How do I clay polish and wax?

[deebeepee]

Hi guys,

Just bought a GP sporting last week, Chemical Grey, 06 plate so has a few marks here and there,

Im wanting to give it a good going over tomorrow while I'm off with a wash, clay, polish and wax, as I'm sick of having to go to the car wash every other week since my old car was white, but after reading these forums I'm learning that car washes are bad ideas.
Im wanting to spend the time now with polish and wax, and start to build up a protective layer over time so that I have to spend less time on cleaning and more time on enjoying!

Any tips on what I should be doing?
Ive waxed my old cars plenty of times before, but only every now and again, I'm going to do this one properly now.
Am I right in assuming its wash, rinse, clay, wash again, polish and then wax?

Few things in the garage to use, ie AG Polish, Turtlewax (3pots of different ones)
I know I'm going to call in Asda on the way home from work tonight to pick up a washing mitt and microfibre cloths; but I've got one of those rotating polishers that I use, looking a bit yellow now so I think I'll get a new one. If I buy two, can one also be used to wax the car with? (lazy me)?

Cheers

 

[Andy Monty]

have a read of this

https://www.fiatforum.com/car-care/172919-cleaning-triss-gp-pic-heavy.html

more pics here

https://www.fiatforum.com/members-motors/172088-tris-grande-punto-2.html


and this

(video in post 10 on how to clay)

 

[thepottleflump]

Hi guys,

Just bought a GP sporting last week, Chemical Grey, 06 plate so has a few marks here and there,

Im wanting to give it a good going over tomorrow while I'm off with a wash, clay, polish and wax, as I'm sick of having to go to the car wash every other week since my old car was white, but after reading these forums I'm learning that car washes are bad ideas.
Im wanting to spend the time now with polish and wax, and start to build up a protective layer over time so that I have to spend less time on cleaning and more time on enjoying!

Any tips on what I should be doing?
Ive waxed my old cars plenty of times before, but only every now and again, I'm going to do this one properly now.
Am I right in assuming its wash, rinse, clay, wash again, polish and then wax?

Few things in the garage to use, ie AG Polish, Turtlewax (3pots of different ones)
I know I'm going to call in Asda on the way home from work tonight to pick up a washing mitt and microfibre cloths; but I've got one of those rotating polishers that I use, looking a bit yellow now so I think I'll get a new one. If I buy two, can one also be used to wax the car with? (lazy me)?

Cheers

I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head with your post. I get a bit annoyed with peeps pushing expensive boutique products over on the likes of detailing world. Unless you want perfection which is difficult to maintain then the general principles you've mentioned will give you very satisfactory results. Personally I like to use a cellulose sponge to wash my car. I still use a normal sponge for the wheels. Not a fan of wash mitts.

 

[punto_matt]

I wouldnt use turtle wax its not good stuff. Its well worth spending £20-30 on a good pot of wax as it will last you ages and will **** over the likes of turtlewax in terms of finishing. Best polish out there for hand application is AG SRP.

 

[Andy Monty]

I wouldnt use turtle wax its not good stuff. Its well worth spending £20-30 on a good pot of wax as it will last you ages and will **** over the likes of turtlewax in terms of finishing. Best polish out there for hand application is AG SRP.

:yeahthat:

if you want a quicker option but still good results there is always the Clay then auto balm route

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=78109

 

[thepottleflump]

I totally disagree with the generalist comments that "Turtlewax" is no good and just the kind of blinkered crap that some website like to push especially since their traders have a selection of other products they're paying to sell. For a start Turtlewax make a very large range of products and we don't actually know what the OP has got, some of their stuff is very good, others ok and on the plus side they are reasonably priced unlike some of the boutique stuff that gets pushed as the latest and greatest until the next amazing thing comes along The Turtlewax original wax is not the best anymore but is still a well priced adequate wax and will make the car look nice especially applied on top of AG SRP. Turtlewax is a bit like AG unfortunately it's mass market and sold in halfords and therefore get slated a bit for being rubbish when it isn't.

Bilthambers Autobalm is ok but it's a bit of pain in the arse to apply and remove as most people that use it will agree.

 

[Andy Monty]

Bilthambers Autobalm is ok but it's a bit of pain in the arse to apply and remove as most people that use it will agree.

never had a problem with it myself then again like a lot of stuff how many people actually read the instructions

but do agree that some of the cheaper products are actually good for the money Lidl's alloy cleaner is fantastic.....

 

[thepottleflump]

never had a problem with it myself then again like a lot of stuff how many people actually read the instructions

Cheeky whippersnapper I've actually applied a layer today for some winter protection and maintain it's far more difficult to remove fully than some products.

 

[Andy Monty]

Cheeky whippersnapper I've actually applied a layer today for some winter protection and maintain it's far more difficult to remove fully than some products.

How was you putting it on

its best in my experience is to have the pad soaking wet (i don't even dry the car before i apply it either) and just a touch the pad into the balm

if you haven't seen it already this might be worth a read

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=81502

 

[deebeepee]

Thanks for your help guys

Gutted though, been out since 10am cleaning claying and polishing the dam thing, and just as I finished the final polish and got ready to wax, it started pouring down!

I must admit I was over the moon with the finish once I had used the clay, I was a bit apprehensive about using it, and didnt actually realise how much crap there was on the paintwork that I couldnt see until I'd done half the bonnet and ran my fingers over it. I ended up buying the Maguires clay set from halfords with the small bottle of wax included, just didnt get round to using the wax.
I'm probably going to have to give it a quick wipe down and wax it in the morning if its dry.

Am I right in thinking once I've done all this, the dirt wont stick to the car as much and it will be alot easier to wash in the future?

What sort of schedule do you have on cleaning once you've done all this?
IE just a hose down once a week when you fill up, a wash every month and a wax every other month? Or something more regular?

 

[punto_matt]

You still need to wash it properly. Doing all the prep doesnt mean dirt will run off it just means that dirt goes onto the wax instead of directly onto the paint. I still was mine weekly or every other week dependant on if im back from uni or not. With the wax with that megs stuff i found it didnt last very long so will probably need doing every 2 weeks or so.

@thepottleflump, im speaking from my own experience here of using said turtlewax products and then other "boutique" stuff. I found the turtle wax stuff to be crap and the slightly more expensive stuff to be alot better and last alot longer. I never said go and buy a stupidly expensive wax as tbh they arent worth it. A £30 pot of victoria red wax will last for over a year and give the car a nice shine and protect it well. Now thats not a massive price to pay is it?

 

[Andy Monty]

I'm probably going to have to give it a quick wipe down and wax it in the morning if its dry.

Am I right in thinking once I've done all this, the dirt wont stick to the car as much and it will be alot easier to wash in the future?

What sort of schedule do you have on cleaning once you've done all this?
IE just a hose down once a week when you fill up, a wash every month and a wax every other month? Or something more regular?

Yes the dirt wont stick quiet as bad but it will still need a regular wash to keep it looking good...

If you are in a rush or have little time if you have a Pressure washer invest in a foam lance and some Bilt hamber AutoFoam or Valet-Pro pH neutral snowfoam these 2 seem to be far the best for non contact cleaning take a look at these pics:


http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=97202

its not perfect but if your in a hurry it keeps the car looking presentable


as Matt says the megs wax isn't the best by a long shot if you want a long lasting wax look for Coilinite 456 or 915 or the autobalm

 

[buck-egit]

Yes the dirt wont stick quiet as bad but it will still need a regular wash to keep it looking good...

If you are in a rush or have little time if you have a Pressure washer invest in a foam lance and some Bilt hamber AutoFoam or Valet-Pro pH neutral snowfoam these 2 seem to be far the best for non contact cleaning take a look at these pics:


http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=97202

its not perfect but if your in a hurry it keeps the car looking presentable


as Matt says the megs wax isn't the best by a long shot if you want a long lasting wax look for Coilinite 456 or 915 or the autobalm

I use a snowfoam lance for my karcher and the ph nutral valet pro foam ... and when washed off I use my leaf blower to dry the car so im not touching it and sratching the paint

 

[thepottleflump]

Also worth giving Demon Shine a try. It's a rinse aid that adds a little something and really brings out the shine!

 

[buck-egit]

all the advise you should need

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acata...dvice-faq.html

 

[thepottleflump]

all the advise you should need

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acata...dvice-faq.html

I'm sure they offer some good advice but they might just be a little bias toward the products they sell.......

 

[buck-egit]

I'm sure they offer some good advice but they might just be a little bias toward the products they sell.......

Na I have been a mamber of that web site for a long time and they have given advice on other products that they dont sell..

But its not the products they sell it also has some very good advice on how to use a rotary and DA polisher etc etc and how to clean an engine bay etc etc

The question was how to clay .polish and wax well it tells you in that site...

 

[Andy Monty]

their is also the Master detailer on You tube,