Newbie Help

[HuckingFell]

Hi guys

I’m a total newbie when it comes to cleaning and looking after cars, only ever had a company car till recently which just went through the car wash but I’ve now got a nice 57 plate red mk2 Leon Cupra which I want to look after.

Since I’ve had it it’s been through the local hand wash a couple of times but I want to give it a proper wash and some protection but I don’t want to spend a fortune!

From having a read around here it would appear that I should do the following, wash/clay/ /polish/wax. Question is, is this the correct order and what half decent but not to expensive products would people recommend?

Cheers!

 

[n_d_fox]

If its the first time the cars had a "decent" clean then you want to follow the standard steps

wash
rinse
clay (can be done while the car is wet)
wash
rinse
dry

then you can access the condition of the paint free of any protection etc. If needs be you can apply a polish which will help condition the paint. You may only need to use a paint cleanser.

then sealant to seal in the prep work and wax to finish off.

theres plenty of how to guides on DetailingWorld, have a looksie

 

[HuckingFell]

Thanks for replying.

Since posting I've found the wonderful world that is detailing world! I've ordered some stuff from cleamyourcar, so weather permitting as i'm not intending to go out in the rain, I'll be doing it on Sunday!

 

[n_d_fox]

welcome to the slippery slope then !

 

[HuckingFell]

cheers mate, your right, slippery slope indeed!

So last weekend I carried out the following:

Washed: Dodo Juice Born to be Mild, 2 bucket method
Clayed: Megs Quick Clay Kit
2 Polishes: Autoglym SRP
Waxed: Megs #16

Took about 6 hours all in, also cleaned the wheels and windows using cheap stuff from asda. Enjoyed myself but it was hard work!

One question though, if I wash weekly/fortnightly time dependent, what type of product do I use to keep some of the shine? Is a quick detailer spray what I'm looking for as I don't intend on doing the above on a regular basis!

Any suggestion welcome!

 

[demon_dan]

I'd go with Dodo Juice Red Mist, it's a spray sealant so will help protect the paintwork in between polishes. Do a panel at a time, spray a small amount on either a microfibre towel or directly onto the paintwork (tho it does 'carry' in the wind) and buff. Just out of interest, I'd have done one polish and more coats of wax

 

[HuckingFell]

I read on DW that 2 passes of SRP would be a good idea! I would have done a second wax but it was getting dark so didn't have time. Plan to put a second coat of wax on today and think I'm going to order a bottle of red mist or similar for in between washes!

 

[Mashburn]

Red Mist is great to use after a quick wash, really makes the car shine.

 

[sunilbass]

go for the tropical edition of the red mist as it has more working time than the normal edition

 

[Mashburn]

Yeh, I should of said in my original post go for red mist tropical. It goes further aswell, a 250ml bottle will last for ages!

 

[sunilbass]

red mist last for ages once you get used to it! as i had to demostrate to a friend of mine the other week! ive had my 250ml bottle for approx 9 months and ive only used just over half! and i used it nearly every week!

 

[HuckingFell]

Cheers guys, you've got some great looking cars by the way! Think I'm going to order me some tropical this week. To be honest, car could do with a machine polish to get rid of all the swirls from the previous owner, but that's not likely anytime soon, can't justify buying one to be honest!

 

[nightflight]

To be honest, car could do with a machine polish to get rid of all the swirls from the previous owner, but that's not likely anytime soon, can't justify buying one to be honest!

could hire one

 

[SteveTDCi]

I use Finnish kare on mine

 

[HuckingFell]

This the one Steve:

http://www.seriousperformance.co.uk/Products,78,toView_405.html

If it is it's a dam sight cheaper than the Dodo Juice!

 

[SteveTDCi]

this one when drying and general going around,

http://www.seriousperformance.co.uk/Products,78,toView_404.html

and then this once everything is done as a tidy up,

http://www.seriousperformance.co.uk/Products,78,toView_772.html

you could probably get away with sp's standard qd instead of the anti static FK,

 

[n_d_fox]

FK does get good reviews... havent used it yet myself as i'm loving Red Mist at the moment.

From looking at the links above neither of the FK products seems to offer the level of sealant protection that RM does but i cant fault the finish they achieve

 

[Ami-Jane]

could hire one

I didn't even know you could do that!! That's a really useful link

Makes it all the more tempting now! lol

 

[SteveTDCi]

but you get protectant from the sealent rather than the QD