Cleaning my 147

[Beaman]

Hello Board,

Hope everyone is well!

I find myself the proud owner of a new car, it's black. As a result i am needing to give it a clean.

Now, there are lots of Polish and Algerian garage forecourt conversions around that will wash it for £3.50, but i'd like to do it myself. I've never owned a car or a new car before so i'd like to do it properly - any advice?

What steps do i go through to clean it? Is it just Wash/Wax/Wheels?
What about Products? AutoGlym? Those weird fluffy mittens? Squeegee blades?
Leather care suggestions? Dashboard cleaner?
Automatic buffer machines? Are they any good?

I'm lost to be honest. I can just imagine all these consumer products being a rip off and the detailers/valeting services use something professional.

Thank you for any help you can give me. The last time i washed a car was when i was about 11 doing Bob-A-Job for scouts.

Tar,

B

[Taliaz]

Hi,

Having just got a new car too I am in the same kinda boat but I wasgiven a big pack of Auto Glym with the car, now this comes with instructions apparently and a sponge! (no bucket tho! ) but come the weekend I will be having instructions in one hand and sponge in another trying to work out which one of the nice bottles (about 10 in all) I need to put where!

Good luck and happy cleaning

[tcm]

You could literally spend hundreds of pounds and hours of time on washing,claying,polishing and waxing your car. Ive found that this site has most of the answers you'll want
Good Washing Technique - Detailing World

[Dibby]

Up to you what you're looking for. As tcm says you could take your car cleaning to the umpteenth detail and spend hours detailing to drive it in the rain and get it all grubby again.

My routine: A bottle of car shampoo, bucket and sponge from Halfords does the trick with a hoover out once every couple of weeks. Polished/ waxed with Mer and a good inside spring clean every 6 months.

Don't use washing up liquid. It's not good for the paint but you don't need to spend a fortune on shampoos and potions either, Autoglym, Simoniz, Turtle Wax bubbles are all good and not too expensive: £3 - £5 a bottle, any more and you're into diminishing returns, budget brands don't do the job as well. Don't be foolded by marketing and the sales guy in the shop telling you you will need different bubbles to do the alloys, another one for the tyres, one for the bumpers, a separate one for the glass, one for the interior, one for the upholstery ....

It all depends on your budget and how much time you've got. I wouldn't let anyone else wash my car because I have a principle of not paying people to do something I can do myself and I know I do a good enough job for my standards but I'm not going to spend hundreds on potions to get it gleaming until I drive it in the rain.

Up to you, can't go far wrong with car shampoo, bucket and sponge IMO

[BCSS147]

the best stuff i have found is meguiars stuff or auto glym but you start off washing the roof 1st then work your way down do not use the same sponge on the wheels as the body work as you may scratch up the body work etc.. then chamious the car i use meg water magnit thats great...

last off is the glass and wheels and if you have any black trim use back to black but do not put it on your paint work...( back to black is great for after polishing if you get any on the black trims)

so it goes wash body work, wheels, chamios, leave for a few mins/ go for a drive so you dont get any drips, glass, t-cut, wash, chamous, polish, wax. then back to black..

a tip is do not t-cut or polish in bright light the best weather for polishing is overcast

in side the car their is loads again but i perfere on the leather is meg leather cleaner- 6.99 oh yeh, and ive got auto glym dash shine that does the trick for me..

and yes it takes all day and longer to do a proper job..

here the meg link..Meguiar's UK - Car Care Products

have fun

[Dibby]

Originally Posted by BCSS147

so it goes wash body work, wheels, chamios, leave for a few mins/ go for a drive so you dont get any drips, glass, t-cut, wash, chamous, polish, wax. then back to black

I only get 2 days off a week before it's back to work on Monday morning. Not spending half my weekend washing the car!!!!

[Veloc_Gee]

simply:

• use a quality wash mitt & not a sponge (save that for the sills & wheels)
  
• use 2 buckets; 1 for shampoo, the other clean water for regularly rinsing
  
• do not do it on a hot day and/ or under direct sunlight
  
• wash top to bottom

Use decent products (i like meguirs)

for the best (real world) results; after washing, clay bar (Until you've clay bared your car you will not know about good finish - it is an amazing product.); decent wax (i use meg nxt); then top gloss.

btw I found the momo leathers on my old 156 never took to Autogylms leather care.

[lowejackson]

In addition to the detailingworld link, have a look at Guide to Detailing - Autopia Car Detailing Forum

[Tog]

I use Autoglym. If it's good enough for RR and Aston Martin and the Royal family's cars it's just about good enough for my Q2.

Autoglym - car cleaning products, car care products, car valeting, car detailing

[Beaman]

Thanks for this info guys, it's a big help.

I have some TurtleWax 'EXTREME' (!) Nano-Tech Formula here, is it any good?

Also, what is clay? What is it supposed to do and what is the general way to apply/use it?

Beaman

[alimac1973]

If you live in cornwall its a waste of time cleaning the car, I used to do it once every week when I moved here and after a day it was back to how it looked before I washed it.

Went to the car wash place on tuesday morning and by wednesday it had been covered in the usual film of sand like dirt, winds me up a right treat!

[lowejackson]

Originally Posted by Beaman

Also, what is clay? What is it supposed to do and what is the general way to apply/use it?

Detailing Clay & Pre-wax Cleaning - Autopia Car Detailing Forum

[Dibby]

Originally Posted by Beaman

I have some TurtleWax 'EXTREME' (!) Nano-Tech Formula here, is it any good?

Why not give it a try? If you like the results, keep it.

Depends on what finish you're looking for. If it's a clean shiny car you're after that will do the job nicely. If it's a sparkling masterpiece fit for a councours competition then you'll be looking at soemthing costing 10 times as much with separate wax, multiple buckets of water, polish, clay bar, blah blah ...

[bigjim]

i was quite taken with that nanotech stuff. saved drying the car, i'm a lazy sod

[Beaman]

Hi thanks for all your input on this thread. I've read a lot about claying and i'll get a Meguiars set in the end of the summer. I'm not sure i need it until then.

I did buy some Meguiars car wash soap and a funny mitten thing and also a synthetic Megs drying cloth. Oh, and an odd conical alloy brush. Also some blackening stuff for rubber trim. And i've really enjoyed washing the car with double buckets, getting a really nice finish.

So thanks again for your help.

[147lusso]

i've valeted cars for years and the best car shampoo i find is auto glym with rust inhibitor i l ike the nice glossy shine it gives dont use autoglym wheel cleaner this is a big no no as it is very acidic and yours wheels will deteriate over time with its use.i always chamois after wash this includes the alloys also i use superlook in two coat treatment base coat one in circles allowing it to dry to a milky white about 6-8 mins then apply coat two in straight lines allow this to dry again the same time then rub it off with a fercla polish off cloth the shine is identical to showroom condition the alloys get washed with a non acidic alloy treatment that gives them a real shine and amazing clean and seals the alloy i find autoglym car glass polish excellent round the windows and internal external mirrors and last i always give my inside arches a silocone spray and then dress the tyres with silicone.inside the car i use various autoglym products and german polishes i find car plan teflon seat spray to be really good i always give my seats a good spray to protect them from stains as i have 3 kids that sit in the back thers nothing worse than dirty trainers and crumbs

[jimbo2109]

Don't bother mopping a car unless you know what you're doing. It's very easy to leave swirl marks and burn through paint

[GhostyDog]

Originally Posted by Beaman

Hi thanks for all your input on this thread. I've read a lot about claying and i'll get a Meguiars set in the end of the summer. I'm not sure i need it until then.

Good call, considering your car is brand new I doubt very much it will be covered in bird crap, tree sap, tar or other contaminants so soon.

Easiest way to tell is just gently caress the paintwork, you should be able to feel any crap on there.

[ALFA FIVE]

If you can - wash your car on a Friday evening or a Saturday morning at the latest so that you get to drive it around at the weekend with it looking its best in the reassuring knowledge that it will be filthy and dowdy looking for when it sits in the public street during the week.

That way the little 'F*ckwits' with itchy fingers don't get attracted to it and it blends in with other more mundane transport out there.

[ALRN]

Originally Posted by GhostyDog

Good call, considering your car is brand new I doubt very much it will be covered in bird crap, tree sap, tar or other contaminants so soon.

Easiest way to tell is just gently caress the paintwork, you should be able to feel any crap on there.

IMO that's exactly why you should clay it.The clay will remove all the rubbish the garage/dealer put on it to make it shine.Once you have this off you'll be able to see what kind of condition your paint is in and then to be able to get informed opinions on how to correct/improve it.It only takes a seventeen year old with a sponge to put nice big swirl marks over Bella.