Following on from my last post, I sent the following to a friend who owns a gorgeous red Ferrari 360 and wanted some car cleaning websites and advice:
http://www.parcfermeshop.co.uk/index.php?cPath=21
and
http://www.meguiars.co.uk/ and goto Enthusiast section
and
www.cleanandshiney.co.uk
These are the key stages of a full car clean / polish:
Accessories- Visit the above sites for good cloths and applicators, don’t use non-microfibre or it will scratch
Preparation- Wash with a good car shampoo e.g. Meguiars NXT Wash (I use this)
- Using a lambswool mitt, different one for the wheels and dirty bits
Paintwork Prep (every 3-6 months)Polish / Wax (every 1-3 months)Wheels / Tyres- Meguairs Hot Rim’s Wheel Cleaner £7
- Chemical Guys New look trim gel £10
Chrome- Autosol cream – great shine £5
Leather- Gliptone Liquid Leather (search the Internet) – used on Bentleys, only a £10
Interior (dash etc)- Einzett Cockpit Premium (matt finish) £7
I wrote that email before discovering Dodo Juice wax which is now my polish of choice and much cheaper than the Zymol!
Other good waxes include: Swissol, Collinite (hard wearing) and Meguiar's NXT.
I personally don't rate Autoglym that highly - it's hard work to buff off, tends to leave a white residue and doesn't last as long as others.
Dodo (hard wax) and collinite last for a long time and the water beads amazing well.
Buy here -
http://www.carnaubawaxshop.co.uk/sho...and&brand_id=2
This is taken from their website
http://www.dodojuice.com
One minute, you're out there with a bucket and gritty sponge, using washing up liquid and whatever else you can find under the kitchen sink. The next, you see something about detailing on a forum, buy a few products and become a slave to the shine. It is inevitable.
Get a bucket, or even better, two. Get a clean sponge. Not the gritty one from the garage floor, but a nice new one. Fill the bucket with warm water and a wax-friendly car shampoo (washing up liquid can contain aggressive detergents, so don't be tempted to use it). Get a hose or jetwash and clear small animals and children from the immediate area. You are the detailing daddy and nothing must distract you or get in your way.
Use the hose or jetwash to wet the car and shift the first layer of dirt, then start sponging on shampoo suds from the roof down. If using two buckets, soak the sponge in the clean one and rinse the sponge in the dirty one. Don't let water levels get too low or sponge from the bottom of the bucket - you're trying to avoid dirt particles getting onto your sponge and turning it into the Devil's own sand paper. Once shampoo'd, rinse the car with clean water from the hose or jetwash and dry with a microfibre, chamois or cotton towel.
Next, if you have a clay bar, use this to eliminate embedded dirt in the paintwork. Then apply a polish or pre-wax cleanser to the car, panel by panel, and buff off with a clean microfibre. The paint surface is now ready to be Juiced.
Apply Dodo Juice waxes sparingly, either by hand or with a foam applicator pad; hard waxes will need to be applied with a pad. Apply panel by panel, allowing 5-10 minutes for the wax to cure and haze over. Don't leave it too long on hot panels or it could 'cake' on. Then buff off with a clean microfibre. Remember, you can cover all your black and grey plastic trim with Dodo Juice - it won't turn it white. Now stand back and admire the shine. Your car is now officially Juiced.
You can top up the wax layer after 24 hours with a second application, or use a 'quick detailing' spray to keep the shine fresh. Dodo Juice will last a few months if you only wash your car using a sympathetic wax-friendly shampoo when it gets dirty. You don't need to keep polishing and waxing it. Just wax it once, then maintain it afterwards until the 'beading' wears off.
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask!