car polishing/waxing and prep

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car polishing/waxing and prep

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As you may have gathered from yesterdays post about the artillery fungus, I view washing and cleaning the cars as a necessary evil which I tend to avoid if I can justify doing something more interesting.

When I do wash them though I like to be very thorough, even using a toothbrush on the nooks and crannies to get the green mold out. I do use a two bucket wash system with dirt traps to stop grit being retained in the wash mitt and I've tended to use a proper car wash/shampoo which includes wax but I know, although this does a good job of washing the car it does little to offer ongoing protection to the paintwork.

After my surprise find of the mold/fungus growing on the cars yesterday and feeling very pleased that I seem to have got it moved before it got a deep hold on the paint - Panda still to do - and how nice and shiny the Ibiza is now looking, I spent last night googling about how best to protect the paint finish from future attack. Well, my goodness, what a "deep" subject! some people strongly advising not to use shampoo containing wax because it throws up a barrier to waxes in particular so they won't bond properly to the paint and will fail to protect after a very short time. Some advising you should use a panel wipe after washing and before applying a top coat of wax or polish - Bilt Hamber cleanser fluid seems to be a favourite (around £15 for a small bottle) Then there seems to be an argument as to whether to use a "polish" or a "wax". I really don't know if I'm coming or going now!

So. Anybody like to "induct" me into the mysteries of polishing cars and suggest some products and procedures which won't cost too much or be too time consuming to perform? I'm happy to spend best part of a day if needed though.
 
Third time I’ve tried to post ? keep getting logged out , so this will be really short, I like mequiars products, a liquid wax before winter then use a spray wax over winter if you wash the car to top up protection, never found cleanser to be worth using, polishes have fillers to help hide swirl marks, don’t need that if you don’t have them. I remember reading on detailers world forum, the best wax is “ the one you use” that’s so true.
 
Really need to learn speed typing, is there a time out on posting ?

If you take a while your session logs out. You can keep it live by periodically previewing your post. Theoretically it let's you log back and your post should still be there but that has been hit and miss for me for years.
 
Well, I've been looking at a lot of you tube videos and decided that precision detailing is not for me! However I do want to achieve a good shiny finish on the car with that classic water beading look when it rains and some extra protection for the paint too. I think I'm getting there to some extent with deciding what I'm going to use.

The Ibiza has come up pretty clean and shiny just with the thorough wash I gave it but close examination of the Panda still shows some small dirty spots on the panels - you've really got to look for them though.

I'm not going to try to produce a "car show" type finish but, as I said above, I do want to achieve a nice glossy finish with rain beading nicely in the rain and as much protection for the paint as can be achieved without spending shed loads of money.

I'm lucky to have a Halfords trade card so as long as I buy Halfords branded stuff I find there's usually a worthwhile discount. I was very surprised to see their car polish - cheap as chips - highly rated in a couple of comparative review websites: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-cleaning/car-polish/halfords-car-polish-500ml-147606.html So my first decision has been to go with that. I think the Ibiza will respond well to just a good buff up with the polish but the Panda, especially as it's white, is going to need something a bit better at removing surface contamination. I'm going to have my first try at claying folks! Again, because I think I'll get a good price on it, I'm going to go with the Halfords product: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-cleaning/clay-bars/halfords-clay-bar-1pk-300206.html.

That's as far as I've got with firm decisions. I already have a couple of large microfibre drying towels which came with my twin bucket wash purchase and a collection of wheel brushes and a small brush for getting at stuff like grills etc.

I'll need to buy polishing cloths and I fancy some sort of sealing product to finish the whole thing off and seal in the shine. Halfords offer their Bundled package at a very reasonable price: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/c...rds-polish-and-protect-bundle-1913320421.html and I think I may well just start off with that and the clay bar.

One thing I don't understand is that all the videos tell you to keep the clay well lubricated but opinions seem to vary widely about what you should use and I'm very confused, any one care to enlighten me? Also I've got a big 5 litre container, almost new, of car wash and wax shampoo. I've read that you shouldn't use products containing wax if you are going to later apply a polish or, especially, a wax as it stops the wax bonding to the paint. I'm not so sure about this and I don't want to just ditch the wash & wax product - any one able to advise? Also, bearing in mind that although I want to achieve a good "look" I'm not aiming for a "superb" finish and I don't want to spend large amounts of money either, What do you think of my plan to go with the Halfords branded stuff? Am i crazy, or just being "sensible"?
 
Really need to learn speed typing, is there a time out on posting ?
I don't know if there's anything in this but, I do most of my lengthier compositions in "Go Advanced" mode - because I like to incorporate images etc. I'm very much a self taught 2 finger typist so my rate of typing is pretty slow. I don't find any problems with timing out, I've even broken off a post to eat my tea then resumed and still not been timed out.
 
I don't know if there's anything in this but, I do most of my lengthier compositions in "Go Advanced" mode - because I like to incorporate images etc. I'm very much a self taught 2 finger typist so my rate of typing is pretty slow. I don't find any problems with timing out, I've even broken off a post to eat my tea then resumed and still not been timed out.

Thanks I’ll give that a try next time
 
Personally, I’ve been very surprised how well the red paint on the wife’s 500 has retained it’s shine. Hats off to Fiat.

I washed and used a wet wax for quick results the other weekend and everyone kept remarking on it. Most were very surprised to learn it isn’t new and is in fact 11 years old.

I tend to use Halfords Car Shampoo which gives great results on its own. Then I occasionally use a wet wax. To get things looking really good I use a back trim polish, glass cleaner. Finally a plastic polish to give all the lights a sparkle and remove any yellowing.
 
Thanks very much, what a great post. I've had a very quick skim through it and already it's cleared up some of the stuff I've been trying to understand. I'm afraid I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to making decisions as I like to go into the most minute detail before finally deciding. I'll be rereading it in just that way tonight.

Thanks again and all the best to you.
 
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