Thanks mate. Is there any consensus on snow foam vs traffic film remover?
Be careful with traffic film remover. Although you dilute it it is still a nasty chemical. The active ingredient in many TFRs is sodium hydroxide which is an extremely strong alkaline. It's more of a tool to cut through heavy soiling and bug splatters than being a shampoo/cleaner style product like snow foam is. Personally I wear decent black nitrile gloves and long sleeves when applying TFR and be careful not to do it when windy so I don't get any of it on me.
Don't spray it on on a sunny day/in direct sunlight/on warm panels. Spray it onto the bits that need it, i.e. the front/numberplate/Alloys/side skirtings that will have a heavy accumulation of bug mess and mud/dirt. Pressure wash the car first with just water and get it all wet, then spray on your diluted TFR mixture ideally with a cheap little pressure sprayer with a narrow, concentrated pencil jet so you can target those specific areas, let it sit for 60 seconds and then pressure wash off. It does do a great job, it's very effective, which is why you want to be careful with not letting it sit on your paintwork for too long.
Snow foam is basically a pre-washer that will remove some dirt and grime but primarily react with the imperfections on the paint and chemically loosen it up. Whenever you physically touch the car you run the risk of microscratches/swirls - dragging a sponge across the paintwork and thus dragging little bits of mud across is how it happens.
Regarding your initial post -
I've got a pressure washer and so my plan for washing is as follows: pressure washer with hose water to get car soaking -> pressure washer with traffic film remover -> hand wash with car shampoo -> pressure washer to wash car off.
Is this a good basic process? Any ideas on a recommended car shampoo? I'll also get two buckets with guards as has been recommended before. Any recommendations for those? Finally a recommendation for a sponge or something that I can use? I'm guessing I probably want a separate one for the alloy wheels?
Many thanks.
Don't use a sponge, get a microfibre or lambswool mitt.
Yes keep any mitts/brushes for the alloys separate from any tools that will touch the paintwork.
If you find your alloys are still a bit dirty afterwards with impossible to shift brake dust, there are products you can get called fallout removers - 'fallout' in the iron brake dust deposits coating your wheels. A very popular one is called Iron X. This stuff is also very good -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bilt-Hamber-Wheel-Cleaner-Litre/dp/B00871509U
Spray it on, leave it for a few minutes, it will chemically react with the iron in the brake dust and turn purple/pink. You can agitate it with a brush/alloy mitt or whatever if you like, then pressure wash off. Once they are clean and dry, if you like you can seal the alloys by rubbing a coating on them with the idea being that the future mud/brake dust will cling to the coating and be easily removed with a pressure washer and shampoo rather than chemically bond with the alloy metal and require further chemical attack with fallout remover. There are all kinds of sealant, from a basic cream like this that you just buff on with a microfibre cloth
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wheels-and-tyres/poorboys-wheel-sealant/prod_9.html
to full on rock hard ceramic coating glazes and stuff, the same stuff people have applied to their paintwork. That sealant above is very well reviewed.
I took my car to a professional detailer today to get quoted up for a full detail including orbiter polishing + ceramic coating which can cost hundreds-thousands. My paintwork save a few small scratches is in fantastic nick and swirl free because of the careful cleaning method I've been using so far, hence why his quote for the work is substantially cheaper than what it would cost me to buy all the materials I don't already have so I can do the job. He won't have too much work to do on it.
I would recommend
Pressure wash to wet the car and try and get the worst of the dirt off with just the water spray >> TFR application on the areas that actually need it >> Pressure wash off 60 seconds later >> Ideally, a pre-wash stage, like using snow foam. Other products are available. The idea with snow foam though is you can spray on what is basically like a shampoo that will chemically break down dirt and not have to physically touch the car, prevent scratch/swirl risk >> Pressure wash that off >> A manual hand wash - Car shampoo in warm water in bucket 1 with a grit guard, bucket 2 to rinse with a grit guard, using a nice clean and soft microfibre or lambswool mitt. They are only a few quid. Doing small sections at a time (don't drag it around too much, limit to smaller sections) gently glide the mitt over the paintwork, letting the soap do the work, frequently rinsing it in the rinse bucket to clear off any potential contaminants. Press it down and rub it against the grit guard in your rinse bucket to dislodge anything. Then back into the wash bucket, get it all soaped up and lubricated, and then back to the car. The trick is start from the the top down because the majority of the dirt will be on the lower panels. I don't use my microfibre mitt on the side skirts, because that's where 90% of mud and dirt collects and it would contaminate the mitt. I sacrifice a generic amazon basics microfibre cloth for those areas and bin it once I've done them. >> Pressure wash the shampoo off >> Hand dry with a microfibre drying towel. A good method is to lay it flat over the car and then pat dry rather than rubbing it over the paint. It won't take as long as you think it might. If you look up 'microfibre drying towel' on amazon or on a professional shop like cleanmycar.co.uk or autobrite direct you will find good ones.
If you're not bothered about waxing etc but want a quick and easy finish on the paint, this stuff is basically like a quick and easy wax spray, buffed in with a microfibre. I highly recommend it. Your car will come up very glossy and water will bead off. Obviously it's not a proper wax/sealant and won't last very long but it's a quick and easy and cheap & cheerful method if that's all you need.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-G14422EU-Ultimate-Detailer-650ml/dp/B001B0VDI6
The cleaning mitt/drying towel/any microfibre clothes you used can be safely washed on a low temp in the washing machine. I don't use any detergent or more importantly fabric softener, just plain water.
The real key to all this is don't do anything on a hot/sunny day, work from the top down, try your best to ensure the paint is not contaminated with dust/dirt/mud/whatever before you start physically dragging cloths and stuff across it, dry with a clean mf drying towel every time after washing because otherwise it is so easy to get waterspots, and make sure what you're working on is perfectly clean before you put a sealant or coating on it because that sealant will lock in any imperfections underneath it for a while until it naturally erodes or you work it off.
