*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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So I tested the stuff on the Focus...
Rinsed it
Washed it with turtle wax shampoo
Dried it
Clay barred it with meguires stuff
Wiped it down with microfiber cloth
Polished it with meguires polish (that may cause organ failure with repeated use!! Wtf!!)
Dried it with microfiber cloth
Looks shiny but not worth the 2 hrs I don't think...
Not applied wax to it as got bored lol
 
helpimcrap said:
So I tested the stuff on the Focus...
Rinsed it
Washed it with turtle wax shampoo
Dried it
Clay barred it with meguires stuff
Wiped it down with microfiber cloth
Polished it with meguires polish (that may cause organ failure with repeated use!! Wtf!!)
Dried it with microfiber cloth
Looks shiny but not worth the 2 hrs I don't think...
Not applied wax to it as got bored lol
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I have a feeling cleaning is not for you. Some of the people in this thread spend all day cleaning their cars!
 
helpimcrap said:
Really? 2hrs claying it? Wow! Cleaning is not for me. I don't have the time or the space for 6hrs cleaning.
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Yeah, the clay bar isn't exactly a big surface area.

You spray a bit of detailer/water on, then you move the clay bar over it, then you fold it.

You do each sweep carefully so as not dropping it and not having to do it twice, pay attention to what you've done and what needs to be done. It can easily take 20 mins to do one side of the car.
 
helpimcrap said:
Really? 2hrs claying it? Wow! Cleaning is not for me. I don't have the time or the space for 6hrs cleaning.
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To be fair once you have the paint to a decent standard, and applied a decent wax subsequent washes are a lot quicker. Snowfoam or jetwash the dirt off, wash, rinse, let it dry go over with a quick detailer and microfibre towel. Job done.
 
helpimcrap said:
do itca few times to get technique right and have it build up layers?
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Claying merely gets rid of contaminants on the paints surface that would hinder polishing and/or waxes adhering.

If your paints swirled/dull you'll have to polish the defects out to see a big improvement. Research dual action polishers.
 
norm said:
To be fair once you have the paint to a decent standard, and applied a decent wax subsequent washes are a lot quicker. Snowfoam or jetwash the dirt off, wash, rinse, let it dry go over with a quick detailer and microfibre towel. Job done.
Click to expand...

Sounds a lot more manageable. I figured I'd do the Focus as a test before I attempt the Porsche.
 
helpimcrap said:
So I tested the stuff on the Focus...
Rinsed it
Washed it with turtle wax shampoo
Dried it
Clay barred it with meguires stuff
Wiped it down with microfiber cloth
Polished it with meguires polish (that may cause organ failure with repeated use!! Wtf!!)
Dried it with microfiber cloth
Looks shiny but not worth the 2 hrs I don't think...
Not applied wax to it as got bored lol
Click to expand...

you used a clay bar and never waxed at the end?

there was no point in you doing any of that then. you just wasted 2 hours completely. in fact you wasted all those products too.



you could always worry about more important things than microscopic swirls that nobody can see from further than 4 feet away and just pay some polish to wash your car for £4 IMO, it doesn't look like detailing is for you.

this thread is really for people who would consider themselves car cleaning enthusiasts and don't see it as a chore but as a hobby. they enjoy doing it basically.

the same way some people call themselves movie enthusiasts and the like and they enjoy watching movies.

I'll take all the crap you bought off your hands for a fiver. :p
 
Psycho Sonny said:
you used a clay bar and never waxed at the end?

there was no point in you doing any of that then. you just wasted 2 hours completely. in fact you wasted all those products too.
:p
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I have never had to worry which is why I've been asking.
If I can't see the difference I wander if I'm doing it wrong because I have nobody to ask other than on here....

It's why I tested it on my shed of a Focus to get it right first.... :) I appreciate it is some people's hobby which is great however I cannot physically spend 8hrs cleaning a car when I have other stuff to do and need the car (Focus) for.
 
helpimcrap said:
I have never had to worry which is why I've been asking.
If I can't see the difference I wander if I'm doing it wrong because I have nobody to ask other than on here....

It's why I tested it on my shed of a Focus to get it right first.... :) I appreciate it is some people's hobby which is great however I cannot physically spend 8hrs cleaning a car when I have other stuff to do and need the car (Focus) for.
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Cleaning (or detailing rather) a car is almost an art. If you don't like it but still like a good looking car then it's easier and probably cheaper taking it to the pros. Spend the money on materials on paying someone else instead.

Then just wash with 2 buckets and spray with Aquawax once a month.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
snip
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This is so condescending. Yes, wanting to have a clean and durable finish on a car requires time and patience but suggesting you have to love it to be able to do it and shouldn't even be in this thread is baloney. Anyone with a young child or other commitments will know the most time you get to do something in one block is about 2 hours, so of course spending 6 hours detailing isn't going to be feasible. A full detail would cost me about £350, yet the materials would cost me £160-200 and will last 5-10 full goes plus they'll be stuff in there that will last longer (buckets, MF cloths, etc.). I understand that if I can get one good go in (4 hours maybe) then it will mean when I come to wash it every time for the next 3-6 months it'll take significantly less time!
 
I spent 3 hours stripping the car if everything and then another hour building layers back up and sealing it.

Since doing that each subsequent wash has only taken me 45mins tops. Hell, I even managed to maintenance wash and spray wax a V70 in 45 mins.

Basically, you need to spare 3-4 hours every 3-6months (depending on your wax/sealant/miles etc) and every wash in between should be much quicker.
 
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