Simple sequence

[LordGrover]

Without directing to DW, is the following sequence about right please?

1. Wash & dry
2. Clay
3. Wash & dry
4. Polish OR Pre-wax
5. Glaze
6. Sealant
7. Wax
8. Detailing spray

I've used the order of products listed on cleanyourcar.co.uk as my guide.

I'm to take delivery of a new car next month so assuming claying won't be necessary yet, but 3. onwards would be wise?

[ribenavrs]

I would do things slightly different just to make things a little easier assuming you have a P/W

1.Pre wash/snow foam/PW off
2.Wash and rinse well
3.Iron-X or equivalent. Fantastic stuff even on a new car!!!!!
4.Rinse well
5.De tar. Tardis or equivalent
6.Rinse well
7.Clay while wet
8.Rinse well and dry

THEN start from your step 4

Don't underestimate the amount of crap on a new car. The Iron-X and clay will ensure you have a great base to polish and will make it much easier

Have fun

[LordGrover]

I completely forgot about the pressure washer and snow foam.
I was given a PW and snow foam attachment for my birthday last week - the whole reason for getting into 'detailing' properly.
Thanks for the reminder.

[ribenavrs]

Just noticed what you're getting

Nice one, it'll look fantastic

[jagnet]

Glaze, sealant and wax seems excessive. No harm in it, but it's extra work and expense for no discernible gain - although I'm a firm believer in the "because I can" method in which case go for it

What products were you thinking of using for that stage?

[Ti22]

I'll second the need to iron x/ clay a new car..

And yes, 2-3 coats of your favoured LSP rather than sealant and wax would be my preference!

[Craikeybaby]

Another vote for claying/Iron X ing your car (although I'd go for the Wolf's Decon Gel). For instance my girlfriends Fiat 500, was covered in iron fillings, from when it was transported by train.

My routine would be:

Snowfoam + Rinse
Iron X
De Tar
Wash (don't dry)
Clay
Wash (or snowfoam again) and dry
Glaze/Prewax cleaner
Sealant/Wax
Then save the detailing spray until after your next wash.

[zebedee]

And when do you get a break in the rain to do all that?!

Glad this thread is here really because I have read about many products I have no idea how to use.

I do this once every couple of weeks:

A) Wet car
B) Wash car with turtle wax shampoo (as I got a large bottle and it never seems to run out).
C) Let it dry or chamois it.
D) Polish with Autoglym (one coat and then buff off).

A) I have always wondered if waxing (through the turtle wax stuff, which is hopeless on its own and keeping a protected surface) and polishing is not ideal, in which case what shampoo is best.

B) Given all these products I think it is time I got them as the polish doesn't seem to last and isn't making the car really sparkle anymore. I tried G3 scratch remover paste at the weekend and was very impressed with what that can do and that made me think it was time to try some other things.

Can someone explain what these additional steps will do that I am currently missing out on - I have no idea what Iron-X and clays do for example. Product recommendations welcomed too please! I have tried Auto Glym tar spot remover but is was very hard work and didn't get them all.

cheers in advance.

[jagnet]

zebedee said:

Can someone explain what these additional steps will do that I am currently missing out on - I have no idea what Iron-X and clays do for example. Product recommendations welcomed too please! I have tried Auto Glym tar spot remover but is was very hard work and didn't get them all.

Snow foam - a pre wash stage to remove the majority of dirt and grit to avoid rubbing it into the paintwork at the wash stage. The foam clings to the car softening the dirt and dislodging it as the bubbles burst. A pre wash with an all purpose cleaner will achieve similar results if you don't have a snowfoam lance.

Iron-X - the car's bodywork will pick up tiny iron particles from brake pads and discs (yours and other cars) and industrial fallout. Normal washing won't remove all of them as they can embed themselves in the paint, resulting in a less glossy finish. They can also corrode, damaging the surrounding paint in the process. Iron-X and other similar products gently (and aromatically) remove this contamination from the paintwork.

Clay - removes bonded contaminants that normal washing can't touch. Where Iron-X removes just iron, claying attacks the rest. The result is much smoother, cleaner paint.

Shampoo - ideally you want a good quality shampoo that's nice and slippery, strong enough to clean but not so strong that it'll remove any protection on the car. A wash and wax product is handy to leave a glossier finish on an unprotected car, but best avoided otherwise.

Paint cleanser - even after all this there'll still be chemical contamination on the paint, which is where a good cleanser comes into its own to remove hydrocarbon films, etc. A product like Autoglym SRP has mild cleansers in it.

Once those stages are done, you'll have a much better, cleaner base to work from. You can then either use abrasive polishes to remove scratches, marring and oxidisation or a filler type product that'll hide lighter swirls by filling them.

I presume it's the Autoglym Super Resin Polish that you're currently using? This is an All In One (AIO), that has mild abrasives to remove oxidisation and the lightest swirls, cleansers to attack contaminants and lots of fillers to hide those swirls and scratches that it can't remove, but with limitations.

An AIO is useful, but as always not as effective as separate products and stages. It won't ever be able to remove contaminants as well as claying, or remove swirls like an abrasive polish. It's longevity is limited versus a wax or sealant, although using these on top of the SRP will help in that respect.

An AIO is perfectly suited to paintwork in less than perfect condition. So many last stage products (LSPs) get recommended, but unless you've machine polished first you're not going to get the most out of them. A filler heavy AIO first will really help by hiding marring, but then some LSPs won't play well with some AIOs as a base layer.

Quality of prep work is 90% of the battle. Get the paintwork clean and free of contaminants and you'll really notice the difference even without using abrasive polishes.

As for product recommendations, everyone has their own opinions and preferences. I really like Bilt Hamber products, so I make no apologies for constantly recommending them as they tend to fly under the radar a little unlike many of the more fashionable products. My list therefore looks like this:

Snowfoam - Bilt Hamber auto-foam. Doesn't dwell as long as others but it doesn't need to. Very good cleaning power whilst being gentle on LSPs. You must have a pressure washer and foam lance though - it won't work through a Gilmour foam gun.

APC - Bilt Hamber Surfex HD. If I don't want to foam, this does a very good job of loosening dirt before pressure washing.

Iron removal - I'm using Autobrite's Purple Rain at the moment, but will be changing to Bilt Hamber's Korrosol now that's been launched. Iron-X is the most well known product.

De-tar - Autobrite's Just the Tonic, but Autosmart's Tardis is the one the gets the most mention. White spirit and WD40 also work, or just claying.

Clay - Bilt Hamber clay. Good value and doesn't need a dedicated lubricant, just plain water. That makes it very cost effective, and it's a very good clay.

Shampoo - Bilt Hamber auto-wash. Very good, and it might only be a little bottle but at 5ml per 10 litre bucket (or 10ml for hard water areas) it lasts a long time. There's no wax element to it either, so you don't cover up your existing LSP with the characteristics of a shampoo borne wax.

AIO - Autoglym SRP is good, but Bilt Hamber's cleanser-polish is even better imho. It really cleans well. The amount of chemical dirt that came out from the paint on the XJS the first time I used it (despite using SRP previously) was astonishing. It fills exceptionally well and leaves a really slick finish, but it will need topping with something to get more than a couple of weeks longevity. SRP probably lasts longer on its own.

Wax/sealant - the world's your oyster here. On an older car I use Bilt Hamber auto-balm for its corrosion protection and filling abilities, on a newer car then finis-wax for its longevity and detergent resistance. For a more showy wax I use P222 which leaves a really wet glossy look. For a sealant I tend to use Werkstatt Acrylic Jett. For a nano type coating then Max Protect.
If you want to stick with Autoglym, then HD Wax or Extra Gloss Protection (sealant). There are so many waxes and sealants available though that it really is down to what you fancy the look of most. Ask 10 people what they use and you'll have 40 different suggestions depending on preference, car colour, paint type, budget, use etc.

On a car topped with finis-wax, then with occasional auto-QD detailing spray top ups to maintain gloss and protection I really don't need to do anything more than washing it for 6 months.

Sorry it's a long post - I got a little carried away, but hopefully it was of some use at least.

[LordGrover]

Thank you.

[zebedee]

fantastic jagnet, thanks. I think I will definitely add a clay to the arsenal. So this is used after the first wash down. I will also switch to a waxless shampoo (unless just doing a very light clean in which case it probably helps prolong the polish). One question though, once polished, do you add wax on top of that or use wax instead of polish?

[jagnet]

No worries

Normally prewash and main wash, then iron-x, de tar, rinse, clay.

Wash to get rid of normal dirt.
Iron-x and de-tar gets rid of that contamination leaving less for the clay to have to do.
Rinse well before claying since tar removers tend to dissolve clay, which can be an unexpected shock

No problem waxing on top of your AIO polish such as SRP. Wax will bond better to perfectly decontaminated paint but then you won't get the benefit of the swirl filling. That's fine if you've just machine polished the paint to perfection, but chances are the paint won't be that good for 99.9% of the population.
You'll still get much better longevity than an AIO polish on it own, it just won't be quite as much as wax on its own.

Longevity of the wax can also be helped by using a quick detailer product occasionally to boost gloss and protection.