Car washing, what to buy

[LizzyG]

ok, all this talk of pressure washing being bad for your car, I have decided to wash my car myself if it ever stops raining (my previous car, fiesta ST, I just used to drive to the local jetwashing place and pay them to do it, and I thought they did a great job !)

Anyway, being a noob to car washing, what basic (not too expensive) kit should I buy, that I can get from my local Halfords?

[DerekH]

Good quality shampo two buckets one for sill and wheels etc, start at top work down and use good micro fibre mit new one's in halford turtle wax £9.99 , don't use blade to take of water use good shamoix , or ionic rinse systems its a filter that take out all the particles out of the water so no water spots without drying car just rinse with pure water. For the wheels i use comma wheel cleaner or wonder wheels from car plan they also do low cost good micro fibber wash mits online i think £3.99.

[zyo]

For a quick wash that doesn't leave marks I use the Flash Car wash system, it was something my wife bought me for a birthday present a couple of years ago , I hadn't even thought of it and I was sceptical but I think it works great.( I think it's about £20) It's available in Halfords. For really cleaning my car properly I use Meguiars products.Again these are available in Halfords.
I use the meguiars clay bar to remove all the surface contaminents, it only need doing every 6 months or so, an amazing product that leaves your paint feeling like glass( with the quick detailer I think it's about £11.I then wax the car( it's a meguiars wax, can't remember the name or cost). Sometimes (particularly after I've been to the dealers and forgotten to tell them not to put my car through their car wash and it has come back with swirls and spidery scratch marks in the paint) I use meguiars scratch x which gets rid of them(I think it's about £8 or £9 pounds for a tube..

Other people will have different opinions of what brands are best but for me Meguiars is the only product range that I have used that hasn't dissapointed me.

[KenL]

Two bucket method is worth doing. What I do is have one bucket filled with clean water, the other with a warm shampoo solution (I use either Autoglym or the Zymol one you can buy in Halfords).

I use a microfibre wash mit. Rinse the wash mit in the clean water, then into the shampoo solution. After every time it has been on the car rinse it off in the clear water etc. etc. This hopefully removes any trapped dirst/grit which could lightly scratch the paint.

I do roof, bonnet, sides, hatch & rear bumper, front bumper, sills/wheel arches, wheels in that order.

To clean the wheels, I use a pan scourer for NON-STICK pans. One with a white scouring bit - this does not scratch the wheels.

I dry with a large, soft micro-fibre towel. The water here is soft so spots are not a big problem.

To protect the paint, I use Klasse All-in-one, topped with P21S wax. If you want a one step product, something like Meguiars NXT or Gold Class wax are fine. Avoid Autoglym are they are terrible for staining all the black trim.

[KenL]

Quote: Originally Posted by zyo (original)

For a quick wash that doesn't leave marks I use the Flash Car wash system, it was something my wife bought me for a birthday present a couple of years ago , I hadn't even thought of it and I was sceptical but I think it works great.( I think it's about £20) It's available in Halfords.

What does this system do to your wax coating?

[Hartge220]

As already posted, I would go with the 2 bucket method using Meguiars products, microfibre wash mitt, with thick microfibre cloths to dry.

I've heard that Wonder Wheels has a very strong acid content, again Meguiars products for the alloy's.

As for the pressure washer thing, If Paul Dalton (Miracle Detail) uses one on a Bugatti Veryon, then it should be safe on my Mini.

Have a look at A world for detailers..., so much to learn from there. A lot of real pro's at the cleaning game, but they will answer any questions. Also a lot of amazing details in the 'show it off' section, some seriously clean cars

Good luck

[isthar]

Autopia !!!

I for one love FK products (Finish Kare). For my red car I use their pink wax... see how nuts it can get (and I'm not even a real pro: New PC Owner - Veterans, check my spring cleaning list! - Autopia Car Detailing Forum )

[LizzyG]

Thanks for your replies - will go shopping!

One more thing, how do you apply the wax, is it really hard work?

[British SD]

My regime

Any decent car soap
Weekly follow the 2 bucket wash method with a hose pre wash, sheep mitt and finish with leather shammy. do wheels with wet soapy sponge and tire brush
Clay bar once a year
I twice apply Carnumba wax in summer, one polymer wax in prep for winter.
Vaccum and wipe my interior more often than my house

[Root Ginger]

Quote: Originally Posted by LizzyG (original)

Thanks for your replies - will go shopping!

One more thing, how do you apply the wax, is it really hard work?

Depends on the wax but most decent waxes are easy on, easy off. Some you don't need to wait to haze either otherwise they can be a nightmare to remove.

[Humourl3ss]

I don't bother with buckets. Instead, I just use a wash mitt and rinse it constantly (hose in one hand, mitt in the other). Other than that, all I use is a spray bottle filled with a 50/50 solution of car wash soap concentrate and water, and a synthetic chamois (quality varies wildly; you might need to buy a couple before you find one you want).

[LizzyG]

Well I went to Halfords after work and there was just sooo much choice I got a bit overwhelmed, kept picking different things up then putting them back so in the end I bought a bottle of triplewax 'wash and wax', a sponge (probably should have got a mitt but cotton or microfibre? The microfibre ones felt weird) a chamois thing in a tube and they had buy one get one free on the screenwash so i got some of that too.

Is this shampoo going to be ok? Also, can I use normal household glass cleaner on the windows? (like windolene type stuff?)

[ScaryLady]

The best place for car washing advice is A world for detailers... - really friendly bunch of people. There's loads of good threads to read, or if you posted a message saying what your budget was etc, they would advise you

[zyo]

Quote: Originally Posted by KenL (original)

What does this system do to your wax coating?

Hi KenL, as far as i'm aware it's basically just a shampoo and a dionising filter really so I cant see it doing an harm and I haven't noticed any problems.

[isthar]

Quote: Originally Posted by LizzyG (original)

Thanks for your replies - will go shopping!

One more thing, how do you apply the wax, is it really hard work?

Not with a random orbit polisher it isn't! :-) [Learn how to detail with CCS Smart Pads by Lake Country and the Porter Cable 7424 dual action buffer. Polish swirl remover car wax polisher wax but you can use different pads to apply wax]

By hand, it can get tiring, but hey, our minis are half the size of other cars I detail, so it won't be so bad!


Now, to make a more productive post, all you really need, aka the basics:

A good quality wash product. If you want to be thorough and have time, avoid those that are "no rinse" or "with wax", etc.
Mits, again good quality (quality is often how deep the hairs/fluff is, so it traps dirt deep inside and you dont scratch while rubbing)
microfibers (to apply stuff)
the absorber or other type of fast-absorbing towel, to dry
any type of wax
wheel cleaner, preferrably non-acidic.
spot detailer (a liquid that you use as a last-step after washing/waxing, usually anti-static, one last bit of shine, some protection, etc.)

additional goodies: clay, polish, wheel wax, etc. but those you can live without for a while.
don't bother much with: tire shine (they never last), brake-dust repellant (ditto, don't last)

Then:
wet car all over
wash wheels using cleaner, rinse wheels, re-wet car
fill bucket with water + car wash
use mit, wash car, top to bottom. two buckets if you're paranoid, otherwise just be careful not to dip mitt too far down into the water each time...
rinse with hose, use the sheet-water method (you make the water run down the car in a sheet of water, doesn't leave droplets behind as much)
use absorber to dry

then, if you bought ...
use detailer w/ microfiber to finish.

if you were waxing, you would wax before finishing with the detailer

Detailers tend to be very effective at being used for intermediary cleanups, like if a birdie visits you, grab paper towel, squirt detailer, wait, wipe, gone!