New Car, new to detailing....advice required

[mickyc79]

I have just bought myself my first brand new car...I want to keep it looking brand new and as good as possible.

What's your advice for treating and maintaining the paintwork, trim, wheels and tyres?

I want to keep it looking as new/better than new and not really sure where to start.

Detailing is a vast subject that i've never really bothered about too much with previous cars. (fortnightly run through local hand wash place).

[trickywoo]

As its new all you need to do for a good few years is proper cleaning.

Get a good wash mitt - not a sponge! Two buckets each with grit guards and some decent branded shampoo.

I'd possibly think about putting a sealant on it while its still nice and new. I favour Bilt Hamber Finis wax at the moment. Follow the instructions on their website and you'll be fine. Maybe also get some of their QD (quick detailer) for topping up / glossing.

[Chris_VRS]

Get a Detailer local to you to apply one of the Ceramic/Quartz/Hybrid coatings for long term durability and ease of washing, then purchase a basic safe wash kit that's recommended by the Detailer you choose.

Chris
Summit Detailing

[mickyc79]

Thanks for the advice...got myself some high quality shampoo, some microfibre clothes and a high content carnuba polish/wax.

Going to give this a go first, but have also been reading up on CQuartz ceramic nano coating...looks impressive, and at £36.00 for the kit,not too expensive either.

Any experience with this product?

[swisstoni]

If you want to get into detailing get over to Detailingworld.com. If you don't then take the advice above and get it pro detailed and then maintain it as per their advice.

[Crafty_]

If you want a sealant you could also look at gtechniq C2v3, its cheaper than the cquartz stuff and many on DW seem to like it.

For a minimum effort thing I think these ceramic type sealants are quite good - stick it on, it then lasts for months. I'm kind of thinking to go "old school" with a polish/glaze & wax as its more what Im used to.

[mickyc79]

Ordered this stuff and not sure if its a polish or wax, or both??

I'm going to give it a try tonight, before i do, can someone please advise if i have to wax after applying this, or would this provide protection also...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Number-Carnauba-Car-Wax-Po...

Thanks

[dtmpower]

Two Bucket Method washing with washmit

Detail spray with microfibre cloth kept in the car for emergencies

Avoid strong acidic cleaners for wheels, it damages the wheel finish and clouds the plastic trim (look at any fleet Vauxhall)

[mickyc79]

I intend on using the two bucket method to wash it, then pat dry with microfibre cloth before applying this polish/wax....what i would like to know is do i need to wax the car after applying the polish/wax in the above link, or is this an all in one?

[silverous]

dtmpower said:

Detail spray with microfibre cloth kept in the car for emergencies

Emergencies...I'd forgotten how much your scale changes when you get into detailing (guilty of this also)

[mickyc79]

So, do i use this stuff tonight? I don't want to do anything that will adversely affect the bodywork, but equally i would like to put some protection on it.

This is called a wax polish, but as far as i'm aware a wax is very different to a polish...

Do i apply this or hang off a few days, order some Gtechniq C2V3 and just apply that after a good shampoo??

Quick response/advise appreciated as i am itching to get shining!!

[dtmpower]

mickyc79 said:

So, do i use this stuff tonight?

I'd not use anything until you can 'clean' the care safely.

[mickyc79]

Why is this such a difficult question? Ok, assuming I can clean the car safely, does anyone have any experience of the product I linked above, and can anyone explain what a wax polish is? If so, can I apply it and only it to my car after safely cleaning it, or do I need to polish with the product I have and get a wax as well for after polishing?

[LordGrover]

It's not a polish though is it?
The label says it's a wax, treat it as such.
Clean, polish if required then wax.

[mickyc79]

LordGrover said:

It's not a polish though is it?
The label says it's a wax, treat it as such.
Clean, polish if required then wax.

Thanks, you're correct. The label does say wax, but the description is wax polish, and a number of the reviews state it's a great polish, whereas a lot of them say it's a great wax...Maybe i shouldn't have jumped in at the first google search return for carnauba wax with good reviews!

I guess i was hoping someone had used it, or a similarly described product and could say whether or not this provided a protection for my paint (which is what I really want as its a new car and polish shouldn't be needed....should it?)

[GTIAlex]

Exact same position as you a few weeks ago.


I stripped off all wax that was on the car when I bought it, used iron out to remove all contaminates from the paint, use a heavier contaminate remover on areas I wasn't happy with and then used a collinte 845 wax all over. Remember that new cars spend a lot of time sitting around outside before you get them so they will need contaminates removed from them.


Essentials being more microfibre cloths than you thought you could ever need, a good acid neutral wheel cleaner and some good soft wheel cleaning brushes.

[Chris_VRS]

mickyc79 said:

Thanks, you're correct. The label does say wax, but the description is wax polish, and a number of the reviews state it's a great polish, whereas a lot of them say it's a great wax...Maybe i shouldn't have jumped in at the first google search return for carnauba wax with good reviews!

I guess i was hoping someone had used it, or a similarly described product and could say whether or not this provided a protection for my paint (which is what I really want as its a new car and polish shouldn't be needed....should it?)

I've not even heard of the product you've linked too, let alone used it.

I'd suggest applying it to the car, it won't do any harm & if after subsequent washes you have no visible signs of protection, i.e water beading/sheeting then it will need topping with a wax to give you the protection element.

wax/polish/glaze - unless you know what your looking at it's all a bit of a grey area, with the marketing men including one or all of the aforementioned words on a bottle to get people to buy their product - sometimes they really don't do what they say on the tin!

Happy Cleaning

Chris
Summit Detailing

[mickyc79]

Hi Chris, thanks for your well informed advice...after looking at a few products and buzz words, it became clear that there is a massive amount of products available, and as you say, if you don't know what you're looking for it is difficult to cut through all the marketing bs.

Didn't get a chance to wash the car tonight, but should hopefully find some time tomorrow or over the weeknd to try it out. I will post pics and give my verdict on the product.

[mickyc79]

I used the Boora Number 1 Carnuba wax polish, and was very impressed with the results.
After a good 2 bucket was and dry, I found it very easy to apply, a couple of panels at a time, then easily buffed off. It gave a very impressive shine, and following a 250 mile journey the next day, the paintwork is still gleaming with hardly any dust and any bugs which were on the front were very easy to wipe off.

It hasnt rained yet since applying, so cant comment on water repellancy yet, but ive had a few comments from people about how shiny and clean it looks.

Very impressed with this wax....think i'm going to get some Gtechniq c2v3 and apply a coat of this after my next wash to protect it.
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[Chris_VRS]

Looks good, c2v3 or Gyeon CanCoat are both great quick & easy top up products