Car Cleaning

[casabonka]

Gday All,

Just thought Id see what everyone uses to wash & polish their cars?

Lately been using McGuiars wet look polish afterwards, but interested to know what everyone uses. My biggest issue is the rims - I cant get the black part clean, thats with using mcguiars 'hot rims' cleaner - its just not working at all!!

I want my car to be so shiny people burn their retinas!!

Thanks again

[#Russ#Es#]

Originally Posted by casabonka

Gday All,

Just thought Id see what everyone uses to wash & polish their cars?

Lately been using McGuiars wet look polish afterwards, but interested to know what everyone uses. My biggest issue is the rims - I cant get the black part clean, thats with using mcguiars 'hot rims' cleaner - its just not working at all!!

I want my car to be so shiny people burn their retinas!!

Thanks again

Although I am yet to use it, have heard very good things about Poor Boys - these guys don't spend heaps on marketing/packaging/etc so they look kind of generic - but there are plenty of members here that have used their stuff and swear by it. You can buy it via Waxit Online (site sponsor) - pretty sure they still offer a AFF member discount (10%). I would look here

Am planning on grabbing a few things from there in the next month or so. For $100-150 you can grab a lot of very good quality stuff, but I guess it depends on how much you want to spend. You generally get what you pay for when it comes to shine.

A good start to retina burning shine is making sure you wash the car using the 2-bucket method. Good way to reduce the damage you do every time you wash the car - less swirl marks, more shine.

Want some interesting reading? Click here

[XR5-Boy]

Ok, here's what I use in a nutshell.

Autoglym ultra Deep shine polish
Autoglym Liquid Wax (great to spray on after a wash)
Meguire's Swirl-X for those effing swirls that ford left on the car.

In terms of wash, we're still on restrictions here in vic so my car gets the brushless treatment.

Rims I maintain by dusting them every few days. Makes them a lot easier to clean. Poor boys rims stuff is the bomb. Highly recommended.

[sumpPUMP]

i use this on my wheels, terry cloth to with off brake dust then another to polish it up - works a treat!

http://www.fw1shine.com/

i use mothers for wax n polish. havent used anythin else, so i cant compare. its well known and it works for me - when i get around to doin it that is..

[ThatFocusGuy]

I'm a big fan of Poorboy's, used it on all my previous cars and achieved a really nice glossy finish. Clay + polish + wax and follow that up with a quick detailer spray every week or so, or a spray wax to top up the existing protection and your done.

Fair enough , its a bit of work to prepare a good base, but once its done properly the first time, its heaps easier to maintain!

( +1 for Waxit Online too! )

Heard about a product called BlackWOW in the US and UK, apparently a little goes a long way, but is awesome on black plastic. I use Aerospace 303 myself, love the stuff on the interior plastics, B and C pillars as well as the engine bay.

See this thread regarding the wheels and plastics!

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...ght=ford+focus

For the wheels, perhaps take them off and giving them a really good clean with a dedicated wheel cleaner, a mild clay to remove bonded contaminants, tar remover and then sealing them with a proper wheel wax would help keep that brake dust away for a little longer!

Hope it helps

[Fast Eddie]

To wash the car and wheels I use Series 500 Wash and Shine. For polishing and waxing Juice Polishes and Waxes.

[Velociraptor82]

I've found the car wash is pretty pathetic at washing my white rims as you really need to scrub. I've tried a number of different products like ArmourAll and AutoGlym and althrough they do make a difference I prefer to simply use some jiff on a wet cloth in the garage. Then I use AutoGylm Tar remover to get rid of the remaining black spots. Sometime I use either ArmourAll or AutoGlym wheel protectant however I've found this stuff just moves the brake dust around and doesn't actually prevent the buildup.

When I'm serious:
I often wash at the local car wash and wipe with a chomis. Then at home I go over with a clay bar (plenty of detailer as you don't want to cut deep into the paint) and then polish with Autoglym ultra deep shine. After 2 coats of polish I'm back at the car wash putting on a layer of Wax. I'll visit the car wash every day for a few days just for another layer of wax as I believe the car wash stuff doesn't last for very long.

[casabonka]

thanks for all the tips/links!
Def have picked up a few ideas that Im going to try this weekend!!

Will need to spend a bit of time and money at autobarn!

[jarradgoodwin91]

anyone wanna come wash my car? its way overdue lol

[~Spyne~]

same, being in VIC it never gets washed due to restrictions, and unlike my previous place, my garage doesnt open through to the backyard for a 'sneaky' wash anymore :(

currently gets a generic drive-through wash maybe twice a year