- This topic has 54 replies, 30 voices, and was last updated 4 years ago by neilnevill.
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Car detailing thread!
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bigyimFree MemberPosted 4 years ago
That’s right. 2 bucket washers.
I’ve got a new (to me) car and have decided to take care of it this time. Getting slightly obsessed with keeping it shiny and looking nice. Mainly bought the whole range of meguiars as it was on the sale in Halfords. I’ve also tried Poorboy’s natty paste blue which seems wierd to apply but good.Any recommendations for techniques or products that you use that you’ve found good. I’m all ears.
I know there is better things to do with my time but I find it enjoyable at the moment and therapeutictthewFull MemberPosted 4 years agoI’m sure your description of car washing enthusiasts in the thread title ensure responses flood in.
I use one bucket with a splash of washing up liquid.
escrsFree MemberPosted 4 years agoBack in my Escort RS Turbo days i used to clean the outside of my car every two weeks with the two bucket method, then once a month do all the door/tailgate shuts, under bonnet etc… every 4 or so months it also got a go over with a claybar
Autoglym used to be my favourite shampoo, polish, wax, wheel cleaner etc.. as it was always on offer as a kit along with polishing cloths/mitts and a good quality leather chamois
Now with my Audi A4 Avant Special Edition its lucky to get a bucket of water with the cheapest car shampoo available chucked over it once every six months, think i last polished it 3 years ago, haven’t got the time or interest in working on or cleaning cars these days but im too tight to pay £5 for it to be cleaned at the local car wash facility
kayla1Free MemberPosted 4 years agoDunno. OH chucks a bucket of water over it about once a month, maybe a bit more often in winter because of the salt on the road.
mindmap3Free MemberPosted 4 years agoTwo buckets always, washmit instead of a sponge, decent microfibre cloth instead of a chamois, lots and lots nice cloths for applying and removing products.
Prep is key for wax; wash, dry, clay bar, polish, glaze then two coats of a good wax lasts me a good few months. I usually do two big cleans a year with a top up coat of wax in between.
I’ve started using Angelwax products which I quite like. Always got on with Dodo Juice and Auto Finesse too. Quick detailer is good for a bit of interim shine too.
I’ll even admit that I enjoy doing it. My neighbours thought I was mental picking up my M140 this summer and then spending the next day cleaning a new car.
plus-oneFull MemberPosted 4 years ago2 buckets here too 🙂
Every summer I spend full day on car.
Wash
Tar-iron deposit remover
Clay bar
Zaino all in one polish
Zaino z2 to finishVery therapeutic and the results are stunning
DrPFull MemberPosted 4 years agoI too like washing my car!
Though it’s an 07 octavia, I like to keep the alloys shiny and the paint nice…Will try the 2 bucket version!
DrP
bensalesFree MemberPosted 4 years agoI wouldn’t bother asking that question here OP, you’ll only get the responses of “it’s only a car, it gets washed at its service/never”
Go to http://www.detailingworld.co.uk and you’ll have a sympathetic audience and loads of informations. Be warned though, it’s a rabbit hole you’re going down and you’ll now never be happy with how your car looks 🙂
YoKaiserFree MemberPosted 4 years agoKinda gave up on the cars due to the futility with having 3 kids. I do try to keep on top of the motorbikes though. Would be interested to hear about anyone experiences using the iron remover stuff. Nothing too esoteric in the garage, Meguiars gold class used between polish and wax and Meguiars soft gel if I’m doing the polish and wax. Going to try the Bilt Hamber stuff soon.
joshvegasFree MemberPosted 4 years agoI favour the no bucket method…
… Look at car think “christ thats manky” then continue doing some useful with my day.
mindmap3Free MemberPosted 4 years agoKinda gave up on the cars due to the futility with having 3 kids. I do try to keep on top of the motorbikes though. Would be interested to hear about anyone experiences using the iron remover stuff. Nothing too esoteric in the garage, Meguiars gold class used between polish and wax and Meguiars soft gel if I’m doing the polish and wax. Going to try the Bilt Hamber stuff soo
I’m a big fan of Car Pro Iron X. Does a great job.
brownsauceFree MemberPosted 4 years agoWas into detailing for a couple of years when i wasnt doing much bike riding , eventually got bored of wasting the considerable amount of time spent doing it , though i do realise many get alot of pleasure and satisfaction from it.
The only bit i still enjoy is applying water repellent sealant on the windows so i can watch the rain roll off from the air flow.
Gtechniq G5 is a great product for this.
phil5556Full MemberPosted 4 years agoI like a clean car but don’t really enjoy doing it.
I get ours done properly every 6 months or so and I do a quickish wash about once a month or so.
Infact there’s a man coming to do mine on Friday 🙂
bigdeanFull MemberPosted 4 years agoI used to but life seems to have gotten in the way.
Years ago the was a thread somewhere in a detailing forum where some one detailed their Dyson. Disassembled and polished everything!
bigyimFree MemberPosted 4 years agoI started off with the megairs soap you put directly on the sponge but then you can’t use it after you’ve waxed it as it strips the wax off. So I’ve moved over to their brand snowfoam which seems good and smells lovely.
I used a compound, then glaze then liquid wax. Now I’ve tried the natty wax which seems to leave it feeling lovely and looks really nice.
I’ve compounded the glass then used rain Rx to try and get it to bead nicely. Seems to be the hardest part of the cleaning is the inside of the windscreen.
Any tips to do wheels with out using a strong wheel acid on them?
And how do you get all the dust off it? We have road works by work so it’s getting covered in crap every dayalanfFree MemberPosted 4 years agoIf you get the wheels clean and protected you don’t need a strong wheel cleaned, although if they are bad in the first place you might. A fallout remover will get the majority of the brake dust off but you may need to do a number of passes with it to get them really clean.
Once they are clean though I just use Bilberry wheel cleaner to keep them looking good as that’s all that’s needed. They key is protecting them once cleaned.
In the past I’ve used planet polish wheel seal and shine which is cheap and works really well.
This year I’ve gone for G-techniq C5 wheel armour which is more tricky to apply but is supposed to last a long time and to be fair it is still good now, applied in December to summer wheels.
The other Gtechniq products I’ve used have been great too.
Valet pro citrus degreaser is a great start for cleaning the car – I don’t bother with snow foam as it seems to be a bit of a gimmick to me, I use the citrus degreaser in the same way although it doesn’t foam up but get’s the vast majority of the dirt off before I get a mit on the car. It also can be used for other cleaning too.mindmap3Free MemberPosted 4 years agoThis year I’ve gone for G-techniq C5 wheel armour which is more tricky to apply but is supposed to last a long time and to be fair it is still good now, applied in December to summer wheels.
The other Gtechniq products I’ve used have been great too.I’ve used this for the first time in my 140 and it’s brilliant. Expensive but my wheels clean up really well every time.
bigyimFree MemberPosted 4 years agoNever heard of gtechniq before. I’ll have to try and find a stockist near me
retro83Free MemberPosted 4 years agoHighly recommend Optimum No Rinse (ONR). Saves a tonne of water and effort compared to getting out the power washer etc.
You can dilute it (IIRC 25:1) and wash your car with it. It’s a great time saver compared to 2BM, because all you have to do is use a single bucket then mix it up and chuck a load of microfibres in the bucket to soak. You clean a panel at a time using each side of a single microfibre then discard the microfibre and dry the panel with a towel. That way there’s no chance of reintroducing grit from another panel and the water stays clean. Then you just wash the microfibres and you can keep and reuse the remaining ONR mix since it’s got no dirt in it.
It makes the best claybar lube there is at a stronger mix (10 to 1 I think).
It can also be used at a much weaker mix to wash the dashboard etc. Great stuff.
anotherdeadheroFree MemberPosted 4 years agoWhy would you only use one bucket? Why would you deliberately grind grit into your bodywork? May as well save yourself the bother and get the £5 handwash chaps to have a go at it. Do you seriously wash your wheels and bopdywork with one bucket and the same sponge? Yeesh. Doesn’t actually take any longer to do it properly.
Sorry, I’m like a bear with a sore head today.
In all seriousness, for a time saver wash I find Aquawax really good: no need to dry/chamois car off after the rinse, just wax and polish in one go.
strikeFree MemberPosted 4 years agoBig thumbs up for 2 bucket method, use a micro-fibre or lambs wool mit (definitely not sponge) and to save time finish off with Autoglym Polar Seal – gives a waxed look without the hard work.
windysurferFree MemberPosted 4 years agoAnyone tried a ceramic coating? Planning on trying one but unsure which would be the easiest to apply on the driveway.
alanfFree MemberPosted 4 years agoHave a look on Ultimate finish for Gtechniq products.
I’ve used them quite a lot and are great to deal with and often have offers on and free delivery on a certain spend, which is not hard to reach with the cost of some products!
It’s a slippery slope – beware…alanfFree MemberPosted 4 years agoI’ve not tried a ceramic but have read that Gyeon (forget which one (cancoat?)) was a pretty good and reliable coating for home use – i.e. not professionally applied
retro83Free MemberPosted 4 years agoanotherdeadhero
Member
Why would you only use one bucket? Why would you deliberately grind grit into your bodywork? May as well save yourself the bother and get the £5 handwash chaps to have a go at it. Do you seriously wash your wheels and bopdywork with one bucket and the same sponge? Yeesh. Doesn’t actually take any longer to do it properly.
Sorry, I’m like a bear with a sore head today.
Was that to me? The cloths are used once then discarded (well put in a pile to go in the washing machine) thus no dirt ever goes into the bucket 👍. My car is swirl free and I clean it this way regularly.
Also another tip: if microfibres go rough after being washed, brush them with a (new/clean obviously)
richmtbFull MemberPosted 4 years agoIf I’m doing it properly then,
Snow foam,
Clean wheels,
2 bucket wash,
A bit of paint prep if necessary (clay bar / tar remover and then polish any obvious defects)
Sealant / Wax: Gtechniq C2v3 is excellent, its basically replaced paste wax for me. Really quick and easy to use,
Clean windows,
Hoover inside and wipe interior trim,
Dress tyres.
Takes about 90 minutesA maintenance wash is:
Snow foam,
Rinse,
Snow Foam,
Wipe with a wash mitt,
Rinse,
Aquawax.
Takes about 20 minutesanotherdeadheroFree MemberPosted 4 years agoWas that to me?
No no, not directed at you. Just all the one bucket slappers up there ^^
retro83Free MemberPosted 4 years agoanotherdeadhero
Member
Was that to me?
No no, not directed at you. Just all the one bucket slappers up there ^^
Ah no worries.
Just noticed I missed the critical bit off the end of my post…
“Also another tip: if microfibres go rough after being washed, brush them with a (new/clean obviously) ” soft shoe polishing brush
zilog6128Full MemberPosted 4 years agoIt’s completely bizarre to me but a lot of people love it (and get obsessive about it!) A chap I know has recently quit his job & gone full time (proper shop and everything) with his detailing supplies business that he started part time from his garage only a couple of years ago.
fossyFull MemberPosted 4 years agoOne bucket here, but car is washed weekly, lower panels twice weekly in winter.
Top to bottom though. Roof, windows and panels, then sills, bumpers and wheels.
I’d use two if the car was filthy, but it never get’s that bad. Quick rinse with the hose, or power washer for underneath, then towel off. Done.
Autoglym super resin every 3 months, with the deep gloss protection every 6.
The job of cleaning a car gets a whole lot harder if you don’t do it often. It’s a quick job if done on a regular basis. Wheels are a nightmare if you don’t keep on top of them.
The car is 17 years old now (had it 16 of them) so my method works fine.
YoKaiserFree MemberPosted 4 years agoUse 2 buckets to clean your car. One with soapy bubble and the other with just water. Dip mitt in soapy bucket, wipe over car and rinse in clean bucket water. Idea being you are not introducing any contamination to the soapy clean bucket.
markoc1984Full MemberPosted 4 years agoI had my car ceramic coated when it was new by a professional detailer. It cost about £400 and he needed the car for a few days so that the coating could cure properly.
Well worth it in my opinion as the paint still looks in great condition after 2 years and makes cleaning it so much easier. Most of the time all it needs is a snow foam coating then blast with the pressure washer to get it looking good, wheels usually need a bit of extra attention with a cleaning mitt.
When I do give it a proper clean I use the 2 bucket method and use 2 wash mitts at the same time to half the cleaning time.
finbarFree MemberPosted 4 years agoMaybe someone on here can help – I put a coat of Simoniz wax on my car about a year ago (the original paste wax in the gold tin). Obviously I’ve washed the car since, but not rewaxed. It’s now looking really patchy and ratty, but I’m damned if I can get the stuff off. Help…?
retro83Free MemberPosted 4 years agofinbar
Member
Maybe someone on here can help – I put a coat of Simoniz wax on my car about a year ago (the original paste wax in the gold tin). Obviously I’ve washed the car since, but not rewaxed. It’s now looking really patchy and ratty, but I’m damned if I can get the stuff off. Help…?
Diluted IPA or a dedicated panel wipe, GTechniq make one that does the job.
pistonbrokeFree MemberPosted 4 years agoDiluted IPA or a dedicated panel wipe,
I’m sure I could find a better use for Indian Pale Ale 🤤NicoFree MemberPosted 4 years ago2 bucket method?
Fill bucket with water. Slosh over car. Get another bucket of water. Slosh over car.
5plusn8Free MemberPosted 4 years agoI’ve read about halfway,and realised that this thread is not for me.
The topic ‘Car detailing thread!’ is closed to new replies.
