*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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For wheels, i'd seriously recommend G-techniq's wheel armour - it'll make life a lot easier - you can order it here:
http://www.gtechniq.com/uplerds/gtechprices.pdf

might seem pricey but i've had it on for 6 months/8000 miles and it's really easy to clean the wheels. When i went on my trip around europe i just jetwashed them and they came out clean.

I was going to bump the g-techniq thread but i'll just stick it in here for now - i'm seriously impressed with how good their C1 sealant is. I haven't cleaned my car since christmas and it still looks reasonably good, and that's after driving through the snow a few weeks back. It also seems to make it so much easier to clean. The G1 glass sealant is also really good, water still beads off like carlack but it's still going strong after 6 months.
 
Scottland said:
That looks like the full Acrylic kit was used (Prime/Jett/Glos), you can just get the Jett which will last about the same as EGP. Or Glos which would be comparable to Z8/Dodo Red Mist.
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True but the acrylic prime is the main step, the other stuff is just to buff it up. Layering of the prime is what gets the shine, personally I'd get just the acrylic prime, think you can find it for around £16 for 500ml
 
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Captain Planet said:
True but the acrylic prime is the main step, the other stuff is just to buff it up. Layering of the prime is what gets the shine, personally I'd get just the acrylic prime, think you can find it for around £16 for 500ml
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naa the trigger is where it's at, the prime is just the polish (albeit polymer based) but the trigger being layered on top is the sealant that gives it the great finish
 
Cleaned mine over the weekend too and went for a quick snappy-snap.

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I found that a few coats of collinite on the wing mirrors also stops motorway filth from building up on them and making them look grey and also wiping some on the headlamp lenses stops them from going murky with road grime when it rains.

Same goes for windscreen for instant beading but I think this was mentioned in this thread before!
 
I'm picking my car up this weekend, and am thinking I want to give it a proper clean on Sunday, only problem is I have nothing to clean it with, bar some cheap wash & wax my brother has in the garage.

What should I be buying, so far I understand I will at least want;

Wash Mitt
Drying Towel
Shampoo
Wax

Problem is, I don't know what ones I'll be needing, on previous cars I just used cheap stuff as I didn't care, but this car I do care, so want it to be looking good and do it properly.

The car is a dark blue BMW e36.
 
if you just wanna do the once over polish every now and then, id head down to halfords and get something on their 3 for 2 deals.

wash mit
shampoo
set of big micro fibre cloths, they dry pretty well too
a cleaner wax, maybe even a separate sealant if you want to bother
if your wheels are stained badly, get some alloy wheel cleaner
 
That's what I'm thinking of doing, and particular products I should go for?

Once I've given it a clean and done some other things I'll probably look into claying it further down the line, but for now certainly I think it'll be a case of cleaning it up well.

What are these foamer things people mention for a presoak? Are they worth it?
 
doubt it, millions of people have been able to wash a car properly soapy water for years.

turtle wax are on 3 for 2. all their platinum products are worth using.

autoglym are on 3 for 2, but ive only liked their super resin polish.

their simoniz diamond wax is very nice imo, its a light polish too and ive been really impressed with it.

id get the simoniz diamond wax (2 for 1)
turle wax platinum extra gloss (sealant), wheel cleaner and wash mit

set of 3 big meguires micro fibre cloths.

should be £30 ish
 
id say the two absolutely essentials when washing a car are

1) a wash mitt. No better way to scratch your car than use a sponge containing sillicon. Either pay for an expensive sillicon free sponge, or just get yourself a nice microfibre or lambswool washmitt. Brand etc.. dont matter, at least its not a sponge

2) buy 2 buckets. Put sponge in clean bucket, wipe on car, then dump in rinse bucket. This way all the crap thats on your car doesnt get washed back on it again. You'll be amazed at the colour difference between buckets at the end of the wash.

As for wax / shampoo etc.. im a fan of meguairs. again on 3 for 2 at halfords usually. Gold class shampoo is great stuff.
 
Don't get stuff from Halfords, that's terrible advice. You can get far better for your money online.

Priced at cleanyourcar.co.uk

Meguiars Lambswool Wash Mitt A7301 £7.78 £7.78
Meguiars Shampoo Plus D11101 £13.00 £13.00
Huge 38" x 28" Microfibre Drying Towel HUGD1 £8.65 £8.65
Valet Pro - Bilberry Wheel Cleaner (1 litre) VALB7 £7.78 £7.78
Subtotal: £37.21
VAT: £5.59

*Shipping: n/a

Basket Total:
£42.80

Go to Tesco and pick up two cheap buckets and a cheap microfibre mitt for doing the dirty bits and there's all your cleaning sorted, next you can look at the surface prep :D
 
Ok, my Halfords list so far...

1 x pack (3 in a pack) Meguiars Super Shine Microfibre
1 x Meguiars Car Wash Mitt
1 x pack (2 in a pack) Turtle Wax Microfibre Glass Cloth
1 x Turtlewax Platinum Performance Car Wash
1 x Simoniz Diamond Hard Car Wax 500ml
1 x Turtlewax Glycerin Enriched Leather Cleaner & Conditioner
2 x Halfords Heavy Duty Car Wash Bucket

Whilst there are buckets in the garage I figure that I may as well get some of my own to ensure I have some and they are definitely clean. Also the leather stuff is due to them having a 3 for 2 on AutoGlym and TurtleWax products.

EDIT: was composing that list about 20 mins ago, then had to do some work. :p That list looks rather handy Toker, although no wax/protection stuff? :)
 
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I could do with:

Wheel cleaner (They're REALLY filthy with baked on crap from 18 months ago)
Wheel Brush(es)
Alcantara/Fabric cleaner/protection
Interior plastic cleaner/protection
Polish & Sealant for stainless exhaust.

Any ideas without emptying the bank?
 
Toker said:
Don't get stuff from Halfords, that's terrible advice. You can get far better for your money online.

Priced at cleanyourcar.co.uk

Meguiars Lambswool Wash Mitt A7301 £7.78 £7.78
Meguiars Shampoo Plus D11101 £13.00 £13.00
Huge 38" x 28" Microfibre Drying Towel HUGD1 £8.65 £8.65
Valet Pro - Bilberry Wheel Cleaner (1 litre) VALB7 £7.78 £7.78
Subtotal: £37.21
VAT: £5.59

*Shipping: n/a

Basket Total:
£42.80

Go to Tesco and pick up two cheap buckets and a cheap microfibre mitt for doing the dirty bits and there's all your cleaning sorted, next you can look at the surface prep :D
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thats crap, no polish or anything

go back to detailing world
 
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