Washing Your Car!

Yes, was a bit of a shock when I found out how much it was for an apparent small amount, but I suppose it depends on how much you need to use...

I might phone Autoglym tomorrow to find out why it's not suitable for dark alloys - other makes appear to be okay ?

I believes there's enough in the bottle to do 4 alloys twice. (2 thin coats a couple of hours apart recommended)
I'm a big fan of autoglym stuff and use quite a few of their products but for protective coatings gtechniq and the likes of gyeon are in another league. A ceramic coating will be far superior and longer lasting than any wheel sealant or wax.
 
Yes, was a bit of a shock when I found out how much it was for an apparent small amount, but I suppose it depends on how much you need to use...
/QUOTE]

That's it. 23 quid for a tiny bottle seems a lot. 23 quid to protect a set of alloys for a year not so much ;)

That kit I linked to seems (comparatively) good value though.
 
So.....now that I know how to clean wheels....any recommendations on something to keep them a bit cleaner? Not expecting miracles but extending the time between deep cleans would be great.

I was all set to get some Autoglym wheel protector until I read it wasn't suitable for dark wheels. My new Honda has the classic silvery wheels with black bits inside.

Phoned Autoglym at lunch time out of curiosity and it's due to a possible slight milky effect you may notice on dark wheels, where as on silver ones you wouldn't...

They did say though can use the HD wax I already have or the Extra Gloss Protection (which I've just remembered I have a little left off from a while ago) - so might give these a try first...
 
i found the poorboys range excellent on all fronts including the wheel wax, as an added bonus the smell of their products is lovely

Yes, seems to get generally favourable reviews.

Was reading at lunch some have used the Simoniz original wax (gold tin) on their wheels and are super impressed - only £6-8 as well.

Apparently, best put on with a damp cloth / applicator and buffed off before dry, otherwise it's a pig to remove - might see if father in law has any and try on the wife's car :)

Raceglaze Nano gets a very good following and apparently very easy to apply...
 
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Yes, seems to get generally favourable reviews.

Was reading at lunch some have used the Simoniz original wax (gold tin) on their wheels and are super impressed - only £6-8 as well.

Apparently, best put on with a damp cloth / applicator and buffed off before dry, otherwise it's a pig to remove - might see if father in law has any and try on the wife's car :)

Raceglaze Nano gets a very good following and apparently very easy to apply...
Wilkinsons stock the Simoniz tin wax. Ive used two coats of FK1000p on my newly refurbed wheels but theyve only been on a couple of weeks so cant tell if it works well or not yet.

Let me know if you find where to order the raceglaze nano stuff please. (y)
 
i found the poorboys range excellent on all fronts including the wheel wax, as an added bonus the smell of their products is lovely
My neighbours love it when I break out the Poorboys. Poorboys scratch / swirlmark polishes work well too.
 
Wilkinsons stock the Simoniz tin wax. Ive used two coats of FK1000p on my newly refurbed wheels but theyve only been on a couple of weeks so cant tell if it works well or not yet.

Let me know if you find where to order the raceglaze nano stuff please. (y)

Ordered some of the raceglaze this afternoon from themselves.

Spoke to a chap there who's been using it for 3-4 years now and is very pleased with it and it lasts.

He does 3 cars with it, still has about 1/2 bottle left after a couple of years - 250ml bottle, therefore ordered the same size.
 
Here you

http://www.raceglaze.co.uk/car-care...ze-nano-protect-alloy-wire-wheel-polish-seal/

He said it's very easy to apply - spray on (small amount) wipe over, wait couple of bins and buff and apparently gloss depends over next hour or so, you can then apply 2nd coat if needed to further enhance / seal.

Suitable for diamond cut wheels as well as it's a polymer based coating - should last about 6 months from initial application.

Looking forward to trying it over the weekend. :)
 
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My snow foam got delivered last night so had some fun with that, then my Bilt Hamber Auto Wheels arrived today and it's brought my wheels up lovely.
 
Ordered some of the raceglaze this afternoon from themselves.

Spoke to a chap there who's been using it for 3-4 years now and is very pleased with it and it lasts.

He does 3 cars with it, still has about 1/2 bottle left after a couple of years - 250ml bottle, therefore ordered the same size.

Hmmm, looks good. I just bought some of the GTechniq. I might regret that.....
 
Arrived this afternoon, extremely well packed...looking forward to trying over the weekend, weather permitting...

Ah have fun. Sadly I ordered my much more expensive C5 from a company that uses a courier from the 1990s. They turned up yesterday, found me out and went away. Literally every other courier in Kent knows where to leave stuff and that both sides my neighbours are very nearly always in. They may have another go on Tuesday - though since I'll be out then who knows what will happen?

Predictably I'm busy every other weekend for the next month :(
 
Ah have fun. Sadly I ordered my much more expensive C5 from a company that uses a courier from the 1990s. They turned up yesterday, found me out and went away. Literally every other courier in Kent knows where to leave stuff and that both sides my neighbours are very nearly always in. They may have another go on Tuesday - though since I'll be out then who knows what will happen?

Predictably I'm busy every other weekend for the next month :(

Did you're stuff arrive ?

Mine did and predictably, it rained all over the bank holiday weekend here...hoping to try to use it tomorrow
 
Did you're stuff arrive ?

Mine did and predictably, it rained all over the bank holiday weekend here...hoping to try to use it tomorrow

Yep. Glorious weekend and Monday so the C5 arrived on Tuesday..... Hoping to have a crack it it this morning before heading to London. I also got some C4 for the plastic trim.
 
'k so I just put C5 on the wheels.....


Spray with iron remover, rinse, shampoo wheels by hand (with a mitt), dry, spray with panel wipe, dry (by this stage the wheels were actually squeaky clean), apply tiny amounts of C5 with a make up pad (err, I mean special high tech lint free applicator) and buff with sacrificial microfibre cloth.

After a lot of fiddling, they look basically, clean. Let's see how long they stay that way :)

While I was at it I also put C4 on the exterior plastic. That stuff is *amazing*. The car was professionally detailed when I bought it 3 weeks ago, last week I tried some old Armor All on the plastic. This week I washed it, rinsed it and panel wiped it. The amount of dirt the C4 brought off was unbelievable. Also the plastic now looks like new.
 
'k so I just put C5 on the wheels.....


Spray with iron remover, rinse, shampoo wheels by hand (with a mitt), dry, spray with panel wipe, dry (by this stage the wheels were actually squeaky clean), apply tiny amounts of C5 with a make up pad (err, I mean special high tech lint free applicator) and buff with sacrificial microfibre cloth.

After a lot of fiddling, they look basically, clean. Let's see how long they stay that way :)

While I was at it I also put C4 on the exterior plastic. That stuff is *amazing*. The car was professionally detailed when I bought it 3 weeks ago, last week I tried some old Armor All on the plastic. This week I washed it, rinsed it and panel wiped it. The amount of dirt the C4 brought off was unbelievable. Also the plastic now looks like new.

That's good news you got them done. Did it add any shine or just sealed them ?

Very interested in the C4 - will have a look at it
 
Managed to get mine done as well with the raceglaze wheel sealant.

Cleaned and dryer the wheels. Spray on (more of a mist), leave for 2 minutes and wipe over / buff up.

Very easy to do, left them an hour and applied 2nd coat as recommended- should give 6 months + protection, but to be honest, so easy to apply, might do every couple of months to build it up more for the winter period...
 
'k so I just put C5 on the wheels.....


Spray with iron remover, rinse, shampoo wheels by hand (with a mitt), dry, spray with panel wipe, dry (by this stage the wheels were actually squeaky clean), apply tiny amounts of C5 with a make up pad (err, I mean special high tech lint free applicator) and buff with sacrificial microfibre cloth.

After a lot of fiddling, they look basically, clean. Let's see how long they stay that way :)

While I was at it I also put C4 on the exterior plastic. That stuff is *amazing*. The car was professionally detailed when I bought it 3 weeks ago, last week I tried some old Armor All on the plastic. This week I washed it, rinsed it and panel wiped it. The amount of dirt the C4 brought off was unbelievable. Also the plastic now looks like new.

C5's top of my list to try next. Seems a good idea to take the wheels off if possible and apply all over. Possibly two coats 12 hours apart too.

And I've used C4 many times and really swear by the stuff lasts atleast 6 months and gives a really nice flat factory black finish.
 
Just taken a quick photo - pleased with the shine it's added, but even more impressed with how they feel - a very slippery surface now

IMG_1660.JPG


Did the exhaust trim pipes as well with it, see if helps keep them cleaner ?
 
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We've two cars - nothing special as they're a 54 plate 150k+ Land Cruiser and an 09 plate Mazda 2 with around 50k (at least). The latter isn't worth more than £1k max if that, but we are very fond of our land cruiser - more sentimental than monetary value.

I've been reading all the posts avidly on this thread for many, many months now and in the last year as I've been quite good at washing cars over the years and have been keen on learning new car washing skills.

In the last 12 months though, and with much shame and embarrassment, I've thrown some water over the Mazda once (after our son passed his test over six months ago) and let the rain wash the land cruiser - but I did clean the windscreen recently as the fly splatters were ... well - it was like looking through bubble wrap ... and last month I washed the bottoms of the door sills as back then we were fetching my mother in law in a few days time ...

Should I join the IDCCAMA - I Don't Clean Cars Any More Anonymous? :(
 
We've two cars - nothing special as they're a 54 plate 150k+ Land Cruiser and an 09 plate Mazda 2 with around 50k (at least). The latter isn't worth more than £1k max if that, but we are very fond of our land cruiser - more sentimental than monetary value.

I've been reading all the posts avidly on this thread for many, many months now and in the last year as I've been quite good at washing cars over the years and have been keen on learning new car washing skills.

In the last 12 months though, and with much shame and embarrassment, I've thrown some water over the Mazda once (after our son passed his test over six months ago) and let the rain wash the land cruiser - but I did clean the windscreen recently as the fly splatters were ... well - it was like looking through bubble wrap ... and last month I washed the bottoms of the door sills as back then we were fetching my mother in law in a few days time ...

Should I join the IDCCAMA - I Don't Clean Cars Any More Anonymous? :(

No, the first stage to recovery is admitting it - which you've done here. (y)

The next stage is get your ar$e out there and clean them :D
 
I've got boxes and boxes of stuff, I'm not so addicted as I was but that means I have lots of half empty bottles that I can't seem to use up. :LOL:

I did treat it to a once over with some Poorboys Black Hole via machine then Natty's Blue and Natty's Red paste wax by hand a few months back though. It's since had a coat of Dodo Juice Orange Crush which offers insane beading and then Friday after some auto finesse iron out, a wash with some Mer shampoo (which I have to say is REALLY good!) I gave it a going over with some Simoniz detailing spray wax which also offers crazy beading. It gives such a nice finish and is about £5.

I've not applied any protection on the wheels. They've started to corrode in typically Seat fashion also. Meh.
 
C5's top of my list to try next. Seems a good idea to take the wheels off if possible and apply all over. Possibly two coats 12 hours apart too.

The video I saw from GTechniq said that adding a second coat isn't really worth it. It said to pop a coat of C2 over the top if you fancy it though.

I thought about removing the wheels then realised how much work that would be :)
 
C5 on the wheels, C6 on the plastic above it. Nothing on the tyres because I didn't want to spray stuff about while the C5 was curing ;)

The wheels look nice - clean but not too shiny. But when I run my finger over them, it feels like they have been enamelled. Not slippery just very very smooth.

gtechniq.jpg
 
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The video I saw from GTechniq said that adding a second coat isn't really worth it. It said to pop a coat of C2 over the top if you fancy it though.

I thought about removing the wheels then realised how much work that would be :)

Ah I use quite a bit of C2 too so can soon top the wheels up with that occasionally. Results look good though.
 
Right, riddle me this, clean freaks.

My car has GardX on it topped off with some lovely Autoglym wax. It looks pretty nice. Today I parked it in a car park during some light rain. When I came back to it, all the other cars were dry but mine had water droplets sitting on it. Surely as these dry they will leave watermarks? Wouldn't you expect the wax and/or GardX to make the water run off?
 
Right, riddle me this, clean freaks.

My car has GardX on it topped off with some lovely Autoglym wax. It looks pretty nice. Today I parked it in a car park during some light rain. When I came back to it, all the other cars were dry but mine had water droplets sitting on it. Surely as these dry they will leave watermarks? Wouldn't you expect the wax and/or GardX to make the water run off?

Wax doesn't always keep the car 'cleaner' it protects the paint and makes the dirt easier to remove so washing is easier etc.
Cars with no wax on can often look like then have less water on them but it often sits a more of a sheet on the paintwork whereas wax will cause the water to bead. As soon and you move the car it should all pour off the car with ease.
 
Right, riddle me this, clean freaks.

My car has GardX on it topped off with some lovely Autoglym wax. It looks pretty nice. Today I parked it in a car park during some light rain. When I came back to it, all the other cars were dry but mine had water droplets sitting on it. Surely as these dry they will leave watermarks? Wouldn't you expect the wax and/or GardX to make the water run off?

As Ben says and you'll find the dirt generally does t stick as much to the car if you've got it sealed and waxed.

What I found with my white car was when I hosed it off the clean hose water turned dirty with the muck that slide off.
 
I assumed the wax would make the water slide off. After all, water isn't dirty until it dries.....
 
I assumed the wax would make the water slide off. After all, water isn't dirty until it dries.....
Newton's first law of motion states that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.

So your static water beads will not move until an external force axcts upon them. i.e. you getting in the car and driving off and taking a few corners etc.
 
I assumed the wax would make the water slide off. After all, water isn't dirty until it dries.....

Have a look on the detailing world site, pictures of beading are pretty popular- usually to show how effective the latest wax or sealant is.
 
Newton's first law of motion states that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.

So your static water beads will not move until an external force axcts upon them. i.e. you getting in the car and driving off and taking a few corners etc.

I seem to remember Mr Newton being very much a fan of gravity.....
 
Having had a bit of a break from doing car related activities such as shows & runs I decided this year I would make a bit more effort. I used to do a lot of shows with my old golf displaying it on club stands & doing the odd quarter mile run. I mainly stick to the area Pistonheads club events these days as we get a great mix of cars attending.

Anyway the Golf is long gone so I decided that my current polo could do with a little tlc. The wheels had been bugging me for a while because of the flaking paint & corrosion so I decided to get them refurbished. The company I used did an excellent job! I also repainted the brake calipers as the were chipped & faded & replaced the wheel centre caps with new ones. So then it was onto the paintwork. As there were plenty of light scratches & swirl marks I decided to machine compound the paintwork with G3. I then used Poorboys black hole & then Poorboys exp sealant over the top. For the plastics I used Meguires ultimate black trim detailer & Meguires endurance tyre dressing. A fair bit of work but I was very happy with the results.
 
I tend to go with the two bucket wash using grit guards but my other half has a Black Z4 and its dirty looking before I have even switched the hose off.

Most of my products are Autosmart as the rep lives close and 5l for most of the products is £15-£23 so a bargain compared to buying 1l stuff from Halfords etc.

My next challenge is the DA polish on both cars, should be ok considering they are BMW's so the paint should be harder.
Junkman2000 on Youtube does some brilliant videos on car washing and detailing, worth a watch.
 
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