*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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As it says green is a great pad. I used that to remove all the swirls from my paint (with Menz PO203) and didn't really need to refine it afterwards on black paint which was surprising.
 
Got some time coming up tomorrow so going to give my car it's first proper wash - thoughts on the following, ideally want to get the bits from Halfords as i don't have time to get anything from anywhere online!

- Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner 2.5 Litre Image of Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner 2.5 Litre
- Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfibre x3 Image of Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfibre x3
- Meguiars Super Thick Microfibre Car Wash Mitt

My plan is to:

- Pre/wash rinse with pressure washer on a spray/lighter setting
- Use my Nilfisk detergent bottle jobby with the Autoglym to get some soap on there
- Put Autoglym shampoo in one bucket, clean water in another
- Use wash mitt to wash car, using two buckets, water one for rinsing the mitt
- Rinse off all the soap
- Dry it with the towels

Is this a decent enough plan with decent enough products to give it a basic wash without creating any swirls etc? It came from the dealership pretty waxed up so don't want to remove that etc, just give a clean and maybe wax or polish or something (need to do some more research on this bit!) in a few weeks...i wanted to get the lambswool wash mitt but Halfrauds don't stock it!
 
Just bought the stuff above and realised I've probably bought the wrong towels! Looks like for drying I should have got the water magnet jobby rather than the 3 supreme shine microfibre ones, damn.
 
richieboy said:
Just bought the stuff above and realised I've probably bought the wrong towels! Looks like for drying I should have got the water magnet jobby rather than the 3 supreme shine microfibre ones, damn.
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For drying you want one giant microfibre cloth.

richieboy said:
Got some time coming up tomorrow so going to give my car it's first proper wash - thoughts on the following, ideally want to get the bits from Halfords as i don't have time to get anything from anywhere online!

- Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner 2.5 Litre Image of Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner 2.5 Litre
- Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfibre x3 Image of Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfibre x3
- Meguiars Super Thick Microfibre Car Wash Mitt

My plan is to:

- Pre/wash rinse with pressure washer on a spray/lighter setting
- Use my Nilfisk detergent bottle jobby with the Autoglym to get some soap on there
- Put Autoglym shampoo in one bucket, clean water in another
- Use wash mitt to wash car, using two buckets, water one for rinsing the mitt
- Rinse off all the soap
- Dry it with the towels

Is this a decent enough plan with decent enough products to give it a basic wash without creating any swirls etc? It came from the dealership pretty waxed up so don't want to remove that etc, just give a clean and maybe wax or polish or something (need to do some more research on this bit!) in a few weeks...i wanted to get the lambswool wash mitt but Halfrauds don't stock it!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a decent plan. The Autoglym shampoo is ph neutral, so very gentle on wax. Just need a good wash mitt, wool if possible, microfibre noodley type if not. Get some kind of wax it wet or Aqua wax to add a layer of wax as you dry with no extra effort.
 
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Thanks for your help - so would you think I'm better off with a wash mitt like this:

Kent Car Care 2-in-1 Noodle Wash Mitt

Rather than the meguires microfibre one, as it's not a noodley one?
 
Meguiars MF Mitt or the Meguiars Lambswool Washmitt.
My Megs MF mitt needed replacing, so I replaced it with the lambswool washmitt, lovely product if you don't want to stump up for a Dooka pad.
 
Rainmaker said:
Sonax Xtreme Wheel Cleaner Plus imho. It's basically a beefed up iron/fallout remover in a clingy formula that doesn't require brushing. It's acid free, so no worries about damage and it works great (check out some YT vids). That or just use a normal iron/fallout remover and a soft alloy brush if you have any on hand. Both products can be used on bodywork so there's nothing to fear on that score.
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Without a doubt, the best wheel cleaner I have ever used. Does everything in one go. For me, beats Billberry, Iron-X, Wolfs, even Wonder Wheels (Strong Alkali).
 
rhysduck said:
Meguiars MF Mitt or the Meguiars Lambswool Washmitt.
My Megs MF mitt needed replacing, so I replaced it with the lambswool washmitt, lovely product if you don't want to stump up for a Dooka pad.
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Lambswool for me everytime. I only recently started using them and wouldn't look back. You can get a 'Wookie's fist' for £13 on the bay which is equivalent to the Dooka Pad. Just don't do what I did and put it in a wash with Bio washing liquid...I think it just about survived :)
 
My Dragons Breath alloy cleaner has arrived today. Going to give it a whirl tomorrow, should I spray and then agitate with a brush or just leave it to do its thing?
 
Lakeland said:
You don't rub the dirt in to the car which can create scratch marks, plus it's easier and you don't get your hands wet :p
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It's not a replacement for 'normal' washing. The car won't be clean after just using snow foam. It does help to rinse off the (comparatively) larger bits of dirt though, which are more likely to scratch your paintwork if they're rubbed in when you wash it.
 
Snow foam is a prewash only, as others have said, it helps remove some dirt and loosen some of the rest. It at least reduces the chances of scratching the paint.

Washed mine today, has been quite a dry week so most of the grime just rinsed straight off. Didn't even need snow foam today.

Mostly a standard wash:
Two buckets with Autoglym shampoo and the wookie mitt.
Rainx glass cleaner
Bilberry and wheel woolies on the wheels

Decided to also:
Freshen up the engine bay with some Autoglym engine degreaser
Freshen up the inside with Autoglym interior shampoo
Polish the quad tailpipes with Autoglym metal polish
Used Autoglym tyre dressing on the wheels, bits of black trim and rear diffuser.

For the first time I used Autoglym's new wheel seal. Wow, was expecting just a greasy coating like the old stuff. Nope, this is an actual wheel seal that even filled the diamond cut grooves :p. I have never seen the wheels shine this much with any other product. Left it for an hour to dry and wiped off the residue. Will be interesting to see how easy they are to wash next time.

Doesn't really do it justice, but:
WP_20160319_011.jpg

Looks like I need to work those brakes tomorrow :D

Clean AMG:
WP_20160319_001.jpg
 
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