Looking for a basic cleaning guide

[sgh]

Having just bought my Silver SLK 2009 R171 I wondered if there was a basic cleaning guide somewhere?

I don't want to get too involved but at the same time would like to give it a good clean/polish every now & then.

So what are the basics & what are some decent products to use? (bearing in mind the Silver paintwork).

 

[merc85]

Snow foam it through a pressure washer, then wash wax bucket and sponge, rinse down again and use a separate bucket with wash n wax for the lower part of the car and wheels etc.
Then dry. Clay bar the car, then use a Pre Cleanse before polish, then polish, then a canuaba wax.

Ive used Rhino Snow foam, Turtle wax wash n wax, Megs stage 1 cleanse, Stage 2 Polish, Stage 3 Wax, then there Gold Paste wax to top it off, seems to leave a good result on my Silver e320 s211

 

[AMGeed]

1 Buy a good wash mitt.
2 Use a decent shampoo like Meguiars Gold Class.
3 Invest in a clay mitt (Meguiars Clay mitt in Halfords for £12 99) and use that to clean the paintwork properly. Keep the mitt wet at all times using a detailing spray)
4 After rinsing, use a Microfibre towel to dry the car off. Chamois leathers are not the way to go
5 Apply a good polish like Auto Glym Super Resin or one of your choice.
6 Then apply a good wax (Plenty of choices suggested in threads here.)

A good forum if you are really into keeping your car's paintwork in top condition is below.

Detailing World - A world for detailers by detailers.

 

[MDC250]

Go on Detailing World...at your own peril, I joined earlier in the year and haven't stopped spending.

If you don't want to spend shed loads on gear and invest lots of time, look at getting the car properly detailed to include full decontamination and if the budget allows paint correction.

After that and once protected you are into maintenance washes.

Basic principle is touch the paint as little as possible to reduce chance of damage to the paintwork.

This is ideally done via a pre wash such as a citrus solution and/or foam then a two bucket wash with a noodle mitt, sheepskin mitt or cloth, drying towel(s) then for ultimate ease a quick detailer spray/sealant.

There are lots more bits in between but best thing to do is read up and DW is the place to do it. Then take a view whether you want to do it or pay somebody to sort for you and you then keep on top throughout the year.

 

[simon1966]

Once you start looking into car cleaning it can become an obsession!!

I had my car detailed earlier this year by Ed at Divine Detail and had Gtechniq coatings applied which certainly make for cleaning afterwards much easier and I would really recommend it. I hadn't had a car detailed before and for me it really was money well spent and the difference is amazing. I would never have got my car remotely to the same standard myself. The trouble is it makes you even more paranoid about the paintwork!

Anyway this is my wash routine which I've copied over from a recent thread I did about cleaning my car:

Start with a Valet Pro citrus pre-wash spray and leave to soak for a bit.
Pressure wash off.
Onto the wheels with britemax iron max.
Full clean of the wheels using 2 bucket method with sonax red summer shampoo and wheel woolies (wheel woolies are great btw).
Full car wash using 2 bucket method with sonax red summer shampoo.
Pressure wash off.
Light spray over with britemax spray and shine detail spray as drying aid.
Dry with purple monster microfibre towel.

I don't polish and wax mine due to the Gtechniq coatings, but the detailing spray helps give it a little more shine and makes it nice and slippery!

I've also just got a DI Vessel by recommendation of a few guys on here to purify the water for final rinsing, I haven't tried it yet but it may even prevent me having to dry it. As MDC250 has said above the less you need to touch the paint the better for risk of scratches.

Good Luck and post up some pics

 

[daveenty]

Pretty much what most have said on here really, though a sponge is mentioned earlier and I'd never use one of those on my car. The reason is that they trap particles of grit between themselves and the paintwork, leading to fine scratches (swirls) in the paint.

I use a lambswool mitt on most of the bodywork, with a microfibre one for the skirts and wheels, using Gold Class shampoo as mentioned above. I also just use this shampoo on the wheels, as they come off the car pretty often to be waxed anyway so don't tend to hold contaminants too badly.

Once it's been washed I then rinse it off (With tap water Simon, not de-ionised stuff ) using the sheeting method which removes most of the water anyway. It then gets dried using a microfibre waffle weave towel, then a bit of whatever it needs, usually just a detailing spray, but a coat of wax every few weeks.

I've seen Simon's car and you would benefit from a look at it to appreciate the work which has gone into it to getting it looking as immaculate as it does.

 

[lordlee]

As others have quite rightly said above that claying is a good place to start - I use a bilt hamber clay bar as you dont need anything but water as a lubricant Clay Bar | Order an Auto-Clay Bar (Medium) For Corrosion Protection - the idea of claying is to clean the paint properly - especially the clear coat - you should see certain areas will leave a brown tar like substance on the white clay - use plenty of water whilst doing this and at the end the paint should be as smooth as glass.
As its all in the prep the next stage is to polish the paint and two great products are Super Resin Polish - Products - Autoglym or Dodo Juice Lime Prime Pre-wax Cleanser - prep and pre-wax. fresh from the dodo.

Next up I would use a sealant on silver and persoanlly would use Jetseal 109 in two coats with 20mins bonding in between. By this time the car should look very bright and with a glassy finish.

The next stage is optional but I always did it to add some depth and that is to add a wax on top - if you are not keen to be topping up on wax often then I'd suggest Collinite 476s as its an excellent product Collinite Super Doublecoat No. 476S - Clean Your Car

There are many, many excellent alternatives to these and everyone has their own opinion but the above products you can buy and they will last for a long time - my collinite has been around fr 3years and I reckon there are a couple of winter coats left in it.

The good thing is if you do it properly the first time then you should be able to wait 6 months before repeating the process. To keep everything perfect maybe top the wax up every 1-2 months and use a detailing spray like Sonax SONAX Xtreme Brilliant Shine Detailer - 750ml - Clean Your Car every time you've washed it.

Thats my 2p anyway....

 

[Rashman]

Probably best of I don't add my 2 pence to this thread....

 

[flango]

Probably best of I don't add my 2 pence to this thread....

It will be a long one if you do

 

[simon1966]

Probably best of I don't add my 2 pence to this thread....

The word 'basic' wouldn't ever exist in your cleaning guide

 

[Rashman]

It will be a long one if you do

lol

Yes, It probably wouldn't be "2 pence"... probably more like £600

The word 'basic' wouldn't ever exist in your cleaning guide

I do have a rather particular routine.
But having said this, I only use 4 products:

Finish Kare #425
Finish Kare #2685/ 1000p ( I alternate between the two)
Auto Glym Vinyl & Rubber Care
Meguiars Gold Class Leather Cleaner & Conditioner

Equipment:

Surgical/ examination gloves
Microfibres
Assorted soft cloths
Wooden skewers & chop sticks
Assorted brushes

 

[alzieboy]

Any Good ?

KDS Detailing | Washing & Drying | Guides

 

[jotter22]

lol

Yes, It probably wouldn't be "2 pence"... probably more like £600






I do have a rather particular routine.
But having said this, I only use 4 products:

Finish Kare #425
Finish Kare #2685/ 1000p ( I alternate between the two)
Auto Glym Vinyl & Rubber Care
Meguiars Gold Class Leather Cleaner & Conditioner

Equipment:

Surgical/ examination gloves
Microfibres
Assorted soft cloths
Wooden skewers & chop sticks
Assorted brushes

A lways clean after use.
N ever use if raining.
A lways use waterless cleaners.
L eave spotlessly clean.



Tony.

 

[daveenty]

Forgot about Kelly's guide on the KDS site.

Awesome stuff and the man knows exactly what he's doing.

 

[Rashman]

A lways clean after use.
N ever use if raining.
A lways use waterless cleaners.
L eave spotlessly clean.



Tony.

Something like that