New Car, Want to Self Clean

[dafydd2008]

Hi Guy's,

I have just purchased a new car and dont really want to take it to a £10 car wash, only to have swirls etc!
I was wondering if there are any sites where i can purchase a 'starters' cleaning kit so i can do it myself?

[Shezbo]

dafydd2008 said:

Hi Guy's,

I have just purchased a new car and dont really want to take it to a £10 car wash, only to have swirls etc!
I was wondering if there are any sites where i can purchase a 'starters' cleaning kit so i can do it myself?

Everything you may need is in Halfrauds or the like?

[JackP1]

As Shezbo says, halfrauds have more than enough in a range of cleaning stuff thats for starters as such.

Simple shampoo either autoglym or from meguiars is decent, i'd advice getting a microfibre washmitt ( again the meguiars ones are pretty good, i still have my first one from about 4 years ago and its still going strong. ) then if you were really keen get some microfibre drying towels as opposed to using a chamois. Avoid sponges, they will pick up grit and scratch the paint to fk

hth

ETA: They also regularly do 3 for 2 deals on car care products!

[Crafty_]

You can get to Halfords as said, but I think there is a better range of stuff at better prices online. There are many online places, I've used this one (amongst others) http://cleanyourcar.co.uk/

Get some easy to use clay - the autogylm one isn't bad or sonus ultra fine.
a spray bottle (the sort of thing you use for spraying plants etc).
Shampoo (I like the chemical guys shampoo that smells like almonds or the zymol one is quite good too.)
Two buckets.
Real wool Washmitt
Polish/wax applicators.
Microfibre cloths.
Towel.
Autogylm super resin polish and a easy to use wax - at this time of year many people use a harder wax as it will las tlonger, but then can be a bh to apply/remove properly, so a soft wax might be easier.

Wash the car using "two bucket method", rinse off but don't bother drying it.
Warm water and a little shampoo in the spray bottle. Keep the paint wet.
50p sized piece of clay, warm it in your hands. Rub it on the bodywork in straight lines, you'll feel the muck & st coming off.
Don't drop the clay, if you do, ditch it and get another bit.
Roll it in to a ball and back out again, frequently.

Now wash the car again.
Rinse and drag the towel over the car to dry it.
At least two coats of polish.
Then next week wash and 2 more coats ( no need for clay this time ).

If all is looking good go for 2 coats of wax, more if your arms can stand it
From there just wash and add a coat of wax. Once you are, say 4/5 coats of wax thats probably all you need.

In the spring wash the car with a detergent (I used the daisy stuff from tesco). This will strip the wax and polish
Now clay it and go from there again.

Look on you tube, loads of videos showing how to do all this stuff and also on www.detailingworld.co.uk
Just don't get sucked in to buying £000's of gear, not really needed.

Once you've got in to it you can start switching products about to try different ones.

[Craikeybaby]

If you want a step above the Halfords stuff, try Polished Bliss, they sell various complete starter kits.

[dafydd2008]

Thanks for the leads guys, however i am still struggling......
I dont mind ordering offline, however unable to see anyone that sells a starter kit such as bucket, shampoo, lance, wash mit etc
Sorry to be a pain, but is anyone able to point me in the direction of a list of ideal starter kit items?
Also does anyone know of any good youtube clips for cleaning your car?

I am not anal on cleaning my car, however dont really want a well looked after car with swirl marks either from myself or a £10 car wash...
Thanks in advance!

[Crafty_]

I trust you can find a couple of buckets

Mitt:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/w...

Shampoo, big bottle but that'll last you years:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/valeting-and-bulk/ch...

Drying towel:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/m...

Polish/Wax applicators:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/accessories/foam-wax... x2

Polish/wax removal cloths:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewPro...

Buffer:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/microfibre-cloths/ul...

Clay:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewPro...

Polish:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/car-polish-compounds...

Wax:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wax/collinite-476s-s...


All of these products are pretty interchangeable with literally hundreds of others. Most of it is just personal choice at the end of the day. I've just picked these because that site was the first one I could remember. I've bought stuff from http://www.chemicalguysuk.com and http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/ too, there are loads of others too.

There are some guides to basic stuff here: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.p...
This might help you economise a bit: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.p...
Videos: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay...
Guide to washing here: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.p...
If you get stuck: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay... or post here

Like I said just don't get carried away with Detailing World and the latest "must haves".

[johnS2000]

Buy this :
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb-foam-la...
And this:
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb-basic-w...
Read this :
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/safe-washi...

Any more detail's please ask ! Bit busy at the mo.

Regard's John.

crafty got there first,

[dafydd2008]

Guys spot on and appreciate the links!!!
Lets get shopping....

[Crafty_]

I've got that lance (or one that looks near identical), good bit of kit. Make sure you get the right one for your pressure washer as the different brands use different fittings.

[johnS2000]

dafydd2008 said:

Guys spot on and appreciate the links!!!
Lets get shopping....

Welcome to the bottomless pit that is vehicle detailing

[powerstroke]

dafydd2008 said:

Hi Guy's,

I have just purchased a new car and dont really want to take it to a £10 car wash, only to have swirls etc!
I was wondering if there are any sites where i can purchase a 'starters' cleaning kit so i can do it myself?

Best bet is a pressure Washer so you can remove grit and mud without rubbing it in ,then hand wash
With a sponge and a standard car wash wax additive rinse with a hose ,leather off job done..

[Craikeybaby]

Sponges/leathers are likely to introduce swirls, which is what the OP wants to avoid.

The kits above from Polished Bliss are what I would recommend, along with a couple of their clear buckets and one of their wax/sealant packages.

[dafydd2008]

Hi All,

Thanks again for the advice to date and I now have the below items ready for this Saturday's cleaning session!

Product: Premium Lambskin Wash Mitt
Product: Ultra Plush Micro-Noodle Wash Mitt
Product: Chemical Guys - Maxi Suds II (1 Gallon)
Product: Miracle Dryer - Ultra Plush 25" x 36"
Product: Foam Wax Applicator
Product: Sonus Der Wunder Polishing Towel, Pkg/2
Product: Ultra Fine Buffing Towels Pkg/2
Product: Collinite 476S - Super Doublecoat Auto Wax
Product: Snow Foam Lance - Various fittings
Product: CleanYourCar - Wash Bucket Set
Product: Valet Pro - Inch Round Wheel Brush
Product: Meguiars Engine Dressing
Product: Meguiars Engine Cleaner
Product: Meguiars High Gloss Tyre gel

I just wanted to check the below is the correct order to use each product etc and any advice???

- Fill up 1no bucket with warm water, small amount of Maxi Suds II and place filters at the bottom of the bucket
- Fill up 1no bucket with clean water and place filters at the bottom of the bucket
- Fill up Lance with small amount of Maxi Suds II and remaining with hot water
- Jet wash the car without the lance to remove general debris
- Install Lance onto the jet wash and jet wash the whole car
- Leave the car for 5 mins
- Remove the lance from the jet wash and clean car with clean water
- Place lambskin mitt into the bucket with Maxi Suds II in and clean car in small sections top to the bottom
- Between washes place mitt into the clean water bucket rinse out and then apply into the bucket of Maxi Suds II prior to cleaning another section
- Use the noodle mitt to clean the wheels and then low level skirts
- Between washes place mitt into the clean water bucket rinse out and then apply into the bucket of Maxi Suds II prior to cleaning another section
- Jet wash the car throughout with clean water
- Dry off the car using the Miracle Dryer cloths
- Lift up the bonnet and dampen the engine area with water via a hose
- Apply a generous amount of Meguiars Engine Cleaner to the whole bay area and clean with a brush
- Rinse off with water via a hose
- Dry off the engine bay and spray everywhere with Meguiars Engine Dressing
- Close bonnet and leave the engine running for 10 mins
- Lift up the bonnet and dry off any excess Meguiars Engine Dressing
- Apply Super Doublecoat Wax onto the foam applicators and complete in small panel sections not leaving for longer than 5mins per section
- Clean wax off using Ultra Fine Buffing Towels
- Apply Meguiars High Gloss Tyre gel to types throughout using wheel brush and clean off any over spill from the wheels with damp cloth

Thanks again!

[Crafty_]

To use the lance properly you need some snow foam, you put a little in the bottle along with the shampoo and then fill with water as you said. Spray it all over, wait 10 minutes and then blast off with a normal lance on the pressure washer.

When washing small sections are fine, but go around the car instead of down. theory is as you get near the bottom of the car it gets dirtier, so you don't want to drag dirt up from the bottom of the door to the top of the next door etc.

When I do my car I do the below order, I will 'clean' the mitt in the clean water bucket between each item listed:
roof
side windows & pillars
other side
windscreen
back window
bonnet
rear 3 quarter down to rubbing strip
door down to the rubbing strip
front wing
(repeat on other side, inc. clean between panels)
across headlights & grille
bootlid
rear 3 quarter under strip
door under strip
(repeat on other side, inc. clean between panels)
front bumper
rear bumper

My car is a 3 door astra, so its quite small - if your car is bigger I might choose to do the side windows and doors one at a time, as it is the back window is hardly worth worrying about!

I have a separate bucket, brush and mitt for the wheels and never mix up paint & wheel stuff.

You get to learn where the dirt accumulates - on mine below the rubbing strip at the front of the door and the bootlid / rear bumper collect lots of crap, so I try to do these last in each "section" and give the mitt a bit more attention when cleaning. If the car is very dirty I might dip in the clean water and then go again.. anything to prevent wiping muck/dirt across the paint.

Also you missed out some polish - need this under the wax. Loosely speaking polish is what makes the paint look good giving it depth, wax protects the polish.

Don't know about the engine cleaning stuff. I personally don't bother past giving it all a wipe with a damp sponge (again, only ever used for that purpose).

Edited by Crafty_ on Sunday 27th October 21:07

[dafydd2008]

Thanks for this Crafty.
I thought the Maxi Suds II was a snow foam, is this only a shampoo?
I have just ordered some Sonus SFX-3 Final Finish Polish, so i guess the revised order will be as per the below?


- Fill up 1no bucket with warm water, small amount of Maxi Suds II and place filters at the bottom of the bucket
- Fill up 1no bucket with clean water and place filters at the bottom of the bucket
- Fill up Lance with small amount of snow foam and shampoo along with filling the remaining with hot water
- Jet wash the car without the snow lance to remove general debris
- Install snow lance onto the jet wash and jet wash the whole car
- Leave the car for 5 mins
- Remove the lance from the jet wash and clean car with clean water
- Place lambskin mitt into the bucket with Maxi Suds II in and clean car in small sections wrapping around the car top to bottom
- Between washes place mitt into the clean water bucket rinse out and then apply into the bucket of Maxi Suds II prior to cleaning another section
- Use the noodle mitt to clean the wheels and then low level skirts
- Between washes place mitt into the clean water bucket rinse out and then apply into the bucket of Maxi Suds II prior to cleaning another section
- Jet wash the car throughout with clean water
- Dry off the car using the Miracle Dryer cloths
- Lift up the bonnet and dampen the engine area with water via a hose
- Apply a generous amount of Meguiars Engine Cleaner to the whole bay area and clean with a brush
- Rinse off with water via a hose
- Dry off the engine bay and spray everywhere with Meguiars Engine Dressing
- Close bonnet and leave the engine running for 10 mins
- Lift up the bonnet and dry off any excess Meguiars Engine Dressing
- Apply Sonus SFX-3 Final Finish Polish to the whole car in small panel sections
- Clean polish off using Ultra Fine Buffing Towels
- Apply Super Doublecoat Wax onto the foam applicators and complete in small panel sections not leaving for longer than 5mins per section
- Clean wax off using Ultra Fine Buffing Towels
- Apply Meguiars High Gloss Tyre gel to types throughout using wheel brush and clean off any over spill from the wheels with damp cloth

[Crafty_]

looks good I think, as I said not sure on the engine stuff.

Your arms are gonna hurt by the end of it

[dafydd2008]

Crafty_ said:

looks good I think, as I said not sure on the engine stuff.

Your arms are gonna hurt by the end of it

Hmm yep, going to write off my Saturday i think.
Thanks for the heads up, it's appreciated!