I want to get into detailing after many years of taking the car to the local £3 car wash does any one know what proucts to get and where to get samples?

Thanks

Don't do it... It's a disease.   I'll give you the same advice that I got, which I ignored, then decided for myself was true. Keep it simple, don't follow the hype (you'll soon find out what I mean) and stick to what's not too expensive but works. Brands like Bilt Hamber, Sonax, Power Maxed, Gyeon, Dodo Juice and Gtechniq will see you right without being ridiculously expensive. I spent a LOT of money in my first year, then decided in practical terms I only used/needed about £100 of it lol... Panel pots / samples are available for most mainstream waxes and sealants (see sites like CleanYourCar for example, and use discount code DW05 for money off). Some waxes are excellent, but so cheap you may as well get a whole pot (eg Bilt Hamber Double Speed Wax is £15 for a huge tin that'll last years). Experiment, read around / watch YouTube, and don't fall for 'Mega Product X for only £70.99' when 'Trusted product Y' will do it for a tenner...

Rainmaker thanks i was looking into the autoglym wax for £45 at halfords untill a member off staff advised that turtle wax will do an equivalent job for only £6.50 and it really does a good job

Hope you've got deep pockets, LOL!! Find products that are to your liking, stick with them and take it from there. Find a good supplier, such as

https://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/index.php

 

Use a good detailing forum for research and the like, such as

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/

 

Enjoy and happy detailing.

 

 

Trust the advice here and avoid the rabbit hole as it's very deep 

 

The life cycle of most people 

 

You start off by just by taking car to the local hand wash or jet wash then .....

 

You then invest in some basic wash and wax and a wilkos bucket and sponge and probably some turtle wax 

 

At some point some one will treat you or you may treat your self to some autoglym super resin polish you spend hours polishing and polishing the car and stand back in amazement how good your car looks heck you will even look forward to the car getting wet so you can see the water beading off as well as looking down on people's flat boring paint with water just sitting in the surface and then it happens ...... 

 

 

You start the lifelong quest of trawling detailing world forum reading post after post of "which is the best polish " which is the best this and that 

 

You start buying different products and the lowly bucket and sponge on one shelf in the garage is replaced with 2 buckets, wash mitts endless shampoos,waxes and polishes on numerous shelves 

 

You then become   a stickler for a certain brand for a certain task all the time you Google search history is overflowing with meguairs menzama Poorboy's and all the brand names 

 

Then you  ask the wife if she wants  her car doing even though she won't notice the difference and will say "oo that's clean without realising you have iron x and clayed the paint and poured your heart and souls to try and impress her with your new detailing prowess

 

 then you offer to do your parents car who give a similar response and then go to the hand carwash next visit to save you all that trouble again 

 

then your mare who seems to buy a used car every 3 months that looks like it's been reversed through a thorn  bush and is full of scuffs and swirls you seem to offer to *detail his car for him " you revel in the challenge  so you treat yourself to a da machine as you think it will be a quicker process and the whole cycle of searching for the best product begins again 

 

All the time that lowly shelf in the garage that was happy with a bucket a chamois and a bottle of wash and wax is now creaking under the strain of your new hobby  

 

Go for it 

 

 

Edited 13 March, 20179 yr by malcster

@malcster So, so true...  

Some good info above..... just to add...

 

If you enjoy your detailing and want to start on a sample basis;

i would highly recommend talking with Andy at Clean Your Ride.

 

Plenty to go at, very helpful and low cost solution to entry level detailing...

 

http://www.cleanyourride.uk/

 

 

Prime example 

I bought ages ago some meguiars quick detailer i think it came with a clay kit and in the purpley red bottles 

Bought plenty of this to use mainly as a drying aid 

So I use a lot of this 

 

As i look at my detailing area i have the following 

 

2 bottles of purpley red quick detailer 

1 ½ bottles of meguiars gold class detailer 

1 bottle of meguairs ultimate quick detailer 

 

And blow me in the post today a bottle of meguairs mirror bright quick detailer arrived 

 

Fwiw I am a meguairs fan other brands are available and some/most will argue that this brand or that brand is better 

 

Go for a brand easily available and mainly easy to apply and use 

 

Halfords normally have 3 for 2 offers through the year that can be good hunting grounds for autoglym and meguairs  

 

One thing about meguairs is they do a few ranges 

Consumer 

Body shop

Detailer 

 

A lot of  products in the detailer range is available in the consumer range for example m101 in professional is similar as ultimate compound just with less residue dust hence making it easier to work with

 

This is the same throughout the meguairs range a lot of products over lap with user friendly versions 

 

 

Op meguairs do a sample range of little sachets 

 

 

Fidn something that you like at a price that is not going to rob the bank, some products are easy to work with whilst others can be a complete nightmare to apply/remove.

 

If you know of anyone or if you are going to the USA, pop in to Walmart as Meguiars is a fraction of the price (e.g. large bottle of Gold Class was - UK £18 USA $7)

 

I'm a sucker for Meguiars to the stage that when Costco discounted their starter packs down to £13.49 I brought 4 of them !!

 

Read lots and buy less (if you can).

Thanks for the replies so far i have bought my self a Karcher with the snow foam attachment, a bottle of meguiars gold class shampoo two buckets with grit guards and a microfibre washmitt.

Thats enough shopping for this month as all of this totals up to a high cost

Very wise purchases there buddy. The wash routine is where most damage to the paint is inflicted, so now you've got the necessary equipment for that, your car will stay looking better for much longer. Nice one.

Hi,

  Everyone has their own favorites as many have said above, I would be looking at the advice, trying a few different items and forming your own opinions, then trying to stick to the ones you like, otherwise you will accumulate masses of different product some you will use more than others and some will seperate in to their different components due to lack of use. I was a big fan of Mer polish for years, but now I will not touch it. I find layering a good way to do things once the car is washed and stripped of old products I polish, then glaze, then a couple of layers of my preffered wax, then finally a top coat of a water repelant sealer. This way a weekly wash and wipe over with a detailing spary will be all it takes to keep car looking good for months. Be careful when you wash, try to use a wash that doest strip your products after applying them, NEVER USE A CAR WASH, dry with towels, not leathers except maybe windows. Using what you have just purchased, as said above is a great start, time is of the essence don't rush, I can often spend 8 hrs or more on my car, enjoy what you do.