O.B-B

Just going to add my personal experience to this topic. For the past 15 months I've had a set a "All-Season Tyres" fitted to my car (Kleber Quadraxers if anyone is interested). I originally bought and fitted them for last winter but I found they worked so well I kept them on all year. They have the "3 peak" mountain and "snow flake" symbols so are rated for use in severe winter conditions. This last week was the first time they've been used in anger in the snow and I can say they were a revelation for me. One one occasion I had to be on shift at 0530hrs which necessitated leaving the house at 0400am. The roads were deserted (and snow covered at the time of the day) but I happily did the 30 miles to work with no dramas. The next day I returned home at 2130hrs where the temperatures were just as cold but there was slush and other drivers around. Again...no dramas at all. Happily overtook people where necessary and generally was able to keep away from traffic that had "bunched up" dangerously behind each other. For the sense of control they gave me they were worth the money for those two days alone. I have found that over the 12000 or so miles I've done in 15 months the tyre wear has been negligible. In the summer they perhaps don't have the grip that my Bridgestone Potenza S01s have but then they don't have the horrendous road noise either! As for speed, I don't regularly "drive it like I stole it" but neither do i hang around. The tyres are rated at V for speed which is only one down from the W rating my Bridgestones have. V is still rated at something like 140mph which is a speed I have no intention of trying to get up to! For me I will never buy another type of tyre again. And before anyone asks...no I don't work for a tyre manufacturer! I just wanted to give people my real world experiences of using an All Season Tyre for over a year.

+1 for Valet Pro Bilberry. Another mild cleaner that might be worth checking out is this one from AngelWax: http://www.angelwax.co.uk/?wpsc-product=superior-awc-con Once you have got your wheels nicely sealed then all you will need is a mild shampoo solution to clean them. I'm with Gizmo in that I only use a dedicated wheel cleaner (even a mild one) a handful of times a year.

Try looking here for someone in your area. I can't vouch for any of them though. http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=18&sid=f00f9ecdd764170d49da7bcc989a3bd0

Lovely. . Got to love a shiny tailpipe!

Either whirl your hand around in the bucket as it is filling or use a hose/pressure washer to fill the bucket. That usually agitates the shampoo enough. If you live in a hard water area that might mean it won't foam as well either. Different shampoos foam at different rates as well. I don't use the AG one so I can't comment on how "foamy" its supposed to be. As long as the water feels slick and slippery thats all you need to safely remove dirt. Bubbles are just extra.

If it doesn't state otherwise on the bottle then it should be fine. Temperature can have an effect on some waxes/sealants but that is usually when very hot water is used. Some shampoos do state the correct temp to use; for instance Zymol Autowash says "cool water only".

Probably not.

This is a shot of my red car. Its on a 56 plate so its coming up for 6 years old. No sign of fading.

Engine bay turned out to be the easiest part. Using a bit of common sense and some tin foil wrapped around certain parts it was a surprisingly painless job. The Gunk degreaser and Megs APC did most of the hard work for me.

Cheers for the replies. Yeah the C1 was a bit of a pain as it started to crystalise on the MFs on a couple of occasions. :think: Corrida Red is a great colour IMO. With the right products I think it looks incredibly "wet", something that you don't get as easily with a metallic flake.

After what has seemed an eternity I have finished working on my car paintwork. A combination of foul weather and having no access to an indoor work area meant that the polishing/correction stage took about a month and a half. Its ended up as something I'm very happy with. Its not concours perfect by any stretch but all the major swirls are gone. After the final section was polished and having removed all traces of LSP from the rest of the car I applied a full treatment of Gtechniq C1 to the paintwork. This was a bit of a learning experience but thats another story. Having let the C1 cure overnight it was another quick wash and then an application of Gtechniq c1.5 Silo seal. This was a joy to apply to the paintwork, trim, and alloys. I even had a stab at cleaning the engine bay (a first for me) as I felt after that much effort it would be remiss to leave it out. This got a good scrub with Gunk and APC before a coat of C1.5 (shows what a versatile product it is) Only problem I have now is that the C1 should last for at least 2 years. So the only car i have to work on now is the wifes! :think:

I'm in the same position. Get some numberplate tape (from Halfords etc). Works a treat.

Your local garage or even branch of Halfords should be able to drop test the existing battery and let you know whether it is on the way out or not.

If you are looking to polish your car then I would recommend Gtechniq P1 polish as an excellent way to start. It can be worked very effectively by hand although use of a DA or rotary will acheive optimum results. It will remove minor swirls and some marring without filling or masking any marks so you will be getting a long lasting "true" finish. It is also water based so it will not stain any of your plastic trim (which can be a common issue when first starting out). As for waxes/sealants there are so many different options out there it will boggle your mind. Waxes contain natural ingredients whereas sealants are synthetic. Collinite 476 is an affordable, durable wax and FK1000p would be a comprable sealant (although FK1000p can be used on your alloys). A third option (and the one I would recommend to you) is nano-sealants. These have come onto the market in the last couple of years. Most are easy to apply (though not all) and they are affordable. They form a semi-permanent bond with your paintwork. Some will last for months whereas others will last for years if properly cared for. As you have a new car I would recommend that you purchase a clay bar and clay your paintwork first. You will be shocked at what comes off a brand new car in the form of contaminents that have bonded with the car since it left the factory. Having clayed the car I would suggest you invest in some Permanon Supershine. For £20 you can get a kit for its application. You can use it on every surface of your car from the paint to the trim to the glass/alloys/engine bay etc! . It will last for a few months and can easily be maintained. One place it is available is here: http://www.nanotechsst.co.uk/permanon-car-supershine-brilliant-kit-100ml-p-392.html?wizid=4ks8m8g7jonlrdvli9q9d4qkf4 Watch the videos and see what you think.

The use of Snow Foam as a pre-wash is primarily just to loosen/soften existing dirt prior to you touching the car with your mitt/sponge etc. It won't remove all the dirt from your car. A good analogy would be for anyone who has ever tried to remove dried on weetabix from a surface. Do you scrub it very hard and use pressure to remove it or would you soak it first to loosen it up and save you some elbow grease? If you bear in mind how easy it is to damage/marr a cars paint then you may start to see the benefit of snow foam. Some Foams are marketed as TFR (traffic film removers) that will remove more grime but these can also have a detrimental affect on any LSP you have on the car. So its down to personal choice. Me? I have a coating of C1 and C1.5 on my motor so nothing sticks to it at all. I still foam it though when I wash. As a previous member replied; I like doing it!