Cleaning Cars!
 

After much toil and trouble yesterday, my car is clean, however, it seemed to be streaky after using the shampoo (turtle wax stuff) and I spent AGES getting the marks off, sooooooooooo, how do you clean yours????

I get the streak after turtle wax too, it doesnt rinse off properlly. I usually use Auto Glym.

Keep rinsing as you chaimois.

Haven't you heard of Swissol? http://www.swissol.com/E/GB/Produkte_Lack.htm

Maybe he just understands the value of money?

Product A is cheaper, but takes more effort and the results are poorer
Product B is more expensive, but the end result is better.

Which is the better value for money? Perhaps the question should be false economy ;)

Anyway, the heat could have something to do with it as well. You really want to be applying shampoos and waxes in cool shady conditions. I have problems around my way, although that is largely to do with the hard water supply. Washing the car in the evening is much easier than doing it at midday.

Chris

heard good things about autoglym, do they do a shampoo as well as a wax??? sorry if this seems like a dumb thread, just wanted to know how other people washed their cars, any hints/tips etc,

Mike

They do indeed do car shampoo.

I use a seperate sponge for my alloys, this stops the sponge you use for the bodywork getting wrecked...make sure you rinse the car properly, as previously suggested, rinse the chamois out regularly, try and use one that lives in it's own container so it doesn't dry out between washes. If you still get streaks, change the make of shampoo you use...try the carplan stuff, couldn't be cheaper, no streaks! :)

Also the Auto Glym synthetic chamois is alot better than geniune leather chamois.

This is how I wash my car properly...... It takes hours!! :)

1. Rinse the car properly.
2. Turtle Wax Extreme Wash'n'Wax doing one panel at a time, only above the level of the bump strips on the doors (roof, windows, tops of doors). Rinse.
3. Change sponge, and do lower half of car. (Bottom of Doors/Bumpers etc). Rinse.
4. Change sponge, do the wheels. Rinse.
5. Rinse the car fully.
6. Chamois(sp?) the car, go round and check for any extra drips you could have missed.
7. Apply Zymol Wax (smells like bubblegum/banana :D) a panel at a time. So Apply, leave to go white, then rub off and start on next panel.
8. Once the whole car is done, apply a VERY thin mist of water onto the surface.
9. Rub down the water, this will set the level of the wax. (Be prepared for the car to look awful as the wax will smear)
10. Use another cloth to dry off the car body after 'setting the level of the wax' (car may still have slight smears at this point)
11. Use a final soft dry cloth to buff the whole car to a perfect shine.

Thats my easy to follow 11-step guide....... :D :cool:

Cheers,
Grant

1. Rinse
2. Shampoo
3. Rinse
4. Dry
5. Polish

Only 5 steps, works a treat ;)

Agree, but the rest of the Auto Glym range is pants.

Bet mine looks better though...... :p ;) lol

Also agree with 'n one' that the rest of the Autoglym range isnt great!!

Cheers,
Grant

Get car out of garage

instruct wife

I put kettle on

wife starts washing car

I watch big brother

wife finishes waxing car

I check it and put it back in garage :D:D


easy -the northern way !!

cheers everyone!!! me thinks it's time to find some shade and try again!

Top lad!!

I've never had a problem with the AutoGlym range of products, i find if u use the resin polish with the Extra gloss protection over the top it gives u a finish up there with the best of them. Might not be as good as Swissol but then again it's a tenth of the price!

I don't chamois it off at all....i clean a panel at a time and keep rinsing off...then respray the whole lot and use AutoPlan(?) Devil shine stuff....go for a drive to dry it off, don't leave it to dry....then i use Auto Glym polish the next day...takes a while but looks the dogs....did it today and i can actually see myself taking a photo of the car!! It's a black MY03, and it's gleaming...should have some pics up soon!!!

i used to use only autoglym products on the car, they were very good , then i tried meguiers ;) ;) it finnishes the car a lot better, but at the end of the day everyone uses what they think is best, you pays your money an all that :D

I usually used Auto glym products with satisfactory results on my old classic,however i was thinking of giving that Meguiars gold class wax ago on my week old WRX.
Anyone tried this stuff?

IMO, I find that wash and wax type shampoos tend leave a build up on the paint surface, which dulls over time, so you end up polishing more and more as it builds up. Then if you try some cutting compound (I don't use T-cut - 3m light cutting paste) to remove the odd light scratch it just makes the build up smear all over the place. This was before I learnt what was happening. I ended up having the whole body work of my car mopped to get the stuff off so I could wax the bodywork properly.

Unfortunately - try finding a plain car shampoo these days! I just avoid the cheap stuff and have to polish and wax the car more often :rolleyes:

Zymol stuff rocks. Smells nice too. Sounds tedious, but wash a panel at a time and rinse. Wipe with squeegee thing, then polish with zymol polish........then........after you put the polish on, squirt with a fine mist of water and wipe over again to flat the polish down (use an old Mr Muscle window cleaner spray bottle) then polish off with one of those miracle cloths.
Yawn..............gives a nice finish though!!;)

I was going to wax this evening, but found some nasty rough panels on my right hand side. I guess its the neighbours conifer which overhangs the right of my car :(

Whats good to get it off? Am I looking at a clay/polish/wax? or just polish/wax? Its a newish car so I don't have any polish yet, just wax.

Jeez, If I can afford to buy and run a Scoob I sure as hell can afford to pay other people to clean and polish it. I get precious little time at weekends I'd rather use it to drive the car than wash the bloody thing. :)

rofl, the mans got a point;)

LOL, you haven't seen my running costs :D (see "what does your scoob owe you thread" ;) )

I keep a variety of rare species of moths in my wallet :D

Yeah, but nothing worse than running a top motor in dirty condition, imho. Allways know I should have cleaned him if I take him out dirty!

LOL - Fair enough :) mine is a pretty standard WRX - a few skirts and a nice spoiler with morettes and quickshift but no performance mods.

Must be time to get a new one.

WRX Sep 01 with 22K on the clock and never been thrashed (in reverse) anyone ?

:D

Do I take it that I'm fairly unusual in only washing the car when it needs it then? Doesn't seem to have needed it since March last year...

Changed 2 Meguiars
 

I always used 2 use Autoglym and it is a good polish with nice results, But that was till this weekend after just getting new car decided 2 try a new polish got Meguiars,gold class. What a differance in the finish, so much better & really easy 2 use. Thats me converted!

Gee