General methods used to clean ??

[Smoothrunnings]

Hi All

 

Never really owned a nice car before but now i have a super 2014 Octavia Saloon and the paintwork is in top condition

As all my other motors have been more "service" orientated I would run them thro the carwash once in a while and that was it.

 

If i want to take better care of this one (which i do) what sort of kit do i need. Can a pressure washer be used for the initial washdown if so any recommendations i don't want to use somthing that could damage the existing paint etc.

Read a lot about "SnowFom" which seems to be some type of shampoo I'm unsure how this is applicated..

Any advice on overall process including drying waxing and polishing and associated products gratefully received.

 

Dont want to go overboard with styling \ detailing but would like a nice finish.

 

Where do you purchase from any links appreciated. 

 

Any thoughts

Kr

Paul

[Kenny R]

Plenty other posts on here should give you enough info for what you want.

[P-J]

On 15/01/2022 at 02:37, Smoothrunnings said:

Can a pressure washer be used for the initial washdown if so any recommendations i don't want to use somthing that could damage the existing paint etc.

Read a lot about "SnowFom" which seems to be some type of shampoo I'm unsure how this is applicated.

 

 

Hi Paul

 

Yes, a pressure washer is ideal for washing the car. I use a Karcher K4, which I bought a couple of years ago from Halfords.

 

Yes, I find snow foam a useful step in the car washing process for loosening dirt prior to a bucket wash. You'll need a snow foam attachment for your pressure washer. The Karcher one is cheap and cheerful or you can buy others that fit.

 

I use a mix of car cleaning products, usually from decent brands like AutoGlym, Bilt Hamber and Meguiars. Available from Halfords, Amazon or other online retailers.

 

As a beginner, you might be interested in watching a few videos on Youtube. There are actually dozens of channels on Youtube devoted to car washing and detailing. The Forensic Detailing Channel is a good place to start, for example:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

PJ

[Baxlin]

My method is to loosen dirt with plenty of water from the hose on ‘shower’, then the two bucket method of contact shampoo washing with a Meguiars washing mitt.  Then rinse again, and dry with a microfibre cloth.  (Ditch the sponge and chammy leather).

 

I use Meguiars Last Touch (a quick detailer) as a drying aid, but every second or third wash substitute AG Aqua wax for the LT.

 

[ckyliu]

Snowfoam requires a dedicated foam lance (the shampoo bottle bundled with pressure washers does not work well) which can be expensive and working out dilution ratios can be complicated; therefore I apply a non-harsh APC (Koch Chemie Greenstar) via handpump garden sprayer to soften dirt on lower areas prior to pressure washing - this isn't as fun and doesn't look as fancy but does the same job with the added bonus that APC can also be used for other stuff like the interior cloth and rubber mats (and my leather sofa indoors!). This is called the "pre-wash" and definitely worth doing, it really reduces the amount of dirt you have to remove during the "contact wash" which is where swirls (fine scratches) occur.

 

Personally I favour Nilfisk pressure washers at the cheaper end of the market as they have aluminium pumps whereas entry-level Karchers are plastic (I think metal starts with the K4). Use a fan jet (never the rotary pencil jet of doom as it'll strip paint), keep the jet moving and work at an angle, never fire it straight into the paint or at seals. I've been using them for over a decade now and the only damage I ever had was on a bad smart repair where the clearcoat hadn't bonded properly, and I suspect it just sped up the failure tbh. Like any powertool, used with a bit of care they're great.

 

For the "contact wash" do not use a sponge, a deep-pile or chenile noodle washmit is the order of the day - Kent car care have some for about £3 online and they're grand. You should rinse the mitt to get grit out of it before dunking it back into the shampoo bucket, you can use a second bucket of cold water for this (aka 2BM) but I prefer to use the low pressure setting of my jet washer.

 

For drying afterwards invest in a good quality drying towel with large twisted loop pile microfiber that is deep, heavy and soft - should be a good choice for under £20. One towel should dry a whole car without wringing, I usually get the worst off with one side of the towel and finish it off with the other. Liquid Elements Silverback XL or Purple Monster Edgeless XL are examples. Chamois leathers are things of the past and that's where they should stay!

 

I've got a step-by-step guide with product names in and application techniques I've written over several years as a guide for myself, I can DM if interested.

Edited 19 January, 2022 by ckyliu

[Smoothrunnings]

Hi All

 

Many thanks for the reply's really much appreciated.

@ ckyliu Please do send on your list that would be fab..!

 

Yes I'm not going all out for the detailing thing ! Just looking for a really nice clean down once in a while. (You never saw my last car.. a good wash equated to a thunderstorm)

So been doing some work and arrived at the same conclusions. I'm going with the AutoGlym Polar range and the MJJC pro attachment with a "Woolly Mammoth" microfiber cloth all seems pretty standard.

 

However when the sun eventually comes out was thinking about adding a top coat of wax after to really make the black paintwork pop.

Using the below Soft99 KingOfGloss Dark. (Would this work well ... IDK) Reading the forum it seems well received. 

https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/soft99-king-of-gloss-dark

 

 

 

 

 

In relation to pressure washers do you have them set at maximum pressure or toned back a bit

 

Kr

Paul

[ckyliu]

I run my pressure washer on max (it isn't adjustable anyway), but it is only a 110 bar machine (previously used 140 bar on my Fabia vRS though). The choice of nozzle and how you use it is more important. I have a low pressure nozzle that I use for the MX-5's mohair/canvas roof, everything else gets the normal fan jet at full whack.

 

Wasn't familiar with Fusso King of Gloss wax but what I've read of it would not sway me away from my current wax of choice, Collinite 845 (which is an easier to use version of Collinite 476S that King of Gloss is often compared to). I'm all about the easy life and longevity, so once I'm out of 845 I'll probably switch to a spray ceramic.

[ckyliu]

The final result is very dependent on prep beforehand, to make it look shiny it needs polishing to the surface is glass smooth before you go on with waxes. Glaze is a bit of a cheat since it fills in defects rather than permanently correcting them, you get the results a lot quicker but they do wash out!

 

I forgot to mention if you really want black to pop, Poorboys Blackhole show glaze is something of a go to for anyone interested in detailing, great results but longevity is pants outdoors it soon washes off. Autoglym SRP always gets a mention since it goes on very well with hand application, it's an All-In-One (AIO) so very similar to a glaze. There's Autofinesse Tripple too, I have no experience of that but people seem to rate it. With those two AIOs, they will last better if topped with a durable wax, I think that King of Gloss Dark would probably fit the bill but so would the 845 and spray ceramics I mentioned.

[P-J]

19 hours ago, Smoothrunnings said:

In relation to pressure washers do you have them set at maximum pressure or toned back a bit

 

I use a Karcher K4. It has different settings for different jobs - easily controlled.
For example:
Power 3 for hard jobs like cleaning the patio

Power 2 for washing the car