Car Cleaning

tri3

Hi,

I was wondering what sort of products people would recommend for cleaning a car - in particular windscreen wash, car shampoo, polish? There are a huge amount to choose from in places like Halfords, Woodies, Atlantic etc.

And what sort of pressure washers and handheld vacuum cleaners are the best to get?

Also any tips on the best way to clean the exterior of the car properly so there are no marks or swirls left on it?

Thanks.

Supergurrier

www.cleancar.ie

I find Meguiars NXT shampoo very good

colm_mcm

Moved to DIY, detailing etc forum

gollywog

Yes cleancar.ie all the way.

Has absolutely everything you will need and is next day delivery, free delivery if over 100 euro too!

But if your going the halfords route, meguiars stuff would be what i'd go for

challengemaster

tri3 wrote: »

Hi,

I was wondering what sort of products people would recommend for cleaning a car - in particular windscreen wash, car shampoo, polish? There are a huge amount to choose from in places like Halfords, Woodies, Atlantic etc.

And what sort of pressure washers and handheld vacuum cleaners are the best to get?

Also any tips on the best way to clean the exterior of the car properly so there are no marks or swirls left on it?

Thanks.

Ok there's a fair few questions in this... and it all depends how anal you're going to be about cleaning the car really.

As for pressure washers. Nilfisk or Karcher are the top brands, both pretty much identical, Nilfisk being better due to upgraded internals and usually cheaper. Argos have them in cheap at the moment.

If you aren't all that bothered about it, halfords has plenty of stock (Autoglym, Meguiars - anything else is crap)

If you want better quality products, detailingshed.com or cleancar.ie have very good stock, and is aimed towards the enthusiast market.

Car shampoo wants to be pH neutral for best results, to avoid degrading any protection that's on the car when you're washing it.

Also polish is not a top-layer of protection, and it will be washed away by rain quite easily. Wax or sealant are your final stages of protection. There are many waxes and sealants so depending on your price range, you can choose what suits. Some of the better ones would be Meguiars gold class liquid carnuaba, Autoglym HD wax, Collinite 476, Chemical Guys Jetseal 109. They are expensive but last a very long time.


A general wash should follow the following guide:

Rinse
De-tar
Rinse again
Shampoo
Rinse
Dry
Polish (optional)
Wax / Sealant

Use of a clay bar is also recommended for best results

Also to remove any swirl marks on the paint you need a paint correction done. Cleancar or detailing shed offer this service.

Some rules to follow:

NEVER use a brush or sponge to wash the car. Lambswool mitt or microfibre mitt only

Follow the 2 bucket method for washing the car, and use grit guards

NEVER buy T-cut, it's absolutely useless crap.

Curran

Couldnt have put it much better than the poster above! He knows what he's talking about!

Just to clear up where the claying process fits into the list

Rinse
De-tar
Rinse again
Clay
Rinse again
Shampoo
Rinse
Dry
Polish (optional)
Wax / Sealant

Also, if you are going for a hand polish type product like Autoglym Super Resin, its best to protect the car with something from their range as they are designed to work best together...so that would be Extra Gloss Protection or HD Wax.
Similarily if you decided to go with Chemical Guys P40 Polish, one of their products would be best to use - JetSeal109 or Pete's53 Wax


Re: Power Washer - go for the Nilfisk; they have all got metal pumps, where as the lower end (usually all the domestic) power washers that Karcher make have plastic pumps. So obviously the Nilfisk metal pump will last longer, but also less likely to break the internals if you leave the PW in the shed during the colder freezing months...but as always, the PW should always be drained as best possible before storing it in cold places to prevent the water expanding and breaking internals.....ideally not stored in these places at all!

Hope this helps Any other questions, fire away!

Ron Burgundy II

Curran wrote: »

Couldnt have put it much better than the poster above! He knows what he's talking about!

Just to clear up where the claying process fits into the list

Rinse
De-tar
Rinse again
Clay
Rinse again
Shampoo
Rinse
Dry
Polish (optional)
Wax / Sealant

Also, if you are going for a hand polish type product like Autoglym Super Resin, its best to protect the car with something from their range as they are designed to work best together...so that would be Extra Gloss Protection or HD Wax.
Similarily if you decided to go with Chemical Guys P40 Polish, one of their products would be best to use - JetSeal109 or Pete's53 Wax


Re: Power Washer - go for the Nilfisk; they have all got metal pumps, where as the lower end (usually all the domestic) power washers that Karcher make have plastic pumps. So obviously the Nilfisk metal pump will last longer, but also less likely to break the internals if you leave the PW in the shed during the colder freezing months...but as always, the PW should always be drained as best possible before storing it in cold places to prevent the water expanding and breaking internals.....ideally not stored in these places at all!

Hope this helps Any other questions, fire away!

+1

also have a look on http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/ I have used them before and are very good to deal with. Cleancar.ie is also a great site to use.
You also have a number of different grades of clay bars on the market. I feel a middle grade of clay works well, removed contaminates easily while not been to aggressive on the paint work. Ultra fine take for ages to remove contaminates imo.
Also use a tar remover this makes like much easier when you use the clay later on. I would recommend Dodo Juice Tarmalade, simple to use and fantastic results from it.
Use a shampoo that does not incorporate a wax in it, some products like turtle wax shampoos contain some wax element, which should be avoided.
I use http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/meguiars-gold-glass-shampoo-and-conditioner-64oz.php?cPath=57.
Also if your budget can stretch use snow foam for the pre wash stage.
(what do people think of snow foam)
http://www.cleancar.ie/snow-foam-and-lances.html
Never ever use a sponge when washing your car. Always use a wash mitt either lambs wool or micro fibre. You may use a sponge for cleaning your wheels.
And buy loads of microfibre towels, they are very handy when doing detailing work on your car.

Curran

Forgot to mention that claying, especially this time of the year when its cold and the clay gets hard, can sometimes result in marring on the paint, which will need a light polish (by hand is enough) to remove the marring. Just something to keep in mind and to look out for before protecting the car....nothing worse than having to strip back the protection when the marring is seen afterwards.

tri3

[/QUOTE]
Re: Power Washer - go for the Nilfisk; they have all got metal pumps, where as the lower end (usually all the domestic) power washers that Karcher make have plastic pumps. So obviously the Nilfisk metal pump will last longer, but also less likely to break the internals if you leave the PW in the shed during the colder freezing months...but as always, the PW should always be drained as best possible before storing it in cold places to prevent the water expanding and breaking internals.....ideally not stored in these places at all!

Hope this helps Any other questions, fire away! [/QUOTE]


I've never use a pressure washer before so how exactly do you connect them up to the water supply. I mean do you have to buy some sort of attachment to fit it to the tap or does this come with them?
I was looking at the Nilfisk one attached.
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/7420205/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CGarden+and+DIY%7C14418702/c_2/3%7Ccat_19285823%7CPressure+washers%7C14418805.htm

Curran

You'll need a fitting similar to this
The smaller piece, pictured on the left, will screw onto your Power Washer. Then the piece on the right, is put on the end of the hose. Then both pieces lock together when pushed into each other...and can be released by pulling back the sleve on the attachment on the end of the hose.

You'll probably need two of these fittings linked - one for the tap end of the hose, and one for the PW end of the hose.

There is a similar product by Hozelock, that I cant find on the Woodies site but you'll be able to get there...this; its very handy because it actually stops the water. So you are able to disconnect the hose, without water spraying everywhere - handy as you dont have to go to the tap to turn it off anytime you want to disconnect it!

You should be able to pick up the Nilfisk PW you linked for cheaper...think they were 89 at one stage. Keep an eye on Amazon too, prices go up and down like a yoyo, but should be able to get it on a good deal...I got my C120 on there two years ago and its still working like brand new.