Car detailing , Thoughts?

[NismoGT]

I am new to the world of car detailing. In the past i barely washed any of my cars , let alone attempt to give the paint a nice glossy showroom finish.

I now was & wax my car once a week. And every few months give the car a good proper detailing.

I'm no professional valeter and i know i can get a better shine from the paint myself. Are there any better products out there anyone has used?

For a good detailing i use :

• Autoglym Bodywork shampoo conditioner
• Autoglym Aqua wax
• Autoglym Super resin polish
• Meguiars Claybar & Detailing spray
• Meguiars Tech wax

Thats the order i do it in.

For a quickie

• Autoglym Shampoo
• Autoglym Aqua wax

[KingRichard]

NismoGT said:

I am new to the world of car detailing. In the past i barely washed any of my cars , let alone attempt to give the paint a nice glossy showroom finish.

I now was & wax my car once a week. And every few months give the car a good proper detailing.

I'm no professional valeter and i know i can get a better shine from the paint myself. Are there any better products out there anyone has used?

For a good detailing i use :

• Autoglym Bodywork shampoo conditioner
• Autoglym Aqua wax
• Autoglym Super resin polish
• Meguiars Claybar & Detailing spray
• Meguiars Tech wax

Thats the order i do it in.

For a quickie

• Autoglym Shampoo
• Autoglym Aqua wax

Clay after washing... Before polishing, and then wax afterwards. Super Resin Polish is pretty good for people with a life/girlfriend. Some will tell you it's crap but the main thing is that it makes your paint shiny... and that can't be a bad thing

[german tony]

Cars are like dogs, they like to be dirty. Take it walkies, don't spend all weekend cleaning it.

[NismoGT]

KingRichard said:

NismoGT said:

I am new to the world of car detailing. In the past i barely washed any of my cars , let alone attempt to give the paint a nice glossy showroom finish.

I now was & wax my car once a week. And every few months give the car a good proper detailing.

I'm no professional valeter and i know i can get a better shine from the paint myself. Are there any better products out there anyone has used?

For a good detailing i use :

• Autoglym Bodywork shampoo conditioner
• Autoglym Aqua wax
• Autoglym Super resin polish
• Meguiars Claybar & Detailing spray
• Meguiars Tech wax

Thats the order i do it in.

For a quickie

• Autoglym Shampoo
• Autoglym Aqua wax

Clay after washing... Before polishing, and then wax afterwards. Super Resin Polish is pretty good for people with a life/girlfriend. Some will tell you it's crap but the main thing is that it makes your paint shiny... and that can't be a bad thing

True! But i just use the aquawax is it's used with the water & microfibre cloth to dry the car quicker so i can get on with the job

So cut this part out?

[cw42]

This is the order I'd do it in:

Autoglym Bodywork shampoo conditioner
Meguiars Claybar & Detailing spray
Autoglym Super resin polish
Meguiars Tech wax

You need to wash the car first, then clay to remove all the stuff a wash will miss, then polish, then wax to protect the polish and make it shine.
Some good guides here:
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides.htm...
and a good place to buy stuff too. Hope you're using the 2 bucket method and a lambswool mit!

[clonmult]

german tony said:

Cars are like dogs, they like to be dirty. Take it walkies, don't spend all weekend cleaning it.

Very true, the true enjoyment from a car is in the driving, not in the cleaning.

[NismoGT]

cw42 said:

This is the order I'd do it in:

Autoglym Bodywork shampoo conditioner
Meguiars Claybar & Detailing spray
Autoglym Super resin polish
Meguiars Tech wax

You need to wash the car first, then clay to remove all the stuff a wash will miss, then polish, then wax to protect the polish and make it shine.
Some good guides here:
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides.htm...
and a good place to buy stuff too. Hope you're using the 2 bucket method and a lambswool mit!

Nice one! And no i'm a pikie so i use a sponge

[german tony]

clonmult said:

german tony said:

Cars are like dogs, they like to be dirty. Take it walkies, don't spend all weekend cleaning it.

Very true, the true enjoyment from a car is in the driving, not in the cleaning.

I have just spotted where this thread has been moved too.

• hides*

[Mr OCD]

clonmult said:

german tony said:

Cars are like dogs, they like to be dirty. Take it walkies, don't spend all weekend cleaning it.

Very true, the true enjoyment from a car is in the driving, not in the cleaning.

Depends on the roads you have to drive on ? ... these days that means pot hole ridden roads with immense traffic or when it rains 95% of the time... hence why I gain enjoyment not just from driving the car but also detaling it... for me to get it dirty again and start over

[NismoGT]

Mr OCD said:

clonmult said:

german tony said:

Cars are like dogs, they like to be dirty. Take it walkies, don't spend all weekend cleaning it.

Very true, the true enjoyment from a car is in the driving, not in the cleaning.

Depends on the roads you have to drive on ? ... these days that means pot hole ridden roads with immense traffic or when it rains 95% of the time... hence why I gain enjoyment not just from driving the car but also detaling it... for me to get it dirty again and start over

Big +1 to that

[P17_GTA]

Aqua Wax is great for weekly wash to help drying and give a good finish.

But no need to do it before claying and polish.

And try the Megs shampoos instead of the AG.

[P17_GTA]

Aqua Wax is great for weekly wash to help drying and give a good finish.

But no need to do it before claying and polish.

And try the Megs shampoos instead of the AG.

[NismoGT]

P17_GTA said:

Aqua Wax is great for weekly wash to help drying and give a good finish.

But no need to do it before claying and polish.

And try the Megs shampoos instead of the AG.

I plan on giving the Meg's Gold Class shampoo a go next time i detail the car. The AG does not sud enough.

Edited by NismoGT on Tuesday 26th August 13:16

[martinmac]

Meg's Gold Class shampoo is very good. Assuming you have the pretty anorexic Nissan paint it need all the help it can get.

Just started to use the Dodo Juice blue velvet instead of the P21S and like it.Poorboys black hole is pretty good too.

[NismoGT]

AJ4 - Flame Red

I usually pick detailing products off the shelf rather than order online.
I have read up good reviews on poor Boys , but its difficult to find.
I got given a pot of Poor Boys wheel protection wax and that never fails on my white alloy wheels.

[martinmac]

Have a very good online supplier for all the stuff you need. Mail me if you want the details.

[cw42]

NismoGT said:

cw42 said:

This is the order I'd do it in:

Autoglym Bodywork shampoo conditioner
Meguiars Claybar & Detailing spray
Autoglym Super resin polish
Meguiars Tech wax

You need to wash the car first, then clay to remove all the stuff a wash will miss, then polish, then wax to protect the polish and make it shine.
Some good guides here:
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides.htm...
and a good place to buy stuff too. Hope you're using the 2 bucket method and a lambswool mit!

Nice one! And no i'm a pikie so i use a sponge

Seriously? The best thing I ever did to my cars bodywork was buy a mit. STOP using the sponge now, please

[P17_GTA]

NismoGT said:

I plan on giving the Meg's Gold Class shampoo a go next time i detail the car. The AG does not sud enough.

Edited by NismoGT on Tuesday 26th August 13:16

Yeah the AG isn't a bad shampoo, but the Megs do foam up alot more.
The whole NXT and Gold Class ranges are good for off the shelf stuff, so its just a personal preference which one folk prefer.

Oh and you can get decent microfibre noodle wash mitts in most places that sell car cleaning gear!

[TheDetailDoctor]

Lifted straight from my website......

1. Pre rinse vehicles paintwork and allow to soak.

2. Whilst the cars paint is soaking to loosen up the dirt we clean the wheels using PH neutral wheel cleaner to remove brake dust and tar spots form both the face & the inside edges of the wheels. At the same time the tyres will be cleaned removing inground dirt.

3. Jet wash inside the wheel arches to remove dirt.

4. Rinse the car's bodywork with clean water & then wash carefully using the "two bucket" method to minimise cotaminent transferal to the cars paint work, thereby minimising infliction of "wash marks". All washing done using 100% lambswool wash mitts.

5. The cars bodywork & wheels are the carefully dried using "waffle weave" and microfibre drying cloths.

6. Bonded contaminents on the cars paintwork are now removed using a clay bar to leave a surface ready for machine polishing.

7. Measurements are then taken of the thickness of the cars paint using a Fischer paint thicness guage, any areas that are thinner than desirable will require very carefull consideration as to the best method of correction to avoid breaking through the paint.

8. Nearly ready for machine polishing now, but first we check the paint condition with the aid of a Brinkman paint inspection lamp, this makes spotting any imperfections a great deal easier..

9. Only now is the paintwork ready for machine polishing, this is carried out using a Cyclo dual action machine polisher, we start with the finest grade of polish, gradually working up to coarser grades of polish as required. At all stages the cars trim adjacent to the area being worked on will be masked carefully to avoid damage.

10. At this stage it may be neccesary to carry out some localised wet sanding to facilitate full removal of any RDS (random deep scratches), once again, paint thickness will be checked, if the paint is too thin wet sanding will not be possible.

11. Once we are happy with the level of correction achived we work back up the scale of polishes, finally arriving at a "final finish" polish which should leave your car's paint finish as good as it can be.

12. The paintwork is then primed ready for waxing using Dodo Juice Lime Prime, the natural oils in this product provide an extra level of glossiness once the wax is applied.

13. The car is now ready for waxing using Dodo Juice waxes, hard or soft wax, it's your choice.

14. As a final touch we clean the glass. dress the plastics, dress the tyres and apply a wax sealant to the wheels.