Car Cleaning and Polishing Guide

TurnipFarmer

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Guys, does anybody have a guide or could give me a few pointers on how to polish my car after washing correctly?

I want to make sure that Im doing it in the correct order and using the right equipment, any help would be great

cheers
 
I cant seem to find an answer to my question.

So you wash the car using the two bucket technique, when it is still wet do you wax it or is it polish it? what is the difference between the two?

What steps d oyou guys to when washing your car? I dont want to damage the paintwork on the car by using the wrong stuff.
 
To give your car just a real good clean do the following:

1) Rinse car off
2) Wash using 2 bucket technique and lambswool washmitt - using plenty of suds with warm water and cold water in your rinse bucket.
3) Rinse car
4) Clay bar your car - a kit can be picked up for about £10 from Halfords called Meguiars Quick Detailing Kit and it will remove all contaminents on your car (tar / tree sap etc etc). You can do this whilst your car is wet from rinsing as it aids the clay moving along each panel.
5) Rinse car again - wash if your proper anal.
6) Dry car using a good waffle weave towel - I use a flexiblade to help remove alot of the water and use the towel to finish off.
7) Now polish using applicator pad and microfibre / terry towel to remove
8) Now wax using applicator pad annd microfibre / terry towel to remove

This sounds a tad extreme but will only take a few hours and will make maintaining your car a whole lot easier over the winter months. You should only really do step 4 once every 6 months or so.

Also to answer your question about the difference between polish and wax. A polish is an abrasive compound that will enhance your paintwork, a wax is a sealant that will keep your paintwork looking the way that you have polished it. :thumbsup:
 
cheers for that mate, just one last question

how often to polish and wax?

There are people that I know that will polish and wax weekly. I personally think that this is overkill and look to give mine a clean like above (carrying out step 4 when needed) every month.

If you have a good quality carnuba wax (P21 is good !!) then you will see it (the wax) wearing off as the beading on your car when water is on it degrades.

But if you want you can still wash your car weekly, just use a shampoo like Meguiars Soft gel which will clear your paintwork of mud etc but not strip away your wax sealant / polish. :thumbsup:
 
Dont claybar your car more than once or twice a year.
A good quality wax will last for ages.

Remember not to clean your car in circles (get scratches).

I do what Si80 does but keep it topped up by just cleaning and applying wax every month or so.
 
What's best to sort my Black Paintwork out ?

It feels like glass so it's been kept polished well but there are loads of little tiny scratches.

Tried a bit of T Cut on one panel but it made no difference at all.


Also my Wifes Metallic Dark Blue Cars paintwork on the rear quarter looks really dull and flat - Could this be caused by the sun as that side is facing the sun all day and it wasn't too bad last year when I last polished it.

Nothing seems to bring it up like the rest of the car either though.

Thanks
 
The tiny scratches you refer to are swirls, and they're caused by poor cleaning techniques where you push microscopic dirt particles around your paint leaving scratches like an ice skating rink. The only way to remove these to a good standard is to machine polish using something like a Porter Cable polisher and quality micro-abrasive liquid polishes. The machines aren't cheap and it is easy to damage your car by being over-enthusiastic, so often it's best to pay an experienced car detailer to do this and then look after if properly after.

With regards to waxes and sealant it's worth noting that there are two basic types. Wax is usually Carnuba based with products having varying quantities of pure Brazilian Carnuba, the cheaper it is usually the less it has and thus won't last as long. Carnuba is very repellent to dirt and water and extremely hard wearing. The downside is that as a wax it becomes unstable with heat. Parked in the sun a cars surface can exceed 400ºF, and Carnuba is only stable until about 220ºF and so decays more quickly in the summer months or hot climates. This is where polymer based sealants come in which can be stable to over 440ºF, and thus best used from spring to autumn, reverting to wax products through the winter.

My own personal regime sees me wash weekly with 2 buckets, lambswool mitt and a quality shampoo such as Meguiars or Slick'n'Suds. Rinse, wash, rinse, then dry with a waffle towel, maybe using a blade on the glass.
In spring I'll set a day aside to fully wash, clay, wash again, polish (Meguiars or Chemical Guys) and then seal with a polymer sealant (Megs NXT or Chemical Guys M Sealer). As they're so quick and easy to apply I may add another layer after a wash if I'm going anywhere special or I just fancy a few hours in the garden. In the autumn I repeat the process but using a Carnuba wax (Simoniz Original) instead. Sometimes if I have the time I'll re-apply the wax/sealant 2-3 days later when it has fully set to give extra durability.

So, two full days (5-8 hours) a year, then 1 hour a week, maybe less depending on the weather.
 
I am in broad agreement with Davidwatsonok, expect for the risks about using a Porter Cable machine. One of the key points about a PC is that is it a low risk product to use. In normal use, it would take quite a lot of effort or sheer negligence to damage the paint.

Whilst I do not want to start a wax -v- sealant debate, the longevity of a sealant would offer greater protection in the winter than a convention wax. This is not to say a wax cannot be used in winter or summer, they can but one should be aware of the strengths and weakness of the chosen products.

The key to a great shine is in the paint prep phase i.e. polishing, the choice of wax/sealant is more about personal preference
 
Impressive. Very nice articles and a high standard of work.
 
No need to put so much effort in, autoglym shampoo followed by autoglym polish suffices for the paintwork, but to get a truly decent finish you need to spend time on the wheels, interior and glass with the correct products.
 
No need to put so much effort in, autoglym shampoo followed by autoglym polish suffices for the paintwork, but to get a truly decent finish you need to spend time on the wheels, interior and glass with the correct products.

I tend to agree, as much as i'd like to be able to find the time or inclanation to stick to one of the more "intensive" guides above a quick soapy wash 'n' dry with a coating of Autoglym now and again and a bit of wonder wheels on the alloys is as much as my car's or bikes ever see.

I'm not saying that the above method's aren't better as I'm sure they are but for the average man in the street who just wants their car/bike to look clean and have a bit of paint prtoection they may be a bit OTT

Incidentally i generally use a polish called Crystal-glo on my Bike (think it's an acrylic based one) great stuff though, no dust from it, no swirl marks and no chalking on the plastic's.

Only find it in bike shops for some reason :confused:

Another thing...reading the above posts; Do people not use Chamois leather's anymore :confused:
 
Great advice here. :)

I'll add a little more tagged on to the already excellent instructions.


1) Rinse car off
2) Wash using 2 bucket technique and lambswool wash mitt - using plenty of suds with warm water and cold water in your rinse bucket.
3) Rinse car
4) Clay bar your car - a kit can be picked up for about £10 from Halfords called Meguiars Quick Detailing Kit and it will remove all contaminants on your car (tar / tree sap etc etc). You can do this whilst your car is wet from rinsing as it aids the clay moving along each panel. Make sure you always move the clay in straight lines toward the front and rear of the car to avoid swirl marks.
5) Rinse car again - wash if your proper anal.
6) Use open end of the hose to sheet the water off the car and reduce the amount of drying required.
7) Dry car using a good waffle weave towel - I use a flexiblade to help remove alot of the water and use the towel to finish off.
8) Now polish using applicator pad and microfibre / terry towel to remove. Again move in straight lines, never circular.
9) If you are going to use a polymer based sealant, now is the time to apply it. Apply one or two coats according to the manufacturers instructions.
9) Then if you want a little more shine now wax using applicator pad and microfibre / terry towel to remove

A few good products you can use are as follows.

Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo

Carlack 68 Sealant Kit for those hot summer months

R222 Carnauba Wax formally known as P21S :rolleyes:

Sonus Sheepskin Wash Mitt

Miracle Dryer - Ultra Plush 25" x 36"

Microfibre Detailing Cloth

Results :D

GM6I7954%20(Medium).JPG


GM6I7974%20(Medium).JPG


GM6I7947%20(Medium).JPG
 
Another thing...reading the above posts; Do people not use Chamois leather's anymore :confused:

They tend to remove all the wax and sealer's you have used. Better to use a huge microfibre towel. :)

Mark
 
Another thing...reading the above posts; Do people not use Chamois leather's anymore :confused:

The main reason for not using a chamois is that it has no pile, so any remaining grit has nowhere to go and will get pushed around the paint. I do have one, but much like a blade it's for the glass only. I always cringe when I pass those hand car-wash places and see them passing a well used chamois through a mangle, embedding the dirt into it making it like a piece of sandpaper :eek:
 
The main reason for not using a chamois is that it has no pile, so any remaining grit has nowhere to go and will get pushed around the paint. I do have one, but much like a blade it's for the glass only. I always cringe when I pass those hand car-wash places and see them passing a well used chamois through a mangle, embedding the dirt into it making it like a piece of sandpaper :eek:

ah i see.

Might treat my paintwork to one of those towels then ;)
 
I tend to agree, as much as i'd like to be able to find the time or inclanation to stick to one of the more "intensive" guides above a quick soapy wash 'n' dry with a coating of Autoglym now and again and a bit of wonder wheels on the alloys is as much as my car's or bikes ever see.

I'm not saying that the above method's aren't better as I'm sure they are but for the average man in the street who just wants their car/bike to look clean and have a bit of paint prtoection they may be a bit OTT

Incidentally i generally use a polish called Crystal-glo on my Bike (think it's an acrylic based one) great stuff though, no dust from it, no swirl marks and no chalking on the plastic's.

Only find it in bike shops for some reason :confused:

Another thing...reading the above posts; Do people not use Chamois leather's anymore :confused:
How often do you "autogylm" the car? Before I switched to the more detailed guide I used to polish the car once a month or so, now it gets the full treatment roughly once every six months and just a (two bucket) wash inbetween with the odd go over on the interior. The only exception is the leather in the interor, that gets conditioned every month as its very soft.

I think I spend less time cleaning the car in a 12 month period than I did before. Plus the two bucket method means I can wash both cars with just one bucket of soapy water.

I'd also recommend getting a decent sealent for the alloys, I can clean mine with just a gentle pressure of my (soft) wheel brush and no nasty chemicals.
 
Autoglym should last between 4-6 months, assuming your using SRP & EGP (which can also be layered if required)
 
I'm saving for a foam gun . Have the little Karcher one , but I want to coat everything in foam :D


[youtube]sVW1iyymmFk&rel[/youtube]
 
BTW, I don't buy my microfibre towels from car shops, I get them from outdoor shops, eg. Gelert store when I occasionally have a wander up Snowdon or online - you can get a bigger towel for the same price this way...
 
Oh and a vote for the Supagard range of cleaner / sealant - usually really expensive to have done professionally but like everything else that can't be bought from a store is available on ebay!!
 

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