Car Cleaning Advice Required Please!

[phil1987]

Hi all,

Firstly apologies as I know this kind of thread must come up a fair amount, but I have a quite specific question...

I've just bought a facelift Audi S3 which I have fallen in love with already and for the first time ever I have a car with paintwork and alloys that are still it fantastic condition and deserve TLC to keep them all that way. Problem is, this is my first time of making an effort and buying any decent car cleaning products, and there is a lot of different stuff out there so I'm a bit bewildered!

I've got the shampoo (Halfords stuff - although I'm open to more suggestions if people have had good experiences with any particular stuff) and wax (Meguiars nxt gen spray wax) sorted already, but I'm looking to buy some alloy wheel cleaning product. Problem is, I've got one mate who swears blind that he buys all his stuff from valetpro.co.uk and I should use 'Bilberry Safe Wheel Cleaner'. Then I have another mate that swears blind by meguiars and says I should use 'Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner' - two very different brands from what I can make out and I have no experience with either - does anyone have any experience and/or general opinion on which they would recommend and why?

Also I want a decent metal polish to get the exhaust to come up shining - suggestions?

FYI I already have the sheep's wool hand mit and my two buckets of water at the ready - just incase anyone was wondering if I'm that much of a novice that I still use 1 bucket and a sponge

Many thanks to peeps in advance for your advice

Phil.

[FRA53R]

I use the forums at cleanyourcar.co.uk they pretty much all swear by bilberry for wheels, plus if you wish to keep them clean use some rim wax to protect them. For the shampoo it's good that your not using fairy :P however I would suggest dodo juice if you wan shine as you go or bilt hamber if you wish to polish after. The biggest tip though is get a good wash mitt, no sponges! Plus use two buckets one for cleaning and one for rinsing. Do experiment though it's really down to what you feel works best and what you prefer

[lordlee]

People will no doubt disagree but:
Bilt hamber clay bar to start
Polish - Dodo Juice Lime Prime
Wax - Collinite 476s
Poorboys wheel cleaner and sealant

[phil1987]

Cheers guys!

[Rick_1138]

I am on the detailing world forum, and you would be amazed at the variety of products available.

You can't really go wrong tbh, but auto glym, meguiars et al, all offer good products, its just a case of mixing and matching and building up a selection of products that you like to use.

[BoostMonkey]

Rick_1138 said:

I am on the detailing world forum, and you would be amazed at the variety of products available.

You can't really go wrong tbh, but auto glym, meguiars et al, all offer good products, its just a case of mixing and matching and building up a selection of products that you like to use.

Detailing World is a great place, however be warned you may become addicted

[J-Tuner]

Autoglym all the way. I'm yet to be disappointed by any of their products and i have amassed quite a few now. Often on 3 for 2 at Halfords also.

[SB10]

Autosol for the exhaust

[AmiableChimp]

Prepare your wallet, once you get started it's a slippery slope (no pun intended)!

I have spent around £400 on various car cleaning paraphernalia and I only use it personally, not professionally - and i'm still nowhere near the levels of some of the DW faithful.

[Chicane-UK]

J-Tuner said:

Autoglym all the way. I'm yet to be disappointed by any of their products and i have amassed quite a few now. Often on 3 for 2 at Halfords also.

Another fan of Autoglym here!

[freakynessless]

Chicane-UK said:

Another fan of Autoglym here!

+1 for Auto Glym, especially the super resin polish and custom wheel cleaner. Not so much a fan of the bodywork shampoo but most people who use it swear by it. I find it leaves too many streaks. I've also just bought a bottle of the auqa wax after watching a demo at a car show. Looks like really good stuff especially if you havent got the time to so a full shine up.

[KingNothing]

lordlee said:

People will no doubt disagree but:
Polish - Dodo Juice Lime Prime

I'll disagree because you're polishing your car with a paint cleanser not a polish.

[StottyZr]

Congrats on the car! One of these overtook me last week and I was in awe. Glad to see your going to maintain it as well as it deserves. Ill be bookmarking this thread, I hope to aquire a 08 car of similar value in the near future and have been planning on washing/polishing the paint off it

[Alpaca]

Bilberry alloy wheel cleaner can be diluted.

[robsco]

Autoglym products are top drawer. Their Custom Wheel Cleaner really cuts through the dirt and brake dust with incredible ease. Just spray on, leave a couple of minutes and then clear the most of it off with a sponge and a stiff bristled brush to get into the nooks and crannies. Their shampoo is great and leaves a nice gloss on the car and the super resin polish is great at acting as a very mild abrasive and brings paint up an absolute treat. Without sounding like a sycophantic Autoglym rep, their products really are very good. Go somewhere else for tyre dressing though.

Autosol will bring your exhaust up an absolute treat.

[Buzzkill]

For me for the regular wash:

2 Buckets
2 Megs Wash Mits (one for wheels and lowers, the other for the rest)
1 EZ Wheel Brush
1 Rounded Paint Brush (if metal at the base, tape it)
Megs Gold Class or Duragloss 901 Shampoo
Bilberry cut 4/1
2 Sonus Drying Towels
Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel
1 Foam Applicator
1 Microfibre Cloth (to wipe over the applied Gel and remove residue)

Autoglym products are hit and miss for me. For instance SRP is excellent whilst their bodywork shampoo conditioner is dire.

Oh, and autosol for the exhausts.

Edited by Buzzkill on Thursday 18th August 21:40

[Parabola]

Buzzkill said:

2 Sonus Drying Towels

Now they may have changed them since I purchased a couple of years ago.. but I found the Sonus Drying Towels about as absorbent as that tracing paper loo roll you used to get a primary school. Even after a couple of washes

[Buzzkill]

Parabola said:

Now they may have changed them since I purchased a couple of years ago.. but I found the Sonus Drying Towels about as absorbent as that tracing paper loo roll you used to get a primary school. Even after a couple of washes

Which, there's three types?

Iv'e got 2 of the Wunder types and they have been great even after washing numerous times. The cheaper yellow ultimate isn't great though. Never tried the cheapest blue perl one.

Edit - I've found they can become less effective if you wash them in the same wash as used mf cloths which have certain products on them, like oil/grease.

Edited by Buzzkill on Thursday 18th August 21:52

Edited by Buzzkill on Thursday 18th August 21:53

[Parabola]

Buzzkill said:

Which, there's three types?

Think they were called 'Der Wunder Drying Towel'. Blue with red edging.

Is there a better one I should have gone for?

[ribenavrs]

You can dilute Bilberry down to 10:1 for a weekly wash, I have a bottle at 10:1 and one at 4:1 depending on condition

IIRC LimePrime is best used by machine as it contains micro abrasive, LimePrimeLite is the one to use by hand

Lastly, Autosol is great, just to make protection last longer I wax the exhaust with either Collinite 476 or FK1000 hi temp stuff

Sorry