I haven't been too active lately, but I do see I haven't missed much. The usual complaints and problems. And by all means, I'm sure I'll get some soon enough, but for now, let us all just enjoy my newly washed and waxed Jaguar X-TYPE!
Let me just say the following; I'm not a detailer, hence the massive amount of holograms, and to some extent swirls in the pictures. But living in northern Norway, during the never ending spring, this is just a desperate clean up, trying to make it last more than a day.

I didn't take my time to take any pictures before and during the process, but with the snow melting, and the salty roads attacking just about every part of the car, it didn't look too good. In short, I did the following:
1. Degreasing (Mac Prickbort 124)
2. Spraying the entire car with foam (Meguiar's NXT Car Shampoo)
3. Thorough hand wash with a microfiber wash mitten (Meguiar's Gold Shampoo)
4. Clay and swirl removing (Meguiar Clay and Swirl X, using a DA with oscillating heads)
5. Polish by hand (Autoglym Super Resin Polish)
6. Proper wax/paint sealing (about an hour and a half to let the wax dry and harden, before removing it) (Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection)

In between waiting for polish and wax to dry, I spent my time doing the following:

--
a. Windshield and window rinse and cleaning (industrial window foam)
b. Washing every plastic cover under the hood with Autoglym Bumper Shine (pics coming, camera died on me)
c. Plastic renewal, interior/exterior (Autoglym Bumper Shine)
d. Wheel rinse and cleaning (industrial power spray)

TL;DR
I DID A LOT OF WORK, NOW ENJOY THE DAMN PICS









And as a bonus, a short video clip of some water beading straight off the bonnet ;-)
https://vimeo.com/90273219

 

That's one nice looking Jag!

Thanks for the inspiring post, now I'm feeling the need to go out and shine mine up...

 

Nice one! I made a half hearted effort a few weeks ago when the temps peeked above freezing for a couple of hours - the neighbours think I've fully lost the plot - they're right 'cos the car looked good for all of about 30 mins of driving before the salt and brown slush snow melt obliterated my efforts. Hope yours lasted a bit longer!

 

Great job. It has to be tough keeping a car looking good with all the snow and salt.

You can't embed the video but the link works OK. I took this still from it:



It must be warming up in Norway - it didn't freeze!

Graham

 

That car's jewelry. Nice work.

 

Thanks for sharing the pics of that gorgeously prepped "X"!!!

 

Oh wow, looks like a brand new car. That's crazy you guys have the FWD versions. Anyways I have a white x-type and I was wondering how to get the grim out from under the trim pieces on the exterior. It's built up and it really takes a lot of scrubbing with a soap sponge to even get it slightly off. Wondering if there would be a better solution out there to use. I'm just using the Meguiars car wash soap, which works really well, but it doesn't seem to break through the old grim around the trim pieces, which really stand out on white paint. I've gotten some of it off just with a little effort but there must be something better to use. I think it's old wax and dirt or something.

 

Skinny,
Glad to hear you are back and you've been missed!
Wonderful if not, AMAZING PICS!
You've gone to some great length to astound us with your images and it must have been quite arduous!!!
WELL DONE!!

04Xtype04, many resins like Pureguard or the super resin polish and turtlewax premium contain chemicals that break down the residue and worn-in wax and grease/grime.
What I do is apply it liberally and before its dry, agitate it with a sponge/brush until it breaks up. I actually use a dedicated 1/2 inch long badger hair brush and tickle until it separates.

Its a bit like a squaddie (soldier), bulling his boots in a circular time-consuming fashion!!!
It is arduous but it works, the worst thing to do is scrub too hard or use the wrong brush as you are basically rubbing the paintwork away.

I remember when I had just driven on a newly tarred road in my Silver 2005 X Type and when I returned home it was a damn mess, I was furious!!!

It took a bottle of neat pureguard and 7 hours to remove the black dots!
BUT, all the neighbours and many people I came across were enthused by the GLEEM!

And my ex commented on me being too busy to see her!!!

Ha ha, not a loss, more my gain... Happy Days, Stu

 

Thank you! I can hardly think of anything that gives me a new car feel, than a proper show n' shine. Perhaps the smell of newly conditioned leather seats and clean floor mats ;-)
You have no idea how much I've longed for a proper 3.0 AWD X-TYPE this winter. My studded tires are worn down, the hills in Tromsų easily match Filbert Street in SF, and the traction control hardly works overtime. Can't wait for summer, traction and clean roads!

As for your trim problem, I find covering the entire car in car shampoo foam helps wonders in between rims and cracks. I don't have a foam canon, so I use a watering can, fill it liberally with car shampoo and some water, and then use a pressure washer to foam it up, and then just pour it over the car, covering it entirely. That, combined with a proper rub with paint cleaner products (use a small brush to get to the tricky parts). With that said, white cars are a nightmare to keep clean.

 

Thank you so much, good to be back!
I'll do a new thread for the interior in a few weeks, when I get my hands on some Swissvax Leather Healer.

 

Very nice looking brother, love that grill.

Throw some tire gloss on those tires and you have finished the look my friend.

Well done. I love a good clean and waxed car...seems like it just drives better.

 

Your car will look great every day if you move to Florida.

 

Would do it in a heart beat if you'll find me a well paying job ;-)

 

I'm just waiting on the nice weather so I can do the same. Your pictures have me motivated now!!