Cleaning, Valeting & Polishing

Mr Magnolia

Hi all,

I'm looking for as many tips, tricks and methods for cleaning cars as possible please. I'd happily pass a Saturday cleaning and polishing the car(s) and I doubt I'm on my own.

Wonder Wheels is great for cleaning alloys but I've read here previously that it's not great for them in the long term so be warned.

I'm looking for a good tyre dresser, a lot of them tend to attract dust leaving the wheels and rims dirty after a day or 2. Anyone got any recommendations on a product? I've tried Turtle Wax and it's decent enough bar the dust. I've also heard these products are best applied with a paint brush, anyone tried this?

I normally use the 2 bucket method when I'm washing, I start on the roof and work my way down panel by panel using hot water and meguiars shampoo. I'd chamois the car off and use give it a waxing. Anyone recommend any good polishes or means of application or some good polishes/waxes?

I'd love to know what products are used to get that 'wet paint look' on some cars too.

This stems from here. If the sub-forum doesn't get supported/created at least this thread may work out to be a good reference

Neilw

I would register here http://www.detailer.ie/forum/index.php and post the same question.

I get a lot of my cleaning products there.

Neil.

B00MSTICK

Mr Magnolia wrote:

This stems from here. If the sub-forum doesn't get supported/created at least this thread may work out to be a good reference

If someone could post a comprehensive cleaning/waxing/polishing guide it would be great, I walked into a motor store and was overwhelmed by the vast amount of different products available!

Neilw

Everything you need to know about cleaning your car properly here.

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides.html

These guys are the best in the business, there workshop is booked out till early 09:eek:

Neil.

TomMc

Yes, those guides with Polished Bliss are excellent and to think they have only been in business roughly 3 years. Would put Halfords & their staff to shame.

OP, without wishing to rain on your parade, I would also have a look at the link below. It gives a good account of the various tasks. The problem is that proper car care gets quite complex, it is not a case of one size fits all. Yes for the general basics, how to wash, polish, wax or dress etc but as the condition of cars and peoples skillsets differ greatly, how much time a person is prepared to devote or beer vouchers to fork out, it is a bit like questioning "how long is a piece of string".

And that is before you even get to know what job each product actually does and what it doesn't do, the characteristics of one type of product over another, what type of chemicals or products work together and what don't. It becomes more of a science. And it is like the computer/electronics industry, technology is changing all the time and especially since there is a green revolution gathering pace. I know someone inside the industry, and there has been more advancements & product developments in the last couple of years, than the previous hundred.

Plus many mainstream manufacturers give their products misleading names. Calling waxes polishes or sealants waxes and so on. Some do not give an accurate account of the contents so unless you are a chemicals guru and could analyse stuff in a lab, it would be impossible to discern what's what from the spiel or the directions alone. It would be a case of test & see, hoping for the best or else buy in haste, repent at leisure.

http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing

And the best places to get car care products are only online as most of what is in the shops is of average or low quality. Meguiar's retail stuff over here is their cheap and cheerful gear only as their Irish distributor and the buying public aren't sophisticated enough en mass to warrant anything better, Autoglym's products are overated mainly by those who just don't have widespread experience to know any better and while Turtle Wax's products are decent enough, they are nothing special. With distributor & retailer margins, transport costs, warehousing & high rents for storage etc. a product you buy in the shops for say 20 quid, would cost about e2.00 or less to manufacture. You get what you pay for and all that.

So I'd suggest you try www.smartfinishcare.com or www.detailer.ie or www.micksgarage.ie if you want high-end products that are available in Ireland. It is like with most of the motor trade, the best overall service is offered with independent specialists off the beaten track, not the big boys with plate glass windows, convenient to retail parks or trendy shopping centres.

The newer water based or lower V.O.C based products give better overall results especially for those new to detailing or starting out (even though been honest the level of preparation and not the products is the cornerstone), they are not as difficult to work with and of course are much less of a risk to a persons health. Petrochemicals still account for the wide mass of products, and there are some cracking ones out there, they have marginally better longevity, are not quite as clear or as glossy (but we are only talking small fractions here, you might need a gloss metre to tell them apart) and the look they give tends to fade just that little bit quicker.

If you want to learn, you have to take the initiative yourself. And 10% of experience beats 90% of knowledge anyday. It is like the card game of "Bridge" - you never know everything, you are always on a learning curve. www.autopia.org is the best forum, www.detailingworld.co.uk is pretty good too (although a few too many Johnny come lately, know it all types, of late for my liking).

Mr Magnolia

Thanks for the replys all. You're not raining on the pararde at all, I know opinions vary wildly about the best products & methods, what I'm hoping for here is tried and tested methods for good finishes. It's better than having no discussion at all

All other opinions/recommendations are welcome.

How much time do you devote to cleaning your car any before & after pics?

B00MSTICK

Thanks for the link Neil, exactly what I was looking for.

Seperate

Tom pretty much hit the nail on the head with his post.

You should find guides / help / products on the links he provided.

The most important thing, in my opinion, professional or enthusiast - learn how to wash the car properly. It makes drying / polishing / waxing alot easier.

Mr Magnolia

What's the best way to remove very light paint swirls? There's a couple I'd like to get rid of.


Any opinions on T-cut?

Cyrus

meguirs scratch x if they are very light

leave t cut alone

digitalage

I remove swirl marks using a porter cable and menzerna super intense polish followed by nano polish http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-of-germany.html . These are the best polishes I have used, followed up with two coats of wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant http://www.autogeek.net/wg5500.html then finish off with Pinnacle Souverän wax http://www.autogeek.net/pinsouvwax.html . http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html is an excellent resource for valeting cars.

Mr Magnolia

Thanks for that

Seperate

The porter cable is a bit pointless now Meguiars have brought out the G220. It is more powerful then the PC and also doesnt require a transformer to work.

It depends what car you have as to which pads / polish you will need. If its a jap car then Menzerna will give more hassle then say Meguiars #83/80. It depends on the toughness of the paint.

quarryman

Cyrus wrote: »

meguirs scratch x if they are very light

leave t cut alone

Can swirl marks be used with scratch x by hand?

I always thought a porter cable was needed.

Cyrus

depends on the paint, wont be much use on a badly swirled bmw

quarryman

shaddup!

Seperate

quarryman wrote: »

Can swirl marks be used with scratch x by hand?

I always thought a porter cable was needed.

No, swirls won't come out by hand.

The PC/G220 will struggle with most german cars too. If you have the right polish/pad combo and alot of patience, then you'd be fine.

quarryman

I have neither of those things so I guess i'm screwed

Anywhere that does this for a reasonable price?

dizzydiesel

Seperate wrote: »

The porter cable is a bit pointless now Meguiars have brought out the G220. It is more powerful then the PC and also doesnt require a transformer to work.

It depends what car you have as to which pads / polish you will need. If its a jap car then Menzerna will give more hassle then say Meguiars #83/80. It depends on the toughness of the paint.

What Pad/SSR and polisher would you recommend for a V.A.G?