STAGE 1 DE-CONTAMINATION

Unless you’re applying HALO to a freshly-wrapped car, this is arguably the most important stage of the entire process. Think of HALO as forming a protective barrier between the vinyl wrap and the outside world; great for stopping any new contaminants from affecting the finish. But the reverse is also true, and if there are any contaminants already on the surface, by applying HALO over the top all you are doing is effectively permanently sealing these defects into the finish of your car. That’s why Matt at System Clenz and Gtechniq themselves cannot stress enough the importance of a thorough de-contamination process before you even think about opening that bottle of HALO. Our RS was filthy when it first arrived at System Clenz. Having recently completed several crosscountry trips to Essex and back to the South West, it was covered in plenty of road grime, bug splatter, caked in brake dust, and round the back was peppered with the carbon deposits the Mk3s kick out during all their popping and banging in Sport Mode. In short, it was a bit of a mess. Each detailer will have their own preferred methods for ensuring the car is thoroughly clean, but we followed Matt as he went to work on our Focus…

START

1 The first thing Matt did was cover the car in Gtechniq’s W5 Citrus All Purpose Cleaner. This is pretty powerful stuff, yet safe for all finishes. It gets to work breaking down the more stubborn dirt and grime, ready for the wash stages to follow. 2 After the car had been covered in W5, Matt then loaded his snow foam lance with W4 Citrus Foam and applied to the entire car. Starting from the top and working down, the whole car is given a deep coating in snow foam, which is then left for a few minutes to do its thing before rinsing off with a jet wash. 3 Now it’s time for a bit of elbow grease, and using some of Gtechniq’s GWash and a new WM2 microfibre wash mitt Matt gently washes the car all over. Working on one panel at a time, he washes and then rinses with the jet wash before moving on the next panel. 4 The wheels may have received a liberal coating of W5 already, but for stubborn stuff like brake dust something stronger is needed; in this case Matt turns to W6 Iron and General Fallout Remover. Simply spray it on, leave for a few minutes, agitate, and rinse off with a jet wash. 5 It’s not just the wheels that get treated to W6; as an Iron and Fallout Remover it’s perfect for lifting any iron contaminants from the body too. You can immediately see all the purple spots emerge where the cleaner is reacting with the iron particles on the surface.

FINISH

6 One final rinse all over with the jet wash, followed by drying with a microfibre towel marks the end of the de-contamination phase. Now we need to get the car indoors and begin the prep work for HALO to be applied…