Car cleaning newbie

[64VRS]

OK people, I'm a complete car cleaning newbie with not really bothering with previous cars. 

 

What are the basics I need to get started with a view to building on in the future?

Pics of products would be amazing and recommendations for website(s)/YouTube channels etc would be good to. 

 

It needs a good clean after 2 weeks on holiday, before I use my touch up pen on a few scratches and replace the double sided tape holding my rear number plate on. 

 

I have a red 64 plate vRS and love my car but need to give it more TLC when I clean it. Ashamed to say I have taken it to a car wash or 2 😕

[MarkyG82]

Welcome to the addictive world of car cleaning 😁

 

Here is my list of essentials for little money:

A hose or pressure washer (depending on budget)

2 buckets with grit guards (look up 2 bucket method on youtube)

A wash mitt (NOT sponge)

Wheel brush

Some microfiber towels (I have the amazon basics ones and they are fine)

Car shampoo

Some sort of quick wax/detailer spray

 

Should be able to get a decent set of the above (forgetting the pressure washer) for under £50.  If you get/have a pressure washer it may come with a foam gun fitting.  If so then some snow foam will help.  If not then some demon foam on the end of a hose does a similar job.

 

Process for using the above:

1) Hose down/pressure wash the car from top down to get rid of the loose stuff.  Make sure to get in all the places where water/dirt can collect and rinse it out.

2) Snow foam if you have it all over the car and leave to soak minimum 10 mins.  It doesn't matter if all the suds run off.  What you are trying to do is get rid of as much dirt and grit as possible before laying a finger on the surface.

3) Rinse

4) 2 bucket was on the wheels with the brush.  Empty the buckets and rinse out the muck.

5) Rinse

6) 2 bucket wash with warm water (it keep your hands toasty and apparently make the soap work better).  Again from the top down a section at a time making sure to rinse the mitt off as bets you can to avoid carrying grit back onto the car.  Also not in circles.  Go in lines back and forth and preferably all in the same direction.

7) Rinse

😎 Spray the detailer over all or just a section at a time and then run the towels over the car (top to bottom) wringing out as you go.  Don't worry about getting it perfect yet you just want to get most of the water off.

9) Get a couple if clean towels and go round the car again wiping up the residue checking all is good.

 

After a bit of setup practice you should be able to have this down to under an hour.  These are other things you can add to make the finish better and longer lasting.

 

Prewash with pressure sprayer after 1 on body and wheels.

Iron fallout and tar remover after 7 on body and wheels.

Clay bar/mitt on body before 8.  This is a once a year job really and can be done by a pro if you don't want to.  A mitt is far faster but proper clay gets that last 10%.

Sealant after 9 to seal the paint from uv and other things.

Wax at the end to protect.

 

All these extras along with the wash takes me 4/5 hrs total.  I could spend longer but get bored and tired by the end and its hard to find the time in one go.

 

I'll repeat it again.  The whole point in doing things in a particular order is to get as much carp off the car before touching it and to avoid spreading the nasties around which will grind into the paint. And always go in straight lines with any of the points as if you do end up picking something up it will score a straight line that is harder to notice so wont look as bad.

[samuir1974]

Welcome aboard - the best advice it to read through the forum and others....

 

Avoid the temptation to use the car wash and try get the basics in hand.

Pressure washer, snowfoam, 2 Bucket method and decent wash mitt.

 

Good luck....

[MarkyG82]

I honestly didn't mean to write such a long post.  It just happened.

[WolfyWesty]

I just use the two bucket method on the bodywork, clean the wheels with an alloy brush and wheel cleaner, rinse bodywork & wheels, dry (XL microfiber cloth from Wilko) and then wax (unless using Autoglym Aqua wax which goes on a wet car) and clean the windows with glass cleaner/RainX.

 

As for products, I just use:

Simoniz Car Shampoo (£5 for 5 litres from Costco)

Car Plan Demon wheel wheel cleaner (£5/6 from Halfords/Asda)

AutoGlym Aqua Wax (price varies Halfords or Amazon) or Car Plan Demon Shine (£5/6 from Halfords/Asda)

Halfords Wash Mitt/Halfords Alloy Wheel brush (£3 - £5)

Turtlewax glass cleaner (think it was from Home Bargains for £2)

B&Q orange buckets (£1 each).

 

Also have a bottle of Simoniz Liquid Carraburra Wax but only use that every other month or so.  

 

Cheap way to do it without too much kit.

Edited 20 June, 2019 by WolfyWesty
Spelling

[Vrsboi]

check out ez car care, one of my favourite detailing brands, quality products at low prices, im sure that other members also use it and recommend it

[Ash007ks]

Heres a thread that i made to resurrect the horrendously cleaned car that was given to me by the dealer.

to what you see in the pictures.

 

 

[64VRS]

9 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

Welcome to the addictive world of car cleaning 😁

 

Here is my list of essentials for little money:

A hose or pressure washer (depending on budget)

2 buckets with grit guards (look up 2 bucket method on youtube)

A wash mitt (NOT sponge)

Wheel brush

Some microfiber towels (I have the amazon basics ones and they are fine)

Car shampoo

Some sort of quick wax/detailer spray

 

Should be able to get a decent set of the above (forgetting the pressure washer) for under £50.  If you get/have a pressure washer it may come with a foam gun fitting.  If so then some snow foam will help.  If not then some demon foam on the end of a hose does a similar job.

 

Process for using the above:

1) Hose down/pressure wash the car from top down to get rid of the loose stuff.  Make sure to get in all the places where water/dirt can collect and rinse it out.

2) Snow foam if you have it all over the car and leave to soak minimum 10 mins.  It doesn't matter if all the suds run off.  What you are trying to do is get rid of as much dirt and grit as possible before laying a finger on the surface.

3) Rinse

4) 2 bucket was on the wheels with the brush.  Empty the buckets and rinse out the muck.

5) Rinse

6) 2 bucket wash with warm water (it keep your hands toasty and apparently make the soap work better).  Again from the top down a section at a time making sure to rinse the mitt off as bets you can to avoid carrying grit back onto the car.  Also not in circles.  Go in lines back and forth and preferably all in the same direction.

7) Rinse

😎 Spray the detailer over all or just a section at a time and then run the towels over the car (top to bottom) wringing out as you go.  Don't worry about getting it perfect yet you just want to get most of the water off.

9) Get a couple if clean towels and go round the car again wiping up the residue checking all is good.

 

After a bit of setup practice you should be able to have this down to under an hour.  These are other things you can add to make the finish better and longer lasting.

 

Prewash with pressure sprayer after 1 on body and wheels.

Iron fallout and tar remover after 7 on body and wheels.

Clay bar/mitt on body before 8.  This is a once a year job really and can be done by a pro if you don't want to.  A mitt is far faster but proper clay gets that last 10%.

Sealant after 9 to seal the paint from uv and other things.

Wax at the end to protect.

 

All these extras along with the wash takes me 4/5 hrs total.  I could spend longer but get bored and tired by the end and its hard to find the time in one go.

 

I'll repeat it again.  The whole point in doing things in a particular order is to get as much carp off the car before touching it and to avoid spreading the nasties around which will grind into the paint. And always go in straight lines with any of the points as if you do end up picking something up it will score a straight line that is harder to notice so wont look as bad.

Marky, 

Wow, that was an interesting read and exactly what I was looking for. A basic guide to get me started.

 

I have a Karcher and although it doesn't come with a foamed I've found one in Halford 😄. I'll check out the 2 bucket method, heard it mentioned before. I was recommended yo watch the 'Car Wash Guru'.

 

I promised I'd look after this car as it's by far the best car I've owned, but I've been lazy and not looked after my car as I should. 

 

7 hours ago, samuir1974 said:

Welcome aboard - the best advice it to read through the forum and others....

 

Avoid the temptation to use the car wash and try get the basics in hand.

Pressure washer, snowfoam, 2 Bucket method and decent wash mitt.

 

Good luck....

Samuir,

 

Yes, been far to reliant on car washes, not been kind to my car. 

 

6 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

I honestly didn't mean to write such a long post.  It just happened.

Marky, 

 

Don't worry, I enjoyed the read.

 

6 hours ago, WolfyWesty said:

I just use the two bucket method on the bodywork, clean the wheels with an alloy brush and wheel cleaner, rinse bodywork & wheels, dry (XL microfiber cloth from Wilko) and then wax (unless using Autoglym Aqua wax which goes on a wet car) and clean the windows with glass cleaner/RainX.

 

As for products, I just use:

Simoniz Car Shampoo (£5 for 5 litres from Costco)

Car Plan Demon wheel wheel cleaner (£5/6 from Halfords/Asda)

AutoGlym Aqua Wax (price varies Halfords or Amazon) or Car Plan Demon Shine (£5/6 from Halfords/Asda)

Halfords Wash Mitt/Halfords Alloy Wheel brush (£3 - £5)

Turtlewax glass cleaner (think it was from Home Bargains for £2)

B&Q orange buckets (£1 each).

 

Also have a bottle of Simoniz Liquid Carraburra Wax but only use that every other month or so.  

 

Cheap way to do it without too much kit.

Wolf,

 

Thank you for the advice and where to buy the products from. Good read to. Interesting to see the different products people use. 

 

5 hours ago, Vrsboi said:

check out ez car care, one of my favourite detailing brands, quality products at low prices, im sure that other members also use it and recommend it

Vrsboi,

 

I'll take a look at them, thank you. 

 

44 minutes ago, Ash007ks said:

Heres a thread that i made to resurrect the horrendously cleaned car that was given to me by the dealer.

to what you see in the pictures.

 

 

Ash007ks,

 

I read your post and the amount of work you put into your car was eye watering. Scary to be honest, but the results were stunning. It's a level I'd love to get to but need to start a little simpler. 

Thank you for your reply.

[Ash007ks]

That level is usually once every few months, the rest is a maintenance wash. Check out the chemical guys on youtube, they have great videos ( slot of product placement) but shows you the basics.

 

If you have a karcher and have two buckets. Stick the pressure washer in the water with the soap and turn the pressure up on the nozzle. This will give you a great amount of suds to work with.

 

Make sure you purchase a lambs wool mitt.

 

Keep us up to date with the progress.

[Wardy]

Have a look at Forensic Detailing Channel on YouTube. A few good 'how to' videos amongst loads of product testing. 

 

There was a recent one on an introduction to polishing that might interest and covers initial cleaning etc as well. 

[maffyou]

Hi guys, I’m a slightly reluctant noob when it comes to car detailing but my new (non-Skoda) car is arriving imminently and as I now own a pressure washer I thought I might give this all a go, do a better job and save myself £12.50 on the hand car was every few weeks. 

 

So I've read up loads on the process, seen the Car Cleaning Guru etc but was feeling a bit lost when it came to all the products and cloths etc that I actually needed, so happening upon this on Amazon I was pretty pleased... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07N2ZWM12/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mC5jDbMKHX3WG

 

To my untrained eye this looks like a pretty comprehensive starters kit and I’ve read people on here recommending EZ products - thoughts? Seemed like a decent price to get me started too. All responses appreciated!

[Wardy]

That looks a pretty good kit, without getting too carried away

The EZ stuff is good I've found. The only thing there you might not be able to use straight away is the snow foam, but it's only a small bottle anyway. You'd need to pick up a snowfoam lance that fits your pressure washer. I'd say that isn't urgent/required to start off with, just make sure you rinse the car down when starting to get as much residue and surface dirt off before you start with shampoo, wash mitt and the 2-bucket method 👍

[maffyou]

Great thanks @Wardy Appreciate the feedback, glad that as I thought it’s a decent starter kit and will get me going, more importantly it’s not a crazy outlay if 6 weeks down the line I decide that I really can’t be arsed with the whole detailing thing myself  My pressure washer came with a foam sprayer actually. I’m sure it’s not brilliant but it will do. I used the washer itself and it cleaned the patio up a treat a couple of weeks ago without too much effort. 

[FatWolfie]

I also thought the kit looked ok @maffyou but it does look light on microfibre towels. So I’d suggest you get a few more of them at the same time, if it helps I generally get through 5 per wash. (3 on bodywork, a different one for glass and a different one for wheels). 

[maffyou]

26 minutes ago, FatWolfie said:

I also thought the kit looked ok @maffyou but it does look light on microfibre towels. So I’d suggest you get a few more of them at the same time, if it helps I generally get through 5 per wash. (3 on bodywork, a different one for glass and a different one for wheels). 

Thanks for the tip. I’d thought this so bought a pack of 10 400gsm that had good reviews on Amazon. Also bought a BH clay bar (seen recommendations on here), EZ ceramic wax and Glart applicator pads. My car’s being delivered Thursday and I have Friday to myself to have a play - going to drive it to my folks house to do as they have a much bigger and more spacious driveway!

[edbostan]

I have owned my Roomster from new and have always waxed it with Autoglym High Definition Wax. An application every 3 months seems to be adequate or until the beads become larger to the size of marbles. Being silver the shine is not so startling as a deep red or black for example but the paint finish is as new after 5 years especially considering what the atmosphere deposits. Running my hand over the paint it is still smooth with no roughness caused by pollutants. I have never used foam and insects and bird poo washes off with no rubbing. Just water does the trick. 

[64VRS]

OK people, thank you so much for your help. 

 

Here are my purchases, let me know what you think;

 

Karcher snow foam attachment,

Car plan demon shine snow foam shampoo,

Turtle wax glass cleaner,

Turtle wax Wax It Wet wax,

Meguires 80g Clay Bar,

Turtle Wax bug and tar remover,

5 Halford Microfibre Cloths,

An RAC wash mitt,

And 2 buckets (no grit guards, yet..but it's a start). 

 

Thoughts..? 

[FatWolfie]

Can’t comment on the Turtlewax etc as I’ve never used it but I would strongly recommend getting the grit guards- all the polishing and refinishing products you’ve got (clay bar aside) won’t make up for swirly paintwork caused by muck caught up in the wash mitt from dirty water.

 

but on the other hand, for years we washed and polished our cars using one bucket and a sponge so maybe we are all being duped by the makers of the products...

 

(old man mode on... we always used to use washing up liquid in the 1970s and 80s....and I can remember the big thing being about only using proper car shampoo as washing up liquid wasn’t good for the paint...🙄)

[Mickvrs220]

3 hours ago, FatWolfie said:

Can’t comment on the Turtlewax etc as I’ve never used it but I would strongly recommend getting the grit guards- all the polishing and refinishing products you’ve got (clay bar aside) won’t make up for swirly paintwork caused by muck caught up in the wash mitt from dirty water.

 

but on the other hand, for years we washed and polished our cars using one bucket and a sponge so maybe we are all being duped by the makers of the products...

 

(old man mode on... we always used to use washing up liquid in the 1970s and 80s....and I can remember the big thing being about only using proper car shampoo as washing up liquid wasn’t good for the paint...🙄)

Yes the good old days of bucket sponge and fairy liquid ,how did it damage the paint when it was ok to put your hands in it ,nowadays its buckets gritguards snowfoam which seems to do nothing other than look good to neighbours ,iron x to decontaminate then clay bar ,much prefer a clay mitt now does the same job in a tenth of the time then polish and a glaze then sealant or a wax ,then out for a drive in your gleaming lump of metal where it gathers a layer of dust then overnight it rains just enuff so next morning the damm car looks like it needs doing again ,it really is neverending .

[Wardy]

1 hour ago, Mickvrs220 said:

Yes the good old days of bucket sponge and fairy liquid ,how did it damage the paint when it was ok to put your hands in it 

 

....Because your hands aren't a painted surface with a clearcoat over the top? 

[MarkyG82]

On ‎15‎/‎07‎/‎2019 at 20:05, 64VRS said:

OK people, thank you so much for your help. 

 

Here are my purchases, let me know what you think;

 

1. Karcher snow foam attachment,

2. Car plan demon shine snow foam shampoo,

3. Turtle wax glass cleaner,

4. Turtle wax Wax It Wet wax,

5. Meguires 80g Clay Bar,

6. Turtle Wax bug and tar remover,

7. 5 Halford Microfibre Cloths,

8. An RAC wash mitt,

9. And 2 buckets (no grit guards, yet..but it's a start). 

 

Thoughts..? 

 

I've numbered them to make it easier to comment on:

 

1. Should do you fine and do the same job but a proper snow lance will make it more snowy and foamy

2. not used myself but a mate uses it and get good results

3. Should do the job ok.  Just remember that most glass cleaners leave some smears so a good rub after

4. This was the first post wash product I used and it was so easy to apply with half decent results. Just be prepared to only get a couple of goes from the bottle

5. Go careful with this and use clay lubricant.  As a beginner it may be more worth your while getting a clay mitt instead.  Much quicker and easier to use

6. Not used it myself

7. Should do the job.  I have a big pile of amazon basics micros that are almost cheap enough to go single use

8. As above, should do the job

9. Get the grit guards

 

[Mickvrs220]

If you want a good glass cleaner get stoners invisible glass ,best stuff ive ever used leaves no streaks or smears guaranteed ,just make sure you use a good clean cloth excellent stuff

[64VRS]

2 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

 

I've numbered them to make it easier to comment on:

 

1. Should do you fine and do the same job but a proper snow lance will make it more snowy and foamy

2. not used myself but a mate uses it and get good results

3. Should do the job ok.  Just remember that most glass cleaners leave some smears so a good rub after

4. This was the first post wash product I used and it was so easy to apply with half decent results. Just be prepared to only get a couple of goes from the bottle

5. Go careful with this and use clay lubricant.  As a beginner it may be more worth your while getting a clay mitt instead.  Much quicker and easier to use

6. Not used it myself

7. Should do the job.  I have a big pile of amazon basics micros that are almost cheap enough to go single use

8. As above, should do the job

9. Get the grit guards

 

 

@MarkyG82 I probably should have numbered them to be honest, but thank you for your opinions and advice. 

 

4. This was just to get me going, if I don't get many goes out of it, it wasn't too expensive. 

5. I don't have any clay bar lubricant and tbh I could have waited to by this as I won't be using it at first, want to get the basics done first.

9. Grit guards are the next on the list and I know are an essential but wasn't able to sort them when I picked up my stuff.

 

What I bought was just to get me going and if you see my other post my number plate came off so want to clean my car before I put them back on. 

My plan is to start with these products and upgrade to something better when one runs out.

 

I want another mitt for the wheels and/or a wheel brush and a wheel cleaner next. 

 

Then it's products for the inside, be another post altogether. 👍

[MarkyG82]

@64VRS Stick with good shampoo in a bucket for the wheels for starters.  Took me a year to get some proper wheel chemicals.  Just remember to do the wheels then refresh the bucket for the rest of the car.  Or use the same bucket after you've done the car.

[64VRS]

OK, update for you all! 

 

I'm both really happy and really annoyed. 

 

So after 3 hours I was finally done with the outside and all the windows and about to start the inside when it started to rain, could not believe it so inside still needs to be cleaned (the angry bit).

 

However, think it turned out OK (the happy bit). See what you think.

It needs work (as it's been neglected since I bought it, cleaning-wise..till now).

Definitely need to look at adding and changing a few products and adding more microfibre cloths and another mitt. Plus a few chips to sort too, more than I thought.

 

Car looking nice and clean..

 

Close up, not too shabby for my first attempt I don't think..

 

Number plate re-fitted..

 

Got some swirls in the paint so need to look at getting rid of those, advice?

Edited 17 July, 2019 by 64VRS
Update required to post..