Cleaning products - what do i need??!

L

lob808

Member
 Dorset
Leading on From JOE90's thread about a vallet I thought i'd ask about cleaning products.....

If i was going to spend £60 on 'stuff' to clean/protect my zed what should i get (and from where)?

You can assume I have NOTHING .... because .... well ....thats true :oops: (I take my daily through a car wash once every few months or so!!)

so ... ideal set would be / should include.....
 
My Kit includes - this is not exhaustive

1. 1 good bucket with grit guard ( you may wish 2)
2. 1 lambswool Mit for washing (meguirs)
3. Meguirs NXT shampoo
4. Dodo Juice Lime Prime
5. Dodo Juice wax appropriate for car colour
6. Quick detailer ( Autoglym QD or dodo juice red mist).
7. lots and lots of microfibre towels.
8. Alloy wheel cleaner - i use valet pro bilbery wheel cleaner

mainly bought through

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/
 
"through a car wash" - some of the detailers on here will faint when they hear that :lol:
I think what ZermattV says is a good start.
If you have the beginning of Valet/Detailing OCD then you can get some really good tips here - http://www.detailingworld.co.uk
I did invest in a decent Pressure Washer (Karcher) and Snow-Foam attachment. Which the neighbours kids find amusing...
You can buy a decent wax. The pro's recommend Carnauba based waxes.
Whatever you do - it will be better than the local car wash!
 
Banbury said:
"through a car wash" - some of the detailers on here will faint when they hear that :lol:
I think what ZermattV says is a good start.
If you have the beginning of Valet/Detailing OCD then you can get some really good tips here - http://www.detailingworld.co.uk
I did invest in a decent Pressure Washer (Karcher) and Snow-Foam attachment. Which the neighbours kids find amusing...
You can buy a decent wax. The pro's recommend Carnauba based waxes.
Whatever you do - it will be better than the local car wash!
Click to expand...

I know what you mean mate .... just to clarify, the zed is NOT my daily !! For the first time ever I have a car that I want to look after - hence my post about getting the right things and doing it properly :thumbsup:

thanks for the info so far chaps.... so whats the 'clay bar' for then???
 
lob808, like you i am in the blind with all this sort of stuff, i do however use 2 buckets and at weekend i fitted an outside tap
 
Clay bar is to remove all the dirt and grit that washing it won't get off, after you have washed the car and then clay it you will be amazed at both the amount of crap you will see on the clay and how smooth the paint work is after you clay it, it is hard work claying but the reults are well worth it. :thumbsup:
Welcome to the clean car OCD club
 
Get mine from a local car acc shop, but can be bought at cleanyourcar.com, I use the meguirs stuff which seems to meet all my needs for claying
 
I just started off in Halfords on the 3 4 2 deal. Below is where I'm at...

Nilfisk c110 or c120 pressure washer (Karcher are shite)
AG wheel cleaner
Megs MF wash mit
brush for tyres
sponge (OMG NO!) for alloys

Megs gold class shampoo - one bucket method and NO grit guard!
Demon shine (rinse aid)
Megs Water Magnet to dry
Poorboys Black Hole - polish for dark cars, hides swirls or AG SRP
Megs gold class wax or ultimate quik wax
Megs endurance for tyres
Diamondbrite alloy seal
Megs interior detailer

Also AG glass polish, fast class, vinyl & rubber car.
Megs QD and clay
Foam applicators x quite a few
Loads of cheap MFs
A couple of good/large MFs for buffing

Thinking about a DAS-G DA.
 
that meguirs link from glastoveteran has a clay bar in it. It might go for that for £40 ...seems a good deal to get me started.

Nosa - do you do the claying all in one go or can individual panels be done with each wash?

jeez Reggie - how much did that little lot cost?!
 
I do my claying all in one go, but there is no harm in doing a panel at a time, I am that sad I took 2 days holiday last summer just to detail the car, Took me about about 3 hours to clay it all, but that was inclusive of many tea breaks, I always have a clay bar in the garage in case of any hard to move tar marks i spot after a wash.
I will probably be going for a full clay session again in a couple of Months, Even my wife was so impressed with the clay results she has asked me to do her car as well this year... looks like I made ROD for my own back :cry: :cry:
 
Nosa said:
I do my claying all in one go, but there is no harm in doing a panel at a time, I am that sad I took 2 days holiday last summer just to detail the car, Took me about about 3 hours to clay it all, but that was inclusive of many tea breaks, I always have a clay bar in the garage in case of any hard to move tar marks i spot after a wash.
I will probably be going for a full clay session again in a couple of Months, Even my wife was so impressed with the clay results she has asked me to do her car as well this year... looks like I made ROD for my own back :cry: :cry:
Click to expand...

If you are ever down Dorset way you can do mine too.... I'll make you the tea :wink: :D

so - what order should everything be done in chap?
 
what i do:

foam to get rid of most of the crap,
do the roof with AGM roof thingy
wash with wash mit and bucket, twice if im feeling bored. (i also useAGM insect remover, and some other crap)
dry the fucker
Clay it, AGM rapid detailer and claybar
Wheel time, AGM clean wheels, a brush and some elbow.
SRP light polish
wax it a couple of times. AGM HD wax

inside AGM clean leather,
some other s**t for the dash
glass with glass cleaner
hoover etc

sit back and wonder where your day went, but dont care because your zed is clean.

go drive and make it dirty again.
 
Taz x said:
is there different qualities in clay bars, where is best place to buy them?
Click to expand...

I use soft clay made by Bilt Hamber. Simple to use with the added bonus of working well with water rather than having to use detailing lube.
 
I don't think the impact that an expensive pot of wax has can be overstated. I'm always amazed how long it keeps things looking shiny compared to the usual liquid or spray waxes etc.

I use Victoria Concours Wax which was recommended by someone on here. Well worth the £35. It's lasted me over a year.
 
Being old and old-fashioned I would also give my vote to carnauba wax. It seems to give a nice lustre to lighter colours e.g Sterling Grey etc.
Although I know the young-guns on detailingworld.co.uk are split between waxes and new fangled sealants. :wink:
 
£35 is a lot for a pot of wax? I was struggling to see how much better the finish can be from a £20 bottle of Megs - so went for the 3 4 2 offer!

Poorboys Blackhole is a lovely polish, far nicer than AG SRP IMHO... although without a DA you'll end up with RSI!

I was underwhelmed with claying, not much sh#te came off my car, although the surface was very smooth.

I'm going to have to get into foaming, but still think the two bucket method is maybe a tad OTT.. :?
 
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