Author Topic: Detailing newbie... product recomendations  (Read 24638 times)

Offline Watts

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Re: Detailing newbie... product recomendations
« Reply #10 on: 26 January 2016, 09:40 »
It's worth taking the wheels off if you can, doesn't take long, saves your knuckles and gives you access to clean the calipers. I don't take them off often, so far just twice, once to seal and the second to give them a thorough clean.

Don't forget some pictures!

Oh I will definitely post some pictures! Only problem with taking the wheels off is I don't have a set of axle stands. I guess I could borrow my brother-in-law's and/or his 3-tonne trolley jack.

Also have been reading up on the C5 and they recommend you use their panel wipe first, however I will be using the bilberry wheel cleaner first (which I have been looking at some youtube vids and looks amazing) so don't know if I need to bother with the panel wipe as I haven't ordered any.

If the weather doesn't hold out this weekend, I have a couple of days off next week so fingers crossed I can get it done then.

Also need to get some decent glass cleaner (thinking Autoglym fast glass) and some decent de-icer (currently use the cheapo stuff from Tesco but had a bottle leak recently).

No need for axle stands or a trolley jack, I just do one at a time using the supplied jack. It doesn't take long but if you want to be 100% health and safety just pop the spare on and lower it down, no need to remove the jack. It really is worth it especially for sealing the wheels properly. My car needs a good clean but the weather, days off and energy levels never seem to coincide!
2019 Oryx White 5dr TCR.

Was - 2015 Tornado Red 3dr GTI PP, manual, Santiagos, Audi short shifter.

Offline davewilliams000

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Re: Detailing newbie... product recomendations
« Reply #11 on: 26 January 2016, 14:02 »
Never thought about putting the spare on! Probably because I've been without one for the last 5 yrs as the fiesta didn't have one. Will be good to go back to having one again. Still would consider getting a trolley jack though as it will be much quicker to change wheels and will lower back down with the spare on for safety. Halfords have their trolley jack down to £24 at the moment so that's not too bad.
2015 65 plate Mk7 GTD Manual in Tornado Red

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Offline Wo-Wo

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Re: Detailing newbie... product recomendations
« Reply #12 on: 26 January 2016, 14:43 »
Never thought about putting the spare on! Probably because I've been without one for the last 5 yrs as the fiesta didn't have one. Will be good to go back to having one again. Still would consider getting a trolley jack though as it will be much quicker to change wheels and will lower back down with the spare on for safety. Halfords have their trolley jack down to £24 at the moment so that's not too bad.

Got to agree here, the emergency jack supplied with the car is ok for emergencies but even then I don't think I'd want to use one.

Offline Blackmass

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Re: Detailing newbie... product recomendations
« Reply #13 on: 26 January 2016, 15:19 »
Been meaning to reply to this for a while. As usual it looks like Rebecca (Booth11) has already sorted you out.

I’ll add my two penneth anyway. I’ve only recently got into detailing myself (around 6 months ago). I’ve bought a lot of products and read and learned a lot from this forum and the Detailing World forum. I’ll give you a short list of products I’ve used and rate.

Pre-Wash: I’ve only tried a few and not through a pressure washer either. I’ve been pleased with the results of Bilt Hamber ‘Auto Foam’ and I’ve used ODK ‘Arctic Snow Foam’, both through a pump sprayer. As Booth11 has already mentioned I think this is a very important stage and shouldn’t be missed out.

Shampoo: I’ve used 8 or 9 different shampoo’s and there's two that stand out. Carchem 1:900 http://car-chem.com/store/car-care-exterior/car-wash-shampoos/luxury-car-shampoo-concentrate-500ml and Nanolex Pure Shampoo http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/nanolex-pure-shampoo.html
It’s hard to say what makes these two shampoo’s standout compared to the others I’ve tried as they all do their primary function of ‘cleaning a car’. Once you’ve used a few different types you'll notice subtle differences between them. Carchem just seems to work with no downsides. The Nanolex Pure Shampoo runs it close but I don’t think it’s as economical. The best thing about the Nanolex is when you do your final rinse (with an open hose). I have no idea how this works (me thinks Witchcraft) but the water just seems to dissipate a lot quicker than any other shampoo I’ve tried so far. 



Wash Pads/Mitts: I use the DOOKA  http://dooka.co.uk/washing-drying/dooka-wash-pads wash pad for the top half of the car and the Wo-Wo http://www.wo-wo.co.uk/shop   wash mitt for the bottom half. I use a Halfords wash mitt for the wheels, along with the Wheel Woollies. I also use a separate bucket for the wheels too.

Drying Towels:  Again I’ve tried a few, Wo-Wo, Auto Finesse, Britemax, Gtechniq but the best I’ve tried so far is the Gyeon ‘Silk Dryer’ http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/gyeon-q2m-silk-dryers.html
The Gyeon ‘Silk Dryer’ works better than the ‘plush towels’ and easier to look after too (washing and drying it).
The Silk Dryer comes in two sizes...



Quick Detailers:  I’ve tried Meguiar’s, Auto Finesse, Bouncers ‘Done & Dusted’ and the best one being ODK ‘Entourage’ http://www.odkwax.co.uk/quick-detailer.html
The ODK QD leaves a lovely deep gloss finish, smells great and the beading is great. What’s not to love?

Hopefully this may be of some help to you? I'm not going to write a review for every product but if you want me to expand on any products or areas, please just ask.
« Last Edit: 26 January 2016, 23:12 by Blackmass »

Offline Greerso

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Re: Detailing newbie... product recomendations
« Reply #14 on: 26 January 2016, 23:02 »
Love this thread even though it's going to seriously damage my already fragile financial situation - very informative and helpful although the only detailing I'll be doing is reading the replies in a bit more detail - any sign of pay day?

 

Offline davewilliams000

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Re: Detailing newbie... product recomendations
« Reply #15 on: 03 February 2016, 21:45 »
Sorry not had a chance to update the thread since I got the car last Thursday... am loving it so far

Weather has been crap so not had a chance to clean it yet, but looks like there might be a break in the weather for a few hours tomorrow so am hoping to at least wash it (snow foam and 3 bucket wash) and get the decontamination (iron x), and might even get some c2v3 on it. Definitely wont have time to do the wheels though.

Here's a pic from the day after I got it  :grin:

2015 65 plate Mk7 GTD Manual in Tornado Red

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Offline Watts

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Re: Detailing newbie... product recomendations
« Reply #16 on: 03 February 2016, 21:53 »
Looking good Dave, glad you're enjoying it :smiley:
2019 Oryx White 5dr TCR.

Was - 2015 Tornado Red 3dr GTI PP, manual, Santiagos, Audi short shifter.

Offline Booth11

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Re: Detailing newbie... product recomendations
« Reply #17 on: 04 February 2016, 14:19 »
Sorry not had a chance to update the thread since I got the car last Thursday... am loving it so far

Weather has been crap so not had a chance to clean it yet, but looks like there might be a break in the weather for a few hours tomorrow so am hoping to at least wash it (snow foam and 3 bucket wash) and get the decontamination (iron x), and might even get some c2v3 on it. Definitely wont have time to do the wheels though.

Here's a pic from the day after I got it  :grin:



Looking good now. :cool:  If you get a break in the awful weather, post up some pics. :smiley:
Black Beauty: MK7 R 5dr DSG, DBP, 19" Pretoria, DCC, Vienna leather, Keyless, Dynaudio, DNS Pro, Rear camera, HBA
2012 MK6 GTI DSG
2008 MK5 GTI DSG
2005 MK5 GTI Manual

https://www.flickr.com/photos/booth11

Offline davewilliams000

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Re: Detailing newbie... product recomendations
« Reply #18 on: 10 February 2016, 21:17 »
Been really busy at the moment so not had chance to get on the PC to post an update. I did get a break in the weather last Thursday so managed to make a start (it took a while to unpack all the stuff I bought too!). I gave it a wash (snow foam, bilberry wheel wash and 2 bucket wash), and got the iron-x done, and another full 2 bucket + wheel wash, and finally dried using the MF towels. It started to rain lightly by the end so didn't really get any full pics of the car, and it didn't look much different apart from being clean, but I did get some 'beauty' shots (which I now have as my PC wallpaper  :wink:):

I must say I'm well impressed with the snow foam and the bilberry wheel cleaner is amazing stuff. The wo-wo gear is great too, although I think I will need to get a 2nd drying towel.







As I didn't get any protection on the car myself, the beading is down to how it came from the dealer + me washing it.

I did yesterday think it was starting to look a bit dirty yesterday so did a 'quick' wash (that took 90 mins!) - snow foam, wheel wash, rinse, dry, interior and exterior glass clean (fast glass), and quick vacuum with the cordless dyson, and a couple of sprays of autoglym autofresh on the carpets/seats.

This detailing stuff (buying gear) is getting addictive - I have a torque wrench and alloy wheel socket on the way so that when I take the wheels off I can make sure they are back on properly. I also ordered some Poorboys Natural Look this morning for the interior.

Waiting for the next break in the weather to get the c2v3 on... hopefully this weekend! However, in the mean time, I am at least enjoying driving the car going to work most days!  :grin:
2015 65 plate Mk7 GTD Manual in Tornado Red

   https://www.flickr.com/photos/davewilliams000

Offline Booth11

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Re: Detailing newbie... product recomendations
« Reply #19 on: 10 February 2016, 21:34 »
Car looks excellent.  :cool:  Beading not bad considering no protection but will be so much better when you get your C2v3 on.  Would be even better beading with wax.  :laugh:

Poor boys Natural Look Dressing is the best bar none, IMO. Needs a good buffing off after application to get rid of residue, but easily done with a good quality microfibres.  Other great interior produc I couldn't do without (for leather) is Gliptone Leather Cleaner, and Gliptone Leather Conditioner. Fantastic stuff. And the smell....Mmmm.

Detailing (and buying detailing stuff) is addictive, but there are worse ways to spend your cash and time!

PS: There's no such thing Ada 'quick' wash. :grin: 90 mins sounds right.

« Last Edit: 10 February 2016, 21:38 by Booth11 »
Black Beauty: MK7 R 5dr DSG, DBP, 19" Pretoria, DCC, Vienna leather, Keyless, Dynaudio, DNS Pro, Rear camera, HBA
2012 MK6 GTI DSG
2008 MK5 GTI DSG
2005 MK5 GTI Manual

https://www.flickr.com/photos/booth11