Ok so im a amateur at detailing.

 

I have followed the guides here, and researched products etc 

 

What i do:

 

pressure wash - rinse

snow foam

rinse

2 bucket clean

rinse

dry

clay  - or not

quick wash+ rinse (if clayed)

polish

wax/ seal

 

So from what i gather im doing the right thing, just it takes me 7 hours+ and is figgin hard work, my hand is goosed and does circles in my sleep after, not to mention bad back for a few days after.

 

I like to clean my car every week end, or at a push every fortnight.

 

i cant keep this 7 hour process up lol

 

I was thinking of buying a polisher machine, but after reading various detailing forums .. all the elite/ pro/ cleaning cars a fews year old, all splat abuse at anyone who doesnt buy a DA like the g220. I have a 12 year old car, not paying anything over £50, let allow £200!!

 - Im not looking for a polisher that is the top end, i have 12 year old paint -  the saying "you cant polish a turd" springs to mind.

I just want something, that will make the process less arm and back braking.

And also i think im over kill with the above process weekly, any suggestions? 

 

Thanks

 

For a weekly routine, drop the pressure was rinse from the start, snow foam direct onto dry car.

Clawing should probably only need to he biannually

If you have a good wax the whole back end after dry can be replaced with a quick detail spray and move waxing and polishing to a monthly or bimonthly event.

Agree with above, a 'very good service wash' takes about an hour and a bit, with a nicely waxed car.

Personally I wouldn't claw the car! Leaves scratches

Claying would be fine

For a weekly routine, drop the pressure was rinse from the start, snow foam direct onto dry car.

Clawing should probably only need to he biannually

If you have a good wax the whole back end after dry can be replaced with a quick detail spray and move waxing and polishing to a monthly or bimonthly event.

 Ok so just so i understand , 

dont rinse before snow foam, clay +polish + wax once a month.

 

 - so what to do weekly/ fortnightly in between?

 

I dont really know how to use detailing spay, just spay on and wipe off? - ive only ever used it as a clay lubricant.

The trouble with these sorta questions is you get loads of different opinions.

I'll give you mine:

I'd stick with your regime in your original post once or twice a year only.

I dont believe in regular cleaning, just for the sake of it so I clean mine when it needs it...when its dirty. The method I use then is to rinse, snow foam, rinse, wash (2BM), spray with QD as a drying aid and dry.

Job done.

Car cleaned and protected.

Takes about an hour.

The trouble with these sorta questions is you get loads of different opinions.

I'll give you mine:

I'd stick with your regime in your original post once or twice a year only.

I dont believe in regular cleaning, just for the sake of it so I clean mine when it needs it...when its dirty. The method I use then is to rinse, snow foam, rinse, wash (2BM), spray with QD as a drying aid and dry.

Job done.

Car cleaned and protected.

Takes about an hour.

Mine is **** up after a weeks driving, constantly.

 

HMM but yes i think more of what you and others have said. 

 

so detailing spray helps with drying? seems a good tip!

Doing that routine every week or two is hard going. Well done on that. Some good advise above.

As Mike said above, I would do that every 6 months.

I always pressure rinse the car first. Then snow foam, as you get rid of the looser dirt and then the snow foam can dislodge the more stuck on grime. Missing that will save you 5 minutes or so.

If you use a durable wax, cleaning the car should be easy for the first month after application. So when you feel the sparkle has started to drop, just wash, dry and pop a layer of wax on. Detailing sprays are decent after every wash to keep it looking good. Just spray on and buff off.

Real time savers are clay cloths and a DA. DAs are expensive. But you won't look back and it will last for a long time. The results are much better than by hand too. Think of it as an investment.

HTH

Neil

If you polish every week you'll have no paint left inside a year.

 

Wash when dirty, detox a couple of times a year/ before polishing or sealing, polish only when paint is flawed, seal when needed which is probably a couple of times a year, depending on product, application, amount of washing and so on.

 

The buffers that halfords and aldi sell for £15 or £20 can be good for applying wax with little effort.

You can also break your routine down a bit by doing the clay, polish seal on part of the car, and move to another part of the car the next week or month.

You can also break your routine down a bit by doing the clay, polish seal on part of the car, and move to another part of the car the next week or month.

 

I tried this but doesnt go well with my obsessive nature ...  

 

From advise here, i will snowfoam and 2bw, then qd weekly/ fortnightly

 

then when the beading is not working very well, do the full detail as first post - every 6 weeeks ( not sure how long wax will protect, guess depending on brand?) - but not clay every time..

 

 - is polishing ok every 6 weeks? someone said too often can damage paint? - i only hand polish, i dont have 3000rpm with my hand :P

What are you using to polish buddy? If it is an "All-in-one" like super resin polish you'll be fine. There aren't any abrasives in it as such so you won't wear away the clear coat. What wax are you using?

Durability depends on many factors, where the car is kept how much use sun, rain, how much it's washed with what and so on.  However a good sealant should last several months, and if being topped up with qd as well then you'll get more.

 

If the paint doesn't have flaws (oxidation swirls scratches) frequent polishing won't add anything just wear you and the paint out.   Wax as often as you like, but don't polish too much or you'll do damage.

Here's my thoughts if you are doing this weekly fortnightly. 

 

pressure wash - rinse - YARP

snow foam - YARP

rinse - YARP

2 bucket clean - YARP

rinse - YARP

dry - YARP

 

so what are we up to now?  Perhaps 30 minutes if taking your time?

 

clay  - or not - NOOOOOOO.  IMO there is no need for this to be done more than perhaps twice a year, when being combined with a full M.O.P

quick wash+ rinse (if clayed) - YARP (but see above)

polish - NOOOOOOO.   - Only needed to me when the paint finish has gone bad again, which shouldn't happen with good wash routine (see first 30 minutes above)

wax/ seal - NOOOOOOO.     Should only be needed if the applied finish has clearly started losing its water repelling function (easy to test)

 

So to answer the question a little easier I argue that a full 7 hour job is needed TWO times a year at most, as when done properly, the maintenance washing etc shouldn't take anywhere near as long.  My Fabia gets full job in March and around end of September.  Don;t forget if you have a good wax/seal layer on the car, "polishing" will simply remove it.  Why do it then?  It would be extremely counter productive. 

Good advice there Jason ..I cant really add to that :clap:

Buy a clay mitt, no need to dry and then clay.

Got my paint looking like this recently... 125k mileage.

Approx 25+ hrs spent on it. Will be protected for 2yrs now.

Buy a clay mitt, no need to dry and then clay.

Got my paint looking like this recently... 125k mileage.

Approx 25+ hrs spent on it. Will be protected for 2yrs now.

FB_IMG_1432499899309.jpg

Great flake pop, what coating have you applied?

That was prior any coatings, but I applied carbon collective platinum paint and then oracle.

That was prior any coatings, but I applied carbon collective platinum paint and then oracle.

Any particular reason why you topped CC Platinum with Oracle?

Any particular reason why you topped CC Platinum with Oracle?

Because that's what its for.

What are you using to polish buddy? If it is an "All-in-one" like super resin polish you'll be fine. There aren't any abrasives in it as such so you won't wear away the clear coat. What wax are you using?

I used autoglym super resin polish and a tester pot of dojo juice.

Because that's what its for.

Oracle as a topper to Platinum?

Really?

Please give more info

Cheers

Oracle is a multi use sealant in this sense. You can coat plastics etc with it to restore the colour of them but also use it as a gloss enhancer to paintwork as well as added protection and durability.

That was prior any coatings, but I applied carbon collective platinum paint and then oracle.

Thanks for your reply, not used Oracle, but if you get 2-3 years as they say then happy days

Oracle is a multi use sealant in this sense. You can coat plastics etc with it to restore the colour of them but also use it as a gloss enhancer to paintwork as well as added protection and durability.

Thanks for clarification

I used autoglym super resin polish and a tester pot of dojo juice.

You won't do any harm to your paint by using SRP every 6 weeks by hand buddy. I wouldn't personally do it that often but if that's how often you like to it then there's nothing wrong with it. The dodo waxes can last between 2 and 6 months depending on which one you have gone for.