Whats your wash ritual?

[Norretal]

Originally Posted by Adrian E

I'd go easy with a clay bar on dolphin grey as well - if not done right you can end up with lots of added marks in the paint. If the paint condition is pretty decent and it doesn't need a machine polish I'd be tempted to let a pro loose on it for a day so you only have to maintain it going forward. If you do clay it yourself just make sure you're turning the clay regularly so any bits it's picking up don't get dragged across the lacquer and leave marks that make it look like it's been through a machine car wash lol

Thanks Adrian, I've only used a clay bar on my D2 and had great results but the S8 is a different thing altogether. The paintwork is in very good order for the age and mileage of the car, so it's obviously been cared for. I might just look into getting it detailed locally as it'd be great to see it professionally done then I'd just have to maintain it as you say. I gave it a thorough clean at the weekend and there was very little in the way of tar spots and grime but I'd be interested to see what sort of finish a professional could achieve.

[Adrian E]

According to a chap I knew who detailed as a hobby dark cars give a much better initial impression when cleaned properly - you can get 75% of the way there with minimal effort whereas light cars he said you could spend an extra day on and only make it look 10% better!

You should be able to achieve a really deep glossy shine on grey.

I'm currently looking at a white S4 which will probably be an absolute sod to get looking good and then maintain.....