Where do I start?

JonW

Member
Messages
3,259
All,

I've decided I need to stop putting my cars through the local Polish car wash, and start doing them myself.

This means I need to buy some kit, and would welcome suggestions/recommendations on what I need in order to be able do it properly. I'm not looking to have a full-on professional set-up, but I am a believer in having the right equipment, and that it can make most jobs easier when you do...

So - what are the essentials if I want to be able to clean and protect my cars?

Thanks in advance, and feel free to point me to places if this has already been asked and answered.
 

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,954
2 buckets and a sponge for me, quick polish every third time and that's it. Hate washing cars.
 

Felonious Crud

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
20,991
It's a slippery slope, Jon. And an expensive one. Apparently the "two buckets, one car" method is popular. There a numerous videos.

Someone more adept at the nuances of self-polishing will be along soon, but if it helps Halfords does pretty much everything you'll ever need and between Meguiars (their Gold Wash is excellent) and Autoglym HD polish you won't go far wrong. Use a wash mit, never a sponge, and a big fleecey drying cloth, never a leather. And get some wheel wax - slow to apply the first time but makes cleaning so much easier.
 

D Walker

Member
Messages
9,827
No sponge!!!!!!!
Watch the junkman videos on you tube, have a look at detailingworld,
Dave
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,714
If you have been using the local eastern European car was your car will already be full of swirls and have had any wax or protection stripped off by the harsh acids they use to remove traffic film.

Get a proper detail first as that way you will have a clean and protected car which is far easier to maintain at home with DIY kit.

It will be the best £250/350 you have ever spent on the car and WILL make you avoid your previous car wash like the plague.
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,480
If you have been using the local eastern European car was your car will already be full of swirls and have had any wax or protection stripped off by the harsh acids they use to remove traffic film.

Get a proper detail first as that way you will have a clean and protected car which is far easier to maintain at home with DIY kit.

It will be the best £250/350 you have ever spent on the car and WILL make you avoid your previous car wash like the plague.

This. Then two buckets, two grit guards, a Meguairs sheepskin wash mitt (no sponges) Couple of big waffle drying clothes and about a million microfibre towels.

As for chemicals, the sky's the limit. I tend to use Autobright snow foam (I have a lance and pressure washer, it's great) then Autoglym shampoo (no idea if it's better or worse than anything else). Harlys wax as recommended on here. Once a year it gets a going over with a Farecl G3 clay mitt.

......then we start on the inside :D

C
 

2b1ask1

Special case
Messages
20,203
Indeed Jon, what Peter (Safrane) says is true, treat it to a proper detailing and even a 'paint correction' in the right hands it will transform the car to better than new. Don't know where you are in the world but have a chat with Dave Bowerman at Sportscar Protection to get an idea what you are letting yourself in for. I have been known to offer master classes at various SM events but I have also been known to lead convoys up gravel roads!!!!
 
Messages
1,116
You need to consider spending up to £100 on kit - I have spent more as Porsche guys seem obsessed with polishing and detailing their cars. The kit I have:
- AutoBrite Direct products:
First start with diluted 100:1 with Citrus Wash
https://www.autobritedirect.co.uk/i...obrite-citrus-wash-multi-purpose-cleaner.html

Use initially and theraftter at 2/3 month intervals depending on use.

Same for the next product - tar remover:
https://www.autobritedirect.co.uk/index.php/just-the-tonic-tar-glue-remover.html

Follow by shampoo - also diluted:Tar is not always visible so this product will show how much tar spots can build up on the car
https://www.autobritedirect.co.uk/i...luxury-suds-concentrated-car-shampoo-wax.html

Next up. There is little point polishing without claying the car - you will just polish in the bonded contaminants.
When I bought the GransSport I followed the above with claying and it was amazing how much bonded contaminants came off the paintwork (that I could not see). I use this:
http://www.halfords.com/motoring/ca...iling-products/meguiars-quik-clay-starter-kit

Clayed the car first time and then repeated after 6 months. After each claying cycle the polish and wax cycles are repeated.

After claying, the car paintwork will be as smooth as glass. This is essential BEFORE polishing and waxing the car otherwise you will end up with a rough (sandpaper feel) to the paintwork.

Now the polish - polish is applied BEFORE wax. I use:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/glazes/poorboys-black-hole/prod_494.html
Dont worry about using this for a lighter colour car - it will not darken the paintwork!

Then after polish, I apply a high grade Carnauba wax. There are many. The wax gives superb water-repellant properties so that water just beads off - even after at least 6 washes (none of them last as long as they claim). I use:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wax/dodo-juice/dodo-juice-purple-haze/prod_398.html

Prices for Carnauba wax products ranges from £10 - £300+ - depends on % of Carnauba Wax. This products has around 40% carnauba and is superb - so easy to apply and rub off. One wipe of the pot on an applicator sponge is enough to cover a panel! It is so easy that I apply it after alternate washes to keep building up the wax (water-repellant) layer.

For the leather, I use:
First a leather cleaner:
https://www.liquidleather.com/furniture-leather-cleaners/24-gt15-gentle-cleaner-5060033829806.html

Then
https://www.liquidleather.com/furni...2-gt11-leather-conditioner-5060033829776.html

I also keep this when I think a more intensive clean is required:
https://www.liquidleather.com/car-m.../27-gt12-intensive-cleaner-5060033829813.html

Finally for the exhaust tips for the Porsche and the Gransport I use Solvol Autosol (sparingly - as they are all mildly abrasive)
http://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-cleaning/shampoo-polish-wax/autosol-metal-polish-75ml

A good alternative is:
http://www.halfords.com/motoring/ca...eguiars-nxt-generation-all-metal-polish-142ml

Finally a word about wheel cleaning:
I NEVER EVER use any wheel cleaner even if they claim to be non-acidic. They are ALL acidic to greater or lesser degree (pH <7.0). The Porsche had calipers where the glaze was taken off the calipers commented on at the PPI - the indy said this was due to the use of wheel cleaner products being sprayed on the wheels and calipers. I recently enquired about having all 4 calipers taken off, stripped, new seals and checks for pistons, stripped back to bare metal, powder coated then spray paint followed by at least 3 layers of gloss lacquer and new Porsche decals, and brakes bled with new fluid - I was quoted nearly £1000 inc VAT. Not surprisingly I deferred this task as it is not essential at this moment.

So for wheels, I ONLY use hot water with some AutoBrite shampoo above, a separate wash mitt exclusively for the wheels - one for the Porsche, one for the Gransport. You can also use a lambswool mitt - I have this one:
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/meguiars-lambswool-wash-mitt-cat3.html

Wash technique:
Two bucket method:
One with hot water and shampoo the other with cold water only.
Apply hot water shampoo with wash mitt or microfibre mitt on ONE panel
Now rinse in cold water to release grit and contaminants.
Then squeeze dry.
Now back into hot water shampoo and do another panel. Repeat back into cold water rinse.

Drying:
Chamois leather is out. Instead IN is a drying twoel with high absorbency. I use:
https://www.autobritedirect.co.uk/index.php/autobrite-new-deluxe-fluffy-drying-towel-3ft-x-2ft.html

Polish and Wax Applicator:
I don't use cloths to apply wax or polish. I only use sponge-based sponge applicators - one for each product and discard after a few uses:
http://www.halfords.com/motoring/ca...halfords-car-polish-applicator-pads-pack-of-2

I use microfibre towels to remove polish and wax and window cleaner and leather cleaning - separate ones for each product/use.

For tyres, there are mixed views on use of tyre wall black. When I use one, I use:
http://www.halfords.com/motoring/ca...rs-endurance-high-gloss-tyre-protection-473ml

Applied with a sponge applicator or cut car wash sponge - I have redundant car wash sponges since I stopped using them 5 years back and use only fibre wash mitts.

Finally glass. Glass cleaners commercially are very expensive for what they are. I use this on the outside and inside:
https://www.autoglym.com/car-glass-polish

I also use on the inside of glass which we use on the household glass:
http://www.diy.com/departments/windolene-93189-window-cleaner/257820_BQ.prd

Clean thew wiper blades with lemon juice or vinegar or methylated spirit - you'll be amzed at the amount of black gunj that comes off the wiper blades - usually causes wiper judder.

Well that my personal approach to keeping the Porsche and the Gransport looking like the dogs b*ll*cks with dazzling shine and water-repellancy. I don't use a D/A Rotary polisher despite claims they are easy to use. A detailer told me to steer away from them as it is easy to strip back to metal on edges of paintwork and generally, by-and-large hand applied techniques are always safer than a rotary polisher in an untrained persons hands.
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,714
And with that post you now have no time to wash it before the sun is too hot!.

Great write up btw
 

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,954
.... and there you have a full spectrum of how we all clean and polish cars. We are all different :) If mine looks good from 2m away that's fine, after all I can't see how shiny, or not, it is from the drivers seat. ;) But fair play to those who detail to perfection.
 

iainw

Member
Messages
3,386
All,

I've decided I need to stop putting my cars through the local Polish car wash, and start doing them myself.

This means I need to buy some kit, and would welcome suggestions/recommendations on what I need in order to be able do it properly. I'm not looking to have a full-on professional set-up, but I am a believer in having the right equipment, and that it can make most jobs easier when you do...

So - what are the essentials if I want to be able to clean and protect my cars?

Thanks in advance, and feel free to point me to places if this has already been asked and answered.

Holy ****! I think you need to start with a full detail!
 

redsonnylee

Member
Messages
1,537
I've always washed my own cars didn't spend a fortune on kit. I have a large bucket with a grit guard from Meguirs, however here are cheaper alternatives now. A micro fibre sponge and plus a water blade.

I never use a power wash to remove the loose dirt only the hose pipe, then wash using the mitt regularly washing out in the bucket with the grit guard.

I use autoglym shampoo as it has a nice wax and some rust preventer. Every five or so washes I use autoglym super resin polish. My latest avatar was after washing before Brands Hatch. My dad did this method for years it's relatively quick and does not cost the earth. We have three cars & I find this works for me.
 
Messages
1,116
Good point about power washing. I tend not to use a power washer as much these days. Just running a cold water hose and then two bucket method and final rinse with the low pressure hose.

I should add that I always decline the offer of a complimentary wash at OPC Chester. Not having used the facility I cannot say what standard it is but I hear horrendous stories of "free washes whilst in for service" and resultant swirls from the gritty rag they use, stripped polish and wax from over=zealous use of TFR (Traffic Film Remover) on body panels and wheels - where it can strip the lacquer on calipers also.
 

JonW

Member
Messages
3,259
Thanks all, much appreciated (and special thanks to Cheshire for such a comprehensive answer)

3/4s of my car is covered in PPF, and one of the things on my list now that I've bought a little run around is to get the car booked in to a decent detailer who can take off the PPF, and replace it with a really high quality crystal protection... Once I've done this, I'm hoping I can gradually learn to keep it looking slick and span on my own...
 

davy83

Member
Messages
2,805
i am also in the camp of not getting too carried away with detailing, partially because the car is starting to develop rust on a regular basis so is getting visits to the body shop every few years. I use a decent resin polish twice a year at least, and also be careful with rubbing grit into the paintwork while washing. i also treat the leather regularly, and i use a protective spray on the under body to try and slow down rust. other than that it does not have to be perfect, i reckon with our weather the car is looking dirty within 10 minutes of leaving the house so no point in getting too carried away.
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,480
I'd love to take Cheshire's approach, but I find that if I start on the GT by the time I'm half way there it's either

a) Too bloody hot and everything dries instantly
b) raining.

I'd love a shaded car port

C
 
Messages
1,116
Thanks all, much appreciated (and special thanks to Cheshire for such a comprehensive answer)

3/4s of my car is covered in PPF, and one of the things on my list now that I've bought a little run around is to get the car booked in to a decent detailer who can take off the PPF, and replace it with a really high quality crystal protection... Once I've done this, I'm hoping I can gradually learn to keep it looking slick and span on my own...

Good move to remove the PPF. No idea of the cost to remove. I can share my experience re: crystal protection. Probabaly the best is the ceramic coatings from G-Tecniq. I asked for prices - it is best to have it carried out by an authorised G-Tecniq detailer as it is sensitive to temperature and application technique even though the range including Crystal Serum is available for self-purchase. The price for the Porsche? £800 + VAT with a claimed life of 24 months - but none of them last as long as they claim. You'll be lucky to see half of that claim.

Bear in mind also that G-Techniq should be applied to paint that is meticulously clean - they remove any prior waxes. But it must be "paint corrected" meaning that all swirl marks and imperfections etc should be removed BEFORE applying the different stages of coating. The car should be clayed - otherwise you are sealing in the bonded contaminants. It also depends on what the paint work looks like under the PPF when its removed - that will also be a factor for the pre-coating detailing and therefore the price. The G-Techniq guy will carry out a pre-detailing to prepare the car for the coating treatment. That mauy be included in the price he quotes or he may quote for the coating ( a fixed price) with a variable cost of preparation depending on what he finds of the general condition on seeing the car and how it might look once the PPF is removed.

There are several levels of treatment starting around £300. And you'll still need to clean the car regularly, you'll still risk creating swirl marks (especially visible on dark colours) and you'll still fee compelled to add layers of wax on top of the ceramic coating (not polish - you'll polish out the ceramic coating).