Best wax to use, tips needed
Best wax to use, tips needed
http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-pro...p?v06VQ=HJ
I use Autoglym Aqua Wax every now and then to restore the shine. You can spray it onto the car after washing while still wet, wipe off with one of the microfibre cloths while drying the car and then polish with the other microfibre cloth.
http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-pro...p?v06VQ=HJ
Waxing and polishing every week just wastes your stuff, Plus you don't see the effects by doing it every week!.
Heres a guide I found on a detailling site. Its indepth but it gives you all the facts.
"We seem to have quite a few members lately who are completely new to good car care, as we all once where, and I've read quite a few " help, I haven't a clue where to start " sort of posts.
So I thought I'd try and write out a guide to help those people to get stuck in, enjoy and be confident in their regular clean. It's all basic stuff so may be boring reading for the seasoned enthusiasts.
I'll be covering technique and listing suggested area's to include and in what order. I'd recommend this routine every 2 weeks. After following this routine your car should be gleaming inside and out and feel fresh and showroom shiny.
Included area's -
Glass
Paintwork
wheels
Trim
Carpet/seats
Equipment needed -
Hose or pressure washer
2 or 3 buckets
Clean wash mitt
Drying towel
Microfibre cloths
Wheel brush
Wheel arch brush ( a loo brush is handy ) or any flat brush
Soft detail brush or clean paintbrush
Paintbrush for tyre dressing.
Your chosen shampoo,
Wheel cleaner,
Detail spray (if no protection is being added),
Glass cleaner,
All purpose cleaner,
Tyre dressing,
And wax, sealant or glaze if your going to be carrying out this step (recommended every month).
First steps -
I'd recommend starting with the wheels.
This will be easier if you have a spare bucket to fill with clean water.
Clean each wheel fully in turn, never attempt to spray every wheel with cleaner and rush round the car, as wheel cleaner can stain if it dries on.
Ensure the product is safe for your wheel finish. Spray around the arch, then scrub with your chosen arch brush. Rinse well. Then move on to the wheels. You should also be cleaning behind the spokes in this regular clean. After liberally applying your cleaner, use a specifically designed brush like this to reach the inside of the spokes, then move on to the face. You can clean the face with a sponge, or old wash mitt (kept seperate) and a paintbrush or pastry brush is handy to reach tight area's like around wheel nuts and busy designs.
Rinse well, and leave wet, you can dry them after washing the bodywork with a separate microfibre cloth kept solely for this use, the tyre dressing is best applied later.
Bodywork -
First, a good pre-rinse. If your car is in excellent swirl and marring free condition I'd recommend using snowfoam for the pre-rinse. You'll find guides to snowfoam in the guides section of the forum.
Start from the top and work down. Pre-rinsing your car like this also aids the wash - halting soap from drying as quick.
Load your 2 buckets, one with your chosen shampoo dilution and the other with clean rinse water. Warm water will help, but is not essential. And ALWAYS stick to the product instructions, as shampoo can be a strong degreaser and remove any previously applied protection and/or dry out the clearcoat.
Starting from the top is the way I go, wash a quarter of the roof then dip your wash mitt into the rinse water and thoroughly rinse, running your fingers through the mitt as you rinse. Then dip back into the shampoo water and carry on. You should be rinsing the mitt as often as possible, I'd recommend after every front wing sized area.
Work in a spiral, wash all the way around the top of the car, then move on to the bottoms. You can use a soft brush or paintbrush to get into tight area's as you go. Rinse well. You can get better drying by removing more rinse water using the sheeting method. You will need an open ended hose to do this, working down the panel with the broad stream of water, which will pull a sheet of water down and from the panel, leaving just beads to dry.
Ensure your towel is dust and contamination free, and pull across the panels to dry. Spritz a little detail spray onto each panel before drying to add protection and shine if your not going to be waxing this time. Wash after every use, and never use fabric softener in the wash as this sticks to the fibres and ruins the towel absorbency.
When the bodywork is dry, open the doors and dry the door jams with a clean microfibre cloth kept solely for this use. You can use your detail spray or wax on these area's too for a professional finish.
Don't forget to dry under the door frame, thus ensuring drips don't get on the door jams when the doors are closed.
Interior -
Glass first, as you can move dust and create fluff whilst doing this.
If you're using a spray, fold a clean m/f towel or piece of old t-shirt into a square. Apply the minimum amount of cleaner to the selected section only, wipe over with your cloth, then turn to the opposite dry side and buff again immediately for best results.
If using a cream polish, apply with a damp cloth, leave to haze then buff. Ensure you don't wipe the cream onto trim as it can stain some textures.
Now Vacuum -
Having a long thin nozzle and brush nozzle will help a lot.
You can use the brush attachment to go over area's like switches and trim first, then work your way down. If you have leather seats, lean on the seat a little to separate the seam and get into hidden areas. Always ensure your attachment has a smooth end if vacuuming over leather, you don't want to tear or damage it, if in doubt do not vacuum this area. Carpets last, using a stiff brush first to loosen and deep debris. remove matts and vacuum them outside the car.
Interior trim -
Lastly, wipe over all trim with a dampened microfibre cloth, if the trim is especially dirty add a little all purpose cleaner to the cloth. Any mud or staining trapped in textured trim can be removed with an AutoGlym Macro brush (also labelled as a "high tech hand pad" http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-pro...HG&Range=1
I prefer to leave interior trim factory finish with no dressings.
Leather should be cleaned then a protectant added. This would be a bi-monthly or longer duration treatment. You can find leather specific products in the CYC shop or here.
Finishing touches -
Dress tyres.
Apply your chosen dressing to a paintbrush then brush into the tyre wall.
Adding extra layers for a higher gloss. You can also use a spray dressing to spray into visible arch areas (away from suspension and brakes) to give a professional finish.
Topping up protection -
I'd recommend topping up your protection every month or so. People often ask which goes first and in which order. Here's the way that most products (unless stated otherwise) are usually applied, going from bare paintwork -
Polishes/cleaners
Sealant
Wax
You can use one or all of these. Polish is usually only needed every 6 to 12 months. Some Glaze products can be oily, and are best used as a single layer on their own, just for that special occasion. Some Glazes are "sealant glazes" and can be used under wax.
Sealing the wheels -
This will aid cleaning and looks. Apart from specific products, you can also use most sealant and waxes for this. I find Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection looks and works very well.
Finally, don't forget to enjoy your work, if your budget allows, try out some different products along the way.
Thanks for reading, I hope this guide helps out anyone new to good cleaning techniques and gives them a little more confidence that they're doing it right... "
Hope that helps you out!
What i do is give it a good wash, clay, polish and wax once a month. Then every week give the car a good wash.
Waxing and polishing every week just wastes your stuff, Plus you don't see the effects by doing it every week!.
Heres a guide I found on a detailling site. Its indepth but it gives you all the facts.
"We seem to have quite a few members lately who are completely new to good car care, as we all once where, and I've read quite a few " help, I haven't a clue where to start " sort of posts.
So I thought I'd try and write out a guide to help those people to get stuck in, enjoy and be confident in their regular clean. It's all basic stuff so may be boring reading for the seasoned enthusiasts.
I'll be covering technique and listing suggested area's to include and in what order. I'd recommend this routine every 2 weeks. After following this routine your car should be gleaming inside and out and feel fresh and showroom shiny.
Included area's -
Glass
Paintwork
wheels
Trim
Carpet/seats
Equipment needed -
Hose or pressure washer
2 or 3 buckets
Clean wash mitt
Drying towel
Microfibre cloths
Wheel brush
Wheel arch brush ( a loo brush is handy ) or any flat brush
Soft detail brush or clean paintbrush
Paintbrush for tyre dressing.
Your chosen shampoo,
Wheel cleaner,
Detail spray (if no protection is being added),
Glass cleaner,
All purpose cleaner,
Tyre dressing,
And wax, sealant or glaze if your going to be carrying out this step (recommended every month).
First steps -
I'd recommend starting with the wheels.
This will be easier if you have a spare bucket to fill with clean water.
Clean each wheel fully in turn, never attempt to spray every wheel with cleaner and rush round the car, as wheel cleaner can stain if it dries on.
Ensure the product is safe for your wheel finish. Spray around the arch, then scrub with your chosen arch brush. Rinse well. Then move on to the wheels. You should also be cleaning behind the spokes in this regular clean. After liberally applying your cleaner, use a specifically designed brush like this to reach the inside of the spokes, then move on to the face. You can clean the face with a sponge, or old wash mitt (kept seperate) and a paintbrush or pastry brush is handy to reach tight area's like around wheel nuts and busy designs.
Rinse well, and leave wet, you can dry them after washing the bodywork with a separate microfibre cloth kept solely for this use, the tyre dressing is best applied later.
Bodywork -
First, a good pre-rinse. If your car is in excellent swirl and marring free condition I'd recommend using snowfoam for the pre-rinse. You'll find guides to snowfoam in the guides section of the forum.
Start from the top and work down. Pre-rinsing your car like this also aids the wash - halting soap from drying as quick.
Load your 2 buckets, one with your chosen shampoo dilution and the other with clean rinse water. Warm water will help, but is not essential. And ALWAYS stick to the product instructions, as shampoo can be a strong degreaser and remove any previously applied protection and/or dry out the clearcoat.
Starting from the top is the way I go, wash a quarter of the roof then dip your wash mitt into the rinse water and thoroughly rinse, running your fingers through the mitt as you rinse. Then dip back into the shampoo water and carry on. You should be rinsing the mitt as often as possible, I'd recommend after every front wing sized area.
Work in a spiral, wash all the way around the top of the car, then move on to the bottoms. You can use a soft brush or paintbrush to get into tight area's as you go. Rinse well. You can get better drying by removing more rinse water using the sheeting method. You will need an open ended hose to do this, working down the panel with the broad stream of water, which will pull a sheet of water down and from the panel, leaving just beads to dry.
Ensure your towel is dust and contamination free, and pull across the panels to dry. Spritz a little detail spray onto each panel before drying to add protection and shine if your not going to be waxing this time. Wash after every use, and never use fabric softener in the wash as this sticks to the fibres and ruins the towel absorbency.
When the bodywork is dry, open the doors and dry the door jams with a clean microfibre cloth kept solely for this use. You can use your detail spray or wax on these area's too for a professional finish.
Don't forget to dry under the door frame, thus ensuring drips don't get on the door jams when the doors are closed.
Interior -
Glass first, as you can move dust and create fluff whilst doing this.
If you're using a spray, fold a clean m/f towel or piece of old t-shirt into a square. Apply the minimum amount of cleaner to the selected section only, wipe over with your cloth, then turn to the opposite dry side and buff again immediately for best results.
If using a cream polish, apply with a damp cloth, leave to haze then buff. Ensure you don't wipe the cream onto trim as it can stain some textures.
Now Vacuum -
Having a long thin nozzle and brush nozzle will help a lot.
You can use the brush attachment to go over area's like switches and trim first, then work your way down. If you have leather seats, lean on the seat a little to separate the seam and get into hidden areas. Always ensure your attachment has a smooth end if vacuuming over leather, you don't want to tear or damage it, if in doubt do not vacuum this area. Carpets last, using a stiff brush first to loosen and deep debris. remove matts and vacuum them outside the car.
Interior trim -
Lastly, wipe over all trim with a dampened microfibre cloth, if the trim is especially dirty add a little all purpose cleaner to the cloth. Any mud or staining trapped in textured trim can be removed with an AutoGlym Macro brush (also labelled as a "high tech hand pad" http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-pro...HG&Range=1
I prefer to leave interior trim factory finish with no dressings.
Leather should be cleaned then a protectant added. This would be a bi-monthly or longer duration treatment. You can find leather specific products in the CYC shop or here.
Finishing touches -
Dress tyres.
Apply your chosen dressing to a paintbrush then brush into the tyre wall.
Adding extra layers for a higher gloss. You can also use a spray dressing to spray into visible arch areas (away from suspension and brakes) to give a professional finish.
Topping up protection -
I'd recommend topping up your protection every month or so. People often ask which goes first and in which order. Here's the way that most products (unless stated otherwise) are usually applied, going from bare paintwork -
Polishes/cleaners
Sealant
Wax
You can use one or all of these. Polish is usually only needed every 6 to 12 months. Some Glaze products can be oily, and are best used as a single layer on their own, just for that special occasion. Some Glazes are "sealant glazes" and can be used under wax.
Sealing the wheels -
This will aid cleaning and looks. Apart from specific products, you can also use most sealant and waxes for this. I find Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection looks and works very well.
Finally, don't forget to enjoy your work, if your budget allows, try out some different products along the way.
Thanks for reading, I hope this guide helps out anyone new to good cleaning techniques and gives them a little more confidence that they're doing it right... "
Hope that helps you out!
karlp Anyone now how to get rid of marring on paint work???
Currently using AG SRP but doesnt seem to be getting rid of the circling scratches, also used some T Cut but its still there..
You'll probably want some Meguiars #83 polish. It will need to be applied by a machine ideally.
Then once the marring is gone, go over it again with a less abrasive polish (SRP may do the trick)
karlp Anyone now how to get rid of marring on paint work???
Currently using AG SRP but doesnt seem to be getting rid of the circling scratches, also used some T Cut but its still there..
You'll probably want some Meguiars #83 polish. It will need to be applied by a machine ideally.
Then once the marring is gone, go over it again with a less abrasive polish (SRP may do the trick)
karlp Thanks jim, I'm a bit apprehensive about using a machine polisher, can they damage your paintwork and what would be a good beginners machine pOlisher?
The G220 is a good dual action polisher. With a DA you'll find it almost impossible to damage your paintwork as they rotate in a way that prevents heat from building up in a single area and they're quite gutless too.
karlp Thanks jim, I'm a bit apprehensive about using a machine polisher, can they damage your paintwork and what would be a good beginners machine pOlisher?
The G220 is a good dual action polisher. With a DA you'll find it almost impossible to damage your paintwork as they rotate in a way that prevents heat from building up in a single area and they're quite gutless too.
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