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Advice for a newbie

3K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  LLKK 
#1 ·
Surprisingly I couldn't see or find a search result for a thread on advice for newbies to car washing.

My car wash history involves the odd run through a variety of car washes, dealer washing when my car was serviced and very rarely a solitary bucket and sponge with some Carplan "wash and wax". That's going to sound sacrilegious to those of you who are into washing and detailing their cars, but I am seeking salvation. I'm after some advice on safe starter steps from people who have owned BMWs with wafer thin paint rather than generic guidance from manufacturers of cleaning products.

Lots of people I've spoken to have concurred on the below products as a start to car washing:
Microfibre wash mitt
Microfibre towels (not cloths) for drying
2 buckets complete with grit guards
Autoglym products as a good quality starter set - Shampoo and Wax as 2 separate products
G Techniq windscreen coating

They also recommended I follow a simple process:
Rinse loose dirt off with a hose
Use Autoglym Shampoo or Shampoo & conditioner (not sure of the difference)
Use 2 bucket method to wash each panel independently using side-to-side strokes going from top to bottom and dry before moving on
Apply some sort of wax - but if I dry the panel Aqua wax won't work?

I'm not sure about:
Alloy wheel cleaning
If wax is good enough to repel dirt/water so that I only have to hose the car off between washes (I only drive 500-800 a month)
Whether I should bother with a polish so early in the cars life or if I might indeed make it worse
What the difference between Shampoo and Shampoo Conditioner is

I'm open to any suggestions and advice, the last thing I want to do is scratch/swirl brand new unadulterated paint. However I also don't want to put myself off washing my car properly - my outlook always used to be that it's a cold, wet, thankless task that I loathed doing, but with a nice Estoril Blue car I'd actually like to keep it looking shiny and nice. So basically I'd like to start off gently/slowly/easily and build up to polishing and detailing my car more frequently over a period of time.

I'd also appreciate some advice on where to get all the kit from, Halfords have a 3 for 2 offer which seems like a genuinely good deal and they have what looks like a decent microfibre mitt at £11.

Thanks,
Andy
 
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#4 ·
Halfords is abit of a rip off mate id search online for other detailing suppliers. if your a newbie to the whole cleaning thing id just get a good Ph neutral shampoo, a snowfoam lance, ph neutral snow foam, clay bar, some APC, a few spray bottles, plenty of microfiber cloths, wool wash mit, a nice mid range polish to suit your vehicle, sealant and some wax. AUTO GLYM is half decent entry level stuff when applied correctly. there wheel protectant is also easy to use and offers plenty of protection. a good wheel cleaner is bilberry wheel cleaner.

Liam
 
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