I've always kept my cars clean, but have never been one to wax and polish etc. mainly because my cars have always been big and old and the paint hasn't been in the best conditions.

I now however, am about to take delivery of a new tornado red monte Carlo citigo and would like to maintain the paint better.

I have a karcher pressure washer, two buckets, and a pair of lambs wool wash mitts.

What else would you guys recommend? I was thinking snow foam and lance. A clay bar kit, then a wax or sealant to apply by hand after.

I'm not looking at going the full hog and detailing, just want to go one or two steps beyond simply cleaning and drying.

I did look on detailing world, but couldn't find a simple reply

Thanks in advance.

You're certainly on the right path. A pair of grit guards for the buckets and some decent mf drying towels would be money well spent. Some Tardis tar remover and Iron x ferrous treatment before you clay is always a good idea. Waxes are normally easier to apply than sealants as the paint has to be really clean for the sealant to bond correctly so more prep is needed but worth it IMO. Autobrite hellshine abyss is very good if you want a sealant. I have both a number of snowfoams and also powermaxd tfr which I combine to get the best of both worlds. The Autobrite lance is probably the best one to get if you want a lance though applying the trf with a decent garden sprayer is cheaper to set up. Good luck.... there is no way back once you start down this slippery slope LOL.

Not all sealants are harder to apply than a wax, C2v3 is much easier and faster. I use it on a lot of cars and keep my Ammo Skin for fine followed by a good wax (either Ammo paste wax or AF Spirit or Illusion).

Where did you ask your question on Detailing World? As you'll always get answers.

I have done a half decent job for a detailing beginner using the very competively priced Powermaxed products ... and used their sealant rather than wax for low maintanance ... the sealant is easily topped up at each wash and lasts for weeks.

you can find my simple relatively easy procedure in my " First Attempt" post in this section ... protection rather than a full detail ...

Alan

Hi Mike

Have you had a read in our own section?

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/314504-styling-car-care-guides-links/

DW can be a useful place but also very confusing if you dont know the name of products

 

If you want a product recommendation, just ask here and try to be specific if you can.

 

As littleade states, its a minefield, but a company like Power Maxed offers great value for money and very very good products

Look in the CYC Website too..It gives excellent advice as well as clearly descriptive products

Good luck

Clay is a great first step pal. Follow that with an All in one like Autoglym super resin polish (the new formula is decent and readily available), or go for a glaze like auto finnesse ultra glaze(there are hundreds of glazes, I've not used this one but the reviews on use by hand are extremely promising) and then a wax/sealant of your choice. You can ask "which wax?" but you will literally get hundreds of answers with completely different recommendations. It depends how easy you want it to be etc. The wax/sealant won't make a huge difference so don't get hung up on it. What will make more of a difference is a glaze.

As mentioned above, C2v3 by Gtechniq is so easy to apply on a cool panel. Looks great and will sit on top of anything. You won't go wrong with that. Read the reviews of it and see what you think.

Hope this hasn't confused matters for you.

Neil

Thanks guys. So I need to wax after polishing? I've used tardis and ironx on my old cars in the past.

I know this will be a Slippery slope, but at least with a tiny car like a citigo it won't be too time consuming!

Thanks guys. So I need to wax after polishing? I've used tardis and ironx on my old cars in the past.

I know this will be a Slippery slope, but at least with a tiny car like a citigo it won't be too time consuming!

Yes, polishing prepares the paint & removes defects etc. waxing then protects the finish you have achieved.

Or apply a sealant by hand after polishing/buffing... Powermaxed claim that the sealant coats can be mantained almost indefinitely by spraying on a 40:1 mix of their sealant after each wash while the car is still wet from rinsing... then just dry as normal.

 

If as you say time is tight for you, you could also use their Quick Detailer as a water free wash if car is only lightly soiled... reviews I have read suggest that Powermaxed Quick Detailer is literally a waterless wash as is popular in the USA.

 

Alan.

Thanks guys. Will look at products to order next week.

Right, ordered a new drying towel, snow foam lance, snow foam.

Going to order some autoglym resin polish.

Do I need mircofibre cloths to apply the polish?

Oh and is the meguirs clay bar kit any good?

Ive not tried it

But I have used extensively, Bilt Hamber Auto Clay....a great clay

Thanks, what do you use for lunrication?

Just read you can use water with this clay. Just ordered 200g. How long should that last me?

Now all I need is a wax or sealant. Any recommendations?

Use soapy water ...better lubrication

Wax or sealant is very difficult to recommend owing to the vast differences and prices

I would use a sealant on Yellow paint..but you dont have to

How long between waxing or reapplying the sealant do you want?

How much are you prepared to pay?

Have look here:

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/index.php

How long can I go between waxing? Probably sub £30. What soaps do you recommend or is the turtle wax stuff sufficient after being snow foamed?

That depends on the product...some waxes last only a month or two...Some...expensive ones can last up to 12, if the paint is prepared properly

 

I recommend Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo...available at Halfords

 

TBH.....Why not look at the Power Maxed range

They are great VFM products and provide all you will need

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/322-power-maxed/

their sealant looks appealing! Might be exactly what I am after.

I'm going to order some Iron X and some shampoo, should have everything I need then.

 

My planned washing method is....

 

Wet car

Snow foam

rinse

Shampoo wash with two buckets

dry

Polish

wash with shampoo?

dry

Apply sealant

 

Does this sound ok?

don't wash after you polish with Super Resin Polish. This is more of an All in One that cleans the paint, removes contamination and fills in light swirl marks and then pops a layer of weak protection down (which would last a few weeks in honesty).

 

Polish and remove

Apply sealant

Admire

 

Enjoy buddy

ok thanks mate, pick the car up Monday and have the week after off. Will give it a good clean then.

 

Think this could be a slippery slope

This is a really interesting thread. VRS Mike, I'm in exactly the same position as you. Just picked up my Moon White Elegance and I'm eager to give it a good clean and get some protection on there. Unfortunately I have absolutely nothing at the moment so I'm going to try and cobble together all the bits I need before the weekend so that I can get out and get it done on Saturday, weather permitting.

First purchase is going to be a Karcher pressure washer they have on sale at Halfords. Mike, would it be possible to list the bits you purchased in the end? It's just a bit confusing going back over the thread as there are so many suggestions. I've decided to go for Auto Finesse Tough Coat Cleanser, followed by their Tough Coat Paint Sealant for the final two stages as I'm lead to believe these will be good with the white colour of the car.

This is a really interesting thread. VRS Mike, I'm in exactly the same position as you. Just picked up my Moon White Elegance and I'm eager to give it a good clean and get some protection on there. Unfortunately I have absolutely nothing at the moment so I'm going to try and cobble together all the bits I need before the weekend so that I can get out and get it done on Saturday, weather permitting.

First purchase is going to be a Karcher pressure washer they have on sale at Halfords. Mike, would it be possible to list the bits you purchased in the end? It's just a bit confusing going back over the thread as there are so many suggestions. I've decided to go for Auto Finesse Tough Coat Cleanser, followed by their Tough Coat Paint Sealant for the final two stages as I'm lead to believe these will be good with the white colour of the car.

Not sure which Karsher jetwash you're thinking of getting but here's a word of caution for you. Karcher are known for fitting plastic pump bodies in their cheaper ones so I would suggest you check this out before buying. If it has a plastic one personally I'd steer clear and get a Nilfisk instead as they use metal pump bodies through out their range. Places like Argos on line do them. Find the model you want then do a search on google. I got my nilfisk online last year from here and it was delivered next day. Good luck

http://www.cleanstore.co.uk/products/productslist.asp?Main=Domestic-Pressure-Washers&gclid=CIbN_a2HwcUCFTLLtAod5GUALQ

Not sure which Karsher jetwash you're thinking of getting but here's a word of caution for you. Karcher are known for fitting plastic pump bodies in their cheaper ones so I would suggest you check this out before buying. If it has a plastic one personally I'd steer clear and get a Nilfisk instead as they use metal pump bodies through out their range. Places like Argos on line do them. Find the model you want then do a search on google. I got my nilfisk online last year from here and it was delivered next day. Good luck

http://www.cleanstore.co.uk/products/productslist.asp?Main=Domestic-Pressure-Washers&gclid=CIbN_a2HwcUCFTLLtAod5GUALQ

Thanks littleade, I wasn't aware of this and will definitely look into it now.

This is a really interesting thread. VRS Mike, I'm in exactly the same position as you. Just picked up my Moon White Elegance and I'm eager to give it a good clean and get some protection on there. Unfortunately I have absolutely nothing at the moment so I'm going to try and cobble together all the bits I need before the weekend so that I can get out and get it done on Saturday, weather permitting.

First purchase is going to be a Karcher pressure washer they have on sale at Halfords. Mike, would it be possible to list the bits you purchased in the end? It's just a bit confusing going back over the thread as there are so many suggestions. I've decided to go for Auto Finesse Tough Coat Cleanser, followed by their Tough Coat Paint Sealant for the final two stages as I'm lead to believe these will be good with the white colour of the car.

 

I was in exactly the same boat as you about a fortnight ago and posted my list of purchases and my first attempt here: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/346280-recently-cleaned-thread/?p=4242554