Just wondering what the general consensus is on detailing and how often people generally do it. Just washed, clayed and spray-waxed with Megs, but seems like a heck of a lot of effort to keep doing on a regular basis for an everyday run-around.

It's had 3 previous owners, so a few scratches that have gone as far as the basecoat, but nothing major. Should I have given it to a professional to get rid of the existing scratches before I started waxing? Don't think I'll trust T-cut and those DIY abrasives...unless someone's had positive results...

Mild shampoo to wash subsequently without getting rid of the wax i've just put on it, but if the water stops beading, do i have to clay it all over again to remove the existing wax before reapplying?

What sort of regime do most people follow?

Sorry for the noobish questions...first car and all that...

I use the advertised TV stuff (no water) 'Greased Lightening' showroom finish polish.

No washing car, chamois water off and then polish car, instead spray-on this stuff, wipe off dirt with one cloth and a quick buff to polish up, with another.

Have done the whole car including glass, wheels, inside door closures and the doors, in about an hour, ideal for removing bird poo.

Shine lasts for weeks, you do can do as much or as little as you want, I would recommend the stuff.

Before it changed labels to 'Greased Lightening' it was called 'ProShine' same stuff and I have used both.

'Proshine' from E-Bay 2litres about £27.00 postage free, whereas 2 litres 'Greased Lightening' from www.Ideal World' with postage, costs more at the moment.

That is amazing! Thanks for the tip.

Allocated parking is under an excessively sap-secreting tree...was thinking of getting a car cover, but I read somewhere they're not good for the paintwork...is this true or an urban myth perpetuated by car cleaning product companies?

Edited 5 July, 201114 yr by fsa

Hey fsa. First off there are no noobish questions on these forums. My philosophy has always been that if you don't know something then find someone who does know it. Everyone here is generous with their advice and you usually get a good range of views.

So here's my 2ps worth on your questions.

First off I don't consider what I do to maintain my car as being "detailing" per se. I think I know how to give it a bloomin' good clean but leave the detailing to the pros who get paid for it

I have two days a year when I tackle the paintwork and prepare it for the next 6 months. One of these is at the end of Spring and the other is at the middle of Autumn. On each of those days I wash the car, remove iron deposits, de-tar it, clay everything (including glass and wheels) before treating the paintwork to an all in one cleaner and polisher followed by a complimentary sealant (I use the CarLack twins). Finally two ultra thin layers of a very durable sealant (FK1000p) on the wheels and paintwork and I'm done. That routine takes all day but I find the results are good enough for me.

I have ended up using the most durable products I can find as SWMBO is not happy if I spend too long (in her eyes :wonder: ) cleaning the car every week. I find that a wash and dry every 2 weeks followed by a little spritz of QD spray keeps it looking glossy enough for me.

Some people swear by other regimes and products and there are an awful lot of options out there which you only realise once you start dipping into the world of car care. Everyone has their own favourites and its up to you to decide what you are happy with. I had a lot of fun trying lots of different products over the past couple of years but I dread to think how much i have spent in the process!

If you have already clayed your car then you have a good starting point. There is no point using lots of sealants/waxes on paintwork that is not clean and smooth to start with. As for car covers I can't say as I have never used one. I do have friends who have to park under trees and I know what stick nasty gunk can get deposited onto the paintwork. As long as you have some good protection on the car first then the sap will only ever be stuck to your LSP layer and not your paint (as long as you don't leave for months between washes.

Anyway those are my thoughts.

Just wondering what the general consensus is on detailing and how often people generally do it. Just washed, clayed and spray-waxed with Megs, but seems like a heck of a lot of effort to keep doing on a regular basis for an everyday run-around.

It's had 3 previous owners, so a few scratches that have gone as far as the basecoat, but nothing major. Should I have given it to a professional to get rid of the existing scratches before I started waxing? Don't think I'll trust T-cut and those DIY abrasives...unless someone's had positive results...

Mild shampoo to wash subsequently without getting rid of the wax i've just put on it, but if the water stops beading, do i have to clay it all over again to remove the existing wax before reapplying?

What sort of regime do most people follow?

Sorry for the noobish questions...first car and all that...

As stated above I will add my 2p into this one as I think it raises some good points........ :yes:

There are many people out there that will spend a lot of time 'detailing' and others will 'clean' their motor, for me these things are slightly different but the end result is always down to the end user's perception and if your happy with the results then that's all that matters.

Maintaining your car on a regular basis doesn't have to be hard work, this may sound a bit OTT and biased from my side but it literally takes me around 20-30 mins each week to 'maintain' my motor to a level I am happy with.

Leading on from that this is due to the fact the car has been well prepped and machining, it's all in the prep and I can safely say cleaning my car would be a lot easier than one that hasn't been.

It's worth pointing out that in the 'rush' for sealants at the moment if you were to get your motor detailed by a Pro, you would be looking at long term protection, so gone are the days of waxing your motor every week, the sealants are long term durable so it's not required, just a quick top up with a spray sealant if you feel the need.

Most waxes will allow you to layer them, some don't react well to this but most you can get away with it or just multiple layers of the same wax work, as for claying to strip wax, it is one good way to do so however you do need to be careful to not put any clay marring back into the lacquer...........

To answer your final point my regime weekly is as follows:

Rinse;

2BM Wash Process using Megs Hyper Wash;

Rinse;

Dry with the aid of Megs Last Touch;

Zaino Z8 Wipedown;

Windows cleaned inside and out with Megs Glass Cleaner;

Tyres dressed with AS Hi-Style;

Exterior Trim and Arches dressed with Megs Hyper Dressing;

Quick dust and vac on the inside.

Allocated parking is under an excessively sap-secreting tree...was thinking of getting a car cover, but I read somewhere they're not good for the paintwork...is this true or an urban myth perpetuated by car cleaning product companies?

Parking under a tree is never going to help you maintain the car, it will be hard work and will effect your protection over time............ :|

As for a car cover, some are great and some are terrible, if your not worried about marking the paintwork then they are a good investment, for me however I would prefer to steer clear of them..........

Thank you very much, O.B-B and Baker21 for your detailed thoughts...they are much appreciated. I'm not after anything excessive as it is by no means a show-car...but it would be good to keep it presentably glossy. After having clayed it, I used the spray on wax that came with the Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kit and use the mist and wipe for top-ups.

Would you suggest I get it professionally detailed before putting on one of those durable, long term sealants?

Whether or not you choose to employ a professional detailer is gonna be a personal choice for you to make. Its a bit like asking yourself whether you want to paint your living room at home or get a decorator to do it for you? :think:

As BAKER pointed out a good Pro will give you an immaculate finish that will not only be easier to work on in the future but will be durable as well. After all if you are gonna pay them to prep the car than getting to them to put on the last layer of Wax/Sealant will be no big issue or much more expense. I also believe that most Pros will offer you advice on the best way to maintain their work after the job is finished.

The flip side to this is making sure you use somebody with a good reputation who will do a decent job in the first place. The main reason I started mucking about with car care was after having paid the dealer when I bought my first Octavia to apply SUPAGUARD to my new motor. There's nothing wrong with that product but the person who applied it was basically a cack-handed chimp with palsy who did a terrible job

After that experience I started to do it myself. Now I love washing my car.

Thank you very much, O.B-B and Baker21 for your detailed thoughts...they are much appreciated. I'm not after anything excessive as it is by no means a show-car...but it would be good to keep it presentably glossy. After having clayed it, I used the spray on wax that came with the Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kit and use the mist and wipe for top-ups.

Would you suggest I get it professionally detailed before putting on one of those durable, long term sealants?

As stated before it's really up to you and whether you feel it's necessary, you could get a Protection Detail done which would be without any machine work or you could get some kind of Enhancement or Correction Detail done but it depends on whether you want swirls removing or your happy to apply wax and sealants yourself........ :|

Allocated parking is under an excessively sap-secreting tree...

A chainsaw would be a good buy!

I've been quoted £300-400 to repair scratches and put a protective layer on. Given that it's about a third of what I paid for the car, it doesn't seem worth it. It's more character-building for me to do it myself, anyway :p I'm going to try the different products you guys have mentioned and see what's easiest for me. Are the ChipsAway people any good? Perhaps if I got them to sort out the two spots where the primer is exposed and maybe I could T-cut the clear coat scratches it would give a reasonable finish for me to work with.

Any I did think about the chainsaw :p, but neighbours are tree huggers :(

I've been quoted £300-400 to repair scratches and put a protective layer on. Given that it's about a third of what I paid for the car, it doesn't seem worth it. It's more character-building for me to do it myself, anyway :p I'm going to try the different products you guys have mentioned and see what's easiest for me. Are the ChipsAway people any good? Perhaps if I got them to sort out the two spots where the primer is exposed and maybe I could T-cut the clear coat scratches it would give a reasonable finish for me to work with.

Any I did think about the chainsaw :p, but neighbours are tree huggers :(

Sounds like a good deal but not knowing the extent of the work it's difficult to visiualise........ :|

I have only used Chipsaway once and that was when I was selling a motor, car was repaired and then I machined it to make the final finish much better, I would say that T-Cut is a little agrressive and you probably would need to refine it afterwards but it may well be a good enough job you don't need to do anything to the repair area......... :yes:

Stop being a tart and get yourself a Kestral DA, pads and polish and do a panel each week. Chuck the spray wax and get something like Colly 845IW. You only need to clay before and every 6 momnths. Every 3 months top up the wax with a coat, that's it. Use good shampoo like Megs SP, use a wash mitt and a good drying towl.

Stop being a tart and get yourself a Kestral DA, pads and polish and do a panel each week. Chuck the spray wax and get something like Colly 845IW. You only need to clay before and every 6 momnths. Every 3 months top up the wax with a coat, that's it. Use good shampoo like Megs SP, use a wash mitt and a good drying towl.

Euh...a professional polisher in the hands of a noob? I guess...as long as there's stuff on youtube to get me going. Could I hire one of those sanders from HSS and use the right attachment? Lot cheaper than buying a Kestrel...

Spray wax will be chucked as soon as it runs out...currently using the Megs SP, wash mitt, 2bm and microfibre drying towels.

Edited 11 July, 201114 yr by fsa

Stop being a tart and get yourself a Kestral DA, pads and polish and do a panel each week. Chuck the spray wax and get something like Colly 845IW. You only need to clay before and every 6 momnths. Every 3 months top up the wax with a coat, that's it. Use good shampoo like Megs SP, use a wash mitt and a good drying towl.

Bit harsh mate............ :|

Euh...a professional polisher in the hands of a noob? I guess...as long as there's stuff on youtube to get me going. Could I hire one of those sanders from HSS and use the right attachment? Lot cheaper than buying a Kestrel...

Spray wax will be chucked as soon as it runs out...currently using the Megs SP, wash mitt, 2bm and microfibre drying towels.

The DA system is pretty safe to be honest and if your keen on detailing then it's a good stepping stone into the 'un-known', having said that they aren't cheap depending on which one you go for and this isn't the sort of product you can hire from HSS I am afraid........... :no:

The DA system is pretty safe to be honest and if your keen on detailing then it's a good stepping stone into the 'un-known', having said that they aren't cheap depending on which one you go for and this isn't the sort of product you can hire from HSS I am afraid........... :no:

Thanks...might consider that as my next investment. Decided to get hold of a big barrel of turtlewax car shampoo and a huge tin of carnauba wax from costco. Should I get a polish to use first before sealing with wax, or is claying enough?

You can clay and polish, they do differant things. Depends on the condition of the paint work. Is it glass like smooth? Scratches? Hazing or swirls??

You can clay and polish, they do differant things. Depends on the condition of the paint work. Is it glass like smooth? Scratches? Hazing or swirls??

It is glass like smooth, particularly after I clayed it two weeks ago.

Only flaws are some scratches to the left rear nearside where the previous owner scraped it by some bikes in her garage. There is one area of lightness in the paint on the roof...seems like bird poo that was left for too long...its got the splatter pattern (without sounding too CSI).

Prolly ok to just wash and then give it a couple of coats of wax. Remember, apply thin coats and buff off with a plush MF towl.

Euh...a professional polisher in the hands of a noob? I guess...as long as there's stuff on youtube to get me going. Could I hire one of those sanders from HSS and use the right attachment? Lot cheaper than buying a Kestrel...

Spray wax will be chucked as soon as it runs out...currently using the Megs SP, wash mitt, 2bm and microfibre drying towels.

Kestral DA is'nt a "professional" polisher, it was put onto the market about 4 years ago as a cheap alternative to the Megs DA. This in turn was aimed at the amateur market, using a rotary is another ball game and your far more likely to find a pro using a rotary than a DA.