Thinking of changing my cleaning products/procedure

[bss325i]

Been thinking for a while about changing my cleaning products and possibly my procedure. I'm happy with the wax i use and the shampoo but the other products i feel can be improved upon.

My car in case some of you don't know is diamond black.

This is a full procedure i do usually every 6 months or so.

Any recommendations, thoughts from you detailing peados?

Dan320iS, Powelly, D6DPH etc?

Clean wheels with Autoglym clean wheels

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-pr ... FF&Range=1

Wash using warm water and megs shampoo plus, two bucket method and lambswool mit,
Blow dry with compressed air line and a cotton drying towel.

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-a ... d_322.html

Clay car with megs clay (need to replace this, any recomendations?)

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/detailing ... d_615.html

Repeat wash and dry procedure then, wax using megs step 2 polish, (thinking of changing this to) foam applicator pads and buff off with microfibre towl

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/megu ... olish.aspx

Wax using Victoria concous wax, foam applicator pads, buff off with microfibre towel.

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wax/victo ... d_234.html

Use megs trim detailer on black plastics and a random glass cleaner for glass/mirrors.

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/engine-am ... d_286.html

Tyres with megs hot shine

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/megu ... spray.aspx

[Alex]

I use Pete's 53 wax, its about £25 a tub its best for black cars, i used to buy if for my 318is and it worked wonders on that too.

just applied some on the sport and it looks Fab

[bss325i]

Thanks Alex but as i said, im going to stick with the wax and shampoo. Its the other items.

[Alex]

Sorry missed that, woops

[320iAN]

every thing i use comes from Auto Smart: http://www.autosmart.co.uk/

ive a mate in the trade and we half in for about a yrs supply of nearly every product they do .. they do a finishing/detailer called cherry glaze which is an amazing product, the finish i use to get on my "magic black" Golf VR6 was the best finish ive ever seen on any dark paint.
pic,s of the finish can be seen here: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3825847/1 ... tchback-2d

[The_Diddler]

Nice routine Barry.

When washing weekly i'd still use the two bucket method every time, if you dont already that is.

Deffo use foam applicators for your wax with good quality microfibres to buff off, good call that.

I'd bin the megs two step polish, i'm not sure however how abrasive it is, after claying i'd go straight to a good quality wax, i use a poorboys wax, cant remember the name now, dans got it, it goes on really thin, buffs off with no dust and minimum effert. Long lasting.

I'd apply the wax after every wash for a while to build up the layers too.

A proper bufty will come along no doubt and let us straight.....

[e30topless]

you have too much time on your hands,

A £4 Kosovo once every 2 weeks, and the occasional £1 tyre shine with a free vanilla smelly is good enough

[The_Diddler]

Jesus Steve theres no way we could subject our beloved creampuffs to the nasty harsh chemicals the kosovos use

Are you mad man !!!!!!!

[Dan320is]

This could take a while.

Wheels - I use Valet Pro Bilberry and I cannot fault it. It’s not corrosive so repeated use wont damage the finish. http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wheels-an ... d_499.html

Clay bar - I've not tried many brands but so far I'd recommend Bilt Hammer and you only use water with it. http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/bilt ... ginal.aspx Or this clay is good http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/detailing ... d_367.html

Polish - It depends what you are trying to achieve really, whether it's just maintaining a shine or correcting swirls etc. I'm very impressed with Chemical Guys all in one. http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing ... d_166.html

Black plastics, trim etc - I’m currently trying out Chemical Guys New Look trim gel, very impressed so far and it’s thick so it wont ”˜fling’ if used on tyres. http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wheels-an ... d_143.html

Tyres - Try the product mentioned above, the megs stuff can ”˜fling’ and look a bit too glossy.

Wax - As you said, don’t change it.

Give me a call if you want chap, it maybe easier that way.

Powelly is a pro' so he' is the best to advise.

[gcs325i]

I'm a fan of Bilt Hamber clays, 200g for £10ish and only require water as the lubricant. I use Bilberry wheel cleaner too as Dan says, it's good stuff followed by Poorboy's wheel sealer. The rest of your routine looks good, I do use a snow foam pre wash before the 2 bucket method to remove more dirt from the car before starting cleaning.

[Dan320is]

Christ, don't start on about snowfoam etc. It would probably take me an hour to write my cleaning routine.

A product perfect for your car Barry to use after polish and before wax would be this http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/glazes/po ... d_494.html

Awesome stuff, especially if applied with a machine.

And, use some of this on your Alpinas. It's worth the time.
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wheels-an ... d_197.html

[bss325i]

Thanks for the quick replies people!

I'm gonna give the Bilt Hammer clay a go and possibly the Chemical boys trim gel

As for polishing, i only do this every six months to in an attempt to loose some light swirls which have been picked up in the 4 years since the cars been painted. I guess it really could do with some machine work but i dont want to risk myself doing it yet.

Might chat to Steve (Powely)

Paul, you mentioned weekly washing. (when the car is in regular use)

Basic routine for that is the exact same wheel clean then two bucket method to wash then the same drying method.

After this it get waxed once a month but for all other washes i had been using this but its i've now run out.

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/megu ... ailer.aspx

Am i making a mistake using this after washing between monthly waxing?

Should i use something similar or not at all?

I've also heard good things about Zaino products. Any one have experience of these?

[dimebag_from_hell]

Super resin polish is a great product to use to fill swirl marks rather than abrasively cutting the cop coat of your painwork.

I got a litre from ebay for a tenner delievered, it really is a fantastic product.

Its not a bad idea to do the od top up for shine every few weeks, meguires show car glaze can be applied on top of wax, refections top coat is also fantasic, espicially on a black car like yours.

When it comes to car wash, imo nothing beats chimical guys citrus wash and gloss, I have used it for the past 4 years and wouldn't use anything else.

[powelly]

I don't really see much issue with your routine barry, it's very comprehensive. My only recommendations would as follows.
You don't mention a pre wash, if you can then a snow foam is in my view the best way to start, the foam dwells on the car and softens any debris, this should then be jet washed off before starting your two bucket wash, if this isn't an option then just a thorough rinse with a jet washer is ok, if you have access to a steam cleaner at work or something then warm water is even better.
Nothing wrong with megs shampoo, it's a very good product, my personal favourite is Chemical Guys Maxi suds 2 though. Do you use grit guards in your buckets???
Clay is where I turn a bit cheap, I have used loads of different ones and my go to product is always fine poly clay from cleanyourcar, it's truly excellent in my view and ideal on a car like yours which is not subject to heavy contamination. I use meguiars last touch as a lube for this.
I would steer clear from the Autoglym wheel cleaner, it's good on seriously dirty wheels but on your car it's a bit over kill, as people have mentioned above, Valet Pro Bilberry is fantastic, you could also use P21s wheel gel, this is a safe wheel cleaner and from memory can even be used on polished alloys.
Drying towels are obviously a must, I use Serious Performance Uber premium towels, very big and very soft, thats the key here.
Nothing wrong with Victoria wax, very nice product, personally though I always go for Zaino, my routine would be to wipe the car down with Isopropanol alcohol, layer of Zaino all in one, this acts as a primer for you final sealant layers, it is also a brillant deep cleanser, buff this off and then apply 3 layers of Zaino Z2, final wipe down with Z8, it will look incredible.
I've probably missed loads out, give me a call if you like. If you want to try Zaino out I can sort you out with a few samples.

[bss325i]

Will you be going to the meet next week Steve?

[Kemix]

powelly, is there anything wrong with using a leather chamois as opposed to drying towels?

[powelly]

I'll be there Barry, just put my name down.

Nothing wrong with a Chamois, it does the job. However it's all about damage limitation, due to the nature of a chamois it's easier to trap dirt between it and the paint, if you use a nice fluffy drying towel any debris left after washing (there can still be some) will be drawn into the pile and not rubbed in to the paint. You pays your money and all that..........

[Kemix]

You learn something new everyday. Thanks mate