Washing
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To make washing a breeze I invested in some dodo juice products which are excellent (bit more expensive than some)I used a pre-wax cleaner to take off the wax that the dealer had put on before applying dodo juice wax. To maintain this I use dodo juice born to be mild shampoo, rinse off and dry with a special drying towel. The born to be mild is ph neutral so won't strip the wax you have just applied. It's important to use ph neutral shampoo if you use a separate wax as products like turtle wax will remove the wax after a few washes.
Defo an autoglym fan! I've tried dodo juice and meguiars but prefer autoglym dont ask why I just do haha and some of the products I use smell better than what I use in the shower!
For a 1st wash I would do a full detail, including:
Jet wash all the car, wash all over starting from the top down using 2 bucket method ( 1 bucket full of soap suds, 2nd bucket just water purely to rinse sponge or wash mit etc), do wheels last, dry off, clay bar all over (even though its a brand new car) apply a good decent wax. I have the autoglym hd wax and products from the hd range. Wipe all door sills and boot shut and under the bonnet and the glass polish all windows apart from the windscreen! Thats about it I think! O wheels! After drying the wheels apply alloy sealer buff that in then spray on tyre dressing and buff that off lol
For other washes just wash it then instead of drying use autoglym aqua wax and follow that procedure its a lot faster and gives great results!
For a 1st wash I would do a full detail, including:
Jet wash all the car, wash all over starting from the top down using 2 bucket method ( 1 bucket full of soap suds, 2nd bucket just water purely to rinse sponge or wash mit etc), do wheels last, dry off, clay bar all over (even though its a brand new car) apply a good decent wax. I have the autoglym hd wax and products from the hd range. Wipe all door sills and boot shut and under the bonnet and the glass polish all windows apart from the windscreen! Thats about it I think! O wheels! After drying the wheels apply alloy sealer buff that in then spray on tyre dressing and buff that off lol
For other washes just wash it then instead of drying use autoglym aqua wax and follow that procedure its a lot faster and gives great results!
Auto finesse products are grand at an affordable price, highly recommended here.
Otherwise, I've used Hubikote shampoo recently, which was fantastic!
Prima Hydro/Hydromax as a sealant, Hydromax gives an unbelievable amount if gloss!
I currently use Swissvax wax, which, although expensive, is incredible! It lasts aaaages and gives a brilliant wet look lustre to well polished/sealed paint.
Quick detailer - Prima Slick. It's polymer based, really easy to use and smells great. Plus it's quite vivid green so easy to apply well.
I'd give the car a iron/fallout removal treatment first time too. Wax Tec Fall Off V2 is outstanding. Nice thick gel in spray form, thick enough to dwell long enough, thin enough to spread easily. It bleeds brilliant purple so you can see it works. It is also much, much less noxious than most fall out removers.
A good quality wash mitt is a must, lambs wool I great, the Auto Finesse one is what I use and it's perfect for the job. Good quality, soft, clean microfibre cloths are also a must to prevent swirl marks. Keep them cleans and don't drop them on the floor! Same goes for the wash mitt.
Also don't go mental with the pressure washer, set it to a gentle stream and spray the water at an acute angle to the pair to prevent smashing all the dirt particles into the clearcoat and forming swirls.
Seems like a lot I know! But, IMHO, those steps will keep your car show car clean! Enjoy
Otherwise, I've used Hubikote shampoo recently, which was fantastic!
Prima Hydro/Hydromax as a sealant, Hydromax gives an unbelievable amount if gloss!
I currently use Swissvax wax, which, although expensive, is incredible! It lasts aaaages and gives a brilliant wet look lustre to well polished/sealed paint.
Quick detailer - Prima Slick. It's polymer based, really easy to use and smells great. Plus it's quite vivid green so easy to apply well.
I'd give the car a iron/fallout removal treatment first time too. Wax Tec Fall Off V2 is outstanding. Nice thick gel in spray form, thick enough to dwell long enough, thin enough to spread easily. It bleeds brilliant purple so you can see it works. It is also much, much less noxious than most fall out removers.
A good quality wash mitt is a must, lambs wool I great, the Auto Finesse one is what I use and it's perfect for the job. Good quality, soft, clean microfibre cloths are also a must to prevent swirl marks. Keep them cleans and don't drop them on the floor! Same goes for the wash mitt.
Also don't go mental with the pressure washer, set it to a gentle stream and spray the water at an acute angle to the pair to prevent smashing all the dirt particles into the clearcoat and forming swirls.
Seems like a lot I know! But, IMHO, those steps will keep your car show car clean! Enjoy
I did yea, I meant to get back to you. I'll do it now! Haha.
And yea, that Glacier genuinely is the stuff dreams are made of. It looks so **** good! I'll pop a good pic here in a sec
Edit: I couldn't decide which was best, so have a few
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Edited by: Davec86
And yea, that Glacier genuinely is the stuff dreams are made of. It looks so **** good! I'll pop a good pic here in a sec
Edit: I couldn't decide which was best, so have a few
Edited by: Davec86
OMG. I really just thought it would be a simple wash with a quality shampoo, end of story!!
I don't have any of this kind of kit and don't think I'd have the muscle power of energy to complete all those steps even if I did have the products.
Why is it so important to do a "removal"? Surely it comes with a perfect wax job from the factory?
I don't have any of this kind of kit and don't think I'd have the muscle power of energy to complete all those steps even if I did have the products.
Why is it so important to do a "removal"? Surely it comes with a perfect wax job from the factory?
ljduk1 said:
Wow that's what a lot of people think but sometimes the factory wax or the showroom cleanse before delivery can just be a rushed job by some1 on minimum wage who gets a bonus for the most cars he washes in a day! So not a very good job! So it's very important to remove all the cheap crap they put on to make way for the quality products that make a quality job!
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I think there's a big difference between washing and maintaining your car to actually detailing it which is what some on this thread are alluring to. For those who just wish to maintain and protect their investment a regular wash with a ph neutral shampoo and an occasional wax is you need. If you have loads of time on your hands then full detailing is both rewarding and therapeutic. And a bit expensive!
Thanks Rickenbacker - I was starting to panic. At the risk of sounding pathetic, I'm a girl who has no experience of 'car detailing'. When reading the advice I started to panic that my car was going to suffer if I didn't follow what seemed like a 20-step process. I've never heard of a clay bar never mind used one and I'd be nervous about trying it in case I got it wrong.
Should I take it to a car detailed for a first prep then just wash and wax it myself after that?
Thanks everybody for the advice, even if I feel unable to apply it myself.
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Should I take it to a car detailed for a first prep then just wash and wax it myself after that?
Thanks everybody for the advice, even if I feel unable to apply it myself.
Haha to make it easy get a nice shampoo an mitt and work fromtop down! And promise you will never use one of those whirlly car washes haha or do what my sister did untill I shouted at her and have your car washed once a year when it goes in for a service at vw haha
Itzben - I promise to follow the 2 bucket method with Autoglym and to fully dry it off with microfibres cloths. I will read more and maybe attempt the additional steps in due course. I was just thinking that an inexperienced detailer could do more harm than good. Cheers!
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A brush?! Poor car!AlanG said:
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If you fancy a go at detailing at some stage this will help, you don't have to use these products but the process is still the same.. some good tips here http://www.dodojuice.com/dodo-juice-detailing.htmlljduk1 said:Thanks Rickenbacker - I was starting to panic. At the risk of sounding pathetic, I'm a girl who has no experience of 'car detailing'. When reading the advice I started to panic that my car was going to suffer if I didn't follow what seemed like a 20-step process. I've never heard of a clay bar never mind used one and I'd be nervous about trying it in case I got it wrong.
Should I take it to a car detailed for a first prep then just wash and wax it myself after that?
Thanks everybody for the advice, even if I feel unable to apply it myself.![]()
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