Car Washing - Page 3

TinkerBell · 06-08-2006, 09:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilly

Isn't yours a Corsa?

Lol yes it is, and i have had many people from the other board say it is a waste of time, but when i clean it im proud of how it looks and its something i wouldnt stop doing it because other peeps think its not worth it

Dymetrie · 06-08-2006, 20:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackstar

I like refering to children as evil minions

S'not what I refer to them as...

Anywhere, where's the option for "I am not a bastad who rapes the environment with a petrol guzzling monster"?

mejinks · 18-08-2006, 13:57

What polish works best depends on what type of paint is on your car. For example, on my car Meguiars Gold class doesn't look as good as the NXT wax. Autoglym never got the bimmer looking nice, but on my Megane of similar age, it always came up brilliantly with Autoglym, but never with NXT.

Modern paints do well with NXT. The important bit is to get a decent carnauba wax, which although is slightly more abrasive than your poundland carp, lasts a whole lot longer. A general rule of thumb is that the harder a wax is to work with, the less you will have to use it.

I don't bother so much with my car now as the paint is wrecked from vandals and general age, but when I do my friends Ferrari, I do a panel at a time and he buys the very best Zymol, which is the dogs danglies and it makes the paint look really good.

Ok, here is a guide because Im in work bored:

Wash your car regularly - I'd recommend to do this at least every other week. Things like bugs, birdpoo, or treesap does harm to the paint leaving permanent stains if not washed off in time. When the car is clean, all the moisture dries up quickly, but when it's dirty, the moisture accumulates in dirty areas causing corrosion. At least once in a while use pressure wash - it removes the dirt from difficult to reach areas. Wash off all the places where the dirt and salt might be accumulated; for example, behind moldings, inside wheel arches, under the bumpers etc. It's particularly helpful after winter - to wash out all the salt accumulation that speeds up the corrosion process. Like I said above, if you use a high pressure wash, then you need to polish/wax afterwards.

When washing a car, start with Alloy wheels first as they will be the most dirty area, then wash the roof and work your way down, this avoids getting clean areas dirty again. I never use more than a trickle of water as it removes some of the polish/wax if you go too hard at it (ohhh errr).

When rinsing, let the water cascade and rinse away the dirt, rather than directly blasting the dirt off. Immediately after rinsing, use a high quality chamios leather to dry or I prefer a water magnet from Meguiars.

Polishing - polishing removes oxidation and contaminants, adding emollient oils back into the paint and smoothing out the surface of the paint, which is a good thing. There are many different polishes on the market, but as is generally the rule, you get what you pay for.

Waxing - I recommend waxing your car once in every three - four months after washing and polishing. Wax helps to protect the paint, minimizing harm from chemicals road gunk and protecting the paint from fading; plus the car looks shiny

. It takes about 30 minutes to wax a whole car and high quality car wax stays on the car for three - four months. So far, I haven't seen a single product that protects for a lifetime as you might heard in some commercial - nothing lasts forever. In order to maintain a protective coat a product needs to be reapplied periodically. For example, from my experience, the Turtle Wax Carnauba wax stays for three - four months, and the Meguiars, about 2 - 3 months.

On my car, I do the following for a full valet:

1. Get up early, this will take a while. Have a cup of tea.
2. Rinse the car down with water cascading from the hose as opposed to blasting.
3. Wash the wheels with Meguiars Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner
4. Wash the car with Meguiars NXT Car Wash, using a wash mitt for the top half and a different wash mitt for the bottom.
5. Dry thoroughly with Meguiars water magnet
5a. Have another cup of tea
6. Apply Meguiars Step 1 Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner
7. Apply Meguiars Step 2 Deep Crystal Polish
8. Apply Meguiars Step 3 Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax
9. Apply Meguiars NXT Tech Wax
9a. Usually have lunch at this point

10. Clean glass with Meguiars NXT Glass Cleaner
11. Now clean the tyres with Meguiars Endurance High Gloss Tyre Protection Gel
11a. Have a cup of tea

Et Viola, one seriously shiny car.

BTW, I do sometimes use Autoglym as well as Meguiars

View Poll Results: How do you wash your car?
Car wash	6	31.58%
Hand wash 1 step	3	15.79%
Hand wash wash and wax seperately	4	21.05%
Hand wash; wax, polish, extra polish (spend hours)	3	15.79%
I use a valeting service	3	15.79%
Voters: 19. You may not vote on this poll

18-08-2006, 13:57	#23
mejinks Magners Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,865	What polish works best depends on what type of paint is on your car. For example, on my car Meguiars Gold class doesn't look as good as the NXT wax. Autoglym never got the bimmer looking nice, but on my Megane of similar age, it always came up brilliantly with Autoglym, but never with NXT. Modern paints do well with NXT. The important bit is to get a decent carnauba wax, which although is slightly more abrasive than your poundland carp, lasts a whole lot longer. A general rule of thumb is that the harder a wax is to work with, the less you will have to use it. I don't bother so much with my car now as the paint is wrecked from vandals and general age, but when I do my friends Ferrari, I do a panel at a time and he buys the very best Zymol, which is the dogs danglies and it makes the paint look really good. Ok, here is a guide because Im in work bored: Wash your car regularly - I'd recommend to do this at least every other week. Things like bugs, birdpoo, or treesap does harm to the paint leaving permanent stains if not washed off in time. When the car is clean, all the moisture dries up quickly, but when it's dirty, the moisture accumulates in dirty areas causing corrosion. At least once in a while use pressure wash - it removes the dirt from difficult to reach areas. Wash off all the places where the dirt and salt might be accumulated; for example, behind moldings, inside wheel arches, under the bumpers etc. It's particularly helpful after winter - to wash out all the salt accumulation that speeds up the corrosion process. Like I said above, if you use a high pressure wash, then you need to polish/wax afterwards. When washing a car, start with Alloy wheels first as they will be the most dirty area, then wash the roof and work your way down, this avoids getting clean areas dirty again. I never use more than a trickle of water as it removes some of the polish/wax if you go too hard at it (ohhh errr). When rinsing, let the water cascade and rinse away the dirt, rather than directly blasting the dirt off. Immediately after rinsing, use a high quality chamios leather to dry or I prefer a water magnet from Meguiars. Polishing - polishing removes oxidation and contaminants, adding emollient oils back into the paint and smoothing out the surface of the paint, which is a good thing. There are many different polishes on the market, but as is generally the rule, you get what you pay for. Waxing - I recommend waxing your car once in every three - four months after washing and polishing. Wax helps to protect the paint, minimizing harm from chemicals road gunk and protecting the paint from fading; plus the car looks shiny . It takes about 30 minutes to wax a whole car and high quality car wax stays on the car for three - four months. So far, I haven't seen a single product that protects for a lifetime as you might heard in some commercial - nothing lasts forever. In order to maintain a protective coat a product needs to be reapplied periodically. For example, from my experience, the Turtle Wax Carnauba wax stays for three - four months, and the Meguiars, about 2 - 3 months. On my car, I do the following for a full valet: 1. Get up early, this will take a while. Have a cup of tea. 2. Rinse the car down with water cascading from the hose as opposed to blasting. 3. Wash the wheels with Meguiars Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner 4. Wash the car with Meguiars NXT Car Wash, using a wash mitt for the top half and a different wash mitt for the bottom. 5. Dry thoroughly with Meguiars water magnet 5a. Have another cup of tea 6. Apply Meguiars Step 1 Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner 7. Apply Meguiars Step 2 Deep Crystal Polish 8. Apply Meguiars Step 3 Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax 9. Apply Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 9a. Usually have lunch at this point 10. Clean glass with Meguiars NXT Glass Cleaner 11. Now clean the tyres with Meguiars Endurance High Gloss Tyre Protection Gel 11a. Have a cup of tea Et Viola, one seriously shiny car. BTW, I do sometimes use Autoglym as well as Meguiars