddy]

Thanks Alex. Santa delivering waxoyl! The I've a list of seal part no's to start and order from yourselves!

What would you suggest other than t-cut?

 

[Alex VW Heritage]

everyone has there own views on this,

I'd use a 3M product for the first stages of cutting and polishing (it'll be coarse and cut fast)

Then a meguirs or equally as good for the final polish (it'll be much finer and actually finish the surface).

 

[Lee C]

A good machine polish with farecla G3 then a coat of 3m glaze then some cheap as chips autosmart polish seems to work !!!!

Nice bus!!

PLEASE do the underneath with Schultz & waxoyl ASAP mind though but!!!!!

 

[rlepecha]

Maybe try Poorboys SSR3 or 2 followed by SSR1. Really decent polishes that are fairly cheap. I would follow that up with Poorboys White Diamond glaze and one of their Nattys Paste Waxes. That would make that paint look brilliant.

You could also try something called Malco Rejuvenator that I have used on multiple cars, its a really easy 1 step diminishing polish that also leaves a wax coating with a 2 or so month longevity. You could top it with a decent 6 month wax or sealant though.

 

[Shoddy]

All these products get good reviews......but they all do recommend using machine polisher. Next question..... Any suggestions for a reasonable priced one to do the job? Not something I've ever used before [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

 

[rlepecha]

I've used poorboys and malco without a machine polisher, using one does make life much easier though!

I would recommend
http://m.clasohlson.com/uk/Cotech-Car-Polisher/18-3041" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

10% off until midnight looking at the homepage too. that's the one I use because its cheap but at a professional level, its also a dual action(with quite a large oscillation) which means its near impossible to burn through paint like a smaller oscillating dual action or a simple rotary.

Where are you located?

 

[Shoddy]

Sunny Scarborough! Think I need to read up a bit as clearly n
Know nothing :0' might even see if I can beg/borrow and see how I get on and what potential results could be. Worth doing a good deep clean and wax though to stop her paintwork going downhill rapidly in the uk climate!

 

[rlepecha]

Sunny Scarborough! Think I need to read up a bit as clearly n
Know nothing :0' might even see if I can beg/borrow and see how I get on and what potential results could be. Worth doing a good deep clean and wax though to stop her paintwork going downhill rapidly in the uk climate!

Certainly, there's a lot to learn about doing the job properly. I did presume Scarborough when looking at your pictures, if you ever fancy a day trip to Leeds I could show you the basics and let you have a go with the polisher I have etc.. I think you could get your bus looking pretty decent in a day with a polisher. I've become a bit of a detailer in the past few years so I've got a selection of polishes, sealants and waxes to hand .

 

[Shoddy]

Cheers.....I'll defo keep that in mind! She's still on probation at the moment and not ventured further than round the town. But plan to build up the miles when weather starts improving again! Be very interesting to see how she'd polish up. Judging by the layers in filth inside it could have a reaction to a bucket and sponge :0'