Cleaning Products

[Guest Tom20]

So got my new car today which I fortunately got as a 20th Birthday Present,

It has that mean new car shine atm and was wondering what people reckon are the best cleaning products to use ?

Cheers

[Wom 0]

Meguiares and Mothers range

both are great

I use Meguiares Nxt Gen car wash (with a wool wash mit)

then dry it with micro fibre clothes (usually go through 3 clothes)

then apply Meguiares Quik Detailer (yea they like to spell like a teenager lol)

looks mint as

takes me about 3 hours all up but I do like to take my time as I'm a perfectionist, so maybe it could be cut down to 2 hours

[Guest Tom20]

Cheers ! How long do the wheels usually take dude ?

[5amchris 45]

wait for Ryan to post he will tell ya everything ya need to know he cleans cars for a part time job.

He dose a very nice job also.

[Lucan 196]

Swweeet 1st car!

I use mothers products.

Wheels will depends on how detailed they are (spokes etc)

[Guest Tom20]

Swweeet 1st car!

I use mothers products.

Wheels will depends on how detailed they are (spokes etc)

Cheers mate, yea I think I will go to Repco this weekend and have a look !

[dubman 39]

since your awesome new car has mint paint, just go for a terry cloth washing mitt, with some soft wash car wash liquids, and I use Mothers wax. Its quite easy to maintain if you wax, and buy some Detailer spray bottle if you're anal about water marks whilst out on the road. Buy some decent microfibres towels for buffing.

1st time i looked at the car wash products aisle, it was as confusing as buying tampons for the missus

[Jeddy 0]

I'd recommend clay baring it every so often to get all the crap that has stuck to the paint off, really makes a difference.

[Tristan 338]

1st time i looked at the car wash products aisle, it was as confusing as buying tampons for the missus

"Is there a condom to tampon conversion chart?"

"No, I think it's based on flow, rather than size"

"Wow, that was a piece of information I could've gone the rest of my life without knowing.."

On topic:

I use Armourall Everyday Wash (Which I will be swapping for something from the Mother's range) and a sponge which is being traded up to a wool mitt.

Also use Mother's Carnauba Cleaner wax, occasionally Mother's clay bar and Mother's Showtime (instant detailer)

[Guest Tom20]

Alright, cheers guys got a good idea now, what does the clay bar do exactly ? do you reckon it's necessary ?

[Tristan 338]

Alright, cheers guys got a good idea now, what does the clay bar do exactly ? do you reckon it's necessary ?

Clay bars lift the contaminants from the paint's surface which regular cleaners can't do. It is exactly what it's name suggests, a piece of clay; glided over the paints surface. On a new car, probably not necessary - what's the year of your car?

I clayed my car because it's ex-Japan and I wanted to get all of the sh*t out of it from the environment in Japan. It really does bring the colour out nicely. Remember to re-wax after claying as it strips the wax from the car. If you'd like any help with the process, feel free to PM me. Done it a few times and always happy to lend a hand.

For the record, after claying my Dad's car which is black as well, it does look amazing. See for yourself:

[Guest Tom20]

what's the year of your car?

Cheers for that dude, it's a late 2009 Ex-European import so shouldn't have been exposed to anything too major that in turn would damage the paint, also Dad just told me it has a protective clear coat on it, is the clay bar still suitable to use on the surface as he said I need to be careful not to damage the clear coat.

Cheers

[Lucan 196]

Clay bar won't damage the clear coat.

Personally I don't think the clay bar is necessary though, especially for such a new car.

Also I wouldn't bother with a clay bar unless the panel beneath is metal.

As the "contaminants" that can get stuck in the paint break through and can cause rust. No metal, no rust.

[Yuen 16]

The clay bar won't damage the clear coat as it pulls stuff from the surface (by making them stick). Main thing in maintaining the shine is to make sure you wash with two pails (dirty and clean obviously), a good quality sponge that doesn't scratch, and rinse frequently so you drag as little dirt as possible over the paint. Get it as clean as possible, then use a good quality microfibre cloth to pat it dry (wiping increases the risk of putting scratches into the clearcoat). Should be noted that seams on the side of microfibre cloths can scratch, as can any tags, so rip the tags off and apply pressure in the middle of the cloth where there are no seams.

Buying the best clay, polishes and waxes won't do anything if the washing process puts scratches into your clearcoat. Detailing should be done of course, but only a couple of times a year at the most (otherwise your clearcoat will start thinning down quite quickly). Mothers and Meguiars make decent products - but if you want to detail properly, avoid cleaner waxes.

[Mark 178]

Your car looks pretty shiny. Is your sig pic from when you picked it up? ...in America?

Edited September 23, 2010 by _Mark_

[Hi-Tek 3]

Nice car dude, I wouldn't be going nuts with Clay bars or anything that extreme just yet with such a new car.

If you're worried about scratching it while you wash etc, use the two bucket method.

One bucket with your car wash/shampoo liquid and the other with clean water in it. Rinse the mitt in the cold water bucket before it goes back into the shampoo bucket.

I have two meguiars lambs wool mitts, one for anything above the top of the wheel arches and one for below. Always work from the roof of the car down.

Never wash your car in direct sunlight, or after it's just been driven (bonnet will be hot). Probably best done in the morning or late afternoon.

If you're serious about it, follow what these guys do.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4637

Obviously you can get as anal as you want about washing a car, I've not washed my daily driver in close on two years, my old E30 M3 got the love wash though.

Edited September 23, 2010 by Hi-Tek

[Michael. 2313]

Is that car in your signature actually yours?

Or is that just a sample picture? Confused as the Image URL is from www.ecarlist.com some kind of American dealer website...

Just saying

[Guest Tom20]

Is that car in your signature actually yours?

Or is that just a sample picture? Confused as the Image URL is from www.ecarlist.com some kind of American dealer website...

Just saying

Hey, yup it's mine - thats the picture from when we brought it ! it was imported, originally from europe and was sent straight to America then Dad brought it when he was there on business

[$toffz 0]

RHD sent to America?

Car then purchased in America and imported here?

Why not just buy a 335i here?

Is this one special for some reason?

[Mark 178]

Not wanting to be a d*ck, but I smell something fishy. That's an American market 335i in your picture. You can tell by the front amber reflectors on the wheel arches, something Euro market cars don't have. So I'm picking the car is left hand drive... and because the 335i is not a "special interest vehicle" it can't be registered in New Zealand without being converted to RHD.

And now your pic has myteriously disappeared... hmmm.

Edited September 24, 2010 by _Mark_

[westy 614]

And now your pic has myteriously disappeared... hmmm.

lol It was too big for a sig pic so I took it down/asked him to resize it.

Edited September 24, 2010 by westy

[Wom 0]

Always work from the roof of the car down.

Never wash your car in direct sunlight, or after it's just been driven (bonnet will be hot). Probably best done in the morning or late afternoon.

2 very simple things that make a huge difference

a lot of people don't really consider stuff like that

[Nobimmer 694]

Man I wish I got a brand new 335i for my 20th birthday.

[Tristan 338]

Man I wish I got a brand new 335i for my 20th birthday.

Haha it would be nice 3 litre twin turbo?

[ssbmw 220]

I use Autoglym products these days. I think it is sensational. I get it from Ross at BM Workshop in East Tamaki.