What products to buy?!?!?!

Gunslingermonk

Wrench Pro
Points
13
Location
England - Kingsbury
Car
Seat Leon -150- TDI
Hello, I have recently bought a new car and want to make the effort of keeping it spotless. Any tips on polishing/washing? and if so what products would you recommend?
 
polish is abrasive and will remove a fine amount of the clear coat. this is from getting rid of swirals.

problem is you get manufactures the make hybrid stuff like ,meguires who make a wax with a little abrasion in it or autogym whos polish contains lots of fillers and a sealant so it fills in the scratches then seals.

wax and/or sealants seal the paint and leave protection over the top. im saying wax or sealant as there are differences. wax is natural, the sealants synthetic however again theres hybrids and mis labeling. the megs nxt wax that waynne mentioned isnt a wax its actually a sealant



1st up you can use the most expensive wax you like but the shine comes from the paint condition so clean paint using tar and fallout removers and clay the car.
polish the car to remove of fill any swirals you find. hand polishing your better to use a filling polish as youll be there for hours otherwise.

OK shopping list for you
Couple of buckets - 99p orange ones from B&Q will do
good nice soft lambswool wash mitt.
cheapo washmitt or sponges for the wheels
microfiber cloths
drying towel - can use the microfibres for this as well

most of the stuff as im guessing your not going to have machines to help you im going to recommend the autogym stuff, why because you can get it easy enough in halfords and its normally on offer.

shampoo - AG bodwork shampoo and condtiononer
clay - bilt hamber regular for the leon as its likely to have hard paint
tar remover - hard to beat autosmarts tardis for performance and price. youll need to find your local dealer, give them an email to find them http://www.autosmart.co.uk/Sales Enquiries.html prices vary but your looking at around £20 for 5 ltrs of the stuff. compare this to the fiver of so for the 500ml of tar remover from autoglym that would struggle to remove anything
polish - AG super resin polish (AGSRP)
sealant AG enhanced gloss protection - this is a nice liquid thats easy to apply and remove. or AG High Def wax. DO NOT buy this from halfords as its about double the price that you can get it online. or there are plenty of other options Dodo Juice range for example.

others not necessary but will make a difference

Fallout remover - iron x is the most common one, stinks to high heaven and removes iron contamination from the paint. very effective on wheels to remove the contamination from the brake pads.

wheel cleaner autosmart again for their smart wheels 5ltrs again and water it down a 3:1 ratio for heavy cleaning and 10:1 for light cleaning
an all pourpose cleaner (APC) autosmart g101 or you can get the daisy stuff from tescos.

tyre gel

washing the car

pressure wash most of the dirt off

spray on wheel cleaner onto wheels

fill 2 buckets of hot water - one wash one rinse. soap obviously in the wash bucket. if this is a big clean then you can add some APC or, and this is the only time ill say it, fairy liqud to help strip off the old waxes.
if using bilt hamber clay throw a piece in the soap bucket

soak the crap microfibre / sponge in the hot water wring out and agitate the wheels to remove dirt. leave for a max of 10mins and dont allow to dry. pressure wash again to remove. if they need another go do it now.

wash the car in small panels at a time. make sure you rinse the microfibre often in the rinse bucket - do not shake it about as you want the dirt to fall to the bottom.
once the car is clean pressure wash it again to remove all the soap.

spary tardis on all the lower panels and again leave for a few mins. it may need gently agitated with a microfibre then pressure wash off.
wash the car again quickly to remove any remains of the tardis - this stuff will melt the clay.

feel the paintwork if its doesnt feel like glass then clay
go around the car with the clay folding when dirty. make sure the bodywork is kept wet and use the soapy water as lubricant. youll feel the difference once its finished.

dry the car off start going round the car with the SRP work the polish for a few mins on each panel then leave a min or 2 then buff off. go around the car at least twice like this. the SRP has alot of fillers in it so will need to be done every couple of months as the fillers will wash out.

next seal the paintwork with your wax/sealant. apply in small overlapping circles or and up and down motion then left right hatching pattern to ensure full coverage. Leave for 15 mins of so to haze then buff off leave for an hour or so and give it another coat.
remember and do your wheels as well
apply tyre gel to tyres for that wet look if you have any

thats a quick list. having a 6month old wanting to type out the reply is making things hard
 
Last edited:
The most important thing to keep clean on any car is the glass, I see so many dirty windscreens that it amazes me how the drivers can see where they're going. My own favourite glass cleaner is Meguiars, it's excellent, doesn't leave smears and is easy to use and wipe off too. I'm sure others have preferred cleaners but having tried umpteen products, this stuff does the job for me.
 
PGarner - Fantastic post and extremely helpful for someone like me with no experience. I've read a lot about these snow shampoo's, are they not worth getting then? also i need a relatively cheap pressure washers if anyone knows of any?

Country Bumkin - Cheers mate ill check it out. Do you use a MF cloth to apply the window cleaner?
 
polish is abrasive and will remove a fine amount of the clear coat. this is from getting rid of swirals.

problem is you get manufactures the make hybrid stuff like ,meguires who make a wax with a little abrasion in it or autogym whos polish contains lots of fillers and a sealant so it fills in the scratches then seals.

wax and/or sealants seal the paint and leave protection over the top. im saying wax or sealant as there are differences. wax is natural, the sealants synthetic however again theres hybrids and mis labeling. the megs nxt wax that waynne mentioned isnt a wax its actually a sealant



1st up you can use the most expensive wax you like but the shine comes from the paint condition so clean paint using tar and fallout removers and clay the car.
polish the car to remove of fill any swirals you find. hand polishing your better to use a filling polish as youll be there for hours otherwise.

OK shopping list for you
Couple of buckets - 99p orange ones from B&Q will do
good nice soft lambswool wash mitt.
cheapo washmitt or sponges for the wheels
microfiber cloths
drying towel - can use the microfibres for this as well

most of the stuff as im guessing your not going to have machines to help you im going to recommend the autogym stuff, why because you can get it easy enough in halfords and its normally on offer.

shampoo - AG bodwork shampoo and condtiononer
clay - bilt hamber regular for the leon as its likely to have hard paint
tar remover - hard to beat autosmarts tardis for performance and price. youll need to find your local dealer, give them an email to find them http://www.autosmart.co.uk/Sales Enquiries.html prices vary but your looking at around £20 for 5 ltrs of the stuff. compare this to the fiver of so for the 500ml of tar remover from autoglym that would struggle to remove anything
polish - AG super resin polish (AGSRP)
sealant AG enhanced gloss protection - this is a nice liquid thats easy to apply and remove. or AG High Def wax. DO NOT buy this from halfords as its about double the price that you can get it online. or there are plenty of other options Dodo Juice range for example.

others not necessary but will make a difference

Fallout remover - iron x is the most common one, stinks to high heaven and removes iron contamination from the paint. very effective on wheels to remove the contamination from the brake pads.

wheel cleaner autosmart again for their smart wheels 5ltrs again and water it down a 3:1 ratio for heavy cleaning and 10:1 for light cleaning
an all pourpose cleaner (APC) autosmart g101 or you can get the daisy stuff from tescos.

tyre gel

washing the car

pressure wash most of the dirt off

spray on wheel cleaner onto wheels

fill 2 buckets of hot water - one wash one rinse. soap obviously in the wash bucket. if this is a big clean then you can add some APC or, and this is the only time ill say it, fairy liqud to help strip off the old waxes.
if using bilt hamber clay throw a piece in the soap bucket

soak the crap microfibre / sponge in the hot water wring out and agitate the wheels to remove dirt. leave for a max of 10mins and dont allow to dry. pressure wash again to remove. if they need another go do it now.

wash the car in small panels at a time. make sure you rinse the microfibre often in the rinse bucket - do not shake it about as you want the dirt to fall to the bottom.
once the car is clean pressure wash it again to remove all the soap.

spary tardis on all the lower panels and again leave for a few mins. it may need gently agitated with a microfibre then pressure wash off.
wash the car again quickly to remove any remains of the tardis - this stuff will melt the clay.

feel the paintwork if its doesnt feel like glass then clay
go around the car with the clay folding when dirty. make sure the bodywork is kept wet and use the soapy water as lubricant. youll feel the difference once its finished.

dry the car off start going round the car with the SRP work the polish for a few mins on each panel then leave a min or 2 then buff off. go around the car at least twice like this. the SRP has alot of fillers in it so will need to be done every couple of months as the fillers will wash out.

next seal the paintwork with your wax/sealant. apply in small overlapping circles or and up and down motion then left right hatching pattern to ensure full coverage. Leave for 15 mins of so to haze then buff off leave for an hour or so and give it another coat.
remember and do your wheels as well
apply tyre gel to tyres for that wet look if you have any

thats a quick list. having a 6month old wanting to type out the reply is making things hard

So If i Follow this literally step by step I will get a nice finish to my paintwork? is there anything else i need to do? I cant imagine so cause this was a very comprehensive responce :D
 
Not nessessary the shine comes from the cleanleness and smoothness of the paint work. VAG paint is normally hard and dam near impossible to do any sort of correction by hand. if your looking at getting a fantastic finish id say to look at buying a DA polisher or rotary if your feeling braver and a few scrap panels to work on.

i did a deep clean on my car the other week didnt get any pictures however will take some next time i give it a quick wash i do have this one from back in october

http://www.torquecars.com/forums/f111/octy-mk2-vrs-devil-fuelled-22747/index2.html#post233330

car wash snowfoamed with a mix of snowfoam and fairy liqud. this was left for 10 mins or so while i went round the car spraying the wheels with smartwheels @ 3:1 and working the shuts and badges with APC and a pastry brush.
the whole lot was pressure washed off
snow foamed again with just snowfoam
2 buckets one with snowfoam and shampoo in the other just water.
car washed using 2 bucket method. the snow foam on the car helping.
again the lot pressure washed off
car sprayed with fallout remover left for 10 mins then washed off
car sprayed with tardis left for 10 mins gently rubbed with a microfibre then pressure washed off.
car washed quickly and rinsed off again to ensure all the tardis was removed.
car was then clayed using bilt hamber regular clay and some demonshine at 10;1 mix as lube - BH say water is enough but i find it sometimes drags.
car rinsed and dried off - the demon shine also helps with rinsing the car
most of the car was in good condition with just light swiraling so worked with the rotary and finishing pad with meguriers 205 polish.
areas with slightly more scratches were hit with 3m fast cut plus on polishing pad before the 205 to refine.
windows were polished using autosmarts glass polish
polish residue buffed off with microfibre then the car rinsed down and dried again to remove any polishing dust.
panels and glass were wiped down with Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to remove the oils left behind by polishing
a coat of wolfs chemicals hard body applied to the body by make up remover pads ;) - the hard body is similar to the supagaurd that garages will charge you £300 odd to apply when it costs the around £30 for the sponges.
quick cuppa
then buffed off.
glass received a coat of gtechniq g3 windscreen getting 2 coats again left 15 mins and buffed off.
over the next week the car was washed 3 times dried and another coat of hard body so 4 coats in total.

the link above to the picture was after just a single coat.

will try and get some pictures next week when i wash it again
 
Cheers PG, very interesting read and I will post pics for my skills to be assessed :p I have a slight problem however, after 1 week of owning my car, some t*** has buffed my rear bumper and has left some scratches. I will post a picture tomorrow when I got some light but I was wondering how much I will be able to buff out if at all?
 
Hello, I have recently bought a new car and want to make the effort of keeping it spotless. Any tips on polishing/washing? and if so what products would you recommend?

I have used a big mug full of kerosene in my car wash water for years. I was given that advice by an old Rolls Royce body worker. It leaves the paint with a "wet look" and protects the paint from UV. It also leaks into the doors through the window rubbers and helps to prevent rust.

I've also used Johnson floor wax, the cream not the liquid, with great success. Much cheaper than the top shelf brands but very long lasting. Just don't do it in the sun and let it harden. It's a bugger to buff off if it bakes on!

For the interior such as seats, consider baking soda to clean the seats and carpets, eucalyptus oil to clean deep stains. Also, I use high alkaline water, around 9.5 ph, to assist with cleaning.

I believe it's best to use as few chemicals as possible because we end up breathing them in and that ain't good. I even open my doors and turn on the AC BEFORE I start to drive just to eliminate the highly carcinogenic Benzine that builds up in the cars interior.

Don't be mislead by fancy packaging and marketing. In my 30 years of selling these products I have found them all to be so similar that the cheapest is not far from the most expensive. Better to spend your dosh on mods and repairs.
 
Cheers PG, very interesting read and I will post pics for my skills to be assessed :p I have a slight problem however, after 1 week of owning my car, some t*** has buffed my rear bumper and has left some scratches. I will post a picture tomorrow when I got some light but I was wondering how much I will be able to buff out if at all?

would need to see pics but by hand id doubt it
 
Bit of an update on the buff to the bumper. It will need re painting but a lad I know works in a body shop and said he can do the whole bumper £100 all in. Didn't think it was too bad?
 
^^^What PG said.

I have followed his cleaning advise (painfully tough OCD way of polishing and waxing) in the past. Dam near killed me like, but the results were spot on. He is the king of the Valet round here mate. :blink1:
 
Not necessarily shoddy unless it's really bad. Go and look at a few stock cars paint jobs really close, and you'll see the orange peel surface, and that is from the factory floor.
 
an example of bad orage peel

auto_paint_orange_peel_lg.jpg


poor prep, rushed job or too thick a coats can all give orange peel. its time consuming to fix as it involves wetsanding the paint then polishing with an agressive polish to remove the sanding marks. then a softer polish to refine the paintwork. £100 isnt much when you start thinking about how much time it would take to sand and polish the paint

factory paints are very thin. check out some with a paint gauge and youll find them around 150micron thick 0.15mm - thats the primer, base and clear coat together. test areas that have been repaired and you might find it up closer to 1000. hense the reason theres more chance of orange peel
 
ohh yeah youll get it on just about all factory finishes. that because again they wont spend the time polishing it by hand

heres mine
_MG_5445.jpg


but as im saying the paints thinner so it doesnt look as bad.

id be interested in seeing close up pictures of gunslingers rear bumper and say the boot - which would be blown in and say the drivers door to see the difference after a £100 respray.
 
Yea I can't see anybody doing a really good job for only 100 bux, I've done a few small jobs and to make it look really good was back breaking work, can't imagine doing a whole car like that, unless they know something I don't.
 
Photos after tonights quick wash - foamed with shampoo, powerwashed off, 2 bucket wash, pressure washed off and dried off.
Only had the 50mm lens on the camera so couldnt get any really close ups

_MG_6426.jpg


_MG_6424.jpg


_MG_6428.jpg



Hugo Yeah i painted a computer case a few months ago from the textured white. to caburys purple.
total time to do it was a week working in 30-40min blocks a night. and i had bad orange peel after the 1st coat of paint had to wetsand it back with 600 grit
 
Holy crud PG thats quite a shine you got there, looks stunning. Yea the perfect finish sertainly comes at a price but wow the rewards are plentyfull, would love to see that case you were doing, must be real crazy looking. Thanks matey.
 
if you had asked when i had done it then would have posted pics but after living beside the stairs having folders thrown on top of it and the side panel on and off god knows how many times due to a damaged sata connector the paints all scratched to buggery now

only done it to see how it would turn out before i try and fix my rear bumper this summer and was going to have the PC sitting on show if i could make a front panel for it. that turned out to be 2 20mm holes drill to fit the 2 power buttons for both motherboards
 
If I choose to go with this bloke, I will post pictures. However, I am slightly worried now that he wont do a very good job. Will probably shop around. I know its not all about the price but how much is the average bumper respray?
 

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