Advice on Car Cleaning Products

xxx_ibzy_xxx

Hi All

Looking to get into cleaning my own car.

In terms of polishing I did think of a machine however I don't have any experience in polishing before so perhaps hand polishing is a better option for me.

Secondly which products would you recommend if I was on a budget basis?

Im aware of the 2 bucket method.

For a clay bar I was looking to get the G3 Clay mitt. is this a good option?

Many thanks,

brodders1979

Although fun and rewarding detailing can be a very expensive path to take.

What do you want to get out of it? Simply to enhance the shine on your car after you wash it? Protect the paint work? Restore lacklustre paintwork? Take it to shows etc

Also what make and model do you have as manufacturers have varying levels of paint softness. Most German cars have hard paintwork that can handle claying without scratching but japanese cars tend to be a bit softer so you need to be a bit more considerate.

True Romance

I would suggest searching on YouTube for car detailing videos. Easy to make expensive mistakes if not done correctly.

True Romance

Have a read of this thread.

Detailing Thread

xxx_ibzy_xxx

Pretty much enhance the shine when I wash it and to protect the paint work.

I have two golfs 09-12 plate. One is white the other is silver. I won’t be taking it to any shows.

Leo31291

There's no such thing as budget when it comes to detailing

In terms of how many products you need I'm gonna tell you this, better to buy one good quality product than to go through 3 cheaper ones. For example I thought I could go cheap with alloy wheel brushes. The idea of spending £30-40 on wheel woolies seemed crazy to me. But now I've got a whole bucket of different ones and ended up spending twice as much. So while it may seem mad to spend £100 on a selection of branded towels, microfibres and mitts, it'll be worth it. Buy once.

Polishing by hand isn't worth the effort. Been there done that. You'll want to invest in a dual action polisher, it's the only way. They're safe for your paint due to the mechanism. I would recommend forensic detailings guide, you can't go wrong after watching that. In fact, go through his channel, his videos might not be concise but Jon has a playlist of Best products which will come in handy.

Shampoos and washes. Stick with the main brands, Autoglym & Bilt Hamber offer good priced pH neutral shampoos that clean well. Chemical guys offer shampoos with added gloss and wax which are more expensive but nice to use as well. This is personal preference.

For cleaning windows. One brand is all you need. Angelwax. Get their glass cleaner and their sealant; H2GO.

mjn

Have a read of the Detailing thread that @True Romance has linked to.

xxx_ibzy_xxx

thank you all

djcla

Start with the basics first
3 buckets with grit guards (wash, wheels, rinse)
Microfiber mits I use 3 one for wheels, one for sills and lower sections and  one for main body.
Snow foam
Pre wash
Shampoo
Wheel cleaner
Microfiber towels

I would crack this first before attempting polishing and claybars .

Ammonyc on YouTube has good videos but he is is OCD

By hand I use the following once fully clean and prepped

Poorboys blackhole
Poorboys ex-p
Poorboys Natty's blue wax

All easy to apply and take off

ben16v

i thought i had written that on first reading!!!  but use white diamond instead of blackhole on the lighter colour cars  

but yeah get onto the detailing thread