are expensive details a waste of time and money
- Thread starter mad4slalom
- Start date
When washing, get as much dirt / dust off the car as possible before touching it - rinse with lots of water and snow foam if you want before starting to wash. Wash with a microfibre or lambswool mitt using the 2 bucket method. Do straight strokes front to back, not going round in circles. As for drying, do not use the silicon blades - get even a small piece of dirt on it and you have some lovely scratches. Use a microfibre towel and just place it on the surface, wait and then lift it straight up - do not move it on the paintwork. Alternatively (and better) get a leaf blower and blow the water off.
As for polishing / waxing, clay the car first to get any remaining dirt off the paintwork. If you drop the clay, bin it straight away. There are a number of waxes available that you apply using your fingers rather than a pad. You can feel if there is any grit / dirt with these.
Ultimately, its about touching the paint as little as possible, and when you do, use the right cloth (soft microfibre). Also, don't reuse the microfibres. They can be picked up cheaply in bulk and are never the same after first use / wash.
As for polishing / waxing, clay the car first to get any remaining dirt off the paintwork. If you drop the clay, bin it straight away. There are a number of waxes available that you apply using your fingers rather than a pad. You can feel if there is any grit / dirt with these.
Ultimately, its about touching the paint as little as possible, and when you do, use the right cloth (soft microfibre). Also, don't reuse the microfibres. They can be picked up cheaply in bulk and are never the same after first use / wash.
mad4slalom
Senior member
adamski, contactless carwash ? never heard of one but if contactless how can it clean, i run removal vans and we all know if you jet wash a vehicle it removes thick visible road grime but theres no way it cleans the surface sufficiently to then apply polish or wax , you wouls need either more pressure than i can see would be safe or some pretty harsh chemicals, will investigate further. :? 
I prefer DRIVING my car. Not taking hours cleaning it, then it getting dirty within 25mins.
I do clean the car but use a bucket some sponges and a mitt. Some shampoo and every now and then I might polish it. Use the car everyday driving on crappy, dirty roads. Just don't see the point in taking hours upon end getting it immaculate.
I have nothing against people who do detail etc BUT think on the hours you are cleaning it you could be driving it!!!! Roof down (if it goes down), getting out and about.
I do clean the car but use a bucket some sponges and a mitt. Some shampoo and every now and then I might polish it. Use the car everyday driving on crappy, dirty roads. Just don't see the point in taking hours upon end getting it immaculate.
I have nothing against people who do detail etc BUT think on the hours you are cleaning it you could be driving it!!!! Roof down (if it goes down), getting out and about.
He's got a point though - it takes me about 2 hours to wash my car, an hot of which is the wheels. Add in polish and wax, that's at least another 2 hours. Then the interior (which I just can't face doing all the time) another hour. That's a lot of wasted hooning time unless you are retired or have a job that pays lots of £ on a part time basis. Especially if you use the car every day 
To the OP - don't use a silicone blade - they're one of the biggest culprits for causing scratches. I use a synthetic spray sealer (AMDetails Seal), then wipe off with a microfibre cloth, its one less process where i'm making pressured contact with the bodywork and its as good as any wax 
mad4slalom said:chris g,you put your car through a mechanical carwash !!!!! what are you, crazy ? or at least misinformed, i have been into hobby cars for over 35 years and its universally recognised that the quickest and sureest way to damage your paint is to put it through a car wash, they are for the shiny suited travelling salesman company owned mondeo so he turns up at his next client looking clean. to be fair my swirls are from the previous owners and i have'nt yet given it a full machine polish. but i am meticulous re clean microfibres , cloths towels, 2 buckets etc etc, if yours is a lighter colour ie silver you may not be aware of the swirls , but look closely when the sun is on the car, i'll wager you will be pretty horrified or your not sufficiently analized yet in the frustrations of trying to get your paintwork right !!!!
a mechanical carwash on a roadster would be fun im sure (which mine is) - no - this is one of those teams of lads with sponges who spray hot wax on at the end. So the wax is possibly less shiny, but on the occasions when i do get bucket out or spend any time cleaning the roof, the sapphire black paintwork looks good to me. (but then i have just been prescribed new specs so possibly just cant see them) - my neighbours all take their gleaming porsches and the like there too - so im either a misinformed sheep (baa) or they are ok
mad4slalom
Senior member
yes am thinking along the same lines and have gone back to a quality chamois leather, while we're on the subject of swirls, i remember a very grumpy showroom shine salesman at the westpoint kit car show last year as i dared to query how rubbing. road grime into your paint with a couple of cloths wouldnt leave swirls', his demo panel was "dirtied" with supposed road grime but when i tested it with a finger he got extremely rude,,trying to belittle me in front of other gullible onlookers, but the grime on the panel had no grit in it like proper road grime does, obviosly a concoction to hoodwink punters.certainly wouldnt risk it on a dirty car, i have bought some (not from him) tho and find it excellent for polishing dust and fingerprints off polyester grand piano cases when we deliver them, there again not many pianos are driven along farm lanes. 
mad4slalom
Senior member
so not contactless at all then but sponges that have washed many a muddy rear valance before you drive in, and an east european asylum seeker on the min wage, mmmm i can see him using a load of care , and two buckets , Not.! as i said , look closer in the sun. maybe not so important on a roadster 
mad4slalom said:so not contactless at all then but sponges that have washed many a muddy rear valance before you drive in, and an east european asylum seeker on the min wage, mmmm i can see him using a load of care , and two buckets , Not.! as i said , look closer in the sun. maybe not so important on a roadster
indeed, but as i have scratched many panels on previous cars after pinching the kitchen t towels, and given myself numerous swirls on previous mondeos and the like, I find that their jet wash - soap - sponge - jetwash off - wax actually has a very low level of contact with the paint and im not seeing any scratches or left on wax that my hamfisted efforts would provide, and the wheels are perfect - so im sticking with it
mad4slalom
Senior member
long as you're happy 
although you shouldnt underestimate your abilities, also i find aside from the swirls winding me up it can be quite theraputic. shine on 1
although you shouldnt underestimate your abilities, also i find aside from the swirls winding me up it can be quite theraputic. shine on 1 mad4slalom
Senior member
long as you're happy although you shouldnt underestimate your abilities, also i find aside from the swirls winding me up it can be quite theraputic. shine on 1
although you shouldnt underestimate your abilities, also i find aside from the swirls winding me up it can be quite theraputic. shine on 1 The five star wash in Liverpool is one of those hand wash places and does a very good job. £9 is well worth it. The only thing I don't like is however they do it they leave this crap on the window. When it's wet you can't see s**t as it smears. It was that bad that I had to stop in Belgium somewhere and buy glass cleaner at 12pm to see
I got my chamoise from Costco and its ace but as I'm crap at washing the car it's always drier than a cammels chuff
I got my chamoise from Costco and its ace but as I'm crap at washing the car it's always drier than a cammels chuff
Taz x said:my method is not to wash and polish the car
I am increasingly embracing this method.
The problem is, once you do it/have it done, you then become this ridiculously anal clean freak. Since doing mine a couple of months ago I've done a minor "quick detail" every two weeks to keep it looking fresh. However, once it looks mint again I get annoyed when I drive to work in the rain on Monday and it's filthy after a 5 mile drive. Even when my GF gets out of the car, and shuts it with her hand on the edge of the door really pisses me off.... a small part of me wishes I hadn't done it so I can relax a little more. Does look good though....