I would have called that colour champagne from the pic, but it is very nice and shows off the curves well.

A few weeks ago I was admiring a client's Bentley GT in Cambrian Grey. Hey wasnt all that fussed with the colour but I loved it, it looked absolutely fantastic, the interior was awesome as well

 

Cleaning a car is like cleaning anything else, the more effort you put into it, the better the outcome. THE key is similar to the key in doing everything else, consistency. Most people are looking for a way to stretch out the time between cleanings, but this works no better for your car than it would for your body. You take a shower every day for good reason!

Although my F Type is essentially a garage queen, I clean it after each time it is out. As well, over the years I've learned how to take care of minor surface issues, but the absolute most important thing you can do to preserve your car's appearance is to keep it from getting dirty [the best you can]. Just like you should vacuum your rugs and clean your wood floors every day, the same philosophy holds with cars.

If you want to have success, you must be consistent. If you want to enjoy the best health possible, you have to eat well every day, you have to exercise every day, you have to calm your mind every day. If you want your F Type to look its absolute best, cleaning is a continuous activity that pays you back a thousand-fold because these cars are absolutely gorgeous when shown in their best light.

 

...ahhhh...but even in the garage the cars will get a fine coating of dust and this is where a little science comes in. The more you rub and buff (lol) the more static you generate and then the more dust it attracts. I used to use Carpro silicone based products and buff like mad. Sure the cars would look fantastic, but within a day they would be under a film of dust, it was very disappointing. I found going to the wipe on, wipe off carnauba wax based product stopped that, it was an unintentional benefit which really changed my car maintenance life. I dont think it is a silicone vs carnauba wax thing, I think it is a buffing vs not buffing thing.

Looking into it, I read that rinsing your car in water after it has been waxed can reduce the static and stop it being a dust magnet.

 

It goes without saying that a nice indoor cover is necessary. Just the same, you can use a product like Girot's Speed Shine to remove whatever dust might accumulate.

 

She's a beauty in Sunset Gold. Recommend taking wheels off to ceramic coat the barrels and calipers.

 

I went the PPF route and recommend it for anyone who spent $$$ on a vehicle. This is my 2024 F-Type in Carpathian Grey with XPEL Stealth PPF installed. The PPF makes cleaning the F-Type a breeze and I don't have to worry about pain correction as it was already completed before PPF was installed. Rock chips are on the back of my mind too.

 

I have been using a product called Ultima Paint Guard Plus for years. It is a paint sealant. It is not ceramic. You wipe it on and walk away. It takes ten minutes to do an entire car. My cars are garage kept and will still bead water after a year. I am really particular about my cars so I do them twice a year. My first 12 ounce bottle lasted me 12 years. That was coating two cars twice a year. Dirt does not stick to the car once Ultima has been applied.

There are a few drawbacks. There are no cleaners in the product, so the car must be clean prior to sealing it. Also a 12 once bottle runs around $40 last time I checked,

 

This is why I keep my car in an hermetically sealed container filled with xenon (which is located inside a nuclear fallout bunker 100 metres underground if you must know).

 

I believe the OP got a coupe not convertible? In which case you don’t need to know about rewaterproofing the roof. (I use 303’s cleaner and waterproofer, with a horsehair brush for cleaning and a paintbrush for applying the waterproofer.)

 

it’s certainly easy to go down a detailing rabbit hole lol it’s also good to remind yourself that at the end of the day, it’s a car and it’s meant to be used in all conditions. (I know some folks are more OCD than I, and that’s perfectly fine). I’ve gotten a lot more lax about “perfect” paint than I used to be. That being said I still want a 95% perfect finish

 

Quick commentary on ceramic coating - I love mine!! Never had it before but wouldn't own a nice car again without it. Makes cleaning soooo much faster and easier.

 

Although I have always been meticulous about my cars, I am now mostly retired and have a lot of time on my hands. As well, my cars have always been a hobby of mine, so I really enjoy the care taking. Add in that I am a physician by training so the whole cleaning thing is deeply ingrained into my being.

I do realize that everybody has a varying amount of time, energy, and interest vis a vis their F Type, so whatever works. This is such a special car that I feel it deserves my full attention. Although I've had some nice cars in the past, keeping this one looking its best is a job I've never regretted for a second.

 

There are strong opinions about car care and little agreement. But in my experience of decades of detailing Jaguars, the word DETAILING tells the whole story - and that word means different things to different people. We all have our own comfort level. For me it means attending to every detail, inside and out (and often the engine compartment as well) - bringing the car, if possible, to a better than showroom finish everywhere. Cleanliness being the basic thing - treating the car as though it were being entered in a judged Concours event - these judges miss nothing, so my goal is to make them approach my car already convinced that every detail has been looked after (and making sure that it has!). On this car nothing was found except a small bug which had found its way between the headlamp and the chrome surround. But my excuse was that the car had been driven a couple of hundred miles to the Concours event. And yes, the deduction for the bug remained.

And every detail, means EVERY detail, not forgetting the plastic lenses and, if seen, the screws that secure them:


And it means eliminating the inevitable swirl marks on a car in regular use, the spider-webbing - and these defects of life are most visible on dark colours, especially in sunlight. But the right preparation and the right finishing product can produce a perfect, deep mirror finish. The starting point is a paint finish which has been cleaned and smoothed to remove grit particles. Minor scratches can be removed using a very fine finishing abrasive. My favourite brand is the range of 3M professional products:


These photos, by the way, show my own hand detailing, not the result of spending money at a detailing shop, and it means finishing with nothing more than a microfibre cloth and the right wax - no buffing machines, no coatings, just wax, multiple coats of wax - the right wax: a non-abrasive carnauba-based wax (but the finish obtained varies significantly from brand to brand - we all seem to have our favourites). While there are chemicals added to all waxes to promote certain characteristics, carnauba wax has a natural UV inhibitor. I use it on every part of the exterior: paint, chrome, plastic (which in a modern car includes the headlamps). A good carnauba finish will outshine any ceramic coating. It is what you do NOT see in these photos that is most important: the micro-scratches that arise mysteriously even if a car sits unused: the colour here is Black Cherry:

This is Jaguar Racing Green:

Black Cherry:

Jaguar colours are complex and the factory finishes are excellent - but they can indeed be made better than new, with care - like a mirror, with no "orange peel":




The interior of a Jaguar is all about the leather (and often the wood trim - and it IS wood veneer, not plastic) - and leather and wood need care - the principal bit of care is to protect them from sun and heat. The wood should be waxed with the same carnauba wax as used on the exterior. While F-Types do not have interior wood trim, they do have leather - and if your car has the extended leather package (the name of which varied from year to year) then there is leather everywhere - a very fine, smooth-grained leather. Windscreen sun shades, and regular conditioning of the leather (using a good non-silicone conditioner) will keep the leather soft and supple. Yes, modern leathers are colour-coated and if you believe that this makes conditioning irrelevant, I can tell you about an ocean-front house in Saskatchewan available for a song. If you are only keeping your car for a few years, then conditioning the leather may not be important to you. But if you want the leather to look as new after 20 years, then regular conditioning is more than advisable; Look at these two interiors, both from Jaguar V12 Vanden Plas cars - what separates them is the care given to the leather (and wood):
First, where no conditioner has (ever) been used - the leather has dried and shrunk, pulled the stitching and warped the piping (note the passenger seat especially). This can not be salvaged:

and now the original leather in the same model, but regularly conditioned; after decades it remains as new. The driver's seat:

and the passenger seat. Note the absolutely straight piping - the leather is soft and full:

 

Without going into exquisite detail (as did @sov211 ) I'll just say:

My Jaguar LIKES IT when I rub the back of the rear-deck Leaper.

My wife likes her back scratched, too.

 

@sov211 When I had my S Type I gave it the Full Monty Detail. Washed, clayed, polished and waxed, waxed, waxed......I also had some Connelly Hide Food made specifically for the leather interior of the S Types. Sadly it was left in the trunk and it got baked and is no longer any good. Do you have a preferred leather conditioner? I'm about to do the same to my F Type. I have the extended leather package and want to keep it looking new.

Thanks.
Scott

 

Leather conditioners: the prime thing is this: NO SILICONES. The problem here is that few producers of conditioners with silicones will rarely admit to it! Having tried virtually every conditioner available my favourites are Autoglymn Leather Balm and Lexol, the former being creamy, the latter much less thick. Another excellent conditioner is Leatherique, which is an "oily" conditioner - bad description but... They all work beautifully - apply by hand, massage into the leather and leave it for a couple of hours (or longer...). These conditioners will bring dirt and salts to the surface so the surface will feel sticky - no worries. A bit more of the conditioner on a microfibre cloth to buff the stickiness (and the dirt!) away and the leather will be beautifully clean and soft (especially the premium Windsor leather in the F-Type).
This is Autoglym applied on the F-Type seat (colour: Brogue):





and after being allowed to penetrate, and buffed. (The is a slight surface "shininess" which quickly disappears):

None of these conditioners harms or alters the stitching in any way:

 

Thanks @sov211 . I have heard of both Autoglymn and Lexol but haven't used either one yet. I will definitely give one of them a try.

Thanks again.
Scott

 

Interesting, have read a lot from folks in camps where they say *modern* clear coated leathers are sealed and most of this stuff doesn't really do much to the underlying leather. Most of the improvement is with the effort of simply cleaning the leather, and the nice smell these fancy lotions bring. I'm no expert, but that part makes sense to me. Older Jag leather however could be a very different beast if it is not coated like modern leathers.

That said, I did want to do something for my F-Type's leather, so I used Leather Masters products, cleaner plus conditioner. Didn't see a massive difference honestly

Regarding ceramic coating, I think the point there is to reduce the effort it takes to get your car looking nice due to the fact that dirt doesn't stick to ceramic coating as well. Along with reduced effort probably leads to less micro-scratching over time as I simply have to wash my car less. Power washer rinse + foam will pull off most of the stuff without touching the car.

 

I used an inexpensive ceramic spray when the car was new -- Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray ($18).
Gets redone annually. Recently the car got covered in sticky pollen.
Before hand washing I took it for a drive in heavy rain to see if I could wash it off.
The next morning the pollen had gone, the wet car had dried without water marks and now shines like new.
I was amazed how effective even DIY ceramic coating is at protecting the finish and making it easier to clean.
It is like having a Teflon frying pan!!

 

Hybrid Solutions is the only thing I use on my 2022 P450 since I discovered it. I apply it twice a year, although it doesn't seem to need a reapplication that soon. Once a year I clay bar and then 50/50 alcohol and water wipe and apply the Hybrid Solutions and let the car sit in the garage at least two days before driving it so as to not get caught in the rain by accident.
I highly recommend the product for my garage kept beauty.