# VW Lupo New Year Tidy Up - AF Reviews!



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Hi guys,

My brother goes back to Uni tomorrow, so I wanted to give his car a clean up and add another layer of protection to it before he goes. It had a coat of wax before he went back in summer but nothing since, so it was well overdue a coat!

Some of you who know me on here know im a Wolf Chemicals man, but im all for trying new things, and I've acquired a few Auto Finesse products to try. I thought id review a few of them today and include them in the write up.

A few before shots:














































So, started off by snowfoaming with Magifoam through the lance, then went round with Megs APC and a hair brush, cleaning out all the nooks and crannies - lots of dirt coming from the window seals!














































Mark (my brother) then rinsed it off very thoroughly



















While he did that, i went round and cleaned the trims with a weak solution of Bilberry, and the tyres with Megs Super Degreaser










We got the trolley jack out and lifted it up a bit to rinse the arches properly!










So the first product from Auto Finesse i thought i'd review was Auto Finesse Lather. I used it a couple of times today whilst cleaning a few cars and compared it back to back with my current favourite, Wolf's White Satin. So the AF Lather was mixed into a bucket of warm water and lathered (pardon the pun!) with the Jet wash



















(Some detailers buckets with grit guards on the way this week - finally!)

And the car was washed with microfiber mitts, 2BM.










So with shampoos i look for a couple of things, lubricity, suds, cleaning ability and how nice it is to use (smell etc...). In this instance, I got the dilution wrong (far too weak) but later in the day, i got a Wolf's bottle cap, and diluted it 2 capfuls of Lather in a bucket of water. It foamed up fairly nicely, and spread well on the car, but the suds died pretty quickly. It has great cleaning power and has a neutral smell, so I liked it and I would buy it again. However, straight after, I used my usual Wolf's White Satin at the same ratio (2 capfuls to a bucket). It's a very different shampoo, so slick, smells amazing and foams up more than lather. The suds stay on the car and in the mitt for ages and is very nice to use. I prefer the Wolf's and it will remain my go-to shampoo, but the lather is also very nice!!

So... On with the detail. After the car was rinsed, it was clear that there was no protection on the car










After drying with plush drying towels, we pulled it into the garage so Mark could crack on with the interior.

Few interior befores:




























He's fitted seats from a Mazda RX7!!










He cracked on with Henry's sister Hetty (nicked from my flat - it's my girlfriends!), a Karcher Steam Cleaner, Megs APC, some brushes and plenty of microfiber cloths. No action shots but a few afters later on.

While he was doing that, i was checking the paint. We weren't correcting it but seeing as i had the PTG, i thought id check. Loads of resprayed panels, lows of:










and highs of:










Anyway, it didn't need claying so i cracked on with yet another new product for me, Prima Amigo:










I did try AF Tripple on the bonnet, but the colour didn't do it justice so I didn't bother doing a review. I'll wait for a black car!

Glazed all over with the DA and a 3M yellow pad, speed 3-4










and then waxed with Auto Finesse Soul










Here it is curing:










So another mini review: it smelled fantastic, and I love the packaging of all AF products, so I had high expectations. It spread beautifully. I think i may have had the application wrong. I put a very thin layer all over the car, and then left it to cure for about 40mins before buffing off... or trying to. It was so hard to buff it off, lots of effort required. In fact, i had to spritz it with water, and even then it was very difficult. I think it might need the "panel at a time" method. Will try that and see how i get on. Overall then, not too impressed but i think its more down to my application. I spritzed it with water to see how it beaded>










Looks great, will be keeping an eye on the durability of it, but it looks great!

So after buffing the wax, we just finished a few little details. Time for yet another review, this time, Auto Finesse Revive black trim gel.










Taped up ready for a 50:50










Applied via a microfiber cloth










It spread beautifully, and went a very long way. It blackened the trim and left a lovely finish. Here's the 50:50:










Half the bumper done:










Whole bumper done










Leaves a fantastic OEM finish, so it gets a 10 out of 10 for me. I will ask Mark to keep an eye on it and see what the durability is like, but for now i really like it!

Next up, i dressed the tyres with Wolfs Tyre and Trim. First time using this too and i love it!










So, time for some finished photos
































































Interior trim dressed with Wolf's Silk Milk. Lovely stuff, spreads well and leaves a lovely matte finish




























Finally, put away in the garage while we went off and washed 5 other cars!! Busy day!

If you've got this far, thanks so much for reading, i realize its been a long one!

Comments and constructive criticism welcomed,

Jon


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## GJH0702 (Oct 21, 2011)

Nice one Jon :thumb:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

GJH0702 said:


> Nice one Jon :thumb:


Thanks Graham! How's the Body Wrap looking on your car? I ran over my bottle of Nano-Bathe today whilst washing mine! :wall:


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## AygoGUMMY (Nov 21, 2010)

Very nice. The Revive looks good.

What's occurring with the BMW wheel trims? And the monster thing dangling from the back?! Otherwise, nice job!


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## GJH0702 (Oct 21, 2011)

Still not washed it!!!! its had a few jet wash's(no detergent) to keep the heavy stuff off but water still' beading' well.
Hoping to have ability to wash from March so let you know
Cheers


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Great stuff mate, liking the lupo very much.

First time I used Lather I wasnt impressed but I didnt use enough, 2nd time I used a bit more n all I can say is it's the best shampoo I've ever used. My car was filthy and looked like it had no protection, after a wash with a decent amount of Lather it cleaned very well l, it was very slick, loads of suds and most of all reactivated my LSP (3months old) like I had just applied it. Also, I just bought AF Passion wax and was advised that panel at a tune method works best so I would imagine AF Soul is the same.

Great write up and thanks for the short reviews :thumb:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

AygoGUMMY said:


> Very nice. The Revive looks good.
> 
> What's occurring with the BMW wheel trims? And the monster thing dangling from the back?! Otherwise, nice job!


Haha he's had about 6 sets of alloys on it so far, and has some Rial ones lined up so the trims will be getting swapped soon. I really like them actually, in fact, i bought them him for Xmas!



AaronGTi said:


> Great stuff mate, liking the lupo very much.
> 
> First time I used Lather I wasnt impressed but I didnt use enough, 2nd time I used a bit more n all I can say is it's the best shampoo I've ever used. My car was filthy and looked like it had no protection, after a wash with a decent amount of Lather it cleaned very well l, it was very slick, loads of suds and most of all reactivated my LSP (3months old) like I had just applied it. Also, I just bought AF Passion wax and was advised that panel at a tune method works best so I would imagine AF Soul is the same.
> 
> Great write up and thanks for the short reviews :thumb:


Thanks buddy, I will try it again and use a bit more to see how i get on. I really do love Wolf's White Satin though, gonna be hard to top it for me! I will also certainly try the panel at a time method for Soul, sure it will be better! Looks fab though, Passion can only be better too!


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

GJH0702 said:


> Still not washed it!!!! its had a few jet wash's(no detergent) to keep the heavy stuff off but water still' beading' well.
> Hoping to have ability to wash from March so let you know
> Cheers


If you'd like me to give it a wash and a top up before then let me know. I'd be happy to do it for you, no charge of course! :thumb:


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## jonny2112 (Apr 6, 2010)

Looks great. Thanks for the reviews too.


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Great job there mate.


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Very great job there, excellent condition for a w reg, and great colour and wheel trims on the car.


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

JBirchy said:


> Haha he's had about 6 sets of alloys on it so far, and has some Rial ones lined up so the trims will be getting swapped soon. I really like them actually, in fact, i bought them him for Xmas!
> 
> Thanks buddy, I will try it again and use a bit more to see how i get on. I really do love Wolf's White Satin though, gonna be hard to top it for me! I willalsocertainly try the panel at a time method for Soul, sure it will be
> better!Looks fab though, Passion can only be better too!


I'm gonna try the Wolf's WS, you speak very highly of it :thumb: 
Also, I can't wait to try passion but wont be any time soon the weather aint here


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## id_doug (Apr 6, 2011)

Nice little write up and good results.

As for the AF products. Lather is my shampoo of choice. I'll agree it does not lather up as much as some but is that a good judge of a shampoo? IMO no, not really. If you give the panel a wipe over it does not seem to do much but if you give it a rub a couple of times you get (how shall I describe it) a nice tight lather. If that makes sense.

As for Soul. Cracking wax for the price IMO. Personally, I apply two panels at a time with a Megs MF applicator. Unless its a bonnet or a roof. In which case Ill Sort of split ig in two and treat it ad two halves. I'll do a coat on say a wing then door then go back to the wing to buff off then back to the door. The only time I found it hard to remove was in the summer on a really hot day and I think it baked on (black car too) but guess that's my own stupid fault for trying to wax a black car in the sun!!


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## Lupostef (Nov 20, 2011)

Cracking work mate, what front seats are in the loop?


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Lupostef said:


> Cracking work mate, what front seats are in the loop?


RX7 seats, it say's in the write up.


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

AaronGTi said:


> RX7 seats, it say's in the write up.


As he said! :thumb:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

id_doug said:


> Nice little write up and good results.
> 
> As for the AF products. Lather is my shampoo of choice. I'll agree it does not lather up as much as some but is that a good judge of a shampoo? IMO no, not really. If you give the panel a wipe over it does not seem to do much but if you give it a rub a couple of times you get (how shall I describe it) a nice tight lather. If that makes sense.
> 
> As for Soul. Cracking wax for the price IMO. Personally, I apply two panels at a time with a Megs MF applicator. Unless its a bonnet or a roof. In which case Ill Sort of split ig in two and treat it ad two halves. I'll do a coat on say a wing then door then go back to the wing to buff off then back to the door. The only time I found it hard to remove was in the summer on a really hot day and I think it baked on (black car too) but guess that's my own stupid fault for trying to wax a black car in the sun!!


Thanks for the feedback, I'll certainly try that method with the wax. I love the way it smells and spreads, great stuff.

I'll be trying lather again shortly, and I know it's entirely subjective, but the suds seem to help the shampoo glide across the paint and stop the dragging effect some have. I know suds aren't the be all and end all, it's just one of my personal preferences.


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## Lupostef (Nov 20, 2011)

AaronGTi said:


> RX7 seats, it say's in the write up.


Just testing you . :lol:


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## GJH0702 (Oct 21, 2011)

Jon- looking at the 50/50 on the 'plastic' what your view Auto Finesse Revive black trim gel or Wolf's that you normally use ?


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Nice..


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

GJH0702 said:


> Jon- looking at the 50/50 on the 'plastic' what your view Auto Finesse Revive black trim gel or Wolf's that you normally use ?


They are slightly different products, the Revive is a gel which spreads into the plastic, and the Wolfs is a thin liquid which cleans the pores and adds a layer of nano protection.

The Wolfs is slightly trickier to apply, because you really have to deep clean the plastic before application, where the Revive isn't as reliant on the plastic being perfect. However I think the Wolfs gives a more natural "as new" look, where the Revive still looks OEM and matte, just a fraction shinier. Splitting hairs though.

I like both of them and will continue to use both if them for different things, to be honest, I couldnt say I preferred one over the other! I will keep an eye on the durability and see how that compares, but it's the only thing I can think that would give a definite split!


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## Lupostef (Nov 20, 2011)

Great write up and results anyhow mate, take it this is the brothers Lupo you told me about? 
Love all the AutoFinesse stuff myself my new favourite brand


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Lupostef said:


> Great write up and results anyhow mate, take it this is the brothers Lupo you told me about?
> Love all the AutoFinesse stuff myself my new favourite brand


Yeah this is the one! It's a bit untidy but he loves it!

A lot of the AF stuff is very good. I love Citrus Power too, but a couple of things I don't get on too well with and will be appearing in the personal sales section soon. Not bad stuff at all, it's all great, just certain products I prefer other brands :thumb:


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## Lupostef (Nov 20, 2011)

Good to hear, they are fun . What model is it? 
Let me know what bits your thinking of getting rid of and I might take them off your hands


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Lupostef said:


> Good to hear, they are fun . What model is it?
> Let me know what bits your thinking of getting rid of and I might take them off your hands


It's a 1.7 SDI, really slow but it's cheap!

I'll be selling a 250ml bottle of Tripple3, and Soul wax. Used the triple on the lupo bonnet, otherwise it's new, and I've had one thin coat of Soul on the Lupo. If you want them, you can have first refusal. Will be putting them up tomorrow night so I'll PM you first :thumb:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Thanks for all the comments guys!


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## jamesgti (Aug 9, 2007)

Good work, look smart on the bmw wheels trims.


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## Bratwurst (Jan 23, 2009)

Great job and great write-up!

I much prefer this kind of post to some exotic lambo or whatever. Nice wee car too! It's in smashing nick.

Only one question (okay, maybe 2) from me... why did you not clay it, but you machined it? Did you do the plastic/bag/sheet test everywhere to know it didn't need it, or had you clayed recently? For all the time it takes, and considering you had the machine on the car, I'd have clayed it myself for peace of mind, knowing that the chances of the pad picking up a bit of grit or whatever were greatly reduced. Maybe I'm just a 5hitbag lol


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Nice work there and a nice little Lupo as well, liking the wheel trims and the seats, nice mods.........:thumb:

The AF range is certainly going down well with some good products in the range.......

Thanks for sharing........:wave:


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## SarahAnn (Apr 6, 2011)

Nice Jon.

Interesting to hear your thoughts on the AF Soul. I found it hard work even applied thinly and it dulled the paint in my opinion so i swapped it. It's on it's 4th owner now.

I'd be interested in the feedback on the Revive aswell after a couple of weeks as a fellow DW'r saw my Freelander last week and was 'what the 'eck has happened ere' sort of thing when he saw my 'black' plastic trim on the rear corners. It was grey and watermarked after the Revive so i didnt have much success with that either. The car is garaged aswell.


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## SarahAnn (Apr 6, 2011)

wee_green_mini said:


> Great job and great write-up!
> 
> I much prefer this kind of post to some exotic lambo or whatever. Nice wee car too! It's in smashing nick.
> 
> Only one question (okay, maybe 2) from me... why did you not clay it, but you machined it? Did you do the plastic/bag/sheet test everywhere to know it didn't need it, or had you clayed recently? For all the time it takes, and considering you had the machine on the car, I'd have clayed it myself for peace of mind, knowing that the chances of the pad picking up a bit of grit or whatever were greatly reduced. *Maybe I'm just a 5hitbag lol*


:lol::lol:


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## Mad Ad (Feb 7, 2011)

Nice Finish Jon:thumb:

AF have some great products out there, Loving the Revive leaves a nice finish to plastic's without greasy mark's and also beads very well to.


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

wee_green_mini said:


> Great job and great write-up!
> 
> I much prefer this kind of post to some exotic lambo or whatever. Nice wee car too! It's in smashing nick.
> 
> Only one question (okay, maybe 2) from me... why did you not clay it, but you machined it? Did you do the plastic/bag/sheet test everywhere to know it didn't need it, or had you clayed recently? For all the time it takes, and considering you had the machine on the car, I'd have clayed it myself for peace of mind, knowing that the chances of the pad picking up a bit of grit or whatever were greatly reduced. Maybe I'm just a 5hitbag lol


Thanks the for the comment!

Yeah when he first got it (March last year) I clayed it, and then again when he got back from uni early December i have it a run round with the clay before giving it a very quick coat of QD to get it over Xmas. He's hardly driven it and the paint felt pretty smooth so decided to just crack on with the glaze!

I totally agree with your thoughts, i see claying as a very essential step and would never miss it out approaching a car for the first time!

Thanks again
Jon


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## herbiedacious (Sep 27, 2010)

Great job! Well done on getting a student out of the house in daylight too! How do rate the Amigo,l've got a full bottle and can't wait to use it.


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## Bratwurst (Jan 23, 2009)

Nice one Jon, and thanks for not taking any offence, I was only asking the question. 

Looking forward to more from you in The Showroom... :buffer: :thumb:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

herbiedacious said:


> Great job! Well done on getting a student out of the house in daylight too! How do rate the Amigo,l've got a full bottle and can't wait to use it.


Its lovely stuff! It was the first time i'd used it and had great expectations. It spreads really nice and gives a deep finish. The colour of the car didn't really show it off so im dying to try it on a black car to see what it's really like!

Will be staying firmly in my arsenal from now on though!



wee_green_mini said:


> Nice one Jon, and thanks for not taking any offence, I was only asking the question.
> 
> Looking forward to more from you in The Showroom... :buffer: :thumb:


No problem, you're right to ask!

Very kind of you to say, got a few mates/families cars i'll be doing in the near future so keep em' peeled!

Jon


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

Love it !! Great colour too

Coming from a mk6 golf, it's great how fast I can whiz round my lupo.


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