"I bought my Phantom Black Audi S4 Avant new and took delivery in May. From the start I was conscious of making sure it was kept in the best condition and was protected from the elements. With the winter approaching I decided to give it a detail over two successive Sunday mornings – it’s the only time I get to spend caring for the car. I set out having recently bought quite a few bits from Polished Bliss and receiving some excellent product advice along the way from John.

I started by pressure washing the entire car and arches to rinse off the loose road grime and dirt. After spraying the front of the car with Auto Finesse Citrus Power grime remover I attended to the wheels with some deironizing gel, which instantly started to ‘bleed’. I worked the smelly gel into the nooks and crannies of my alloys then power rinsed them off leaving a sparkling clean finish. There were quite a few tar spots but they were quickly and easily removed using a tar and glue remover. At the same time I gave the lower sills a wipe down.

A thick blanket of snow foam followed was agitated with a brush from the Raceglaze Detailing Brush Set, paying particular attention to the window surrounds and model badges. The rubber window trim was also given a thorough clean with some Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner to ensure a subsequent trim dressing had the cleanest possible surface to adhere to. I also scrubbed the tyres with a strong concentration of All Purpose Cleaner for the same reason.

A two bucket wash ensued using Auto Finesse Lather and a lambswool wash mitt. I towelled off the worst of the lying water but wasn’t too fastidious as I then clayed the lower half of the car (including wheels) with Auto Finesse Clay and plenty of clay lubricant. This was my first real attempt at claying and reassuringly there was hardly any contamination. Another snow foam and quick rinse followed.

I then prepped the paint and wheels using Auto Finesse Rejuvenate – having carefully attended to the car for the previous five months I had hardly any wash swirls to deal with. This left the car squeaky clean and gleaming, but in need of protection – the fun bit. I used Auto Finesse Tough Coat sealant on the bodywork, applying a thin layer to the whole vehicle with a sponge applicator – this took only 10-15 minutes. This cured quickly and was buffed off using a couple of Poorboy's Deluxe Mega Microfibre towels.

I was tempted to leave it there but wanted to add a little more warmth and protection so laid down a layer of Swissvax Best Of Show with a Swissvax applicator. I buffed this off with a Swissvax Micro Fluffy Towel, which has to be the softest, densest towel I’ve used. Already the car was looking a million dollars!

Knowing I had the following weekend to complete the process I then just laid a coat of Auto Finesse Mint Rims wheel wax down by hand. The minty smell was fantastic although it meant I got a bit eager and put too much on – buffing off with Poorboys Deluxe Mega Microfibre towel wasn’t easy! At this point I called it a day, roughly three hours or so after I started.

The following weekend I was really eager to finish the job so I was out early again, taking advantage of another clear dry Sunday morning. The car had only covered about 50 miles in the week so a rinse, snow foam and a quick wash got me to where I finished the previous session. I used a strong Auto Finesse Lather solution and a lambswool wash mitt to bring the wheels back to a sparkle – the water was beading beautifully off the Mint Rims wax!

After drying the bodywork I coated the plastics with Auto Finesse Revive, and the rubber trims with Swissvax Seal Feed. Instantly they looked darker – exactly what I had hoped. The tyres got a coat of Blackfire Long Lasting Tyre Gel – the first time I’d used it and I was mighty pleased. The door sills got a once over with Auto Finesse Tripple – brilliantly easy to use product which polishes and protects.

I used a single stage metal polish/sealant on the exhaust tips, although didn’t pay much attention to the insides as I knew they’d get sooty after 10 minutes of driving. Nonetheless they sparkled, unlike the dirty microfiber cloth I used! At the same time I sprayed the arches with a dedicated undercarriage dressing.

I meticulously polished the windscreen with Nanolex Premium Glass Polish and followed with Nanolex Urban Glass Sealant applied thinly with a Meguiar's Microfibre Applicator Pad. Whilst this cured I cleaned the windows with Auto Finesse Crystal and a dedicated waffle microfiber glass cloth – a great combination which left the glass perfectly smear free.

Having buffed off the glass sealant with a Poorboy's Deluxe Mega Towel I wanted to spruce up the paintwork so selected my Swissvax Nano Express Kit knowing it would complement the wax I’d previously laid down. This spread nicely with the supplied applicator and wiped off quickly using the Swissvax towel. This is yet another product which smells good enough to eat!

At this point time was ticking so I quickly wiped off the excess Swissvax Seal Feed, Auto Finesse Revive and Blackfire Long Lasting Tyre Gel, and then stood back and admired the car. Having only got into ‘detailing’ at the start of the year I was really satisfied with what I’d achieved in a total of just over 6 hours and a little help from the Polished Bliss team!"