Detailing Stages

Pre-wash stage:
This is all about getting as much crud off the car before contact wash. It you have protection on you wish to maintain then use something pH neutral, if you want to remove tougher crud and don't mind potentially weakening your protection then use a citrus based pre-wash. Either way, rinse.

Contact wash
Two bucket method with a shampoo of your choice. Personally I never use wash and waxes but each to their own. Use microfiber wash mitt or similar to pull dirt away from the surface, rub wash mitt against grit guard in rinse bucket to free dirt and not contaminate your wash bucket.

Dry with a drying towel.

If paint protection looks to have been stripped as you've washed (evident by how water is reacting during the rinse), then re-apply protection.

For me that's a simple maintaince wash. Clay is an abrasive so only should be completed as a step if your paint needs it, and prior to claying and after washing I would decontaminate the paint using a tar remover and fall out remover, with a rinse after and before the clay. No point in drying before claying as you're going to use a lubricant whilst claying anyway.

With claying being an abrasive, you'll need to polish as you'll have marred the paint. That's why claying for me is very infrequent step, like once a year maximum.

You can chemically decontaminate even if you don't plan on claying if you have tar spots or the like.

I have a Hydroshot with the soap bottle and it does a good enough job. I really want the WG649 model but doesn't look like Worx sell it in the UK officially. You can get it but by paying £400 which is way over the odds.
 
nlel1975 said:
Do you fill the bottle with pre wash or do you mix it with water, in which case how much do you put in?
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I just follow the dilution ratios on the manufacturer bottle, I'm currently using polar by Autoglym as its a big 5ltr bottle. If I were to buy again I would get BH Touch-less as I believe that, Magifoam and Eight Below are SFs that have the better ability to breakdown dirt.

Not tried anything more scientific like calculating PIR. I do tend to use the 25 degree setting on the lance for a more concentrated rinsing of the snow foam to give the best change of knocking as much crud off as possible. I do focus on the skirts and wheel surrounds when rinsing as these are the most risky areas for grit to be spread. This does hammer the batteries a lot unfortunately, vs a quicker rinse on 40 degree setting for a quicker swill.
 
Haze said:
Google what a hydroshot is.... I own one and you would be better off peeing over you car than using, he need to get a wash mit on it wash it
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He's not saying he solely uses the Hydroshot, read what you quoted. He's talking about applying a pre-wash using the Hydroshot soap bottle.

Not sure what you're doing wrong with your Hydroshot but I find mine to be perfectly capable, I certainly see bugs and dirt being removed when using it. My only issue is the battery life but I only have the 2Ah batteries.

No pressure washer is going to remove all dirt, my partner used an industrial PAYG pressure washer the other day as she's not that fussed about cleaning her own car and that didn't remove all the dirt.
 
Mekrel said:
I just follow the dilution ratios on the manufacturer bottle, I'm currently using polar by Autoglym as its a big 5ltr bottle
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According to Autoglym they recommend 100ml of product to 500ml of water as a starting point in their how to use guide here...

https://www.autoglym.com/polar-blast

That’s not going to be a problem as I have a small measuring jug and a couple of funnels to get the product into the bottle.

Then I guess it’s just a case of plopping the other end into a bucket of water as you’d usually do, then it will mix the product with water from the bucket and spray onto the car.

Just checked the Worx bottle attachment and it holds 400ml so I’ll put 80ml of product and 320ml of water.
 
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My steps:
  • Rinse the car with a dilute apc water mix
  • Snow foam
  • Rinse
  • Shampoo
  • Rinse
  • Dry
Depending on how long it was since the last wax.
  • QD (recently waxed)
  • Liquid wax (for a quick top up) then QD
  • Solid wax (usually with a layer of prima amigo or a sealant before) then QD.
If I was going to clay it would be before the wax, keep the clay lubricated (QD is good for this), just let it glide (no pressure) and turn often. I warm it up a bit before use as well. After this a good polish will help restore the paintwork.
 
I think by “100ml of product to 500ml of water” they mean 600ml in total. So 400ml of water would need 80ml of product and 300ml of water need 60ml of product.

As the foaming bottle only holds 400ml I’ll have to use 300ml of water and 60ml of product therefore 360ml in total.
 
So, just turning the hose on the car then a bucket of warm water with a capful of old turtle wax zip wash from 2005 that I still haven't finished isn't quite the right approach then??
 
This is what I've bought...

Armor All Shield Wax
Farecla G3 Scratch Remover
2x Terry Towling Applicator Pads
2x Bucket Scratch Shields
Meguairs All Purpose Cleaner
Microfibre Cloths 5 Pack
Kent Valet Pack and Bucket
Kent Microfibre Buffing Towel
2x Draper Buckets
Auto Finesse Lather Shampoo
2x Kent Microfibre Drying Towels
2x Kent Microfibre Wash Mitts
Muc Off Glass Cleaner
Meguairs Tyre Dressing Applicator
Meguairs Tyre protection Gel
Kent Applicator Pads
Draper Vehicle Brush
AutoGlym Fast Glass
AutoGlym Shampoo
Meguiars Gold Class Carnauba Wax
AutoGlym Polar Blast Pre Wash
Meguiars Clay Starter Kit
Meguairs Ultimate Polish
Meguairs Applicator Pads
AutoGlym Intensive Tar Remover
Microfibre Cloths 4 Pack
Meguairs Ultimate Compound
Turtle Wax Bug & Tar Remover
Armor All Wash and Wax

Sourced almost exclusively from Amazon.
 
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ahar said:
with a capful of old turtle wax zip wash from 2005
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I bought a bottle of that a few years back, more recent than 2005, due to lack of availability of what I normal use and it seemed to result in mould growth around the windows - might have been coincidence but it didn't happen before or come back again after removing and washing with something else.
 
Duke said:
Going by the car cleaning thread if you've not spent £1000 on the on-trend products you're not doing it right :D
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Heh, they are all much the same. I mostly stick to autoglym stuff, they have a product for everything and I’ve not seen anything do a better job - I mean there’s only so much dirt to remove and only so much of a shine you can achieve whatever you use. What I do generally depends on my mood, I haven’t done more than a wash, wet wax and dry off in ages. Fortunately this is enough in the summer, all I have to deal with is a bit of dust.

I just used rapid detailed and a micro fibre cloth yesterday since the car was already so clean.

I try not to overly worry about scratches these days either - they are unavoidable, I can fill them with resin polish and I can’t see them unless I look closely enough at the right angle. I also have a white car with clear coat on top, so you are hard pressed to find them.
 
Received my AutoGlym Polar Blast today and have just decantated some into my foaming bottle...

N225uwg.jpg

Probably only about 330ml of liquid in it but that is close enough.
 
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