After Christmas I'm planning to equip myself with some proper cleaning products which are a lot better than the Kent £3 kit I picked up at a village fair a while back! So I've got the following list, priced up too:

Nilfisk C110 pressure washer - £53.49 (Cleanstore.co.uk)

Autobrite HD Snow Foam Lance + Snow Foam - £40 (Detailing World Forum group buy)

Two Buckets (already bought)

Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo

Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner with Spray Bottle and Sprayer

Meguiars Ultra Safe Wheel Brush

Meguiars Lambswool Wash Mitt

£47.31 (All of the above from EuroCarParts with Briskoda forum discount)

Bilt Hamber Clay Bar - £10.78 (eBay)

Autoglym Super Resin Polish Kit - £8.99 (eBay)

Collinite 845 Liquid Insulator Wax Kit - £21.98 (Elite Car Care - eBay)

Bilberry Wheel Cleaner 1L with Sprayer - £10.18 (eBay)

Autosol Metal Polish (for exhaust) - £3.92 (eBay)

Total: £196.65

Process as follows (I think): -

Rinse wheel arches and wheels

Spray wheel arches with APC and wheels with Bilberry wheel cleaner, agitating with the wheel brush after a few minutes

Snow foam the whole car, including wheel arches and wheels, and leave to dwell

Rinse off

Two bucket wash with Meguiars Gold Class shampoo and lambswool wash mitt

Rinse off

Clay while car is still wet

Rinse off (or foam again, what do you think?)

Apply SRP by hand

Apply Collinite 845 wax

So my ultimate question is, with both my wishlist and my process, am I on the right track?

Sounds like you have done some research on the various forums and have a good idea of the process involved.......

Two things that I might suggest you spend a little bit more money on now as you will only end up replacing them in the near future (months as opposed to years):

Meguiars Ultra Safe Wheel Brush - Swap this for the Daytona Wheel Brush, this is much more durable, usable and longer;

Meguiars Lambswool Wash Mitt - Swap this for a dooka Woolie Wash Pad, and Woolie Wheel Mitt if your feeling flush, as these outlast many Lambswool Wash Mitts on the market and currently there is a GB running specially for Briskoda:

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/258542-dooka-woolie-wash-pad-woolie-wheel-mitt-gorup-buy/

Apart from that the process looks sensible and if you want to Snow Foam again after you have washed then feel free but it may be a waste of product depending on how many contaminants you remove..........

To help remove these contaminants you may want to think of investing in some AS Tardis and Iron-X but this all depends on how 'clean' you want to get the car, it's age, mileage and condition.

Thanks very much for the reply. Glad to know I've got it pretty much sussed!

I think I'll go with the group buy for the Dooka Wash Pad and Wheel Mitt, sounds like a good deal. As I'll be getting a wheel mitt with this then I'm tempted to leave the Meguiars wheel brush on there and if/when that deteriorates switch to the wheel mitt.

I've just joined up to the Detailing World forum and seen quite a few people using Iron X or Tardis as part of their detailing routines. I'll probably go for Iron X as it seems the easiest to use out of the two. It looks as though you apply this after the wash stage but before the clay stage, is that right? Does the car need to be dry before you apply it? I'm looking at getting the car as clean as possible before I polish and wax it so anything that helps that is welcome!

Thanks very much for the reply. Glad to know I've got it pretty much sussed!

I think I'll go with the group buy for the Dooka Wash Pad and Wheel Mitt, sounds like a good deal. As I'll be getting a wheel mitt with this then I'm tempted to leave the Meguiars wheel brush on there and if/when that deteriorates switch to the wheel mitt.

I've just joined up to the Detailing World forum and seen quite a few people using Iron X or Tardis as part of their detailing routines. I'll probably go for Iron X as it seems the easiest to use out of the two. It looks as though you apply this after the wash stage but before the clay stage, is that right? Does the car need to be dry before you apply it? I'm looking at getting the car as clean as possible before I polish and wax it so anything that helps that is welcome!

The Wheel Brush and Wheel Mitt perform different tasks, we use the Wheel Mitt specifically for wheel faces, spokes and the barrels of the wheels if they have been cleaned and sealed correctly, the Wheel Brush is really for getting into the back of the wheel barrels.

Detailing World is a great forum and is running another great 12 Days of Xmas competition this year, there is plenty of information on there and I would suggest watching out in the classifieds to buy used products that you can try and then sell on if you don't get on with them or rate them.

Iron-X and Tardis are very different products and although there are some that are marketed to take care of both Iron and Tar, these are not as effective as using the separate products.

Iron-X will remove your iron fillings and Tardis will remove Tar, it's best to apply to a cleaned surface, then apply Iron-X, rinse then apply Tardis and rinse.

Best to use both these products without water so their effect is optimised, be careful however if you clay after using Tardis as Tardis makes a mess of clay so ensure you have rinsed the surface fully.............

Ah right cool. Makes sense on both things now. Thanks.

Do I have to do anything between applying SRP and applying wax? Buff or rinse or just wax straight on top of the SRP?

Do I have to do anything between applying SRP and applying wax? Buff or rinse or just wax straight on top of the SRP?

Once you have applied SRP you just need to apply the wax on top, rinsing will more than likely remove some of the SRP as it's a filler in essence..........

No mate, just leave the SRP on there for 15 mins or so to cure then buff off with a microfibre. The secret with all products is to apply the thinest layer you possibly can, so you can barely see it. If you apply it too thick the SRP will be a nightmare to get off. Thinly applied it's a pleasure. Try and get the new formula SRP too, it's in the revised design bottle and is a massive improvement on the old version made up in 1982!

HTH,

Neil

Super, thanks to both of you for your advice. Really helped me get everything sorted.

OK so this is what I've settled on.

Nilfisk C110 pressure washer - £53.49 (Cleanstore.co.uk)

Autobrite HD Snow Foam Lance + Snow Foam - £40 (Detailing World Forum group buy)

Two Buckets (already bought)

Dooka Woolie Wash Pad and Wheel Mitt - £25 (Briskoda group buy)

Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo

Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner with Spray Bottle and Sprayer

Meguiars Ultra Safe Wheel Brush

£39.07 (All of the above from EuroCarParts with Briskoda forum discount)

Bilt Hamber Clay Bar - £10.78 (eBay)

Autoglym Super Resin Polish Kit - £8.99 (eBay)

Collinite 845 Liquid Insulator Wax Kit - £21.98 (Elite Car Care - eBay)

Bilberry Wheel Cleaner 1L with Sprayer - £10.18 (eBay)

Autosol Metal Polish (for exhaust) - £3.92 (eBay)

Poorboys Waffle Weave Drying Towel - £12 (PolishedBliss.co.uk)

Total: £225.41

Process: -

Rinse wheel arches and wheels

Spray wheel arches with APC and wheels with Bilberry wheel cleaner, agitating with the wheel brush after a few minutes

Snow foam the whole car, including wheel arches and wheels, and leave to dwell

Rinse off

Two bucket wash with Meguiars Gold Class shampoo and Dooka Woolie Wash Pad

Rinse off

Clay while car is still wet

Rinse off

Dry with Poorboys Waffle Weave Drying Towel

Apply SRP by hand and wait 15 mins for it to cure

Apply Collinite 845 wax

Now just need to wait til payday!

Autobrite HD Snow Foam Lance with 500ml bottle of Magifoam and Poorboys Waffle Weave Drying Towel arrived today!

Thinking about turning this into a Newbie Cleaning project-style thread, just to share my first experiences of using each of the products I get and the process I use. What do you reckon?

Thinking about turning this into a Newbie Cleaning project-style thread, just to share my first experiences of using each of the products I get and the process I use. What do you reckon?

Go for it, why not...........

I agree, not enough detailing threads/helpful guides on this site I reckon!

I agree, not enough detailing threads/helpful guides on this site I reckon!

There used be weekly info from myself but that was soon stopped...............:(

There used be weekly info from myself but that was soon stopped...............:(

I guess cos you're not a sponsor?? Shame really as paint care seems to be on the increase recently on here.

I read a lot of your threads on DW which in turn pointed me in this direction once i changed to my little Furby! (Always a good read if I do say so!)

I guess cos you're not a sponsor?? Shame really as paint care seems to be on the increase recently on here.

I read a lot of your threads on DW which in turn pointed me in this direction once i changed to my little Furby! (Always a good read if I do say so!)

Agreed and not doing it for a living it makes no sense......

I am glad that my threads were of use to you and others and there are a lot of people getting more aware of 'detailing'........

Yeah, get them up here. Always interesting to hear how people get on with products. On the look out for new foam myself and Magifoam is one that always comes up.

Keep us updated, Buddy! And why not put a few pics up? Befores and afters?

Hope you enjoy the fruits of your labour!

Yeah, get them up here. Always interesting to hear how people get on with products. On the look out for new foam myself and Magifoam is one that always comes up.

Keep us updated, Buddy! And why not put a few pics up? Befores and afters?

Hope you enjoy the fruits of your labour!

Thanks mate, yeah me too! I'll definitely be putting up plenty of pics when I get round to cleaning it. Not going to do a full job first time round, probably just snow foam, 2 bucket wash and wheel clean to start off, then maybe later on next month I'll start doing more to it, claying, waxing, etc. Will take some time to get used to the process but hopefully won't be too difficult.

Pressure washer hopefully arriving tomorrow, Meguiars APC, Gold Class Shampoo and Wheel Brush ordered from Euro Car Parts as well so should hopefully arrive soon!

Nice one. You're in the same position I was in 2008. Just starting out trying to get the cars brand new looking. I'm now doing my mates cars and happy with my routine ....... Ish! Always new things to try but haven't got the time/money to play too much. Anything you need to know just pick our brains on here. Good to be able to help you out. Remember though, it's 95% opinion! As long as you get the application right and find products that suit you, then happy days. It doesn't matter who it's made by and how much it costs. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you're happy, that is all that matters.

Enjoy mate!

There used be weekly info from myself but that was soon stopped...............:(

It was your threads that got me interested in detailing

Its always good to know other people's opinion on products so go for it

Pressure washer arrived today!

Pretty easy to put together. Just screw in the top handle bit and plug everything together. Won't be trying it out for a while yet, at least til the crappy weather stops!

Here it is assembled: -

More new arrivals!

Meguiars Spray Bottle, Gold Class Shampoo, All Purpose Cleaner and Wheel Brush.

Also, Dooka Woolie Wash Pad and Wheel Mitt arrived too. Burgundy colour aswell which (nearly) matches my red Fabia!

Can't wait to try all this out! Unfortunately judging by the weather it won't be until well after Christmas.

Also, Dooka Woolie Wash Pad and Wheel Mitt arrived too. Burgundy colour aswell which (nearly) matches my red Fabia!

Can't wait to try all this out! Unfortunately judging by the weather it won't be until well after Christmas.

We very rarely get red but looks like you got one of the rarer colours there, enjoy......

My three penneth:

Why AGSRP?

Its ok as an AIO .......BUT it wont remove your swirls..just mask them

I would ditch that and apply some GTechnik P1 with a hand polishing pad

Wipe down with 50/50 IPA to remove polishing oils and then apply your LSP

Is there a massive problem with masking? Removing swirls is a job for a DA or rotary IMHO, even with P1, swirl removal by hand is extremely hard work and time consuming. This would probably put someone new to detailing off after 30 minutes, leaving them with half of a shiney bonnet and an aching shoulder.

Out of interest, have you used the new formula SRP?