Washing/Detailing routine for newbie...

[I-S]

Originally Posted by ThomasG

So for few years I was doing it back to front, have I?

I used to wash, brush, wash, then apply wax, and THEN resin polish that I treated as hardener/protection for wax...

Maybe I'd notice sooner that there's something wrong there, but this system used to give me 6-10 months of decent shine. Didn't even have to wash the car as such- just rinse the dust off..

Afraid so. I'm sure that putting things on in that order worked in a way, but SRP although only mildly so is still an abrasive cleaning polish - chances are that it stripped away the wax you spent time applying, and so you were just left with the effects of SRP alone.

In response to a few other posts - there's lots of excellent products out there for detailing, and I've only tried a few. I've come from where the OP was (a newbie to it, shopping at halfords) through hand polishing to frankenpolisher (see page 4 of "our car" thread in sig) to getting my first DA at christmas. I merely mentioned the products that I have had experience of (except AG HD Wax - not tried that because I've had a tin of Collinite 476 for years, and now a bottle of 845 for when that runs out).

I think the key point is that the technique is the important thing more than the product:

2BM wash
Clay
Polish (abrasive)
(High filler polish/glaze)
Seal
Wax

[ThomasG]

Oh.. I didn't suspect it was abrasive, my "top coat"..
Its that very very thin, watery sealant, that dries to a slight haze.
Is that really abrasive?
It was like wetting the car with it, letting it dry, and buffing off ..

[Scooser]

Originally Posted by I-S

How long is a piece of string...

The most important thing is time and effort. There's no magic product that will make your car look like it has been machine polished.

However, you can get a really good result by hand if you're prepared to put the hours in. From Halfords, buy the following:

Farecla g3 body prep shampoo
Meguiars clay kit
Farecla g3 paintwork renovater
Autoglym super resin polish
Autoglym extra gloss protection
Autoglym hd wax
Autoglym bumper and trim gel
Autoglym aqua wax.

2 buckets
Microfiber noodle wash mitt
Detailing brush
Microfibre drying cloth
General purpose micro fibre cloths
Farecla g3 polishing pads

Clean wheels first. Use something non-acidic.

For bodywork Use the 2 bucket method, and brush down all difficult fiddly bits when the detailing brush. Rinse. Clay. Wash over again and dry. Your paint is now clean and bare.

Apply the paintwork renovater on the white polishing pad, and work it. Buff off. Your paint is now a bit smoother and oxidation removed. It won't match a machine polish of course, but you can get a very nice result by hand.

Apply autoglym super resin polish with the black pad. This is a high-filler polish. Very little abrasive, but we did that with the renovater. The fillers will hide the swirl marks. Buff off.

Apply extra gloss protection. This is a sealant that will add some longevity to the SRP fillers. Buff off.

Apply wax and buff off. This will give the glossy "watery" look, as well as promote beading of water droplets.

Apply bumper and trim gel to black plastics and buff off.

Next time, use the 2 buckets method, but DO NOT USE THE G3 SHAMPOO. This shampoo is designed to remove waxes, fillers, etc. It's great for use before a proper session like this, but use something else (eg autoglym bodywork conditioning shampoo) for maintenance washes. Then dry with autoglym aqua wax. This will "top up" your wax and beading.

There are better products not available at halfrauds.

See page three of "our car"link below to see results that cab can be achieved by hand.

Life’s too short!

[Petey80]

Originally Posted by Scooser

Life’s too short!

And people like to live it how they see fit.

If that means spending time on their car, which for most people is their pride and joy and not just a machine for getting from A-B, we'll keep it looking it's best and take pride in the time and effort put into doing that.

But, everyone's entitled to their own opinion.

[hennabm]

I-S is right.

For my show car I use Zymol wax after using their HD cleanse.
Rubber/Vinyl is Autoglym bumper care
Tyres - Meguiars tyre gel
Dash and inside vinyl - A/glym Vinyl care
Glass - A/glym glass polish

For my day to day cars I use the Meguiars gold class liquid wax. It gives a very good smooth finish and is fairly easy to apply.

The other thing I would agree with is that once you have polished your car, when you wash it again do not use a harsh shampoo. Personally if it is done regular enough, don't use shampoo at all. Then you don't run the risk of removing the layer/s you have already put on.

If it gets too bad then yes you will have to start again.

I used to use A/glym SRP when it first hit the UK but it started to leave too many white deposits behind as the recipe changed.
That's why I now use a wax.

[junior 7178]

Originally Posted by I-S

How long is a piece of string...

The most important thing is time and effort. There's no magic product that will make your car look like it has been machine polished.

However, you can get a really good result by hand if you're prepared to put the hours in. From Halfords, buy the following:

Farecla g3 body prep shampoo
Meguiars clay kit
Farecla g3 paintwork renovater
Autoglym super resin polish
Autoglym extra gloss protection
Autoglym hd wax
Autoglym bumper and trim gel
Autoglym aqua wax.

2 buckets
Microfiber noodle wash mitt
Detailing brush
Microfibre drying cloth
General purpose micro fibre cloths
Farecla g3 polishing pads

Clean wheels first. Use something non-acidic.

For bodywork Use the 2 bucket method, and brush down all difficult fiddly bits when the detailing brush. Rinse. Clay. Wash over again and dry. Your paint is now clean and bare.

Apply the paintwork renovater on the white polishing pad, and work it. Buff off. Your paint is now a bit smoother and oxidation removed. It won't match a machine polish of course, but you can get a very nice result by hand.

Apply autoglym super resin polish with the black pad. This is a high-filler polish. Very little abrasive, but we did that with the renovater. The fillers will hide the swirl marks. Buff off.

Apply extra gloss protection. This is a sealant that will add some longevity to the SRP fillers. Buff off.

Apply wax and buff off. This will give the glossy "watery" look, as well as promote beading of water droplets.

Apply bumper and trim gel to black plastics and buff off.

Next time, use the 2 buckets method, but DO NOT USE THE G3 SHAMPOO. This shampoo is designed to remove waxes, fillers, etc. It's great for use before a proper session like this, but use something else (eg autoglym bodywork conditioning shampoo) for maintenance washes. Then dry with autoglym aqua wax. This will "top up" your wax and beading.

There are better products not available at halfrauds.

See page three of "our car"link below to see results that cab can be achieved by hand.

My wallet is £120 lighter and i still didn't manage to get everything on your list. I've had to skip the wax and the bumper gel so will have to make the Extra Gloss Protection my top coat for a while.

Fingers crossed the weather will be kind to me this weekend.

[I-S]

Originally Posted by ThomasG

Oh.. I didn't suspect it was abrasive, my "top coat"..
Its that very very thin, watery sealant, that dries to a slight haze.
Is that really abrasive?
It was like wetting the car with it, letting it dry, and buffing off ..

No, what you describe is Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection, not SRP.

EGP is indeed a sealant, although I'd still be inclined to put wax on top of it rather than vice versa.

[barrybritcher]

have a read of this mate --

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/generalImg/guide.gif

[barrybritcher]

Originally Posted by ThomasG

So for few years I was doing it back to front, have I?

I used to wash, brush, wash, then apply wax, and THEN resin polish that I treated as hardener/protection for wax...

Maybe I'd notice sooner that there's something wrong there, but this system used to give me 6-10 months of decent shine. Didn't even have to wash the car as such- just rinse the dust off..

Wax / Sealant is always the last step buddy. Polishes remove layers but vary in grades as to how much they remove

[HDAV]

Originally Posted by junior 7178

My wallet is £120 lighter and i still didn't manage to get everything on your list. I've had to skip the wax and the bumper gel so will have to make the Extra Gloss Protection my top coat for a while.

Fingers crossed the weather will be kind to me this weekend.

Wow I would have ordered it all from Slim’s detailing and had it delivered free..... better choice of products.

I have found that a halford £1 green bucket fits inside a Slim’s bucket inc grid guard (not convinced) with most of the stuff in side and with the lid on....

Clay bars I don’t understand and need to probably as the lower half of the doors seems to have developed a rough texture rather than smooth

Also wheel cleaners for long abused wheels vs new wheels