Car Care - Products & Advice

[Largoh]

Hi all,

I've recently picked up my new Focus ST-3. I promised myself and the wife that I'd take much better care of this one and keep it clean, keep the tyres in good condition etc.

Can anyone advise on products they've used for the upkeep of their cars? I have a few in mind but wondering if there any alternatives.

Washing

I live in a top floor flat, so as much as I'd like to buy a pressure washer and some snow foam, I just can't. Running 2 buckets of water down 3 flights of stairs isn't really a viable option either.

So I bought some Triplewax TWH102 Waterless Wash and Shine. Having used a product called ProShine in the past, I thought I'd do some research and found this to be quite highly rated. It's actually quite good but I only intend on using it to maintain a shine for longer after a wash. We have a valeter at work who charges £15 for a mini-valet. It's not brilliant, but it'll do. There's a small chance that option won't be available soon though so I may have to take it to the local car wash myself once a month or something.

Wheels

It says the Triplewax can be used on alloy wheels, but I'd rather get something specific. I'd like to use Purple Rain 2.0 but without a pressure washer I think I'm out of luck. Anyone able to recommend a wasterless and relatively easy to use product?

Is it also worth treating the tyres with any products?

Rain Repellent

Apparently Carlack is one of the better products for this. I've used Rain X in the past which was impressive but didn't last long.

Anti-Fog

Is Anti-Fog needed? Does it leave any grease or shimmer on the glass? I'm an Airsofter so have used a variety of Anti-Fog products in my Eye Protection before but all have given strange vision or just not worked. I'd imagine with the quick clear windscreen and keeping the air flowing it would be fine without it.

Winter Tyres

It says in the handbook that the ST comes with Summer tyres not meant for winter at all. I think this is a kick in the teeth if I'm honest but ah well. What should I look for in a tyre to make it a winter tyre? Are there any good brands people can recommend that don't cost the earth? I'm looking online and they're all about £100 per tyre!

If anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to share. I want to take care of my new pride and joy but not so often that the neighboughs say "Look at that <insert slang term>!".

Cheers

[salsheikh]

Hi Jon

now Im not a connosisseur when it comes to keeping the car clean etc but these are my tips:

Wheels

Use a ceramic coating product like G Technic C5 to give your alloys the best chance of keeping clean or a good wax like Finish Kare FK1000p

Rain Repellent

I have used Armor All Glass and i find it lasts longer than Rain X plus its easier to apply, even Armor All Sheild Wax works fine on windows even though its not made for that but this leaves your paint grabby.

Anti-Fog

Anti fog never seems to work for me, well the rain x one anyway but have a look on detailing world forum to see if anyone can recommend a good product?

Winter Tyres

As the car doesnt have winter tyres i recommend getting a second set off eBay that have winter tyres already fitted! You can pick up a bargain! I managed to get 4 nearly new winter tyres for approx £100 and got some ford 16" 5 spoke alloys for another £100 so can use these over the winter months.

I'm sure others will come along and suggest some good products/ideas to you.

[biff55]

Dear oh dear , looks like we've got our work cut -out on this one men :-D

" I may have to take it to the local car wash myself once a month or something."

nothing will destroy your lovely new paintwork faster than this lol.

adopt the 2 bucket wash method asap and do it yourself at home if you dont want the bodywork marred and surface scratched within 12 months.

Get into the habit of applying a coat of sealant once a year to protect the paint from the UK's harsh and unforgiving environmental conditions.

A top-up or express wax can be applied in just 15-20 mins on the whole car after every wash to ensure good shine and water beading , i use autoglym Aqua wax which is awesome , but there are many other similarly effective products available.

Forget rain X for glass water repellent , it only lasts a few weeks , i use gtechnique G1 / G5 - lasts for months

wouldnt bother with anti fog in a car that has air con and heated front windscreen.

winter tyres are a nice luxury if you have a spare set of wheels to put on the car otherwise youre going to be in and out of kwikfit

several times a year swopping tyres around........