First clean critique!

[Mattyc531]

Hi all,

Very much a new guy to the forum but been scouring the boards the past few weeks!

Did my first clean of my new 2015 28i today and was wondering if you guys could critique my method. I’m new to actually caring while cleaning my car so just want to make sure I’m not doing more harm than good. It came out alright (I think), but I know can definitely improve

So I started off using demon machine rapid dirt remover, not actually sure how much difference this made. I then power washed it down and used meguiars ultimate car was and wax with the 2 bucket method using and dried it down with micro fibre towel. I then followed this by using the meguiars quick wax and dried with a different microfibres towel.
When I came back to the car it looked really streaky so I buffed it again with a new microfibre.

I’ve also got the autoglym clay detailing pack which I wanted to use but was a bit apprehensive, any suggestions for using it?

I’ve a pretty significant chip on the front bumper (pic attached) any one know if this can be fixed? Along with this there’s something on the bonnet I’m not sure what it is, doesn’t look like a scratch, maybe another deeper little chip?

One problem I had was everything seemed to dry up and leave water marks before I could get around to the next step/drying. I also live in a very hard area water of England which I’ve read doesn’t help.

Anyway any advice on what else to do would be great! I’ve included a few pics for you guys to judge my attempt!

Thanks Matt

[buzyg]

Looks shiny from hear.

Probably needs a finger nails worth of plastic filler to sort the bumper less that hundred notes should have that vanished by any decent chips away type artisan.

[mr wilks]

Black paint, hard water & warm temps won't be helping.
Without getting into a 6-8hr routine & countless products i can recommend for a "beginner" (or semi pro) PS beadmaker.
Apply when car has been washed to aid a streak free high gloss finish.
It isn't very durable so needs to be reapplied after every wash but it's easy to use & gives a great touch / finish.that can flatter a casual car cleaner.
& welcome to the forum

[Pooltee]

That doesn’t look too bad at all from the pictures. You are always going to have a struggle with a black car as it is the least forgiving colour for imperfections and an inaccuracy during the wash process. This time of year with the sun being stronger and the temperature warmer really doesn’t help.

I find it easier to wash a panel and then rinse immediately during the summer. It’s a bit of a faff and does take longer but it stops the shampoo from drying out on the panel too quickly. After each panel the whole car gets rinsed again until the job is done. Not ideal if you are on a water meter!

Heavy imperfections such as swirl marks, light scratches bird dropping stains etc will require machine polishing. You can either pay somebody too so this, or use the money to purchase the lot yourself.

The process is not difficult, more time consuming. A full detail on any of my cars takes me in excess of 2 days, but once done, and so long as you wash correctly thereafter, it doesn’t need to be performed again for a quite a while.

[GAZA62]

As above having a black car is hard work its the reason i avoided one even though with cream leather they look really good.

As for washing in warm weather i do a section at a time and dry so i do all windows and wing mirrors then dry them the bonnet then dry and so on but i use a garden hose so its not as powerful as a jet wash i can control where i want the water to go as i live in a hard water area.

As for using clay its very easy just make sure you do not drop it as its not usable again if you do and you have to keep re kneading the clay to keep a clean surface and use plenty of QD to keep the surface nice and slippery like wet sanding follow this with a polish then either seal or wax to finish i seal and then wax on top as i like the warm glow you get from Carnuba but you dont need to for protection.

Working by hand i use the AG SRP and followed up with AG EGP which you can layer for a great gloss both available in Halfords.

[Mattyc531]

Cheers guys, as a single guy in lockdown I’ve plenty of time for cleaning and find it quite relaxing even though you see all the scratches you never noticed before.

Pooltee wHen you say you do a 2day wash is your car in a garage or outside? And what stage do you stop at? I’m just wondering if I can do any work on it today but I keep it outside and (unsurprisingly) it’s rained over night

A full detail on any of my cars takes me in excess of 2 days, but once done, and so long as you wash correctly thereafter, it doesn’t need to be performed again for a quite a while.

[Pooltee]

Cheers guys, as a single guy in lockdown I’ve plenty of time for cleaning and find it quite relaxing even though you see all the scratches you never noticed before.



Pooltee wHen you say you do a 2day wash is your car in a garage or outside? And what stage do you stop at? I’m just wondering if I can do any work on it today but I keep it outside and (unsurprisingly) it’s rained over night

A full detail on any of my cars takes me in excess of 2 days, but once done, and so long as you wash correctly thereafter, it doesn’t need to be performed again for a quite a while.

Yes the major work is all carried out under cover and the car does not brave the elements until the job is finished. I have the luxury of being able to borrow space in a large clean workshop to perform my work.

A cost effective alternative would be to have a car cover to put over the car between stages if a garage is not available.

Paul

[ZedPhwoah]

Mattyc531, I’d recommend the clay treatment, I’ve got a clay bar... while I don’t always have time to use it... it’s great for removing tar, sap etc and getting it nice and smooth. Then a quick wash off of the residue, dry and polish.

Out of interest where are you based?

[Bing]

Looks great

In warm weather, like above I used to do a panel at a time and dry as I worked round the car. Nowadays I have an in-line water purifier for rinsing like you’ll find here :

https://www.cleaningspot.co.uk/water-so ... -and-parts

You will need a tank, the resin, a funnel for filling the tank that is somewhere else in the site and a TDS meter to measure the ppm content of the water so you know when to change the resin.

I no longer dry my car using towels, as it saves time on a wash only, and drying is just another opportunity to add swirls. Because the water is purified it dries without leaving spots. What it does mean is that unless it’s really warm I have to wait until the next day to polish / wax etc. once it’s dry, though I have a garage to hide it in overnight.

If you clay the do it after the initial wash and use lots of lubricant - a quick detailer is a good option. Also a clay mitt instead of a clay bar works well.

Also, use two buckets, one with clean water in to rinse your mitt between sections and stop you dragging dirt all over the car.

[Silverstar]

My car is black and I've had it ceramic coated, it makes cleaning such a breeze. If you want an easy job keeping a black car clean I think it's essential. Since I can't wash the car at home I use one of the various jet wash facilities around here, they use purified water that doesn't leave water marks but I still wash it in the shade using the two bucket method and then I stick it through their roller wash but only on the blower / dryer cycle and then drive home by the time I get home most of the car is dry, then I just take a microfiber and go over any wet bits remaining and the door bonnet and boot shuts / jambs. In all this routine take me no than an hour, add more time for the wheels windows and interior. If I could wash at home I would get one of those water purifiers fitted to the outdoor water tap but when it gets really hot even washing in the shade means you have to wash the car in sections.

[Jfgoldfish]

Looks great, black is a hard colour to keep clean. Buying a black car is basically like taking on a part time job down at the local car wash!

My advice would be to only use the clay bar if necessary (if the paint has contaminants in the surface). You always have to follow up with a compound or sometimes just a polish to remove the minor marks the clay can inflict.

Clay is a fantastic tool but if is only one step of paint decontamination (which is only one step of paint correction). Use it with a little caution to avoid damaging your paint. I would highly suggest using a fallout remover first to get rid of some of the nasty particles rather than dragging them across your paintwork.