Cleaning products

[DannyHall]

Before the CLA I never bothered actually cleaning the car myself but my cousin had a bad incident with a local car wash

Now I find it quite therapeutic but would appreciate anyone giving me some brands of cleaning products to get. Which snow foam do you guys use and does it matter?

 

[LondonViking]

Personally I use the Koch Chemie series where their nano shampoo and wheel cleaner are seriously good. the Shampoo can also be used as snow foam

 

[Abb]

Danny, get yourself to North East Car Care (NECC) and speak to Shaun there. He had detailed both my cars and advised me on the best products to use in all aspects of cleaning my cars.
What he doesn't know ain't worth knowing when it comes to his detailing knowledge. Also a fellow Hartlepuddlian so very local to you

 

[Oxonmb]

Whatever products you opt for make sure you use the 2 bucket method.

 

[MDC250]

For snow foam check out Obsession Wax Blizzard and ODK Arctic. Both have great cleaning ability and are very economical. Both do a good shampoo as well as it goes.

Another good shout is Bilt Hamber Autowash via a pump sprayer.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Ignore the above Danny. I use a flannel & a bucket of hot water with a dash of fairy liquid

All joking aside Danny, if I had your car I'd clean it every day.

Hope you're still loving it mate.

Ant.

 

[ash59fifty-uk]

I've recently caught this bug and currently have these items in my Amazon basket, if anyone with better recommended products could edit/replace better items in this list to help me and the op?

I've listed them in the order of a proper cleaning process, I think...

Cleaning:

Karcher K2 compact pressure washer £49
Hozelock multi tap connector (no external tap ) £7
Hozelock hose £19.25
X2 buckets with gritguards £38.95
Autobrite snowfoam lance (comes with 500ml of foam to try) £35
Kent microfibre noodle wash mitt £4
Kent microfibre drying towel £5

Afterwards:

Autoglym intensive tar remover (325ml) £6.50
Autoglym surface detailing clay kit £23
Autgoglym HD wax (150g) £43

Interior:

Gliptone leather cleaner & conditioner (250ml) £15

Complete novice to all this so have compiled this list on reviews/ratings I'm sure I can get a cheaper hose and tap connector elsewhere

 

[MDC250]

I've recently caught this bug and currently have these items in my Amazon basket, if anyone with better recommended products could edit/replace better items in this list to help me and the op? I've listed them in the order of a proper cleaning process, I think... Cleaning: Karcher K2 compact pressure washer £49 Hozelock multi tap connector (no external tap ) £7 Hozelock hose £19.25 X2 buckets with gritguards £38.95 Autobrite snowfoam lance (comes with 500ml of foam to try) £35 Kent microfibre noodle wash mitt £4 Kent microfibre drying towel £5 Afterwards: Autoglym intensive tar remover (325ml) £6.50 Autoglym surface detailing clay kit £23 Autgoglym HD wax (150g) £43 Interior: Gliptone leather cleaner & conditioner (250ml) £15 Complete novice to all this so have compiled this list on reviews/ratings I'm sure I can get a cheaper hose and tap connector elsewhere

Bin off the Karcher and get a Nilfisk.

Foam lance...as long as it's made by PA pick one up from Fleabay.

Genuinely you'd be impressed what a cheap pump sprayer can do with Bilt Hamber Autofoam as your pre wash.

Much more effective foams than Autobrite out there if you want to go dedicated foam lance route.

Shampoo...I like a pure shampoo rather than a wax enhanced product...fave at the moment is Gyeon Bathe.

Dooka wash mitt, pricey but quality through and through and will last forever. Noodle mitts I'd only ever use on the very lowest sections.

AG tar remover isn't bad. You will benefit from a fallout remover...Angelwax Revelation is effective and good value.

For clay get Bilt Hamber, you use water as lube (ooh err) and you'll save a ton on the kit you've picked out.

AG wax isn't bad but for that money you could get a massive pot of Finish Kare 1000p which will double up for the wheels and you could get a small pot of a really nice show wax, e.g. ODK Glamour and have money over.

Modern leather is sealed so Gliptone twins not really going to do much for you. Check out Dr Leather Wipes.

 

[Alex225]

It's hard to recommend one specific brand as there's so many good combinations out there to try and see which ones you really like.

You'll hear lots of unusual names banded about but there is also a hell of a lot of snobbery in detailing. Things that cost more are not necessarily better and be aware that a lot of brands are made in the same labs so are nigh on identical.

If you're starting out there's one combination that I'd always recommend, Autoglym Super Resin polish to give the paintwork a nice finish and is easy to use by hand. Then a couple of layers of Collinite (476 or my preference 845) for protection.

If you really want to go to town you can decontaminate and clay the car prior to polishing and protecting. You can also apply a sealant after polishing then the wax on top.

One product I can highly recommend for anyone is Gyeon Wetcoat. Sprayed onto a wet car, then rinsed with the pressure washer leaves it beading like a fresh coat of wax. Really impressive stuff and great for topping up whatever coating you have applied.

 

[Max Shine]

I could give you lots of advice, but doubt the rules of the forum will allow me to advertise or promote my own company. PM me if you like

 

[Codger49]

£38.95 for 2 buckets with gritguards?

I use 2 Tesco buckets at around £2 each and just make sure to keep the Kent mitt in the top half when rinsing/soaping.

 

[Max Shine]

Not being picky, but a sealant works best applied to a bare clear coat, that is without any polish or wax applied. Allowing time for a sealant to harden and cure, this is the best method.

 

[ianw19]

Don't forget the wheels!

Auto Finesse Imperial wheel cleaner
Poorboys Wheel Sealant
Meguiars Tyre Gel

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[ash59fifty-uk]

£38.95 for 2 buckets with gritguards? I use 2 Tesco buckets at around £2 each and just make sure to keep the Kent mitt in the top half when rinsing/soaping.

I had some buckets and grit guards a few years back, they work and it's surprising how much crap swells around in your 'clean' buckets

 

[MDC250]

Plasterers buckets from Wickes are the way fwd.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Plasterer's-Bucket-30L/p/103976

 

[flango]

Plasterers buckets from Wickes are the way fwd.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Plasterer's-Bucket-30L/p/103976

A man after my own heart exactly what I use too. Made some grit guards for the bottom, 2 bucket method for less than £15

 

[daveenty]

An interesting article HERE on grit guards which I've posted before. If you scroll down to the "We say" tab it explains why some don't use them. I must admit that I don't bother with them though, in my defence, the car's not been washed for over 12 months now.

To the OP, as for your which polish question, you could ask 20 people and get 20 different answers as, like Alex says in post #9, there is so much stuff out there, some good, some not so, so try a few yourself and decide on one which you feel comfortable with.

I used THIS STUFF initially to get the paint where I wanted it to be, though all it gets now is a QD SPRAY on it every time it goes out, followed by a SPRAY WAX to keep it shiny.

Just don't go over the top with it and let it take your life over, which it can do very easily.

 

[Dinnie]

The karcher k2 is no better than a hose with a nozzle on the end. Anything above a k4 is what you really need to shift dirt.

 

[ash59fifty-uk]

An interesting article HERE on grit guards which I've posted before. If you scroll down to the "We say" tab it explains why some don't use them. I must admit that I don't bother with them though, in my defence, the car's not been washed for over 12 months now. To the OP, as for your which polish question, you could ask 20 people and get 20 different answers as, like Alex says in post #9, there is so much stuff out there, some good, some not so, so try a few yourself and decide on one which you feel comfortable with. I used THIS STUFF initially to get the paint where I wanted it to be, though all it gets now is a QD SPRAY on it every time it goes out, followed by a SPRAY WAX to keep it shiny. Just don't go over the top with it and let it take your life over, which it can do very easily.

Having seen how shiny your car is in the flesh, immaculate, and the fact it hasn't been washed in so long (despite being garaged) I'm going to take your word as gospel

I was going to ask what that stuff was which you kept spraying on the beast, nice one

 

[daveenty]

Having seen how shiny your car is in the flesh, immaculate, and the fact it hasn't been washed in so long (despite being garaged) I'm going to take your word as gospel

Cheers Ash, though I wouldn't go that far. Clean yes, but far from immaculate. It's going to be in the same spot this Sunday again, hopefully a bit cleaner this time though as it's a good weather forecast.

I was going to ask what that stuff was which you kept spraying on the beast, nice one

It was recommended to me by the owner of the cleanest CLK known to man. You would be justified in the use of the word immaculate to describe his motor.