I’ve owned black cars in the past. Black is a fantastic colour, when clean, but it quickly shows the dirt, dust, and rainspots. Trying to maintain that showroom finish is a constant battle, requiring more than the occasional wash and rinse. Detailing is needed which, if done properly, is not cheap in terms of money and time - I’m certainly not an expert.

The Dealership

Alfa Romeo Stelvio

Prior to collecting the car the dealer applied a coating of Gen-3, not cheap, fortunately included as part of the deal.
The aim now was to preserve the showroom finish.

The rest of the year

New to detailing, it’s been a bit of a learning curve; the biggest challenge is one of choosing the correct products for the job.

Various products have been used throughout the year, some purchased for use on the previous Mercedes.

  • Meguiar’s Ultimate Car Wash
  • Turtle Wax Snow Foam
  • Kärcher FJ6 Foam Nozzle
  • Bilt Hamber Auto Wash Car Shampoo
  • SOFT99 Fusso Coat Wax Dark
  • Koch Chemie Fse spray
  • No.1 Super Ceramic Hybrid Si02 Wax Spray Coating
  • Glart 43PP microfibre hand polishing sponge
  • Meguiar’s G1116EU Quik Clay Bar Starter Kit
  • Autoglym Car Glass Polish

I’m not endorsing any of these products by using them, just part of my quest for the perfect product (photographers will know what I mean when I say GAS. The Alfa Romeo Owners' Club magazine has an excellent detailing section.

Gear Acquisition Syndrome - the need to keep purchasing new equipment. GAS