Tycoon Posted April 1, 2007 Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 Hi Guys Im looking for some advice on cleaning my new car. I've just got rid of my Subaru impreza WRX and i have to admit so of the cleaning methods would make you cringe. but its time to start a new, i should be recieving my new black Audi A4 2.0 TDI S-line and i want to take care of it. Can you advise what products and kit would work best, as all i really have is a bucket and a sponge, i hang my head. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEdge Posted April 1, 2007 Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 Hi mate i dont have any definitivd solutions but Halfords are doing 3 for the price of 2 at tthe moment so with the bank holiday weekend coming id give a few things ago if you can afford them I use the follwing Autoglym car shampoo £14.99 should last over 100 washes Autoglym super resin polish or Meguairs DC Polish (excellent alternative) £7.99/8.99 Meguairs Gold class wax ( may vary on car colour puts a great gloss on though about £12.99) Dont use a sponge !! they are rubbish buy a lambswool thingy about £5 alot more softer and gentler on your car!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycoon Posted April 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 Cheers Edge, im not limited by price, i figure when you spend alot of money on a car a couple of hundred quid to keep it lookin good is nothing. The Maguairs product all seem to be popular! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted April 1, 2007 Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 Just to advise on the above SRP, cleans and protects the surface. MEgs DC2 Polish is a pure glazing oil product. It contains ZERO cleaning power and contains ZERO protection. DC1 Cleans, DC3 protects. If you apply just DC2 you might not be too happy with the results!! Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_C Posted April 1, 2007 Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 Welcome to Tyresmoke. No need to hang your head at all! The transition from 'bucket-and-sponge' to 'detailing king' does not happen overnight and takes time. I am yet to reach the half way stage from beginner to expert. Far easier to do things in stages and gradually build up. 1) The first thing I would buy is another bucket!! Use the new bucket as your 'wash' and the old bucket as your 'rinse'. Bingo - the 'two bucket method'. Soak sponge (or rather a mit - see below) in 'wash' bucket, onto car, into 'rinse' bucket, back into 'wash' bucket etc. 2) Keep the sponge for sills, bumpers etc but indeed definitely get a wash mit for the main panels. On a brand new car I'd certainly wash main panels like the bonnet and roof in straight lines, front to back, to help minimise swirls. Especially true on a black Audi - very soft paint! 3) If I had to recommend your 'first' product, it would be Meguiars Gold Glass Shampoo. Honey like texture, it [almost] looks good enough to put on your toast in the morning. Smells lovely, almost as good as NXT Glass Cleaner..... Anyway, as mentioned, just build up as you go. A little and often really is the best way. Don't give the dirt a chance to set. Merely getting the worst off the car with a fifteen minute rinse - wash - rinse is better than nothing! Don't compromise on the intial 'rinse' though - you want to get as much as you can off the car first, get the dirt as soaked as possible to avoid rubbing grit into the paint. Over time build up your 'cleaning kit'. Add something like a drying towel alongside your leather chamois - again to help cut down on swirls. Buy a mircofibre cloth and aforementioned Meguairs NXT Glass cleaner for your glass. Buy Autoglym Clean Wheels for your alloys: a few sprays on each alloy after you intially rinse the whole car. Give them a quick scrub with a dish brush from Sainsbury after you have done the body. Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber Care is great for exterior black plastics like on my 205. Your S line won't have much in the way of unpainted plastic - mainly the registration surround and the B pillar. Autoglym Super Resin Polish is, as mentioned, stunning! Andys thread is a great starting point if you are happy to spend £100 on some products and really get stuck in! Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted April 1, 2007 Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 What is your new car?? What colour is it?? Then we can advise on prodcuts that can help!! How often can you take care of it?? Do you want a different set up for different seasons?? Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycoon Posted April 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 Cheers for the great posts guys. Thinks im going to make a list of all the products i need and then go and buy the lot in one swoop, i dont mind spending £100 plus to get the good stuff. From what ive read lambs wool mit is a must have, any good recommendations? I'l probs be buying most the stuff at halfords. keep um coming lads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycoon Posted April 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 Its Black Geoff, hard colour i know. Probs just one set up for the moment until i become more knowledgable. I can spare half a day every 2 weeks probs. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahaydock Posted April 2, 2007 Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 I would also consider a grit guard for the rinse bucket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted April 2, 2007 Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 Hello Tycoon Ok, so you want something that looks great bust lasts a while so lets start attttt!! Ok Clearkote Vanilla Moose, its a paintwork cleaner and glaze with a little bit sealing properties. It very very good at hiding swirls and you can use it on your glass. If you want to make things a bit better order Clearkote Red Moose Machine Glaze. Mix Vanila and red 50-50 in a container and apply. To finish, Clearkote Carnuba Moose Wax would be my choice or Megs #16 Paste Wax. CMW looks wetter, #16 looks sharpe and will give you mirror like finishes. #16 is a 3 month quite durable product wither better looks on black then Collinite. CMW is about 2 months but looks better, often used in place of Pinnacle Souveran wax on Red and Black when the weather isnt so nice. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted April 2, 2007 Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 Buckets and Grit guard are great, as are couple of mitts!! Autoglyms New Custom Wheel Cleaner is good for the wheels along with the Megs. Wheel Spoke brush and maybe the AG brush for the faces. Wheel Sealant: PB's or Chemical guys!! APC of your choice for the tyres and arches. Shampoo: Gold Class, Mothers Cali. Gold, Poorboys Super Slick and Suds/Wax, Duragloss 901 CWC. Tyres: Black like they are new: PB's Bold and Bright, Shiney and slick: Megs Endurance. Clay is a good thing to have on hand as its a tar remover as things could get messy with Prezza!! Clearkote do a good product for your rubber and vinyl as Autoglyms Bumper Care also triumphs here. A metal polish, (which ever online store supplies your other gear) will have a top notch product for your exhaust tips. Anything else?? Let me know!! Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycoon Posted April 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 Cheers Geoff very comprehensive. Could you posibly list the stages of cleaning as im still confused as to them all and how often you would do them, i.e, rinse, shampoo, dry, glaze?, seal, wax as you can see im off the pace on all this! Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz7 Posted April 3, 2007 Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 Mark, the stages of your detail, as a general guide, can consist of: Wash (two bucket method, mitts, drying towel, quality shampoo) Clay Polish Glaze Sealant Wax. Some great products have already been mentioned in the thread, here's my recommendations: Euro W mitts, Poorboy's Waffle Weave Drying Towel, Poorboy's SS&S or P21s Bodywork Conditioning Shampoo ClearKote Vanilla Moose Glaze or Poorboy's Polish with Carnauba Blue ClearKote Red Moose Glaze Poorboy's EX ClearKote Carnauba Moose Wax OR Meg's #16 OR Collinite #915. Wheels - Poorboy's Wheel Sealant + Bold and Bright or Meg's Endurance (i usually go for the BnB though) P21s Metal Polishing Soap Make sure that you don't spend lots of money on the above, then skimp on towels and applicators - cheap ones can ruin your job. Go for Poorboy's Mega-Mega Plush towels - huge, and they do a fantastic job. There's a new Poorboy's Velvet Finishing Towel becoming available soon too. HTH Gareth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted April 3, 2007 Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 You can really save yourself some time by mixing RMG and Vanila Moose together. Also applying RMG over a product with sealing properties means it wont penetrate the paintwork, most will get wiped off and you will not get the full benefit of the product. I wouldent use a sealant, to many products just disturbs the look!! IMO of course!! You will already have Vanilla moose down so that should be good enough. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycoon Posted April 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 Right lads im starting to get an idea of what products im going to need, Now for the rest: Lambs wool mits - To clean the car at shampoo stage? Waffle Towel - for drying car? Applicator pads - for aplying wax? What do i use to buff the wax off? Is that everything for exterior cleaning? Any reccomendation for above pads and towels, bearing in mind i'll be purchasing all this from Halfords prob! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted April 3, 2007 Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 Hello Tycoon UM!! Big Probs, we have mentioned alot of stuff Halfords dont sell!! But i will carry on: Mitts are to wash with, Megs ones @ Halfords. Some say there own brand are good too. Waffel Towel, Halfords only have WaterMagnet, mant will tell with black to steer clear. I use Poorboys, check our site sponsors!! Applicators: Either the round foam ones or the MicroFibre ones. MF towels: Like Megs Supreme Shines. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahaydock Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 I would certainly consdier using an online retailer and buying the right stuff opposed to just making do with stuff from halfrauds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycoon Posted April 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Can you guy's recommend a good online store to get the products mentioned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich1068 Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 I can recommend http://www.cleanandshiny.co.uk/ Very helpful and lightening delivery. Less than 24 hours for some #476S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 ALl the of the site sponors seem to be pretty good!! I was just going to say that Detailed Obession have the Clearkote stuff plus EX sealant if you want to use it in there "RED CAR" kit for £49.99. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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