orgigeorgie

Done some research but to no avail. If already covered please do let me know. Currently on my 2000 156 TS my rear main seal is leaking slowly and the clutch is original on 180,000km (112,000mi). I figured I may aswell change it and do the clutch too, along with the slave cylinder. Is there anything else I should change while the gearbox is out? I will be attempting this myself, and will have a hoist so wish me luck - seems very tricky. Any write ups? Whats the most suitable gearbox oil for this car? Regards, George

Nice thread. I really dug 166. If you'd like to try some other leather cleaning techniques try:leatherique, its pricey but does a fantastic job. Or golds glycerin soap, and apply with s wet brush. Its what I use and really soften the leather. Great work. Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4

There is a guy on the ausalfa forum selling a set it mint condition. Might wanna contact him. Mostro is the username. Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4

Yup that's cool, if you guys are confident with your tools then no worries. I have no experience with farecla so I can't comment. My experience with a rotary was so so, the correction it gave me was good and quick but the amount dust and risk it introduced wasn't worth it for me. On my personal car sure no worries, on clients cars its a diff story. Overall of you're already doing something, it works and you're happy stick with it. I find with the da you have slightly more freedom to use coarser pads than with a rotary but that could b simply because I'm not confident with a rotary tool. A hood tip, instead of spraying water a little bit of quick detailer goes a long way. G Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4

Really on what car? Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4 Beta

It takes a long time to learn how to use a rotary tool effectively on paint. It can build heat up very quickly in the pad and that'll transfer to the paint. you will most likely burn through the clear coat and cause damage. Alfas have quite a thin layer of clear coat (~80um when healthy) and its soft paint. Its called an angle grinder for a reason no matter the speed it rotates at. If you'd like to get into machine polishing invest in a DA rotary tool, this rotates but also oscillates. Almost impossible to fuck it up because as you put pressure the machine slows its rotation. Polishes are a very tricky thing to get right. In my experience don't get bogged down in which polish or cutting compound to use they are all designed to do the same - its how you approach them. When trying to remove swirls on alfa paint you need a medium polish on a fine grade finishing pad for a 1 step but with a DA tool, I wouldn't even try your machine. Did that help? I can provide more info if you'd like. In terms of the polish residue on the plastic, yeh not good. You can try with isopryl alcohol however you risk damaging the plastic. I use it and then buff it off immediately. Its great because it evaporates almost instantly. Good news is it does eventually come off, you can cover it up with stuff like black wow or any other plastic trim restorer. For future tape it off with painters tape. Masking tape will leave a residue. G Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk HD

Hahah cheers mate, I was trying to figure out who you were. Looked at your profile and all your mate's had pics of alfas...I was like Whoes this boss. Now I know. Bigdar thought appreciated. Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Hey guys, I've just set up a facebook page, for a sub 25 yr old I have no effin' idea how this works. hahaha if you could take 2 seconds out of your day to search for billy goat detailing and just offer a 'like' I'd b very grateful. Thanks guys!

So if you haven't read the guide on how to detail your alfa, have a read of that first. Now it's time to maintain it. There isn't a whole lot to it, just it requires some patience and persistence. You don't even need special tools and you can do it at DIY carwashes. Some detailers would scorn at this - BUT its in their best interest to. Yes the water probably isn't as soft as what we'd like, no the chemicals aren't as good and can be quite strong - but its cheap and easy and if your anything like me where its very hard to find a guy to do something properly you rather do it yourself. Results vary on how you do it, but you'll get better at it (don't be a larry loser and give up). Remember its just bloody paint - it is quite forgiving in the sense that if you swirl it...just remove them again (maybe). So lets begin. Weekly: (at home or at carwash is ok!) Rinse the car thoroughly. This will take of large loose dirt. Low pressure pre soak - suspend dirt particles. Degreaser - will remove brake dust and grime. (bottom half of car) Rinse. (optional - i do it, takes 2 min) High Pressure soap. Rinse. THATS IT!!!! (takes me a total of about 6-7min) Optional: Some carwashes offer a liquid wax, go for it. Last about 2 weeks. Don't dry the car unless you're comfortable with what you're doing. JUST go out and DRIVE! 6 Monthly: Same as WEEKLY. Wash the car. Dry the car. Grab your fav hard wax (ones that come from a tub) top up the wax. (be sure to feel the paint, if it s very rough you should maybe give it a clay/hand polish) You can top up as many times as you would like - 2 coats is good. Annually: Wash as per weekly. Dry the car Strip wax (use isopronal alcohol, avoid getting it on plastics) Hand polish entire car (about an hour of work) Reapply wax. Do your wheels. And you're sweet! This isn't a definitive guide, you can alter it however you like. Obviously the interior state is upto you when you do it, I do mine completely ever month (vac, and protect) and do the leather every few months, sometimes 3 sometimes 6. whatever trevor. If anyone has something they would like to ad, go for it. I've made it into a little pdf for everyone so you can have a visual representation. I'm not entirely happy with it, so if you could critique it that would be great. Is it clear? Easy to understand? Not enough info, too much info? too plain? etc etc etc. I have the pdf of this, so if you'd like that instead drop me a line. So guys, go out there and look after you cars! If you're in Victoria Australia, happy to do your car just mention this and we'll work something out.

Ahh I see, we have a similar thing in Australia during droughts called water tanks. 50,000L and so. To combat hard water don't use Carnuba. Its natural and soft so it'll 'wear'. I don't recommend this often simply because I want it all to myself but I use FK 1000. Great product and seriously cheap. Very very good at what it does. But any synthetic sealant should do a good job and applications often will make your life easier and it'll also protect the paint from marring. Good to see people asking questions.

What's a water butt? Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Water spots are pain the ass. Do you live near a quarry? If no you're safe. A water spot is the minerals suspended in the water hardening on the surface. This can happen: If you live near a quarry and there is large limestone concentration in the air. It has been dry and dusty for weeks. Doubt it in the UK. You live in an industrial area with lots of pollutants. You wash with hard water which has a high concentration of magnesium and calcium. The most likely is the last. Hardwater is a nuisance and very common at carwash places. But can b overcome with some protection. To get rid of waterspots there are a few methods. White vinigar is acidic but not enough to damage paint if washed off straight away. It neutralises the basic make up of the minerals. Clay bar. Safer and will work with most variations of water spots. Machine polish will remove a fine layer of clear including your waterspots. Be sure to protect afterwards!! Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Buffing is removing something with elbow grease. Polishing occurs BEFORE waxing. And you will need to buff it off as it doesn't just disapear (unless you work it to a point where is such a fine powder - you dont want that). Polishing just readies the paint for protective layer of wax. If you don't have a machine its ok, there are hand polishes with fillers that will cover up the swirls. If your black 156 is anything like my sisters black 147 - its a nightmare to keep clean. Also I should note for people with dark cars (although applies to everyone)- If you see dust on your car do not touch it! Rinse it off. Wiping dust off gives nasty swirl marks - just go look at your shiny tv cabinet or kitchen bench if you have one. Interesting car NorthernBastard is that for protection from stone chips, or a personal visual addition. G Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk HD

Ahh I see. You will need to remove all the wax before you begin polishing. Do you mind posting a pic of your car? I am not loyal to any polish as I still haven't found one that does wonders for me. Its all the same amount of work. I use Menzerna. SF500 is for cutting (very course) SF2500 Is a light cut (for swirls) SF4000 is a finishing polish for that shine. I will try Meguires 105 and 205 next as I have heard good things about them but are unavailable in Aus.

Hi mate, I think you are getting them mixed up. If I read correctly your bonnet is vinyl wrapped? Im sorry to inform you but your polisher wont do anything on vinyl wrap - especially if its matt. The polisher is simply a tool that takes off a layer of clear coat. I should have included this in the tutorial. There are other methods to clean your vinyl bonnet but don't polish it. And don't buff of WAX with a polisher either - its just as easy by hand and a lot less hassle. As k9d mentioned a polish is an abrasive that shaves a layer off the clear. Your vinyl has no clear so really you're just scratching it. Don't stress though - its possible to hide those marks temporarily via waxes with fillers and what not. The haze effect is indeed too thick and uneven layer of polish. If you spot in you'll minimize that effect. A possible remedy is to spray QD on the hazed spot and buff. G

I have met a few car detailers, some fantastic and some cowboys. A good detailer: Will explain the process to you. Will carry a paint gauge and measure paint thickness before diving straight in. Will avoid talking shop (he may say that this product is more suited to ones car but won't push for something you wont need). Will let you sit and watch. Will take time and patience to do the job properly Will understand when someone is hesitant about letting a stranger manoeuvre their car. (you'll be surprised how much of an issue this can be) Will educate you on how to maintain your car afterwards. No disrespect to other detailers but there are some people who are in it for some interesting reasons. Be confident in who you hire if you choose to not go the DIY route. I tend to work 12 hour days not because I don't want spend 3 days on a car perfecting and charging $$$ but because the gain from the 2 days is about 10% more than the 1st day. Education and maintenance is more important that outright jobs every year. Also a trick of the trade is to sting people with extras. Things like glass care, interior care chrome polishing, glass polishing etc etc are generally charged on top so double check that! He might do it and say 'oh i feel like you needed this and that..."I fell for that once and never again. G

So guys I hope this is what you had in mind. Again for more detail visit my website and under know how I explain a lot more detail in slightly more professional language:) Again good luck and ask away! George Website!

Step 7: Machine Polishing Unfortunately with modern paints its almost impossible to remove swirl marks by hand. If you have - you’re a boss or you’ve filled them with silicone. You really need a machine polisher. Everyone will try sell you their machine and everyone else will tell you nah mate just add an attachment to your angle grinder and be a mad c**t. Really - just buy whats in your budget. You want a Rotary polisher that oscillates. No amount of kilowatts and weight saving handles are going to make you good. You’re most likely going to get SFA results the first time because your technique sucks but at least you wont ruin your paint. Put it this way - I’m a ‘professional’ but my machine is only about $350 compared to some of the $800 ones available. Pads and Polishes: There is SOOOOOO much information about this topic that it just confuses me thinking about it. Combinations of the 2 are ridiculous, like its a science or something (no offense to the scientist detailers). Tip: Assume your paint is very soft unless proven otherwise. Meaning start with a fine polish and finishing pad on the rear 3/4. Does it work? are you happy with it? No? Move on to cutting compound. Still no? Move on to medium pad with cutting compound...that’ll do most. Don’t be scared to experiment and learn. It’s what this is for. Learning, you wont ruin your car (well you might, I take no responsibility) so have a play around with combo’s and see what works. Pads - I personally use Hexlogic and Lake Country. Polish - Meguires or Menzerna. No real allegiance to either. How to start: 3 pea size drops on your pad. Now dab the panel where you’re going to be working. I work 60cm by 30cm (2ft x 1ft) area. Low speed and just move the polish around. This is called priming the pad. Slowly increase the speed moving back and forth then up and down and repeat. Stop and have a look. Clean some of the polish off. Has it done what you expected? No? Try again and see if it just needed some more work. If its doing nothing change combo. No point over working the polish. Once its done thats it. Infact when you overwork it, it turns in a fine power and that shit goes EVERYWHERE! That takes weeks of cleaning on its own. It no longer does its job when overworked. You’re wasting energy and creating a mess, better to underwork it. Do a panel at a time. Then I swap pads and polishes for a fine combo and do it all again to get that really nice smooth shiny finish. So lets see this visually. What are swirls? Well they are simply fine scratches in your paint. And how do we get rid of them? We remove layers of clear coat! So theoretically there is a limit to how many times this can be done (attention: eBay ad’s who claim they polish the car weekly/monthly...you either have a back to bare metal shell or you have no idea what you’re talking about) so do it right the first few times So the cutting compound removes a layer and the finishing compound smooths out the surface so it gives a mirror like finish (its ok it took me 3 cars to get this concept - love you mum and dad). For larger scratches thats up to you. You can round off the edges by going over it with a fine finish making it less obvious or you can keep trying till you eventually get to the primer (don’t be a cowboy if its very deep live with it - or get a respray/touchup). Clean the car with some Isopropyl alcohol once finished. This removes polish residue readying the paint for wax. Fig 7. Taping the car up before polishing - 3M tape is the best. DONT use masking tape. Fig 8. Busting me chops on Fiat coupe. Very rare in Aus. Time for an alfa 156: 4-5 hours Step 8 Waxing and Protecting This now where you can choose the plethora of waxes available. Everything will work, some better than others but its better than having nothing on there. Wax and Sealant are a sacrificial layer. Remember that. No wax will give you gloss and deep shine - thats the polishing that does that. It simply enhances that (the effect is gone in about a week of daily driving). This is what I do. Its by no means the best but I find it works and I do it well and get great results. Apply artificial sealant by hand (and foam pad) to the whole car but don't buff off. Now you will do a little trick called spotting in. Grab your QD and lightly spray the whole panel. Using your sealant again apply a second layer. This makes the layer far more even and nice application. Once you do the whole car buff off. If you’re kinda messy like me, tape off the car and all its plastic bits that you don’t want waxed. On dark cars, I apply another layer of Carnuba natural wax and spot it in that really makes the car glow. Run your clean fingers across the paint, its should feel like a mosquito will do the splits if it lands on it. Whats the difference? Well artificial sealant is made in a Lab and actually forms a very hard coat on your car that supposedly lasts for up to 12 months (pfft yeh ok, maybe in a land where the conditions are 25deg every day and no rain). I prefer them as they offer the best protection, not a lot of shine and gloss - but protection. Thats what this is about. Carnuba - wiki has a good explanation and is a natural wax that supposedly last 6months (LOL! try like 3) but adds a lot of shine. So why not best of both worlds? Congratulations. You’ve successfully ‘detailed’ 75% of your car. This guide is now very long and I hope you have managed to gain something from it. It isn’t a bible and I am more than happy for people to discuss alternatives. If proven popular I can write a guide for leather car, window care (pending as I’ve discovered a new method thanks to another alfa member), wheel care and most importantly MAINTENANCE. My 156 was polished once in 2011 - I challenge you to find a swirl mark. I wish you all the best of luck with your detailing and please, there is no such thing as a dumb question. If you’re in melbourne I am more than happy to show you how its done (im going to be fuckin broke). Fig 9. Alfa 147 Bonnet after 2 stages Fig 10. Alfa 147 bonnet 1 stage Fig 11. Focus bonnet - 1 stage notice the difference in the shine of paint. The alfa black is VERY DEEP! Fig 12. NO SWIRLS! wooh! Time for a 156: 1-2 hours Total is about 8-10 hours

Step 4: Claying So far with me? Excellent. Claying is what every one talks about - but no one knows how to do it. Its easy. The clay bar is exactly that, a piece of clay. Don’t stress about where you get it from there are about 2 places in the world that actually produce the clay and distribute it to the famous name companies.....essentially they are all the same. Allegedly the best shit comes from Japan. Up to you to decide. The idea behind the clay bar is it is slightly abrasive and as you run it across the paint surface its meant to pick up all your contaminants. You will need a clay bar and a lubricant. A lubricant can be a dedicated product, quick detailer (liquid wax) or if you’re a cheapskate some soapy water. I find QD and dedicated lubricant are on par - soapy water works ok but really why bother? Detailing on a budget is false economy. You want to restore your paint do it properly and spend the extra $15 on QD. Its like saying I’ve run out of my favorite motor oil - let me just go and conjure up some shit to produce something that I feel is suitable. Mould the clay bar so it fits your hand nicely. Saturate the local area that you’d like to clay and give your clay bar a good squirt too with your chosen concoction. Now just move it at a medium pace lightly over the surface. You’ll feel some resistance. Keep lubricating and claying until you feel minimal resistance. Check your clay bar often to see the dirt (remember about running the dirt across your paint). Just remold it till its clean again and use. I effectively get 2 cars out of a clay bar. Some detailers can get 5. Meh, kudos to them. Do the whole car and avoid dropping the clay bar on the ground. If you do, you’re fucked...nah just kidding - go wash it, you’ll be right. A good check you can you is put your hand in a plastic bag and feel the surface. It should be smooth. If not go over it again. That’s claying. Simple. Aim to have a cool surface when doing to make your life easier. Rinse the car off - QD leaves shit on the car - most of it the contaminants you’ve tried to remove. Fig 5. Dirty clay bar - now you remould it. Time for a 156: under 1 hour. Step 5 - Drying Listen carefully, this is easy so don’t stress but this is where people make mistakes. Dump your chamois and equip yourself with a WAFFLE WEAVE cloth. These are designed to lift dirt off and are extremely absorbent. The chammy is a leather and just inferior in every way to the waffle weave - try it and you’ll see. By this stage you shouldn’t have any dirt on the car but still take precaution and attention to detail. Ideally dab the surface to absorb the water. Now if you haven’t got all week to sit there dabbing, simply run your cloth lightly in one direction across the paint take the water off. Once the cloth is wet - well its wet and less effective. I use 2 to dry the car. Some people like to use compressed air to dry the car. thats fine if you have that sort of thing, however I don’t recommend using a leaf blower. It can be great in a clean workshop but otherwise the blow pattern is too wide and you risk lifting up all the shit off the ground and plastering it on your clean car. http://t0.gstatic.co...467RB5Jt9GZ0PgQ Fig 6: Waffle weave - just google it. Time for a 156: 15min Step 6: Optional - ‘hand polish’ Claying does a fantastic job, but this simply just finishes it off. Grab a hand polish with no fillers and gently rub on the car. Working small patches. Buff off. Feel the paint mate, smooth like glass Thats the idea. Ready to start ‘detailing’. The car should well and truly be undercover after step 4. This step isn’t critical but I feel it makes the difference. Time for a 156: 40min

Ok so this is a ‘small’ tutorial to get you all started with some detailing. I will cover in some detail however I will do my best to avoid making it daunting. I’m actually a student engineer who did this as a personal hobby now I’ve started my own business to help me through the last 2 years. I am by no means and expert, there are many of those on the internet. I’m still learning and am more than happy to be corrected. I do not wish to make millions off this either, but detailing someones car who is passionate is far more rewarding than someone who has no idea. The following is what I have learnt over doing many cars and educating myself. I’d like to credit a member from another forum shiny_car - whoes tutorial helped me get started. Detailing, what is it? Lets be honest, when we discuss detailing we mean polishing. Removing all the swirl marks and scratches from the surface and hopefully being left with something of presentable quality. However the entire process before polishing is where the true results come from. The problem that most experience when undertaking detailing is simply how long this takes. Trust me it gets easier and the trick is maintenance. Will talk more about that later. Focus on the early steps and the rest falls into place. Fig 1. Swirl Marks exhibit A Fig 2. Swirl Marks exhibit B - notice the 3 buckets. Step 1 - Rinse Rinse the car. Some may say this is redundant but it takes about 2 min and makes the job later on easier. A simple pressure rinse will dislodge a lot of the loose dirt, wet the surface and allow step 2 to do a better job. Thats it! Step 2 - Soak This is where we start getting into some specialized equipment. If you have a pressure washer, invest in a foaming lance and splash out on some foaming agent. The idea behind the foaming agent is to suspend as much of the dirt as possible before you even lay a hand on your car. Ideally you’d like to have an overcast day and it be cool but I live in Australia so sometimes thats hard (I start at 7am before the sun has had a chance to rape us). Whilst waiting I tend to spray the wheels with decontaminant and that sits for about 10 or so min. After 15 minutes or so (you’ll be able to tell, it becomes very patchy) rinse the car down. You’ll be very surprised how much of the dirt has actually lifted off. Time taken for 156: 20min (including soak time) Fig 3. Foaming agent after 6 or so min. Fig 4. Half done 156. Step 3 - Wash via 2 bucket method The 2 bucket method is the key step here. First the why then the how. Why: When washing with a single bucket the dirt is always sitting in a localized spot. As you go to reload your mitt you’ll essentially be loading it with water, which has the dirt you’ve just taken off suspended in it! Then you’re sloping it back on your car, zealously wiping it round and round. So now you know where your swirl marks are from. How: 2 Buckets both filled with water, one with soap and the other hopefully with a grit guard. You load your mitt with the soapy clean water and rinse off in the clean water and grit guard. This does not guarantee that you wont have any dirt still on your mitt but at least you’re minimizing the chances of you smearing everyones road grime on your prized alfa paint. Don’t be stingy with water, if its filthy change it. If you want to save water, don’t detail your car. Technique: Avoid drawing circles with the mitt. Try unidirectional lines, overlapping about 50% (similar to spray painting). Why? Well there is definitely dirt on your car so by you going back and forth you’re effectively taking the dirt for a joy ride across your paint. Fun for the dirt, not for you. Products: Do not use a sponge. A sponge is great for soaking water and thats it. It will take the dirt off your car, allow it to sit on its surface and thats it. The Microfibre/lambswool mitt is where its at. The fibers lift the dirt off the paint and whilst you’re entertaining the dirt across your paint they aren’t actually doing any damage. Time taken for a 156: 30min

I see, see I expected the bolts to be firmly in there not to be able to slide. So simple. O give that a go, thank you. Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Thanks for the offer mate Feel free to amend the one I'm writing now. Should be done sometime next week Its on its way

Bump, nobody have any idea?

Interesting stuff guys, good to see more and more trying this yourself. The wool pad is only for cutting. Its quite aggressive and used mainly for pretty bad surfaces. The wax issue is indeed too thick. You want thin layers and many of them, to allow it to bond the painted surface. You have to allow some time for the wax to haze and then buff off by hand. Takes a while but I feel it achieves better results. On the link I posted earlier its explained in some detail. If there is anything else you feel needs to b explained let me know. I am happy to do a guide and do and donts as soon as I get a free hour! Enjoy Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Hey mate as mentioned the only way to get rid of swirls is to remove a fine layer of clear coat. You can fill them but but after about 3 weeks they will reappear. I have written up a few detailed explanations of the whole process. Have a read through the know how section and if there are any questions just ask. http://www.billygoatdetailing.com/knowhow.html I hope this isn't against the forum rules.