Has anyone used these products?

kleefarr

Meguiars

I was reading their forum and had a look at the gallery and the results look pretty amazing. :cool:

Am thinking about getting some when the weather improves, but would like to hear from anyone on boards that has used it and could vouch for it.

Cheers,

Kevin

kaizersoze123

Yeah , theyre pretty much the best stuff you can buy

JohnCleary

I'd love to get into polishing my car, but think it's just too much hassle. Is there a dummies guide to it anywhere online?

Presumably you dont just slap on some polish and wipe it off

mike65

Its not as scary as some make it out, though it depends on the extent of the work that needs doing - light surface abrassions (easier to see than feel) are as easy as dab on rub off using a small amount several times. If the scratches can be felt then you're into heavy duty action using a mechanicial polisher and a medium abrasive polish. Preparation is all wih serious work though.

Mike.

kleefarr

JohnCleary wrote:

I'd love to get into polishing my car, but think it's just too much hassle. Is there a dummies guide to it anywhere online?

Presumably you dont just slap on some polish and wipe it off

There's an excellent "How to" care car 101 here..

Car Care 101 Honda Revolutions

You may have to register free to read it.

I'll see if I can get permission to copy and paste it here anyway, it's very well laid out.

Kevin

PauloMN

kleefarr wrote:

Meguiars

I was reading their forum and had a look at the gallery and the results look pretty amazing. :cool:

Am thinking about getting some when the weather improves, but would like to hear from anyone on boards that has used it and could vouch for it.

Cheers,

Kevin

I bought the 3 step cleaner, polish and wax system last summer. A lot of work but I was delighted with the results. Takes a lot of the surface swirls etc. off the car and leaves a lovely deep shine.

Halfords have it, although I couldn't get it in the Blanch store.

cjt156

Used these products a lot, very good results for the price;
Clay Bar, quick detailer, gold class polish, nxt wax and trim detailer. Takes a lot of work to do it all but once you've clayed the car you only need to polish every few months, just wash & wax after that.

TomMc

JohnCleary wrote:

I'd love to get into polishing my car, but think it's just too much hassle. Is there a dummies guide to it anywhere online?

Presumably you dont just slap on some polish and wipe it off

http://paintcare-n-detailing.com

TomMc

kleefarr wrote:

Meguiars

I was reading their forum and had a look at the gallery and the results look pretty amazing. :cool:

Am thinking about getting some when the weather improves, but would like to hear from anyone on boards that has used it and could vouch for it.

Cheers,

Kevin

Kevin,

Meguiar's have some good products (there are better brands though). The problem is their distributor in Ireland only brings in the entry-level consumer stuff, like the 3 stage cleaner, polish & wax which is very ordinary or the NXT line of polishes and waxes which are only average. Fine for the uninitiated or for those who are comparing results against the likes of AutoGlym or Turtle Wax, but not for the cognoscenti.

kleefarr

TomMc wrote:

Kevin,

Meguiar's have some good products (there are better brands though). The problem is their distributor in Ireland only brings in the entry-level consumer stuff, like the 3 stage cleaner, polish & wax which is very ordinary or the NXT line of polishes and waxes which are only average. Fine for the uninitiated or for those who are comparing results against the likes of AutoGlym or Turtle Wax, but not for the cognoscenti.

I'll see if their uk site deliver to Ireland.

Seth Brundle

See if anything is on www.meguiarsireland.com

kleefarr

kbannon wrote:

See if anything is on www.meguiarsireland.com

Thanks for that kbannon. I'll draw up a short list of what I want to use and check the website out.

clarkey1980

JohnCleary wrote:

I'd love to get into polishing my car, but think it's just too much hassle. Is there a dummies guide to it anywhere online?

Presumably you dont just slap on some polish and wipe it off

http://astra-sri.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=144

TomMc

kleefarr wrote:

Thanks for that kbannon. I'll draw up a short list of what I want to use and check the website out.

Meguiar's Ireland d'ont stock any of the more up to date Meguiar's stuff and what they do sell is overpriced. What they sell is geared more towards bodyshops than consumers. It would be cheaper to import it yourself from America. Meguiar's in the UK or Europe will not ship products to Ireland and so undermine their local distributor.

Kevin, this place here is the best supplier in Ireland by a mile - different league. If you email them, they will even formulate or package products to your own personal requirements.;)

Neilw

I can vouch for Daragh from smartcarcare, very helpfull, sells some very good products and prices are good.
I've bought some menzerna polishes, carlack sealants and leather care products from him.
Give him a call, won't put you wrong.

Neil.

kleefarr

Here's the Car Care 101 I was talking about.

Courtesy of NikeATRvtec and HondaRevolutions

Listed below is a fairly comprehensive car detail, utilising my own specific products and methods. Feel free to use your own products and processes, as the provided information is not 'gospel'.

Exterior

Washing

Rinse thoroughly, remembering to get underneath the car and in the wheel arches.

Wash with Meguiars Gold Class shampoo (www.meguiars.co.uk).
Use a soft sheepskin wash mitt from here http://www.sheepskinshop.co.uk/accessories.htm

Dry with Meguiars waffle-weave cloth.

Claying

Equip yourself with some clay from www.meguiars.co.uk or www.3m.co.uk. Fill a spray-mist bottle with some shampoo and water.
Cut the clay into 4 pieces and store the other 3 pieces with plastic wrap.
Mould the leftover 1 piece of clay into a pancake shape.
Using plenty of lubricant - gently glide rub the clay into the surface in one small area at a time.
When the clay gets dirty, knead it into a ball again and make pancake shape.
Dont worry if the clay catches and leaves some residue, this can be easily removed with some polish.

(claying is the most important step in getting that perfect finish!)

Polishing/surface prep

Depending on the condition of your paint work you can try 1 of 2 products – apply S100 SEPC (shine enhancing paint cleanser) for mild swirls. Or, apply Meguiars Swirl Free polish for more promininent swirls/scratches.

Synthetic wax protection

Apply Autoglym Super Resin for ‘daily driver’ protection.

Top coat wax finisher

Finish off with a coat of one of my fave waxes - One Grand Blitz wax (from www.frost.co.uk) or S100 carnauba wax (believed to be the best) from any Harley Davidson dealer nationwide.

I like to apply all these products using the Meguiars round yellow sponges.

Get some cotton buds and use these to get in and around corners and badges etc, to remove dirt/wax residue.

Get some nice Microfiber cloths from www.microfibertech.com or www.pakshak.com (US, so need to import) as they are the best cloths for your car (anything else will add scratches!)

Failing that – Meguiars do some nice cotton cloths and a microfiber cloth (albeit v expensive!)

Interior

For deep cleaning use some warm soapy water and a brush and go over carpets etc. dry naturally or with the help of a hair dryer! Use Autoglym interior shampoo for stubborn stains.

Light Febreeze every week.

With a soft damp cloth - wipe down the interior vinyl (use some dishwash for any really dirty bits), then dry with another soft cloth.

Use some 303 interior protectant on the plastic for a nice matte, dark finish. Get this from WWC

Wheels

If there is a lot of ground-in brake dust, use some Autoglym wheel spray. Once wheel is completely clean, use some Autoglym Super Resin, and add a couple of coats of Extra Gloss, for max protection.

For weekly cleaning, just use some double-strength shampoo (again Meguiars) and a cheap £2 cotton wash mitt from Halfords.

Go to a pound-shop and find one of those dishwash brushes that consists of a long plastic handle and foam sponge strips attached to the end (looks like a mushroom). Use this with some shampoo to get into the back and around the edges of the wheel.

If you get the chance - take all your wheels off and get them perfectly clean. You might need some Autoglym tar remover (or WD40) to remove hard deposits and some wheel cleaner. Once clean - use Autoglym Super Resin and many coats of Extra Gloss to keep the inside of the wheels protected for many months to come.

Exhaust

Polish with Autosol (from Halfords) and buff with an old dry towel.

Tyres

For the tyre walls - clean with a stiff brush and some high strength dish wash and get them REALLY clean. If they are still dirty, use some Autoglym wheel cleaner to get the stubborn stains out. Then use some Eagle One Satin tyre shine (from http://www.valvolineeurope.com/eagleone/english/products/index.html) or Autoglym tyre dressing.

Wheel wells

Try and get the wheel wells as clean as possible, and once dry - use some cheapie Armorall plastic spray (or another cheap make) and spray it inside all the plastic (put a towel over the top of your tyre first!).

Windows

The best way to clean your windows isnt with ammonia window sprays. Simply use a damp microfiber cloth and wipe all the inside windows in a up-down motion, and wipe again with a dry MF cloth in an up-down motion. Then repeat this process on the outside using a side-to-side motion.

The reason you use up-down and side-to-side is so that if you get any streaks, you can determine whether they are on the inside or outside

If your windows are really dirty, try using some ammonia-free Eagle One 20/20 glass cleaner.

For really sparkely/shiny windows, Autoglym window polish is fantastic.

A good tip is to use some Autoglym Super Resin on all the windows except the front windscreen!. On the front windscreen use a few thin coats of Rain-X.

Door/engine/boot/petrol cap jambs

After washing your car, remember to use an old clean cloth (cotton or MF) to dry all the gaps in doors, the engine bay, the boot and the petrol cap! If the paint is looking a bit poor, or you just want a bit more shine, add a coat of Autoglym Super Resin for good protection.

Engine

I like to use Halfords/turtle wax 'CD2' engine cleaner/detailer twin pack to clean and enhance the engine bay. Use an old paintbrush to scrub areas such as the valve cover. For painted parts of the engine bay, use some Autoglym Super Resin (to withstand the temps).

Thanks to NikeATRvtec from HondaRevolutions.com

maidhc

kleefarr wrote:

Here's the Car Care 101 I was talking about.

Courtesy of NikeATRvtec and HondaRevolutions

Listed below is a fairly comprehensive car detail, utilising my own specific products and methods....

...Use an old paintbrush to scrub areas such as the valve cover. For painted parts of the engine bay, use some Autoglym Super Resin (to withstand the temps).

Thanks to NikeATRvtec from HondaRevolutions.com

Very useful. I don't think I'd drive my car anymore if I got it that clean!

How do you apply polish though? As another poster said, do you just rub it on and rub it off? Do you do most of the rubbing when the polish is wet of dry? I understand the tutlewax stuff uses silicones, which are evil, but what is wrong with autoglym?

TomMc

It really depends on the polish, but generally you rub a polish in until it goes kind of transparent and stop before it starts to dry out. And in back and forth motions, not circles. A little spritz of water on a foam pad, now and again, helps to make the polish spread more easily. If its a polish only and not a polish & wax combined, its best to remove the residue with a damp microfibre cloth.

If you just wiped it on and off, without working in into the paint, the abrasives would not get broken down in order to do the polishing job properly, nor would any of the fillers in the polish (if included) get spread around into any defect areas in order to hide or disguise them.

AutoGlym's super resin polish contains chalk which is used as a fine abrasive. Most people who try it usually overapply it, with the end result been that it leaves behind a lot of residue and also stains plastic & rubber trim.