Morning guys, hope you all had a fab Christmas!

 

Right, onto my stupid questions. It will have been asked a million times before but hey...why not again!

 

I am used to using Autoglym everything for cleaning my cars. Usually:-

 

- Lambswool mitt with bucket of autoglym shampoo conditioner.

- Rinse with hose / buckets of cold water (no pressure washer at present)

- Wheels cleaned with alloy brush/water/shampoo

- Bodywork dried with chamois leather

- Autoglym super resin polish hand polished or using a hand polisher (not a pro one!)

 

Admire how good it looks.

 

I'm seeing so many different brands and products I have no idea where to start with them. I want to do a better job than I do currently. My car gets filthy very quickly and it gets caked in road grime and mud so any suggestions on the right order/products would be great.

 

I know I should probably have 2 buckets...so there's a start!

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited 27 December, 20169 yr by chris_1d

I would suggest you get a drying towel rather than the chammy leather to dry off the car. You appear to be missing some last stage protection often referred to as LSP in your routine. This can either be a wax or sealant but what it does is act as a barrier to protect your polished paint. It will also make it much easier to clean.

The Autoglym super resin polish you are curently using will wear off after a few weeks meaning you have to redo the car again. If you add a hard wearing LSP these often work for several months and make it easier to keep a shinier car.

As to recommended LSP everyone has their own views on this but I like Bilt Hamber Finis - easy to use as long as you put it on thinly and can be used in cooler months. If you like Autoglym their Extra Gloss Protection is pretty good and designed to work with the resin Polish. Again use it very thinly... see a pattern here ? allow to haze and wipe off.

I'm sure others will be along soon to chip in

My order is:

 

Rinse with pressure washer (keep the water at a good angle (45° ish) to the paintwork so you are blasting the dirt off rather than into the paint)

Snowfoam (the more dirt you can remove before touching the car will result in less swirls being inflicted to the paintwork)

Leave to dwell for as long as possible... until most of the snowfoam has dropped off the car

Pressure wash the snow foam off

2BM wash with Megs Gold Class shampoo and Dooka lambswool wash pads (starting from the roof, doing down to the rub strips next, then the rub strips and sills, finishing off with the wheels last using a smaller lambswool pad)

Rinse with pressure washer

Dry with a good quality drying towel (a good quality smaller microfibre is used for the wheels, doors, boot and bonnet jams)

 

Every 3 months or so top up the LSP (the Superb has been coated with Gtechniq Crystal Serum, so this step is left out.)

 

Obviously without a pressure washer it’s going to be difficult to use a decent snow foam, but a good hose attachment to blast off as much dirt as possible would be better than washing the car from dry (and very dirty) if the car is really dirty then only pass the mitt / pad over the panel once, then turn it over and do one more pass and then rinse it in the second bucket of water (which keeps the shampoo bucket clean)  

There is so many brands within the market for you to choose from & the list is endless :) but at least you is making a decent start with Autoglym (we all have to start somewhere) & I use a few AG products from fast glass & super resin polish so they are a few good products to have in the collection.

I would start with looking at products like EZ car care, very good stuff & you won't break the bank with them ;) very effective, look at the bulk items (starter kits)

Look on eBay for EZ car care especially the auction items.

https://www.ezcarcare.co.uk/collections/car-care-detailing-kits

https://www.ezcarcare.co.uk/collections/car-care-detailing-kits/products/ez-car-care-500ml-detailing-starter-kit

I would start with a couple of lambswash wool mitts or noodle mitts (any decent quality make) A decent bucket or two with grit guards, but you can add these things as you go on because it can get pricy.

Definitely get yourself a plush MF drying towel, the orange Korean one from here:

http://www.saverschoiceuk.com/microfibre-twisted-pile-drying-towel-74-x-90cm.html

Also find a decent carnauba wax, you don't have to spend big, you can find all different types of waxes on the market, it's nice to find a real bargain wax which personally can be just as good as an expensive wax, look for APE wax, waxed junkies, wax-planet, ocd wax, odk waxes etc...great products for great prices & some wax applicators & wax buffing cloths.

If I can offer any advice from you're first post, I would say for now, clean the alloys first (using a separate washmitt, brushes or sponge) rinse the car down before washing, make sure you have plenty of shampoo in the wash bucket & some on the washmitt for lubricity & wash in straight lines from top to bottom & use a different washmitt for lower half of the vehicle, use at least warm water within the shampoo bucket.

This should at least be a little reference or guideline to assist you along the way.

Some good comments above, I'd add the following products on the basis of their ease of use and durability - Gyeon CanCoat and Gyeon Wetcoat - good product usage/descriptions can be found on the Polished Bliss website.

 

cheers

 

Chris