How to Clean your car (properly)

**Murphy** · Thursday 25th May 2006, 10:50

Whilst reading a few posts on the scooby.net, i came across a chap who has is own valeting business. He had posted a thread with before, during and after pictures and explanations on how to get a car minted to the MAX !

So. I thought i would pass his information around. So far i have used a couple of the products recomended by this chap and the results are fantastic. All i need now is a £1000 credit account

How to wash your car

How to clean your paint in preperation for polish

How to apply your wax

In between maintainence

Interior Clean

Wheel Cleaning

Engine bay cleaning

Some very pretty pictures !

Leon Cupra

Range Rover Sport - before pic

Range Rover Sport - After

Range Rover Sport Wing - before

Range Rover Sport Wing - after

Civic Type R - before

Civic Type R - before

Civic Type R - after

Civic Type R - after

**pzorb** · Thursday 25th May 2006, 11:46

Excellent info, but slightly scared at how much some of those products cost!

**t5owner** · Friday 26th May 2006, 14:29

Originally Posted by pzorb

Excellent info, but slightly scared at how much some of those products cost!

Like wise although i may well give some of them a try

Cheers

**adriancole** · Sunday 28th May 2006, 07:56

Check the cost of this glaze / wax...tis on the Zymol site, their most expensive wax is £7118 a pot, yes that is seven thousand one hundred and eighteen pounds......mind you you get a free refill for life if i am reading it correctly

http://www.zdouk.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=11

Remember seing this on Fifth Gear with the detailer chap who charges up to a couple off grand for his full detail which takes place over a week as he leaves the waxes to dry for up to a few hours between coats etc.....

His site is

http://www.miracledetail.co.uk/auto-detailing-home.html

Starting price £500......

Cars Look V shiney...

Adrian.

**Nathlm** · Sunday 28th May 2006, 08:35

Erm I just get Hamish to do it for me! or little bear when he is not busy - how lazy am I!!

**adriancole** · Sunday 28th May 2006, 09:12

Yes im waiting for my little one to get old enough to do mine........

**Wobbly Dave** · Tuesday 30th May 2006, 13:27

I have bought some Clay bar and a second bucket. I also invested in a microfibre polishing mit.

Makes a difference to the soapy water you put onto the car - noticed it doesnt get so grimy - so that must be a good thing. Takes a bit of remembring to rinse out the lambswool every couple of wipes.

barberecpw · Tuesday 30th May 2006, 14:03

Originally Posted by adriancole

Check the cost of this glaze / wax...tis on the Zymol site, their most expensive wax is £7118 a pot, yes that is seven thousand one hundred and eighteen pounds......mind you you get a free refill for life if i am reading it correctly

http://www.zdouk.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=11

Remember seing this on Fifth Gear with the detailer chap who charges up to a couple off grand for his full detail which takes place over a week as he leaves the waxes to dry for up to a few hours between coats etc.....

His site is

http://www.miracledetail.co.uk/auto-detailing-home.html

Starting price £500......

Cars Look V shiney...

Adrian.

Yeah, that really expensive wax...i heard that you can eat the wax its so pure. (assuming this is the stuff) its true!, there is a car wax that can be eaten if you be so inclined. I saw it on telly not to long ago.

yum.

arbee · Tuesday 30th May 2006, 19:31

some good links there, i used to be a bit of a clean freak when i did the shows with my last cars, trouble is the Gul has so many little imperfections it doesnt motivate you so much...

**adriancole** · Wednesday 31st May 2006, 00:07

Mine too, has lots of little imperfections, though apparently some detailers can get all these out with a bit of buffing!!...been quoted £250 to make my black V70 shine like new adn take all the imperfections out...whether it will work is another matter....

**Rufe** · Thursday 1st June 2006, 22:18

i washed my c70 today, using a little idea i never thought of before (honestly), the 2 bucket method. i read this thread with interest, as i have allways been a power wash at work kind of person (well its free and easy lol) but now i have the c70, i thought i would try a bit harder.

on the back of this thread alone, i went out and bought 2 new buckets, a bottle of Autoglym bodywork shampoo, and a bottle of Autoglym polish, a lambswool mitt, and a polish mit, and also got hold of a good supply of valeter cloths from work, along with some other little nice things too (interior clean, glass cleaner, wheel acid, new magic tree etc)

spent a couple of hours giving the car a really good wash and dry, and even though i only washed it 2 days ago and weather has been great, i couldnt believe the difference it made. didnt have time to polish it as it was getting dark. im away for the weekend at rockingham, but on monday i am off work, so will be out there again giving it the full works, including the polish this time, and i think i will convince myself to give the car a good clay bar treatment before i polish it too.... better read up on that though, its all new to me.

3 washes in less than a week, just because of this thread.... a new me is born! lol

cant beat the satisfaction of a good clean car though, fair play.

**adriancole** · Thursday 1st June 2006, 22:36

Yes, id love to do mine too at the moment though currently off games due to breaking collar bone and ribs, so cannot lift or do anthing like polishing or buffing...am just looking at the my car getting very dirty.....

Those detailers sites are quite inspiring so i cannot wait to get out the cloths and clay...

arbee · Thursday 1st June 2006, 23:12

Anyone have any idea if t cut will be too abrasive with a polishing machine? Do i need a milder cutting agent?

**adriancole** · Thursday 1st June 2006, 23:22

Yes i read that it is one of the more abrasive ones, there are other ones which contain less abrasives and do the same thing....though cannot remember where i saw that....

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/

it was here, read somewhere, there are lots of how toos as well, esp on machine polishing

**Murphy** · Friday 2nd June 2006, 08:38

I am pleased you got something out of it Rufe. You should take some before and after pics on monday and get them up

Andy

**Wobbly Dave** · Friday 2nd June 2006, 09:48

Gonna take mine right back over the next couple of days - Wash it, clay it and polish it. Have a freedom test drive to attend on Sunday and hopefully mine will outshine the new cars?

arbee · Friday 2nd June 2006, 10:01

yeah i hope to do mine too aswell, the paint is quite flat, tho it may be a characteristic of the colour to some extent. Gonna give it a polish/'cut' and those links above are swaying me to buy a machine (if even a relative cheapy) to get the best out of it. I've seen cars after a mop and it does make a massive difference!

**Murphy** · Friday 2nd June 2006, 10:06

I wouldn't bother with a buffer. If you just get some clay bar, and work that body until it is like silk. Then use a 'body scrub' to ensure any tiny fragments are removed, then apply your polish

**Wobbly Dave** · Friday 2nd June 2006, 10:08

Gonna get a touch up pen too for the little chips/marks around the door frame

arbee · Friday 2nd June 2006, 10:16

Originally Posted by Murphy

I wouldn't bother with a buffer. If you just get some clay bar, and work that body until it is like silk. Then use a 'body scrub' to ensure any tiny fragments are removed, then apply your polish

I originally saw those things as 'buffers' but that term is misleading - the usefulness of the machine is to do the actual polishing part, ie removing the dull paint, the buffing part, ie removing the residue can be best done by hand as not too much effort is involved. Unless the car paint is particularly dirty with tar etc i cannot see the point of claying if you intend on polishing straight afterwards.

Wobbly, already got a 250mm tin of cellulose 'gul' to touch it - thats my intention too