*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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It is really annoying. I wash the car, give it a proper job and then when the sun is out take it for a drive and of course want to hear it so drop a window down. I then end up with muck all over the door windows and find myself stopping 3 or 4 times, getting out some kitchen roll and the glass cleaner I keep in the boot and squeaking it clean over and over. I've always tended to carry a Meguiar's yellow cloth in my cars and in the R8 I also have one of the internal cleaning brushes which is PERFECT for dusting down the inside when sitting in traffic twiddling my thumbs. It has actually become a bit of an addiction I fear.
 
Cleisthenes said:
I require a polish and sealant (think I've decided on SONAX Xtreme Protect & Shine Hybrid NPT, is this a good choice?)

What would be your recommendations?
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Details, man! Why do you need a polish? What paint/car is it? Do you mean something to just brighten the paintwork, maybe remove a few swirls etc, or a full on resto on old oxidised cellulose paint? If it's just to clean and give a light polish before sealing, try something like Dodo Lime Prime, but make sure you wipe down with Gyeon Prime, CarPro Eraser or dilute IPA afterwards (to remove the oils). Alternatively, Bilt Hamber cleanser polish is worth a look.

Sealant wise, the Sonax stuff is very good and highly rated. Menzerna Power Lock is also very good with excellent beading and sheeting. Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 is also very good, and has good longevity also. Are you sure you don't want a wax? They look much better on most paints imho.
 
Rainmaker said:
Details, man! Why do you need a polish? What paint/car is it? Do you mean something to just brighten the paintwork, maybe remove a few swirls etc, or a full on resto on old oxidised cellulose paint? If it's just to clean and give a light polish before sealing, try something like Dodo Lime Prime, but make sure you wipe down with Gyeon Prime, CarPro Eraser or dilute IPA afterwards (to remove the oils). Alternatively, Bilt Hamber cleanser polish is worth a look.

Sealant wise, the Sonax stuff is very good and highly rated. Menzerna Power Lock is also very good with excellent beading and sheeting. Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 is also very good, and has good longevity also. Are you sure you don't want a wax? They look much better on most paints imho.
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Thank you for your input so far, it's much appreciated!

I want to protect the paint and have it looking its best, I don't know the particulars with detailing I'm afraid.

The car is blue, an Alfa GTV (916). I'll be decontaminating (tardis, iron x, claying), and I'd like to maintain that finish. Especially through the winter.

I'm not sure whether I want a wax or a sealant to be honest. If you could tell me what the pro's and con's of both are it'd be very helpful! If there's a simple detailing world thread about it then feel free to link :)

e: This is the car...

ZtUfZIVm.jpg
 
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Cleisthenes said:
Thank you for your input so far, it's much appreciated!

I want to protect the paint and have it looking its best, I don't know the particulars with detailing I'm afraid.

The car is blue, an Alfa GTV (916). I'll be decontaminating (tardis, iron x, claying), and I'd like to maintain that finish. Especially through the winter.

I'm not sure whether I want a wax or a sealant to be honest. If you could tell me what the pro's and con's of both are it'd be very helpful! If there's a simple detailing world thread about it then feel free to link :)

e: This is the car...

ZtUfZIVm.jpg
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Nice motor. :cool: Generally speaking sealants are more 'modern', can (note: can) last longer than waxes, and give a harder/sharper shine. They almost look like a layer of shiny plastic or glass over the paint, which some people really like. Depending on the make-up they can be beaders, sheeters or both, but the general rule is sheeting for sealants and beading for waxes. This is very much muddy waters these days however, as most products are actually hybrids of some sort.

Waxes will contain carnauba (T1 is the best), and can come in paste (like tins of shoe polish), cream, or liquid/spray. Carnauba will give a deep warm glow to the paint, and help bring out any metallic flake (called 'pop'). Wax usually lasts less than sealants when they're both compared on properly prepped paint - for example a month to three months for wax and up to 6 months for sealant (ignore the '12 months' claims, they're not going to apply to a daily driver).

I would highly recommend you look at something like Bilt Hamber Double Speed-Wax, which dries to a medium-hard film and contains T1 carnauba wax. It's a hybrid, which means it has a high carnauba content (for depth/glow/warmth), and also synthetic polymers for longevity and gloss/shine. A couple of coats (or three) over the course of a couple of days will easily outlast the winter, and it's what I've done on ours this week (see a bit earlier in the thread). When applying a paste wax just barely touch the applicator pad to the wax, dab onto a section of a panel in spots, then very (very) thinly rub in tight circles or straight lines - or both. Thinner is better. Bilt Hamber actually warranty that their DSW will outlast anything else you have (provided you prep the paint properly), else they'll refund you.

With DSW you get the warmth from carnauba but the hard shine on top from the sealants. Water beads tight and tall, but during rain etc it will just sheet itself dry with no drama very quickly. It's also hard to get water spots left behind, which is a problem with most sealants. For about £14 including a decent buffing microfibre and a foam applicator, you can't really go wrong.

At the end of the day you need to play around and see what suits you or your car. You can even layer both types - but always apply sealant before wax if you do. As I said things like Power Lock (polymer sealant), Jetseal 109 (ditto) or Sonax NPT will also do an admirable job, they're just very different.

Personal advice is stay away from spray sealants or waxes. They are easy to use (I loved Gtechniq C2v3 at first), but they really don't seem to last very long even on well prepped paint. YMMV. Unless you have some fairly hefty scratches and swirls, or other damage, I'd advise you grab some Dodo Lime Prime and apply by DA (if you have or can get one) or else thoroughly by hand. It has mild micro-abrasives and will bring the paint up very nicely indeed for minimal effort. It's also very oily so won't dry and damage your paint while you learn how your DA works... ;) Five little pea sized dots will do half a panel, but do watch some how to vids first (eg starting on speed 1, spread, up to speed 3-5, work in, back to speed 1 to finish etc). Wipe down with a cleaner (Bilt Hamber cleanser fluid, Gyeon Prep etc) as I said earlier, as although the oils left by Prime look fantastic they will slightly affect the bonding (and thus longevity) of wax, and will stop sealant bonding properly at all if you choose to use one.
 
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Thank you again for that write up. I don't own a DA and I'm not sure I want to go down that route just yet!

SO is the consensus Dodo Lime Prime, which can be used by hand?

Then Bilt Hamber Double Speed Wax by hand. So if I were to do a coat of wax on Saturday morning, then another saturday evening, and then another on Sunday. Would that do the trick?
 
Cleisthenes said:
Thank you again for that write up. I don't own a DA and I'm not sure I want to go down that route just yet!

SO is the consensus Dodo Lime Prime, which can be used by hand?

Then Bilt Hamber Double Speed Wax by hand. So if I were to do a coat of wax on Saturday morning, then another Saturday evening, and then another on Sunday. Would that do the trick?
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Can do. If going by hand I would use Auto Finesse Tripple with a microfibre applicator. It's glossy, has a decent amount of fillers and some carnauba to improve the appearance of the paint.

Then just top with 1 or 2 coats of wax straight after (no need to take multiple days). I personally prefer sealants for ease of use (typically top my paint with Car Pro Reload)
 
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Amos91 said:
Can do. If going by hand I would use Auto Finesse Tripple with a microfibre applicator. It's glossy, has a decent amount of fillers and some carnauba to improve the appearance of the paint.

Then just top with 1 or 2 coats of wax straight after (no need to take multiple days). I personally prefer sealants for ease of use (typically top my paint with Car Pro Reload)
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It's all personal preference at the end of the day, but as I alluded earlier I do disagree with that. To get maximum bonding you want the paint as clean as possible, and adding oils and fillers is just going to leave you with less adhered wax as the paint's pores will be full of crud. Bilt Hamber also recommend 12 to 24 hours between coats so the wax can 'gas off' and cure... Wax has a high carnauba content anyway, so you don't need it in your prep products if using wax, and if you're using a sealant you really want to seal then wax, not the other way around. :)

Cleisthenes I really highly recommend you use a panel wipe (BH cleaner fluid, Gyeon Prime, etc) after polishing, as I said earlier. Otherwise you're just limiting the bonding and durability of whatever you put on top.
 
Thinking of unbolting the seat, and seat rails in order to clean old dust and crumbs which came with the car when I bought it.

The thinnest hoover attachment will not be able to fit between the seat and gearbox centre console.

Thoughts welcome, esp from clean freaks (mrk/khan/kahn what ever he calls himself these days)
 
Can you not construct yourself a hoover attachment that you can duct tape to the regular attachment in order to slip it down between the trim and seats?

I've been thinking of making something for this exact purpose.
 
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