Cleaning and Detailing Products

Hello All,

Dom here from www.ShopnShine.co.uk

As some of you know we are sponsors of the MK1 Owners Club and offer a discount to paid members (discount code in members lounge) as well as this we also offer FREE UK delivery on orders over £50. We stock over 250 cleaning products from 18 top brand names. Also we're here to help, anything you need to know about car care we will try our best to help you!

Don't forget to checkout our website www.shopnshine.co.uk

Regards
Dom

Question for you Dom.

I've just bought a ridiculously expensive pair of smoked rear lights for my MK1.
Sellers photo not mine as I'm waiting for them to be posted!



Now I saw pair a while back that had been highly polished by hand, the result was amazing but no picture I'm afraid.

What would they have used, any ideas please?  

Any help would be much appreciated!


 

Hi golfcabrio,

Thanks for your response. With tail lights I tend to just use a light polish by machine being careful not to generate too much heat, Some even wet sand to remove all the writing and mouldings but it depends how far you want to go.

A simple hand polish will bring back an element of shine and you can wax over them too for the protection and added gloss, Just go easy with the wax and polish otherwise all the gaps in the lights will be full of powder and wax. Another thing I would be a little wary of is how they are tinted. If they have been spray or film tinted you don't want to damage the tint but to me they look like the plastic is coloured.

Hope this helps
Dom

dom-shopnshine said

Hi golfcabrio,

Thanks for your response. With tail lights I tend to just use a light polish by machine being careful not to generate too much heat, Some even wet sand to remove all the writing and mouldings but it depends how far you want to go.

A simple hand polish will bring back an element of shine and you can wax over them too for the protection and added gloss, Just go easy with the wax and polish otherwise all the gaps in the lights will be full of powder and wax. Another thing I would be a little wary of is how they are tinted. If they have been spray or film tinted you don't want to damage the tint but to me they look like the plastic is coloured.

Hope this helps
Dom

Wow, thanks very my much for the fast response Dom.  
No these lights are the real deal. The plastic is coloured as part of the manufacturing process.

I'm not going to fit them till next spring as my car will come off the road at the end of the Month. I live in Austria in case your curious.
So I've got a bit of time to get them looking real good I hope, so I will very carefully experiment a little!

Cheers again for that.    

Hi mate a quick question what dya recommend for polished alloys that havnt been laquered? Ive heard that if i had them re-laquered then eventually the laquer would peel off, so without laquering whats the best option to keep the shine?

Thanks dan

golfcabrio said

dom-shopnshine said

Hi golfcabrio,

Thanks for your response. With tail lights I tend to just use a light polish by machine being careful not to generate too much heat, Some even wet sand to remove all the writing and mouldings but it depends how far you want to go.

A simple hand polish will bring back an element of shine and you can wax over them too for the protection and added gloss, Just go easy with the wax and polish otherwise all the gaps in the lights will be full of powder and wax. Another thing I would be a little wary of is how they are tinted. If they have been spray or film tinted you don't want to damage the tint but to me they look like the plastic is coloured.

Hope this helps
Dom

Wow, thanks very my much for the fast response Dom.  
No these lights are the real deal. The plastic is coloured as part of the manufacturing process.

I'm not going to fit them till next spring as my car will come off the road at the end of the Month. I live in Austria in case your curious.
So I've got a bit of time to get them looking real good I hope, so I will very carefully experiment a little!

Cheers again for that.    

No problem and good luck

chipster2407 said

Hi mate a quick question what dya recommend for polished alloys that havnt been laquered? Ive heard that if i had them re-laquered then eventually the laquer would peel off, so without laquering whats the best option to keep the shine?

Thanks dan

Hi Chipster2407,

A decent metal polish and then you could use a wax over the top of them like:
FinishKare Hi-Temp Paste Wax http://www.shopnshine.co.uk/finish-kare-hi-temp-paste-wax-1000p

Or Poorboys Wheel Sealant
http://www.shopnshine.co.uk/poorboys-wheel-sealant

These products will protect the surface from water, salt etc which will dull the polished metal.

Hope this helps
Dom

Thanks matey  

As for a good metal polish, what dya reckon to autosol?

chipster2407 said

Thanks matey  

As for a good metal polish, what dya reckon to autosol?

Autosol from memory is quite course so it perfect for cutting back but may leave the surface a little scratched / dull so you may want a finer metal polish to get that mirror finish.

We sell loads of this stuff too people with BBS, Schmidt wheels etc http://www.shopnshine.co.uk/mothers-mag-aluminum-polish-metal-polish

If you have Autosol give it a try and if your happy with the finish get it protected.

i cannot recommend Dom this guy enought

top bloke, know his stuff and always willing to help out

helped me alot with detailing my daily and it's looking stunning

his stuff is well priced and website super easy to use

good postage cost and super fast delivery times

and before anyone asks, no i'm not on comission

Nice.one.thanks for.ur help.dom

jellybelly said

i cannot recommend Dom this guy enought

top bloke, know his stuff and always willing to help out

helped me alot with detailing my daily and it's looking stunning

his stuff is well priced and website super easy to use

good postage cost and super fast delivery times

and before anyone asks, no i'm not on comission

Thanks buddy you're making me blush haha.

chipster2407 said

Nice.one.thanks for.ur help.dom

No problem buddy, anytime

Hiya Dom,

I may be an idiot and I need some help please!

I've been using a rotary polisher for some time and have gotten some decent results on my older VW's. Problem is I seem to get holograms and hazing on my 4yr old Toyota.

Apart from the fact that I'm an idiot (as already stated   ) I think my pads are a bit rubbish. I've tried some cheap ones and some Monza ones and seem to get the same issues.

Can you recommend me some pads, some very light compound (to remove light swirls only), some polish/glaze and a wax please that all can be used with the Rotary polisher. I've been using Megs Gold Class and it works ok on the VW's but I just don't seem to be able to get as good a finish on the black Toyota.

BTW do I need any specific cleaner or anything for the pads or a primer or anything like that?

Cheers

Ian (the Idiot)

borednow said

Hiya Dom,

I may be an idiot and I need some help please!

I've been using a rotary polisher for some time and have gotten some decent results on my older VW's. Problem is I seem to get holograms and hazing on my 4yr old Toyota.

Apart from the fact that I'm an idiot (as already stated   ) I think my pads are a bit rubbish. I've tried some cheap ones and some Monza ones and seem to get the same issues.

Can you recommend me some pads, some very light compound (to remove light swirls only), some polish/glaze and a wax please that all can be used with the Rotary polisher. I've been using Megs Gold Class and it works ok on the VW's but I just don't seem to be able to get as good a finish on the black Toyota.

BTW do I need any specific cleaner or anything for the pads or a primer or anything like that?

Cheers

Ian (the Idiot)

Hi Ian,

Firstly, no your not an idiot I think what's happening here is you have become accustomed to rock hard German paint where as Jap cars tend to have much thinner softer finishes.

You could try using softer pads and polish I personally get on well with the folowing:

Chemical Guys Hex-Logic Pads http://www.shopnshine.co.uk/machine-polishing-pads/chemical-guys-hex-logic-pads

I think a Green pad would suit.

As for polish I sware by the Poorboys Super Swirl Remover Polishes. You can get a sample of all 4 of their polishes for just £3 more than buying one full sized bottle.
http://www.shopnshine.co.uk/poorboys-super-swirl-remover-sample-kit

As for a glaze, Poorboys Black Hole is fantastic on dark colours: http://www.shopnshine.co.uk/poorboys-black-hole

And if you want  a wax to be used with the Rotary then Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax. http://www.shopnshine.co.uk/chemical-guys-butter-wet-wax

Hope this helps a little

If you would like to discuss in more detail, don't hesistate to give me a call on 07715303365

Cheers
Dom

Thanks for the info Dom.

I've used black hole before and I've just run out of it as you say works well.

I was hoping it was a difference in paint hardness rather than my technique.

I'll be in touch as soon as payday comes.

Cheers

Ian