Well James at Allams had my Yeti washed when the towbar was installed, but in 4000 miles of driving I have not had him washed yet... So it was quite a surprise to find that the steel wheels are actually of a gloss finish! hehehe AND that I now drive an SUV so have to pay £7 for an external wash instead of just £5! Awh...

Thankfully I remembered to switch the autowipers off before they started!

The above post was Monster's first wash and with my Monster nearing his first birthday (on the 24th) and with winter approaching I followed the advice on here and covered him with Collinite 845 Insulator Wax yesterday. It was really easy and he looks GLEAMING. I had him washed beforehand of course (at one of the very many friendly Eastern European car wash places you get in London). It was only his fourth time ever visiting such a place! And it was also the very first time he had ever been washed and vacuumed inside too. I dusted the dash from time to time and wash the rubber mats but that is as far as dirt goes in my car. He has always been very clean inside.

I was amazed by the amount of tar all over the car. Tiny blobs everywhere (less than a millimeter in size normally) even on the roof!!! The most were as you'd expect on the foils on the rear doors. All the tar have now been removed so he is good as new and the alloys are clean ready to go into the shed as soon as the temperature drops below 7 - might be some time in January at the current rate!

Good job!

Johann your car has came up very very well which brings me to the Collinite, I've been thinking of getting some of this but I'm unsure what I should be buying. I really like the sealers and have been using them for years now (Autoglym) so easy to use but should I be applying wax to the car first (Collinite 746) or just the top coat sealer?

I purchased some Supagaurd from Ebay (5 sponges for £17) and applied it to the Golf over the weekend and will do the same to the SM, very easy to apply, should I now apply a wax to this or go straight to the sealer?

All very confusing :S

Johann your car has came up very very well which brings me to the Collinite, I've been thinking of getting some of this but I'm unsure what I should be buying. I really like the sealers and have been using them for years now (Autoglym) so easy to use but should I be applying wax to the car first (Collinite 746) or just the top coat sealer?

I purchased some Supagaurd from Ebay (5 sponges for £17) and applied it to the Golf over the weekend and will do the same to the SM, very easy to apply, should I now apply a wax to this or go straight to the sealer?

All very confusing :S

I have never in all of my over a quarter million miles of driving, waxed or polished a car! Ever. This was my first time. So I'm the last person to ask alas. I just typed "Collinite 845 Insulator Wax" into eBay and bought the best priced one I could see. Had the car washed and put it on. Job done in my book. So I can't help. Sorry.

Maybe ask that very question here:

http://briskoda.net/forums/forum/8-styling-and-car-care/

I have never in all of my over a quarter million miles of driving, waxed or polished a car! Ever. This was my first time. So I'm the last person to ask alas. I just typed "Collinite 845 Insulator Wax" into eBay and bought the best priced one I could see. Had the car washed and put it on. Job done in my book. So I can't help. Sorry.

Maybe ask that very question here:

http://briskoda.net/...g-and-car-care/

Ah well, thats the route I'm going down too, if I ask that question in the relevant section I may be even more confused by all the products, stages and applicators :(

So it will be Supaguard sponge then the Collinite 845, job done!

Ah well, thats the route I'm going down too, if I ask that question in the relevant section I may be even more confused by all the products, stages and applicators :(

So it will be Supaguard sponge then the Collinite 845, job done!

Anything more than just a wash should be good in my book - regardless of ignoring so many of the stages listed in that section of Briskoda! As I said I've never done more than let some other people wash my cars and have always just left it at that. But oldstan's good recommendation convinced me otherwise in this instance.

I also washed and polished the V5. It is FAR more rewarding washing a black car I have to say! It dulls out with the first stage but when you come with the dry cloth and do the final polish! Wow. A black car's shine is amazing. Pity it does not last long. The Monster looks clean for months whereas Monty looks dirty after just two days!

Look how shiny Monty's bonnet was at the end:

Yes that line at the top is the bonnet line!

Compared to the Monster's:

Anything more than just a wash should be good in my book - regardless of ignoring so many of the stages listed in that section of Briskoda! As I said I've never done more than let some other people wash my cars and have always just left it at that. But oldstan's good recommendation convinced me otherwise in this instance.

I also washed and polished the V5. It is FAR more rewarding washing a black car I have to say! It dulls out with the first stage but when you come with the dry cloth and do the final polish! Wow. A black car's shine is amazing. Pity it does not last long. The Monster looks clean for months whereas Monty looks dirty after just two days!

Look how shiny Monty's bonnet was at the end:

Have to say very impressive particularly the first picture. I thought at first it was a photograph taken through your pan. :rofl:roof!

Yes that line at the top is the bonnet line!

Compared to the Monster's:

I have never in all of my over a quarter million miles of driving, waxed or polished a car! Ever.

Ah, a man after my own heart! I've only ever used polish when I've had to remove stubborn tar spots or the odd light scratch. Never had a car discolour, fade or look a mess. I just clean with tepid water, no shampoo etc, no hose jet or pressure washer. And my cars have always looked good.

However my SM was in quite a state after returning from a very wet Isle of Mull last month, and after washing I too found tar spots everywhere which just wouldn't budge, despite the car being treated with AutoGlym LifeShine at new.

So, out came the Super Resin polish from the AutoGlym kit to tackle the spots, and I ended up doing the whole car. What a job!!!

AutoGlym recommend after a couple of weeks you should apply their Extra Gloss Protector that's also in the kit. So next weekend..... ! I've

I have to say that I feel the AutoGlym Life Shine was a waste of money. It has made it no easier to clean the car, rainwater has stopped beading much earlier than I would normally expect, and the agent that applied it managed to get polish on the crinkle black plastic strips on the doors, the sills & on the rear bumper, where it looks terrible, despite several efforts to clean it off. I'm not impressed with the interior protection that's part of the deal either. The carpets have a sticky feel to them, and being dark grey you cant see any dirt anyway!

Seemed like a good idea at the time!

Edited 14 November, 201114 yr by speedsport

Rather than pay for lifeshine I took ours home and gave it Autoglym Super Resin Polish followed by the Extra Gloss.

It looked great and lasted well.

You can see the shine off the bonnet.

And one very happy wife hiding in the picture!

Its a shame you live so far away i would have offered my services for free mate.

Ideally wash it yourself, clay it, de tar(which you have done) iron x to remove iron filings then 2 coats of 845 wax on the paint and wheels(for storage) i love Yeti's

Rather than pay for lifeshine I took ours home and gave it Autoglym Super Resin Polish followed by the Extra Gloss.

It looked great and lasted well.

You can see the shine off the bonnet.

And one very happy wife hiding in the picture!

Now I can see why you're called BossFox

Its a shame you live so far away i would have offered my services for free mate.

Ideally wash it yourself, clay it, de tar(which you have done) iron x to remove iron filings then 2 coats of 845 wax on the paint and wheels(for storage) i love Yeti's

You must LOVE washing cars then Grizzle!!! Hehhe OR you love Yetis too much?!

Its a shame you live so far away i would have offered my services for free mate.

Ideally wash it yourself, clay it, de tar(which you have done) iron x to remove iron filings then 2 coats of 845 wax on the paint and wheels(for storage) i love Yeti's

Good grief!

Can you put that in English?

Makes my bucket, soapy stuff, warm water and a sponge sound simple.

Now I can see why you're called BossFox

Sorry about that. Old picture before the Yeti turned out to be so good it made the Range Rover redundant.

Its a shame you live so far away i would have offered my services for free mate.

Ideally wash it yourself, clay it, de tar(which you have done) iron x to remove iron filings then 2 coats of 845 wax on the paint and wheels(for storage) i love Yeti's

hmmm free detailing in Grangemouth? Done. I'll be over today. What time suits you best?

hmmm free detailing in Grangemouth? Done. I'll be over today. What time suits you best?

Did someone say free detailing, Grangemouth, not too far from me. Do I need to book a time slot?

You must LOVE washing cars then Grizzle!!! Hehhe OR you love Yetis too much?!

Both really i did own my own detailing and valeting business and i really quite like the Yeti (2.0tdi, 4x4 with xenons yes please lol)

Good grief!

Can you put that in English?

Makes my bucket, soapy stuff, warm water and a sponge sound simple.

ohh jeez i will pretend i didnt see that reply lol

If you need any advice i'm always here.

hmmm free detailing in Grangemouth? Done. I'll be over today. What time suits you best?

haha i'm just about to do my drop link so i will be here all day

Did someone say free detailing, Grangemouth, not too far from me. Do I need to book a time slot?

Just form an orderly queue i know what you Yeti owners are like :p

Next door neighbour has used a clay block on his Fiat whatever-it-is estate (no taste!) and thinks it's great. However he has no idea about cars.

Can you expand on what the block is & how it works. I'm cautious, fearing it might cause scratches!

John H

Sure, Clay is like blue tac only its stickier and harder, apparently some Japanese chap found if he used clay from the river it would remove surface contaminants tar, tree sap, rail dust etc.

Best way to see if it needs done is take a sandwhich bag and lightly rub over the paint (make sure neighbours arent watching lol) if it feels rough then it needs clayed and actually claying isnt as scarey as you think.

Typically i always start with a least aggressive clay, clay come in 3 grades fine medium and coarse/aggressive

So with a fine clay i cut the bar in half and roll it around in my hand to warm it up other option is into a cup of hot water until you can stretch and fold it over on its self.

After washing your vehicle thoroughly and rinsing, while the vehicle is wet you can use either a quick detailer or a mixture of your car shampoo and water mixed around 4:1 in a spray bottle.

Spray onto a panel liberally and with the clay you have been warming up roll into a ball in your hand and then squash it with your palm so its like this

With light to medium presurre rub over the paint work and also lightly spray the panel at the same time with your solution to keep the panel wet.

You will feel it gritty at first rubbing over it dont panic as the clay is lifting the contaminants slowly as you rub over the paint work you will feel it smoother and easier to glide the clay over it

After each panel look at the clay you will usually see the clay turns a very dark brown especially if its yours first time doing it.

Now is the time to fold it over in on the dark side of the clay and keep folding and stretching until you come to a clean section of clay flatten again and repeat process, making sure you keep the panel really well wet.

You wont notice a difference in the look of the paint BUT if you do say a wing after you have finished it rub it with your hand then rub the bonnet or door you will feel the difference, it also makes waxing a breeze as you arent fighting to apply the wax with all those contaminants.

Brilliant, that's superbly informative... many thanks... I may even give it a go next time, when the weather is warmer!!

So what is wrong with using a sponge or brush, the proper soapy stuff and a warm bucket of water?

Like Johann I doubt I've polished a car for years, and they have all looked fine. I don't have the time to do all this fancy stuff!

Mine currently has a inch thick crust of mud down the sills and in patches up the doors and where the foils are fitted, plus the rest of it is a browny grey muddy colour up to the windows. On the way home from work tonight I will go into Harry Tuffins and use their jet wash, and possibly finish it off with a spray of their wax.

You wont notice a difference in the look of the paint BUT if you do say a wing after you have finished it rub it with your hand then rub the bonnet or door you will feel the difference, it also makes waxing a breeze as you arent fighting to apply the wax with all those contaminants.

Interesting........... Now forgive me if I'm wrong but all this sounds to me as if every time you use the clay you are in fact taking off a micro layer of paint? It is like a mild form of T-cut? Surely if you do this often you will at some point have rubbed everything off the car?!

No in no way will it remove paint you need something like sandpaper to remove at least the lacquer first then your into paint then primer, Claying is really safe as long as you use the solution i mentioned earlier.

Llanigraham : Using a sponge or brush will inflict scratches and marring on the paint, using a pre rinse first using e.g a snow foam to remove most of the dirt, then with your shampoo and a sheepskin washmitt to rpevent scratching work your way from the top round the car in a circular motion so you wash the roof front window rear and side window then to the bump strip on the door then the lower sills.

No in no way will it remove paint you need something like sandpaper to remove at least the lacquer first then your into paint then primer, Claying is really safe as long as you use the solution i mentioned earlier.

Llanigraham : Using a sponge or brush will inflict scratches and marring on the paint, using a pre rinse first using e.g a snow foam to remove most of the dirt, then with your shampoo and a sheepskin washmitt to rpevent scratching work your way from the top round the car in a circular motion so you wash the roof front window rear and side window then to the bump strip on the door then the lower sills.

OK. All makes sense..... As a combination of things to do these all work nicely together. From snow foam to claying et al. But for the general person out there (that don't touch their paint to feel how smooth it is! ) a normal wash and rinse should suffice I'd guess. It has for me for many years. But then, had I gone and touched the paint on all those cars it might not have been as perfect as it looked. But end of the day I only look at my cars and don't touch them! So I'm happy with having just done the wax now for the first time ever!