Hi all,

 

I cleaned my car yesterday using some new products. My general wash process below:

 

1. Snow foam pre-wash with 2 inches of Valet Pro cherry foam topped up with warm water and shaken lightly
2. Hand wash using Meguiars NXT Gen shampoo, Meguiars super thick microfibre wash mitt and a Meguiars big bucket with grit guard
3. Pressure washer rinse car and clear wheel arches
4. Bilberry wheel cleaner (about 40% mix with water) sprayed on wheels & left for 2mins
5. Agitate wheel cleaner with detailing brush
6. Pressure washer rinse wheels
7. Take car for a ride around the block to shake off excess water
8. Dry using Meguiars drying towel

 

A few notes:

 

• I don't use the 2 bucket method - I find grit guard (if you use properly - rub the mitt against it every time) is enough and works well
• I don't and won't wax my car because it is booked in on 13th to have CQuartz Professional nano coat applied
• Sometimes wheels require a proper wash after the spray and brush using a (separate) wash mitt if they're really dirty
• Some other products I like to use but didn't this time are:
  Meguiars tyre gel
  Armorall glass cleaner (have also bought Meguiars glass cleaner but not tried it yet)
  Meguiars interior detailer (this stuff is insane, makes the interior look brand new VERY quickly - but must admit it doesn't smell nice at all)
  Poorboys wheel sealant (not sure if I'll need this after the CQuartz Professional nano coat)

 

I'm really impressed by all the products I used, apart from the snow foam. It doesn't seem to thicken up too well so any recommendations for snow foam would be appreciated (preferably PH neutral).

As you can probably tell I'm a big fan of Meguiars products, they are brilliant quality and work well IMO.

 

I have attached some photos from after this weekend's wash (I think greyscale shows off detail better ). It started to rain as I was rinsing so didn't need to dry, and it shows off the NXT Gen beading

 

Cheers, Drew

Lovely looking car and i'm sure it will look amazing when CQuartz is added.

 

Thanks for sharing a nice write-up on your routine.

Edited 6 March, 20179 yr by samuir1974

http://www.saverschoiceuk.com/automotive/washing-and-drying/bilt-hamber-auto-foam-5-litre.html

 

Mostly everyone on here like to use the above snow foam & from what I have read on here is that its not thick but actually does do its job it is supposed to do...Not always thick foam is the best option.

 

What you could do with the snow foam you have, is add a little shampoo to the snow foam a squirt to a very little cap full if your after thick foam.

Edited 6 March, 20179 yr by BATVANVRS

4 hours ago, BATVANVRS said:

http://www.saverschoiceuk.com/automotive/washing-and-drying/bilt-hamber-auto-foam-5-litre.html

 

Mostly everyone on here like to use the above snow foam & from what I have read on here is that its not thick but actually does do its job it is supposed to do...Not always thick foam is the best option.

 

What you could do with the snow foam you have, is add a little shampoo to the snow foam a squirt to a very little cap full if your after thick foam.

 

Thanks for this  I did wonder about the need for thick foam, mine drips off relatively quickly but I guess that's required if you want the dirt to come off!

I did look at the Bilt Hamber stuff but I can't find any solid info on it being wax-safe etc. A few of the sellers say it is but some reviews don't agree...

You want a thick foam but not too thick it just sits on top of the dirt and then runs off. 

General rule of thumb is one inch of snow foam and just over half a bottle of water. 

The wax you use on the car you can also use on the wheels if you wish, to keep them cleaner for longer/reduce dirt build up. 

From time to time you may want to use a fallout remover on the wheels such as CarPro Iron-X or Bilt Hamber Korrosol. 

Being a white car, check on the lower ends of the front wings between the wheels and front door and also up the rear of the car, you may see caramel coloured stops. These aren't tar spots but brake dust that gets churned up off the road and embeds into the paint, the fallout remover will make easy work getting rid of these, then just wash, rinse, dry and wax (the wax will act as a sacrificial layer).