Beginners questions (apologies)

[mark seeker]

I was planning to pay someone to detail my car but I've decided to buy the bits and try myself. This is my plan (is it enough)?

Snow foam the car to start - wash off

Wash with a lambswool mitt (Dodo Juice Sour Power Shampoo)

Clay the car using a clay bar and lube (something like) Dodo Juice - Born Slippy

Any thoughts appreciated

[domster]

A few additions...

Do the twin bucket method when you wash, ie separate wash and rinse.

Once the car is clayed, rinse, dry and then apply a polish (something like Autoglym Super Resin Polish or Dodo Lime Prime)

Then apply a wax or sealant to protect the finish you have achieved.

[E21_Ross]

domster said:

A few additions...

Do the twin bucket method when you wash, ie separate wash and rinse.

Once the car is clayed, rinse, dry and then apply a polish (something like Autoglym Super Resin Polish or Dodo Lime Prime)

Then apply a wax or sealant to protect the finish you have achieved.

otherwise the paint will just get crappy again. there are so many products on offer, how much are you willing to spend and do you want better looking or better protection?

for protection i can strongly recommend collinite 476s wax. it's the toughest car wax out there and will easily out last a british winter. meaning you can do your claying and polishing, wax it with collinite which will really help protect it. it will get muddy etc, but after you give the car another wash it will be gleaming again. some of the dodo juice waxes are also brilliant but don't last as long.

[mark seeker]

Thanks for the advice - am I ok to polish by hand?

[E21_Ross]

mark seeker said:

Thanks for the advice - am I ok to polish by hand?

for polishing by hand i use super resin polish by autoglym. the other stuff i find a real hard job. you will be ok with t-cut but other more abrasive stuff will take days to get a decent finish. SRP isn't a true polish as it doesn't remove any paint as far as i'm aware, it just acts as a filler. seems to do a half decent job. but after all the effort of claying and polishing, trust me, you will want a wax on top.

i advise against the spray waxes as they don't even last a month. but are easy to apply!!

[PJ S]

SRP is abrasive, but will only tackle lighter scratches, and fill deeper ones.
Dodo Juice's Lime Prime is essentially the same thing, only less dusty, and better suited to being used with a wax.
Correction will come from the type of foam used to apply the polish - very soft will not have much effect, firm will give more cutting.
To that end, I'd recommend talking to Ben at www.carnaubawaxshop.co.uk, in reference to the larger 125mm velcro strap applicator, and the 75mm one shown on their site for door mirrors/A pillar/etc with 150mm and 80mm pads respectively.
I'd go with the blue foam, but he can discuss other options depending on what car you have.