car cleaning please help

[Typhy 0]

i bought my car in sept last year and it is very tidy looknig but not shiny new looking. nowmy usual wash routine is to clean with auto glym car shampoo and then polish and buff also with auto glym stuff. and yes it does look alot better but i want it to look amazingly shiny.

 

could ppl post there methods for cleaning and making " shiny " haha =]

 

thanks luke.

 

ps. hope this is in the correct forum

[Andy665 0]

Happy to offer you the benefit of my trial and error approach over the last few years, dropped you a PM

[Chris Langdon 0]

Firstly how deep are you pockets mate cos it all depends on how much your willing to spend, i dont mind auto glym as thats the stuff i started on, but there are better products out there and two what colour car you got?

 

firstly, the most important thing is your wash process, i use a Megs wash Mitt NOT a sponge, Megs Gold class shampoo, dry, then i would use a clay kit, this will make your paint work as smooth as glass, then a pre wax cleaner and then good quality wax, i use DODO Juice (40 quid ish), detailers like the megs speed detailer and there ulimate detailer are fantastic products. if moneys no object Zymol is the way forward, i use there pre wax cleaner, awesome stuff

 

hope this helps

 

cheers

 

chris

[Jim Bowen 1]

what colour is it?

[Typhy 0]

that gun metal grey colour nt sure of code off top of my head

[Jim Bowen 1]

as above really.

 

wash it as much as possible

 

use a clay to prep the surface.

 

i still think a couple of layers of autogylm super resin polish and then a decent wax does the job.

 

Main tip would be take your time if doing it by hand and get lots of applicators and cloths, rather than lots of products

[Typhy 0]

i dont get it lol =[

 

so clay wash polish wax? or wash clay polish wax?

[__Andy__ 0]

rinse off car first, then wash with shampoo, dry,clay,polish, wax.

 

as mentioned, gd quality products and various differnt towells/ cloths will make a differnce.

 

dodo juice is highly recommended.

 

give elite car care a ring and they will be able to help, and give discount to edition 38 members.

cant recommend them highly enough at elite.

 

just my 2p's worth,

 

Andy

[Chris Langdon 0]

NA

 

rinse with a hose

 

wash top to bottom, with shampoo in warm not boiling hot water

 

rinse again

 

dry

 

 

then use clay kit

 

some people do the wash process again at this point thats up to u

 

then use pre wax cleaner

 

 

now at this point you could use a polish, BUT some polishes are abrasive basically your taken a very small layer of your paint off, some condition the paint, some have lots of silocones in them

 

and the wax

 

 

hope that helps mate

 

cheers

 

chris

[Chris Langdon 0]

haha you beat me to it veedub21 lol :)

 

as mentioned terry towelling cloth, they do make a big difference

[__Andy__ 0]

must of been writing it as you were chris lol.

 

just got myself a couple of the grit guard buckets, ive heard good things about the two bucket method..

[VAG-hag 0]

mate there are shed loads of pages/ sites out there dedicated to this kind of thing. So plenty of free info out there (all telling you how to spend your ££, but the info is free!) :lol:

 

I would highly reccomend claying too as it feels so good afterwards & its unreal how much cack it pulls off "clean" paintwork!! :D

[Andy665 0]

My usual process (and products I use) is:

 

1. Wash and dry the car (Megs Gold Class is good but I prefer a PH neutral shampoo like the Dodo Born to be Mild or Duragloss901). Always use the 2 bucket method and ideally have buckets with grit guards in them). I have started using an AqualGleam water filter for the final rinse, it leaves the water PH neutral so water spots are not a problem. For drying I use a waffle weave towel first followed by a plush drying towel for final drying.

 

2. Clay the car - I like Sonus clay but tried loads and there is not much difference - just use plenty of clay lube (I use Chemical Guys Clay Lube). Also feel free to clay the glass, you'll be shocked at the dirt it pulls off.

 

3. Wash and dry again.

 

4. If you have access to a random orbital polisher or rotary polisher I then clean and de-swirl the paintwork (either Sonus, Menzerma or Zaino ZFusion depending on depth / hardness of paint and mood). I usually use 3 / 4 different grades to cut back as necessary and then progressively polish and fill any remaining swirls.

 

5. Wash and dry again.

 

6. Wipe down with IPA - alcohol available in 1 litre bottles from chemists (I mix 50/50 with filtered water).

 

7. I have been blown away by the results that Zaino provides, it can look complicated but its actually pretty straightforward. For clear coat finishes its Z2 Pro mixed with ZFX accelerator (one 25ml bottle will give you more than enough for 3 coats). Adding the accelerator allows you to apply 3 coats of the Z2 Pro in a day, otherwise you need 24 hours between coats. Secret to Zaino is taking the less is more approach, it takes some getting used to but I did the C with about 15ml (3 layers). In between each layer give car a quick wipedwon with Zaino Z6. After 3rd layer apply a coat of Zaino Z8 (a tiny amount only is needed) - stand back and be amazed.

 

8. Zaino does not need topping with wax but I always do (just personal choice). Dodo Juice waxes are superb, I have tried most of them. 2 layers of a hard wax (for durability) followed by as many layers of soft as you like (generally the harder the wax the better the durability, the softer produces a wetter finish but does not last as long).

 

9. For tyres I use Megs or Chemical Guys Silk Dressing

 

10. Wheels - I always apply 3 layers of Poorboys wheel sealant and 2 layers of P21s - no brake dust issues anymore. For wheel cleaning I always use ValetPro Bilberry Wheel Cleaner.

 

11. Metalwork - can't beat Brilliant Metal Polish.

 

12. Rubber trim - I use either Sonus Trim + Motor Kote or Car-Lack68

 

13. Glass - can't beat AutoGlym Fast Glass. I then use Car-Lack glass treatment - its like Rain-X but 10 times as good.

 

14. Interior trim - for vinyl trim I use Poorboys Natural Look, for leather surfaces I now use LTT leathercare treatment.

 

As has already been said its well worth stocking up on good quality microfibres / applicators, they work out pretty cheap if you buy in bulk. Worth noting to wash them using a non-bio powder though - it keeps the pile fresh and maximises absorbency

 

Doing all of the above is impossible in the day - the Nugget was stripped back of all wax last year and I did all of the above - just the paintwork took 2 weekends but it stayed so clean once done that it only took a max. of 20 mins to wash and dry. Once finished I always applied a quick layer of Z8 after drying off.

 

Just about to start the whole thing again with the 4Motion

[Jim Bowen 1]

i never seem to dry after washing if i'm going to use clay, but i wash again after clay :shrug: