Idiots guide.

Post 470755 by wacky racer on 2012-03-05 21:27:00

Hi all. Would like to know that products you use to clean your cars. May sound like a silly question but now i have a car with decent bodywork i would like to keep it at its best for as long as possible. I have cleaned plenty of cars over the years mine and customers at work but apart from washing, a bit of polish, a hoover and some dash cleaner thats about as far as my knowledge goes. Anyone got an idiots guide of best products to use and how best to use then? Thanks.

Post 470779 by local-looney on 2012-03-05 21:39:02

i use autoglym for paint and wheels...on the black plastics,i use smooth peanut butter,gives a than other products i tried...good original appearance and the oils in it make it last longer

Post 470787 by shepbomb on 2012-03-05 21:41:56

Ive been using meguiars for years and swear by it.. and they have a very helpful forum

Post 470797 by Wobbly Dave on 2012-03-05 21:45:53

I have a guide on BRV http://www.bigredvolvos.co.uk/galleries/july_2006_CYC.htm I also use Snow foam prewash instead of an initial rinse. Best thing to start with is to buy 2 buckets! 2 bucket method is a must in order to avoid further damage to your clearcoat. Grit guards in the buckets are optional but recommended. you could do worse reading the advice on here too... http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/car-care-advice.html

Post 470801 by LiamT4 on 2012-03-05 21:46:42

[quote=shepbomb;470787]Ive been using meguiars for years and swear by it.. and they have a very helpful forum[/quote] +1 for me For a combination of quality, cost and ease of use i think they have excellent products.

Post 470833 by AndysR on 2012-03-05 22:07:30

Two bucket method when cleaning a dirty car is a MUST in my eyes. I use Meguiars NXT Generation car wash Sheepskin wash mit for the body and a synthetic wash mit for the wheels. Three buckets used, 1 for the wheels inner arches and sills, 1 for the body and glass and the other is fresh water used in conjuction with the bucket I use for the body. Autoglyn Ultra deep shine is a very good polish great for hiding minor scratches etc. Poorboys blue wax Poorboys body sealant Autosol for the exhaust Autoglym glass cleaner and Rainex for the windows. Zymol polish for the wheels They're the usual culprits for me...although I use others if I'm going for a valet.

Post 470865 by t5steve on 2012-03-05 22:36:25

[quote=LiamT4;470801]+1 for me For a combination of quality, cost and ease of use i think they have excellent products.[/quote] +2 can't fault meguires...................very good products and easy to use............i wash my car once a month using meguires wash n wax and it always gets comments at essex meet about how clean my car is

Post 470869 by local-looney on 2012-03-05 22:39:46

seems the general consensus this meguires......never seen or heard of it! is this mail order?? it sounds good by what you fella's say.......... or is my local motor factors s***!!!!!

Post 470873 by volvokid on 2012-03-05 22:43:44

[quote=850-shane;470869]seems the general consensus this meguires......never seen or heard of it! is this mail order?? it sounds good by what you fella's say.......... or is my local motor factors s***!!!!![/quote] LOL you have never heard of it they are the future autoglym, there proper detailing range is quite good but you wont get it in halfrauds, you will get there standard stuff though. I use there hyper wash for my snow foam lance, multi purpose cleaner, all season dressing, last touch and degreaser. Detailing gets very expensive if you get into it so be warned ;)

Post 470893 by Wobbly Dave on 2012-03-05 22:56:04

I use quite a lot of Chemical Guys (CG) stuff from Cleanyourcar Personal favs/highly rated products prewash - Snowfoam & Megs Hyperwash - Karcher foam lance Wash - Waschmitt foam wash mitt - CG Citrus Wash & gloss Clay - Sonus grey or green Wheels - Bilberry wheel wash (diluted 1 in 5) Iron X Soap for very bad wheels Carlach68 special cleanerl ( degreaser) great for engine bays Aerospace 303 protectant as a dressing Fav wax - CG Petes 53 signature paste wax. CG waterless carwash/QD There are many other bits for machine polishing that I use but to be fair I wouldnt bore you with them all.

Post 471014 by Haizum74 on 2012-03-06 12:28:32

[quote=Wobbly Dave;470893]I use quite a lot of Chemical Guys (CG) stuff from Cleanyourcar Personal favs/highly rated products prewash - Snowfoam & Megs Hyperwash - Karcher foam lance Wash - Waschmitt foam wash mitt - CG Citrus Wash & gloss Clay - Sonus grey or green Wheels - Bilberry wheel wash (diluted 1 in 5) Iron X Soap for very bad wheels Carlach58 special cleanerl ( degreaser) great for engine bays Aerospace 303 protectant as a dressing Fav wax - CG Petes 53 signature paste wax. CG waterless carwash/QD There are many other bits for machine polishing that I use but to be fair I wouldnt bore you with them all.[/quote] What can you use with the clay bar if you run out of spray solution. Also I read you can use the clay bar for your windscreen too. That right?

Post 471020 by volvokid on 2012-03-06 12:41:32

[quote=Haizum74;471014]What can you use with the clay bar if you run out of spray solution. Also I read you can use the clay bar for your windscreen too. That right?[/quote] Buy more, soapy water but i wouldn't recommend that. Get megs last touch. Yes u can do windows

Post 471040 by Wobbly Dave on 2012-03-06 13:31:21

I have a gallon of Megs last touch - which you can dilute 1 in 4 which is plenty good enough for claying.

Post 471425 by Haizum74 on 2012-03-07 13:03:03

[quote=volvokid;471020]Buy more, soapy water but i wouldn't recommend that. Get megs last touch. Yes u can do windows[/quote] Only got small pockets. There must be something else you can use.

Post 471428 by andybrown on 2012-03-07 13:18:47

i use majinly auto glym, never cared much for the meggys shampoo. I use the meggys glass cleaner and tyre shine though... they are pretty good

Post 471454 by Wobbly Dave on 2012-03-07 15:15:02

Megs endurance tyre thing when I remember is good stuff. I have gold class shampoo - but only for when I accidentally run out of CG stuff.

Post 478180 by alderman on 2012-03-27 13:04:01

Hi I use Zymol on my V70 its not cheap but if you get the starter pack it comes with a pre cleanse and a jar full of wax and cleaning cloths. Easy to use and a fantastic deep shine. this wax is used on show cars and has won many awards

Post 478181 by M-R-P on 2012-03-27 13:13:42

Welcome to the forum : I also use Zymol (the cleaner wax with banana and stuff in it. smells lovely lol) simoniz shampoo (can't remember which but it's thick and bright yellow) hard shell wax and autoglym Gold, but not necessarily in that order lol. Why not pop over to the "introduce yourself" forum and say "Hi", tell us a bit about yourself ;) I see you've been a member since 2009 and not had any posts - silent type? lol.

Post 478185 by Wobbly Dave on 2012-03-27 14:01:45

Thinking of organising a detailing day for anyone from newbs, keen amateurs, OCD to professionals alike? What do people think?

Post 478189 by M-R-P on 2012-03-27 14:09:49

As always with me mate, depends where ;)

Post 478193 by The Flying Moose on 2012-03-27 14:36:00

[quote=Wobbly Dave;478185]Thinking of organising a detailing day for anyone from newbs, keen amateurs, OCD to professionals alike? What do people think?[/quote] I would certainly be interested too, I have tried and tried with many and looked back and thought "The kosovan could have done it three hours quicker and my hand would still be intact".