Guide: Washing Your CarPandy |
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 Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989      Location: Birmingham | Hey Guys I was asked to write a guide on how to detail your car as it seems quite a few members are getting into the detailing scene. This is the way i go about detailing a car, but everyone is different so treat this if you like as a step by step guide to help you detail your car in the best way, substituting your own style where needed  If you have any questions or suggestions dont hesitate to post on here, im not a pro - far from it, but ill help in any way i can On with the show.... Step 1 Always wash the wheels first before you touch anything else on the car, as this prevents any of the wheel cleaners contaminating the paintwork on the car if you have washed that previous to the wheels. To start with spray a liberal amount of your chosen wheel cleaner (i opt for ValetPro's Bilberry) onto a DRY, COOL wheel to have maximum effect....  Leave this to dwell for a few minutes. Step 2 Re-apply the cleaner and aggitate with a non-metal brush (i opt for a Swissvax style brush from Envy Detailing), starting with the wheel face first....  Step 3 Now that the face is done, spray your chosen wheel cleaner onto the inside of the wheel and aggitate with a long reach brush (i opt for either the Meguiars Ultra Safe Wheel Spoke Brush or the EZ Detail Brush) making sure to clean behind the spokes aswell....   Step 4 PW (Pressure Wash) the wheels to remove all of the cleaner, leaving you with a nice clean wheel....    Thats the wheels done for the mean time Onto the Pre-Wash stage.... Step 1 PW the car from top to bottom, making sure you have a firm grip on the handle at all times, paying particular attention to the lower halves and arches....  Step 2 Now comes the fun part. Snow Foam the car, again from top to bottom, and leave this to dwell for 5-10 minutes (no longer than 10 is the general rule). I use the Halfords attatchment on my PW at the minute but i will be investing in a propper heavy duty Foam Lance which gives a much thicker foam and increased cleaning capabilities....   PW the car making sure all of the foam is washed off.... Step 3 As another step in the Pre-Wash stage i like to spray on a citrus cleaner to the lower halves to help lift the dirt and grime before anything else touches the paint. Beware some cleaners WILL strip wax....  Again leave that to dwell for a few minutes before PW'ing off....  Now we can get onto washing the car itself.... Step 1 When it comes to actually washing the car it is very important to follow the instructions on the bottle as to what concentration you need to create the best lubrication for the paint as this is prodomonantly where many people scratch their cars by pushing grit around on the surface.... The shampoo's i like use are Chemical Guys Citrus Wash + Gloss, Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo and Conditioner, and Meguiars HyperWash - each giving very good suds, foam and more importantly lubrication.... The safest tool to use when washing your car is a Lambswool Wash Mitt if you arent very strict when it comes to the Pre-Wash, as with a mitt the grit is pushed into the deep pile so your paint is safely protected, however i like to use a Zymol Sponge when i carry out a good Pre-Wash as i find it is easier to hold and it has a VERY soft texture when it is saturated with Shampoo.... Onto the bucket you use. You may not think its very important but alot of the dirt and grit transfers into the water so you will need some sort of protection in that area. I use a 20Lt Grit Guard Plus bucket which as titled, encorporates a Grit Guard so that when you rinse you wash tool you aren't scraping the bottom of the bucket and picking up the grit in there.... Again working from the top down, wash the car, leaving the bottom halves of the car till last as this is where most of the dirt will be collected/pushed away from the paint....  Dont forget to do the door shuts and the top of the rear bumper....  Step 2 Rinse the car with an open ended hose as this helps the water to sheet off the car to aid the drying process....  Step 3 Drying the car is as important as washing. If a car is left to dry naturally you will find that the water will leave marks on the paint which can sometimes be a pain to remove.... When you dry the car you dont need to be too thorough for the first pass, just lightly wipe the towel over the car to soak as much of the water up as possible, then go back again and get the last few bits on another pass.... I use a Chemical Guys Miracle Dryer Towel for the first pass, followed by a Sonus Der Wunder Waffle Weave towel on the second pass....  Then back to the wheels i dry them, along with the tyres, with a Meguiars Drying Towel.... Leaving the car looking something like this....  Finshing touches.... Step 1 Clean the glass of the car to remove any smears. I use AutoGlym Fast Glass for this. Its also a good idea to give the wiper blades a wipe with AG Fast Glass on a clean MF (MicroFibre) to clean them....  Step 2 Clean the exhaust pipe with a good metal cleaner (Meguiars Metal Polysh or Autosol) on a cotton pad, wiped clean with an MF....  Step 3 Dress the tyres to give them the new/wet look that they deserve....  Stand back and admire your work....  Again if you have any questions or you think i have missed something (i was fighting against the iminent rain :nono post on here and ill do my best to help Thanks Andy Edited by Pandy 2/11/2008 3:18 PM | ||
| JamieS |
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| "MG Metro 1300" Location: Warwickshire, UK | Dont like the look of those arches fella  anyways any tips on dressing black plastic and metal bumpers? Oh and be prepared to detail the HLE when ive got it on the road  Edited by JamieS 2/11/2008 3:28 PM | ||
| cerbera |
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | Thanks Chris, Ill do a few more like Interior, Engine Bay etc at a later date Jamie one of the best products to use for like window seals etc is Black Wow but its pricey. I have used AG Vinyl and Rubber care on mine and that works really well When you say metal bumpers what do you mean? bare metal or painted metal? | ||
| JamieS |
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| "MG Metro 1300" Location: Warwickshire, UK | Whatever kind of metal mine are.. think their painted as there black so would make sense. Like Chris said thanks for putting together I just hope people heed your advice and wash propperly Oh and mabey you could do abit on cleaning wheel arches well aswell Edited by JamieS 2/11/2008 3:58 PM | ||
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | If its painted clean as normal, maybe start with a degreaser, traffic film remover, and a wash. Cant see why they would need any special treatment Good idea, i might be able to put one together this week as i did my arches and the wheels propperly (wheels off the car) a few weeks back | ||
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 Lucky 13 Location: Cheshire | Great write up andy how much would it cost for me to buy the equipment needed for the above wash? cheap as possible tho  | ||
| Pandy |
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | |||
| Mutts |
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 Lotus powered R100 MP Admin  Location: Torbay, South Devon, UK | I can add to this guide... How to clay your car in the rain, at night Good guide man, you really are a detailing whore!  | ||
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | I know i am Im gonna do another thread with like TFR and Claying soon sort of a pre-polish stage | ||
| DotMatrix |
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 Expert Posts: 4458 Location: Jelling, Denmark | |||
| Mutts |
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Lotus powered R100 MP Admin Location: Torbay, South Devon, UK | DotMatrix - 3/11/2008 12:16 AM what is the snow foaming of the car part? wax? soap? Its a high foaming soap with slightly stronger cleaning agents than regular soap - Andy can verify Bassically by foaming the car as a pre wash & letting it dwell on the surface for a few mins, it can help to loosen the bonded on crap like mud & grit etc... you PW the foam off which takes a lot of the dirt with it.. meaning you have an almost grit free car before you get a wash mit anywhere near the car It greatly reduces the risk of scratching the paint & in turn.. the dredded swirl marks With the right combination of tools & snow foam you can get results like this  Unlike Andy who has opted for the halfords detergent bottle (admitadly on my bad advice) - which is why his foam is not as foamy If you dont have a pressure washer you can get this which attaches to a normal hozelock connector. - results will be around the same as the halfords one I think. | ||
| jeckulz |
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 Big Lad Little Car Location: North West (Warrington) | Mutts Plums - 2/11/2008 11:03 PM I can add to this guide... How to clay your car in the rain, at night Wearing your car-cleaning safety suit of shorts and flip-flops and claying 'flames' into other people's spoilers Good guide Andy. Im saving up all the dirt on my car just for you. Thats your birthday present. Cleaning a white car. That must be like shagging a virgin for you.... just think of the satisfaction you'll get! | ||
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Lotus powered R100 MP Admin Location: Torbay, South Devon, UK | jeckulz - 3/11/2008 11:38 AM Mutts Plums - 2/11/2008 11:03 PM I can add to this guide... How to clay your car in the rain, at night Wearing your car-cleaning safety suit of shorts and flip-flops and claying 'flames' into other people's spoilers I said I was sorry about the flames dude!  If you'd clayed it properly beforehand there wouldn't have been a problem though Shorts & flip flops FTW! | ||
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | Mutts you didnt advise me on the Halfords lance - dont take the bad credit lol Im getting a propper lance soon - but when i've been spending £120 a month on cleaning stuff for the last few months i need to calm down You described how the foam works spot on Chris | ||
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | Abit more on the foam side of things. Its dead easy to do and loads of fun . Spray it on, leave it to dwell for 5-8 minutes and rinse it off  | ||
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 R114 GTi Posts: 1161 Location: Flintshire, North Wales | |||
| ralphh85 |
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| Expert Posts: 9862 Location: Cornwall | |||
| munday |
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 Expert Posts: 5629 Location: Letchworth/Basildon | Great guide pandy! Thanks for compiling this I usually just tfr the wheels and lower half then wash from top down. Oh well, maybe one day you can fix all my mistakes | ||
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | Ralph: I agree with you 100% there, but i didnt want to seem pushy and include too much into it as im no expert If its a propper clean ill usually take all 4 wheels off and give the arches and wheels a good propper clean Adam: That sounds fine, as long as its kept ontop of, i cant see any harm in doing just that. I clean my wheels with normal shampoo as once they are sealed (with regular top-ups) they are a piece of cake to keep clean - but be wary of TFR's if the car is waxed as many will strip it easily. As long as you loosen and remove as much of the dirt and traffic film before you touch the car, then its happy days | ||
| Metromartin |
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 MP Admin Posts: 17870 Location: Gloucester | |||
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 Metro Mad Posts: 7653 Location: Tamworth, Staffs | 8astard, I was just about to say to clean the car you should take the wheels off and do inside the archs also, spoilt my fun Looks clean in the pic but I bet its not now after a drive Edited by R119GTA 29/1/2009 5:09 PM | ||
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | Its never clean after 5 minutes of driving Martin ill do another propper one soon (prob PDF) when its got better bodywork I was right about the price, to buy every product to do all that costs 150, thats not including the cost of the Pressure Washer or Foam Lance  Im gonna tot up how much my stuff is worth on Sunday.....scary  | ||
| FULVIO |
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 Regular Posts: 271 Location: Argentina & Everywhere | |||
| Turley_vvc |
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 Posts: 2794 Location: Tamworth/Measham | Brill Pandy,you love it just as much as i do, only just noticed this guide lol, i do it abit differnt to you... 1. Clean wheels with "Meguiars Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner" put abit into a plastic cup (enuf to do all 4 wheels) and use a soft/meduim paint brush then left it settle and then hose it off. 2.hose the car down and wheels 3. then fill a a bucket with hot water and put a cap full of either "Meguiars Ultimate Wash & Wax Car Shampoo and Wax or Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo Conditioner" 4. I clean the wheels down first then wash the body, i always do this twice lol yes wash the car twice, then hose all all off. 5. i have a few didnt shammy's, shammy the hole car, open boot,both doors and bonnet. 6. After ive finished dryin the hole car off i either polish it with Autoglym or Meguiars. 7. is the windows i use "Meguiars NXT Generation Glass Cleaner" inside and out 8. I do the hole of the inside, hoovering etc wipe the dash down and hoover the vents. 9. and finally i always go the wheels last i do use what you use Pandy which is "Meguiars Endurance High Gloss Tyre Shine Gel" or there other version which is just as good "Meguiars Hot Shine Tyre dressing wet look" i use a dressing pad with these. And thats it really lol | ||
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | So you wash the wheels and the car with the same sponge/mitt? AND use chamois? | ||
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Posts: 2794 Location: Tamworth/Measham | Pandy - 27/5/2011 2:57 AM So you wash the wheels and the car with the same sponge/mitt? AND use chamois? no i have a sponge for the wheels and a soft mitt for the car Fancy helpin me clean and moppin the new GTi number 2 when i pick it up?Edited by Turley_vvc 27/5/2011 3:04 AM | ||
| 111Sli |
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 Transport Guru MP Moderator Posts: 4947 Location: Bromley, Kent | I cannot recommend highly enough the Meguiars clay 'kit' as it makes a great difference to the final finish of the car and it's great having glass smooth paint work. I now cringe at seeing people using traditional ways like sponges, and polishing without claying, and leaving the sponge on the floor! On current reg cars! What is best for the removal of swirls for a beginner detailer? DA polisher? | ||
| munday |
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Expert Posts: 5629 Location: Letchworth/Basildon | 111Sli - 3/7/2013 5:46 PM I cannot recommend highly enough the Meguiars clay 'kit' as it makes a great difference to the final finish of the car and it's great having glass smooth paint work. I now cringe at seeing people using traditional ways like sponges, and polishing without claying, and leaving the sponge on the floor! On current reg cars! What is best for the removal of swirls for a beginner detailer? DA polisher? Claying a car is an experience! Makes a big difference. For swirl removal, search Junkman2000 on youtube, he has a novice guide to machine polishing (5 parts) thats really good. All of his videos are good, they could be about half as long and still contain the relevant info but its entertaining either way. Basically he says...Using a DA (which will take a while) use Megs 105 followed by Megs 205 to remove swirls. If the are bad a quick wet sand with 1500 or 2000 grit before the 105 will do the trick | ||
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | Is that the guy with the Corvette in America? He is hilarious and well worth a watch. I swear by Menzerna polishes and Chemical Guys Hex Logic pads on a DA | ||
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Expert Posts: 5629 Location: Letchworth/Basildon | Pandy - 4/7/2013 10:45 AM Is that the guy with the Corvette in America? He is hilarious and well worth a watch. I swear by Menzerna polishes and Chemical Guys Hex Logic pads on a DA Yeah that's the guy, I can see myself spending a lot of money on detailing stuff soon, make my car nice and 'shinny' | ||
| 111Sli |
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Transport Guru MP Moderator Posts: 4947 Location: Bromley, Kent | |||
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 Elite Veteran Posts: 646 Location: Chester | nice skirts | ||
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Fish freak! MP Admin Posts: 14989 Location: Birmingham | They were my old rattle canned ones, the new ones are on now though | ||
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 MP Admin Posts: 8747 Location: Greater London \ Essex | 111Sli - 3/7/2013 5:46 PM I cannot recommend highly enough the Meguiars clay 'kit' as it makes a great difference to the final finish of the car and it's great having glass smooth paint work. Bilt Hamber auto clay is great stuff and only needs water rather than anything specific to lubricate the clay, only £10 on cleanyourcar for a box that you can split into 4 pieces which will last ages | ||
