Car cleaning for beginners?

[rowlers]

wht not just wash iy though?
is the QD and cloth quicker?

does it not scratch the paint?

its sounds like a lazy wash 

[Ridg]

wht not just wash iy though?
is the QD and cloth quicker?

washing will remove wax and stuff, QD is designed to enhance the longevity of the wax, as long as its just dust the QD is quicker, using QD on a dirty car, will have a negative effect as you'll just rub dirt into the paint

[rowlers]

right I think I'm getting there!

So wash and polish as normal. If you need a quick buff up on a cleanish car then qd and microfibre?

[Ridg]

right I think I'm getting there!

So wash and polish as normal. If you need a quick buff up on a cleanish car then qd and microfibre?

wash polish and wax, polish will give you no protection.

QD and a micro fibre can be used between washes to get rid of dust / water marks if you should get them.  for semi dirty jobs a cool rinse will keep most of the wax on.

[rowlers]

so what does polish do?
can you not wash then wax?
what is glaze
what is sealent?
the more I try to read up the more options keep appearing!

[...joe]

polish is like a prep, so it cuts back crap and can polish out minor scratches.
if you wash then wax, you just wax over the crap, if you haven't polished. the only time you get away with a wash and wax is if there is a healthy amount of wax on the car in the first place.
glaze improves the shine of the polishing stage, before waxing
sealant is a kind of protective layer you put over a polishjed surface, but under wax.

[Ridg]

yeah you can wash then wax, just the aim of QD or a cool wash is to keep the wax you're already got in the paint on and not to wash it off.

polish contains really fine abrasives that effectively smooth the surface to make it smooth and remove fine sratches, polish will also add a gloss but not as much as a glaze

glaze basically give your paintwork the gloss / wet look glazes don't contain any adrassivs so you apply after polishing.  glazes also offer no protection so you need either a sealant or wax on top

sealants are pretty much a liquid resin that forms a protective layer over your polish / glaze

wax adds a further shine and also helps protect from uv / contaminates wax also causes the beading effect and water will sit on top and slide off, this means you wont have to worry about water marks after rain

to do a full job you would probably use a foamer to cleans the car, wash rinse and dry, clay the car (remove below surface contaminates), use a paint cleaner (on top contaminates), polish, glaze, seal and wax

[rowlers]

omg! how complicated is this!
Just got myself 2 buckets and dumped my sponge!

Now all this lot - I'll get there though with your enlightenment!

[Stronz]

Lol, I've been doing a lot of reading around car cleaning at the moment too. I always thought I had a good technique (my cars have always been kept clean) but I reckon its all about to get better!

You're right, there is a fair bit to do, but it depends just how clean you want your car. Also, if you do it regularly, it should theoretically be easier to keep clean.

I was reading that about 2-3 deep cleans (the whole shebang) a year should suffice with regular washing intervals. I always aim to get a fresh layer of polish and wax etc... on just before winter starts and then again before summer.

Tire dressing always adds the finishing touch too in my opinion! Currently I use Meguiars Hot wheels tire spray, but I've heard the gel is better and lasts longer.

[BobbyT]

i just wash with car shampoo and use a good polish and sometimes use a wax! and a bit of tyre gel! still looks the muts when clean!    - micro fibres are the best cloths to use! they really are worth getting!