After marks cleaning thread i though id see how many people are abit anal with car cleaning like me.

heres all my stuff:

2 buckets - dodo juice with grit guards

3 wash mits - 2 microfibre 1 lambs wool

1 sponge - zymol

3 shampoos - dodo juice sour power, dodo juice born to be mild, chemical guys maxi suds 2

2 clay bars - both sonus green

clay bar lube - dodo juice born slippy

paint cleaner - dodo juice lime prime and lime prime lite

waxes - dodo juice purple haze, dodo juice blue velvet, chemical guys hardcore xxx, petes 53 black

clothes - 20 microfibre clothes, 2 drying towels both dodo juice supernatural, 10 applicator pads in microfibre, 5 detailing natural hair brushes.

wheels - poorboys wheel sealent, 15' soft brisle wheel brush

detailing spray - dodo juice red mist.

as you can see i have quite abit. it took me 2 days to finish my car this weekend but it should be set firm for 3 months of driving now :)

I clearly do not know how to clean a car. Is it a man thing?

I clearly do not know how to clean a car. Is it a man thing?

Me neither, and I thought I looked after my car. Maybe we could do with a wee tutorial ;)

I'm glad to see my topic gave you ideas for another topic :)

As for cleaning cars, its not as simple as you think! I spent 6 hours just doing the paintwork on my car today!

As for what stuff i got, it's mainly AutoGlym stuff :) It removes scratches from the paint and gives it a great shine for many months. But at £19 per litre its not cheap!

Hard work and expensive? Oh dear, I want to do it but dont know....

One of the very best is AutoGlym High Definition wax. Most people say nothing beats it for how long it lasts. But at a massive £40 per 150g its seen as a rip off

Selkin Washmatik cleaning system.

2 buckets each with 10litres of water, using Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo conditioner,

1-2 buckets to wash off

2 stage Microfibre and supachamois dry down.

And then either Turlewax ICE or AutoGlym Instant Showshine (if at a car show)

1-2 hours cleaning and a very sore arm and shoulder. ;)

Nuff said? :D

I dont know either, as Max wont let me touch the car - he gets all his stuff wholesale in bulk so couldnt possibly tell you what brands he uses - it always gleams though so thats all that matters.

Yes AutoGlym, it not cheap but a very good product. :)

Nuff said? :D

That is a sweet set up!!! :)

autoglym high def wax is a good product but your wax is only as good as your prep.

3 times a year i clay my car to get all the sand out of the paint, then prep it with lime prime to get swirl marks out.

wax 3 times over 3 days and it keeps it fine for a long time. Best waxes to use in winter are collinite as they have the durability to last all through winter.

cant go wrong with dodo wax though £33 and it will last about 30 coats which is a fair time if u wont do it 3/4 times a year

Shoulds stupid but can i have a blow by blow account of how you think i should wash my car please :) Just at the moment its just a sray off with a hoes and then wash with the autoglym shampoo before wiping it all down. Want to use waxes if it makes a huge difference and makes it stay cleaner for longer!

it will be slightly different obviously because i have more things but here goes.

Spray with a pressure washer on a soft setting

Wash with dodo juice sour power using the 2 bucket method (one shampoo one clean water) stops swirls

using detail brushes get into all the badges and numberplates

dry with dodo juice drying towel and microfiber cloth

If needed clay bar the car with a sonus green and plenty of lube --- 2/3 times a year

wash again with clean warm water

dry as before

lime prime light or could use autoglym SRP --- 2/3 times a year

wax the car leaving 15/20 minutes to cure on the car, leave 24 hours before repeating

After wax is on you can then wash the car and just use detailing spray to top up the wax until you next want to wax again

Also wash your wheels first if you can then take them off and wax also

you dont have to do all these steps all the time.

Thanks for that!

it will be slightly different obviously because i have more things but here goes.

Spray with a pressure washer on a soft setting

Wash with dodo juice sour power using the 2 bucket method (one shampoo one clean water) stops swirls

using detail brushes get into all the badges and numberplates

dry with dodo juice drying towel and microfiber cloth

If needed clay bar the car with a sonus green and plenty of lube --- 2/3 times a year

wash again with clean warm water

dry as before

lime prime light or could use autoglym SRP --- 2/3 times a year

wax the car leaving 15/20 minutes to cure on the car, leave 24 hours before repeating

After wax is on you can then wash the car and just use detailing spray to top up the wax until you next want to wax again

Also wash your wheels first if you can then take them off and wax also

you dont have to do all these steps all the time.

Thanks for all the info - I've saved this topic and the other for future reference. :)

bumpage for this thread as the other 1 is going aswell :D

Stoopid questions I know but when I get my new car, when should I think about waxing it? It wont need waxing all the time will it?

as soon as you get it.

it shouldnt need clay baring but i did mine anyway.

if you put a couple of coats of wax on over 2 days then it should be set for the summer.

i only wax mine 3/4 times a year.

after its been waxed you will only need to wash it with a mild shampoo like dodo juice sour power or any autoglym product then maybe get a quick detailing spray like dodo juice red mist and you should be all set

Seriously? As soon as I get it?

And 2 days of cleaning? It will be cleaner than my flat!

well not 2 days of cleaning but you have to leave a good wax 24 hours before you put another coat on.

it will be fairly clean wen you get it but if you want to give it the protection over the summer then yes id say straight away is vital

well not 2 days of cleaning but you have to leave a good wax 24 hours before you put another coat on.

it will be fairly clean wen you get it but if you want to give it the protection over the summer then yes id say straight away is vital

I know you've probably answered this question but I can't find it............

I've always used Mer in the past (and got good results) but, based on your advice, I've been looking at the Dodo juice range of waxes and what I'd like is your recommendation as to which one I should use.

I think hard wax is probably the one as I want to increase the shine and protect the body but which colour should I use?

As you can see the car is hot magenta but I wouldn't mind getting some for Noddy (black Sportka) too.

As yet, neither car has been waxed so any advice or comments gratefully received.................... :)

well it would completely depend on your budget.

If you have £65 to spend on wax then i would always recommend supernatural. it is a fantastic wax for its price range giving the same results and much much more expensive waxes.

If you want to go for one of there hard waxes at around £35 then i personally use blue velvet, i use this on my own car (panther black) and i have used it on my dads car which is deep red and it gives great results.

However it is not just the wax, i would really really recommend get a 250ml bottle of lime prime lite so you can try it out, its a great product and gives a deep shine and a good base for waxes to go on. If you do get it then just wipe it on one panel at a time then buff off.

hope that helps :)

I gave the wifes car a good clening today, not a ford i know but its a great car

i used nxt polish on it, autoglym fast glass and alloy cleaner,looks good

thats one of the first 5 door corsa's iv ever seen spose i dnt really pay attention to none fiesta's

wheels look superb. Its a very hard colour to get and good reflections from grey/silver