Car wash - what do you do?

TheColl

I've never washed my car at home before but I'd like to start doing so. I've washed plenty of cars in my time (having worked at a jet wash in my youth!) but at home I'm planning to just use a hose connected to a kitchen tap. I presume a lot of people here wash their own cars, so I'm just wondering what process do you go through, what equipment/products do you use, how often do you wax etc?

I've never waxed a car before at all so I'd appreciate some tips on how best to do so.

Thinking of just heading to Halfords tomorrow (or if people could recommend somewhere else in the Newbridge/Naas area) and having a browse, but I'd like to get some recommendations from a few boardsies before I do. Thanks! Hope you're all having a nice Friday evening!

rebel.ranter

Get a wash mit for washing the car, better than a sponge in IMI. get a wheel brush & a sponge for your alloy wheels if you have them. Go into B&Q & buy 2-3 buckets, they have orange ones for less than €2 each, they are dearer everywhere else from what I can see.
Hopefully you'll get loads of opinions on car shampoos & waxes but for a nice combination I go for Zymol car wash (clear bottle, dark green liquid), any car shampoo will do. Don't use washing up liquid or hair shampoo or shower gel, you'll ruin your paintwork.
For wax there are loads of waxes to choose from, you really can't go wrong with any of them if you are using them often & correctly.
For a lazy option Autoglym do a spray wax, normally in a little carry case on the shelf €20, this will give you a nice short term shine, it's really geared towards a top up of a proper wax. For a proper wax I use a combination of Zymol wax (light green bottle) & Dodo wax (Ebay). These waxes are all carnauba wax. Some on here including some of the professional detailers prefer synthetic waxes as they give a longer lasting protection. I like the shine a carnauba wax product gives. Of course there are better carnauba waxes than the ones I use but they are a nice balance between quality & price.
I have recently starting using Autoglym Alloy Wheel seal on my wheels & they are definitely less dusty.
For my Tyree I use Meguairs endurance (purple liquid bottle), I find I only have to do them every few weeks. Nice black tyres make the car look instantly better even if you never waxed the car itself. All the supermarket "valet" services have copped on to this.
I use a load more bits & pieces but ithe ones above are my essentials.

Henry Ford III

1/. Get every bit of bodywork wet.

2/. Put some car shampoo in a bucket of water and a good sponge.

3/. Clean car, rinsing out the sponge as you go.

4/. Repeat 1/. above.

5/. Remove water with a good leather.

PirateShampoo

Usually pay a couple of Korean lads €6 to hand wash it.

Quent Q.

I regularly buy bits and pieces in Halfords for washing the car, I tend to go on advice from boards folks though. Some halfords staff aren't great with advice (that's another thread though!)

I find the autoglym stuff good, well when I say that all I use is the car shampoo. I find it gives the car a great shine! Think it's around €10 for a litre. I've had my bottle for well over a year. I wouldn't wash the car every week now but I try to get it done every three weeks or so!

On the windows I use a turtle wax window cleaner, haven't found this great tbh. Sometimes it leaves lots of smears! Must get myself a new window cleaner actually! Open to suggestions!

I find sun of a gun good for interior stuff.

While I'm no expert or don't have many products I enjoy washing car, hope it brings you the same joy OP!

jaffa20

Best wash and wax by far imo. Meguiars nxt wax leaves my 10 year old car looking like new and the speed detailer is great for keeping the shine after a wash.

Johnaldinioh

Dont forget golden rule when washing car start at the top and work your way down . I use auto glym wash and wax . Very good job. Wash car every 2 days and wax once a month :D hope that helps

Gumbo

hose off loose dirt on car....then...

Two Bucket Methond - one with car shampoo in it, the other fresh water!

Dip the mitt - not a sponge, into the bucket with car shampoo, starting on the roof, clean half of it. Always work from the areas of least dirt to areas of most dirt

Return to fresh water bucket and rinse mitt out - ring out the mitt into the bucket.

Dip into the car shampoo bucket and clean other half of the roof

Back to fresh water bucket to rinse

Dip into shampoo bucket

Continue panel by panel......
Preferably using a different mitt or sponge on the wheels, bumpers!!

Fresh water bucket may become very dirty if the car is flithy, and if id does - should be emptied and refilled with more fresh water if it gets very dirty!

Once car is fully washed with mitt - hose down until all the suds are gone
Then dry with i Mircofibre drying towel!!

owenmul

good site to get cleaning stuff, they do good offers sometimes too!

www.cleancar.ie

TheColl

Johnaldinioh wrote: »

Dont forget golden rule when washing car start at the top and work your way down . I use auto glym wash and wax . Very good job. Wash car every 2 days and wax once a month :D hope that helps

Was told this on day one when I washed cars as a youngster, sound advice it is too!

Thanks for the replies folks, very helpful, I'll give it a go and see how I get on anyway.

daveharnett

While your in halfords, I'd recommend you pick up a water blade. It can't replace a cloth for the tricky parts, but it will get 90% of the water off the car very quickly. Particularly useful when the weather gets a little better and you're racing against the sun!

Mc Love

Cant you get a silicone one? Which is supposedly better than the bog standard halfrauds one?

Seperate

Water blades are a big no-no. If they catch a bit of grit, they slide it across the car.

For drying you need a microfibre drying towel - such as this one.

We sell the bulk Meguiars stuff which works out way better value than the Halfords Meguiars stuff and generally tends to be better as it is professional strength. For example - the (US) Gallon of shampoo dilutes at 128:1 - so if you're using an average 5 litre bucket, will last over 100 washes. It's just €27 for 3.78 litres.

We do their wheel cleaner, all purpose cleaner, degreaser, professional waxes etc.

Always happy to give advice with this kind of thing if there are any questions.

TestTransmission

Might give ye a go Seperate.Usually use the Meguiars Gold Class shampoo which I find great.What wax do you recommend for a silver paint finish?

Seperate

TestTransmission wrote: »

Might give ye a go Seperate.Usually use the Meguiars Gold Class shampoo which I find great.What wax do you recommend for a silver paint finish?

If you like Gold Class, you'll get on great with Shampoo Plus.

1.89 litres of Gold Class is €25 in Halfords. So you're getting double that for €2 extra with Shampoo Plus.

I'd recommend Meguiar's #16 for any paint finish to be honest. Once the surface is properly prepared (clayed and polished), it will give a great long-lasting shine. It's €20 for 311g tub.

COB MGV8

I've used lots and lots of different shampoos, polishes, cutting compounds etc over a long time. I started using Autoglym last year and have found it to be the best by far :

- Use Autoglym Shampoo for the wash using some of the excelelnt suggestions above
- Dry Car
- Apply Autoglym Super Resin Polish if its the first time its been polished in a long time
- Apply a coat of Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection - follow the instructions - you need to let it dry in for 30-40 minutes
- Use Autoglym Bumper Care for exterior plastics / bumpers etc. This stuff is fantastic, I had badly faded bumpers on my MG and this stuff made them look like new. Have started using it on interior plastics as well.

pburns

Johnaldinioh wrote: »

Dont forget golden rule when washing car start at the top and work your way down . I use auto glym wash and wax . Very good job. Wash car every 2 days and wax once a month :D hope that helps

Eh...wha?

There are a couple of Polish lads at a local station who make a nice living power-washing cars @ €6 a pop (before tip). I try do it every few weeks (actully calling into the station and waiting is a drag as far as I'm concerned!). I'm just too busy/value my time too much/too lazy... I wouldn't mind waxing it a few times a year tho.

Seperate

COB MGV8 wrote: »

I've used lots and lots of different shampoos, polishes, cutting compounds etc over a long time. I started using Autoglym last year and have found it to be the best by far :

- Use Autoglym Shampoo for the wash using some of the excelelnt suggestions above
- Dry Car
- Apply Autoglym Super Resin Polish if its the first time its been polished in a long time
- Apply a coat of Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection - follow the instructions - you need to let it dry in for 30-40 minutes
- Use Autoglym Bumper Care for exterior plastics / bumpers etc. This stuff is fantastic, I had badly faded bumpers on my MG and this stuff made them look like new. Have started using it on interior plastics as well.

Bumper care is also a good arch-dressing.

Your method looks spot on. They are products that have been around forever, so have stood the test of time. If you ever want to try anything different, let me know what car/colour you have and I'll do my best to help.

For example, Autoglym have a new 'SRP / UGP' type duo going on now. It's HD Cleanser (with is similar to SRP, only much easier to work with) and HD Wax. HD wax is a synthetic polymer mix of man-made and natural ingredients. Gives a great shine and will last alot longer then UGP.

PaulKK

Always use the the two bucket method myself.

I've been using simoniz wash and wax for the past while, I find it pretty good.

Also I got the meguairs clay bar kit and found it to be excellent, the cleaner wax with it also very good.


For the last 2 waxes I have used Meguairs NXT 2.0 wax. This is probably the longest lasting stuff I have ever used, and has great shine:

Mc Love

I usually power wash the car first to get stubborn bits off, then scrub it with sponge and Turtle Wax shampoo. give it a quick rinse and then wash it a meguiars wash mitt with the turtle wax shampoo again. Rinse it and then dry it with a chamois from halfords (comes in a tube). and then I have a meguiars cloth if its still wet in some areas.

Then use some turtle wax.

Seperate do you know if its better to wax or polish it?

MetzgerMeister

Here's what I do:

Turtle Wax Wheel Clean on the alloys - leave for 1 minute and wash off. Also get under the wheelarches with a pressure washer if you can get one.

Pressure wash the whole car down to get rid of loose dirt

2 bucket method - One bucket with Meguiar's NXT Car Wash - other with fresh water & Meguiars lambs wool wash mitt

Pressure wash off all suds

Turtle Wax "Wax it Wet" directly after washing off suds & Aldi microfibre cloth (excellent cloths for €1.79 for 2) *

Take the car for a drive to get rid of excess water

With a clean, dry microfibre cloth, dry off any water that came from cracks/crevices

Open all doors and petrol flap, boot, lift bonnet and dry off all excess water while using Wax it Wet

Turtle Wax ClearVue Window cleaner on all windows using a Meguiars foam applicator pad - Dry, clean cloth to completely dry it, turning from side to side and using at least twice on each window

Wax it Wet on cloth, then apply to alloys

Turtle Wax Black in a Flash on tyre walls

Meguiars Metal Polish on all brightwork

Finished Product:






* This is done every week but I use Meguiars Clay bar with Meguiars Quik Detailer for lubrication followed by Meguiars Paint Cleaner followed by Meguiars Polish and then either Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0 or Gold Class every 3 months. The Wax it Wet is only a "booster" wax which tops up the Meguiars and works very well.

@ McLove - A polish can either mean just drying the car after washing with a chamois or microfibre cloth. If you mean and actual polish using the cream, you'd be better off using the polish followed by a wax. Polish only brings up the paintwork and doesn't protect it. Wax protects it

Mc Love

Thanks! Wax it wet must try that out

Plug

For a wash, vacum, dashboard polish and shine, its only €8 in some places.

Seperate

einheisserschre wrote: »

* This is done every week but once a month I use Meguiars Clay bar with Meguiars Quik Detailer for lubrication followed by Meguiars Paint Cleaner followed by Meguiars Polish and then either Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0 or Gold Class every 3 months. The Wax it Wet is only a "booster" wax which tops up the Meguiars and works very well.

You shouldn't need to clay the car every month - especially if you wax it regularly. Once or twice a year would be the recommendation.

McLove wrote:

Seperate do you know if its better to wax or polish it?

Both Polishing by loose definition is cleaning of the paint - and waxing is protecting of the paint. When we polish a car we remove the defects in the paint which are put there by bad washing/brush washes etc.

For example;


Right side polished/Left side not polished.

The wax then protects the freshly exposed paint, and adds a little bit of shine to the finish.



You won't get those results working 'by hand' but you would get near enough to the gloss with the right products (not wax it wet).

MetzgerMeister

Seprate - yeah that was a mistype! I do it every 3 months on panels that need it. And you are right, wax it wet won't give you a high gloss shine if applied directly to dull paintwork. as I said, it's only a booster wax to be applied preferably on top of a liquid polish and wax applied to paintwork with buffer/foam applicator pad