Detailing stuff questions!

[m19ads]

Hi

I'm waiting to collect my new gti pp with 19s 5 door in tornado red. I went in today to sign papers and hopefully collecting Wednesday. Having looked in the showroom at the poor condition of the brand new cars, covered in swirls I requested that they don't touch mine apart from removing the stickers. I have read through Rebecca's advise and today ordered pretty much all of her recommended stuff. I have done a fair bit before but hoping to move up a level with the gti!

Anyway random thoughts I'm having! Do people wash mf cloths after every use? How do people store their cloths to ensure they are kept good? I have always used autoglym super resin polish in the past and not been a big user of wax. I have some Harley's carnuba stuff that I plan to use on the new one initially after sealing but what do people do after the weekly wash? I've always polished every week but is that necessary and if so what polish do people use?

Any advise gratefully received 👍

Cheers

Adam

[dragonfly]

Yes I wash my MF cloths after use - warm wash with no conditioner. I store mine in a plastic container. AGSRP is a good polish but you do need to wax a car.  Harley is fine - just apply thinly. My weekly clean is a wash and dry (maybe a going over with a quick detailer). I tend to polish and wax every few months (use a more durable wax over the winter).
Loads of good polishes out there some like Tripple with save you time as it has wax in it, others you can use in the sunlight.

[Watts]

As above, I wash mine after every use. Especially when they have suffered an attack such as this:



My Wo-Wo cloths came in mesh bags which stops them going manky by allowing air flow through them. I wouldn't keep them in an air tight container for that reason.

[Booth11]

Hi

I'm waiting to collect my new gti pp with 19s 5 door in tornado red. I went in today to sign papers and hopefully collecting Wednesday. Having looked in the showroom at the poor condition of the brand new cars, covered in swirls I requested that they don't touch mine apart from removing the stickers. I have read through Rebecca's advise and today ordered pretty much all of her recommended stuff. I have done a fair bit before but hoping to move up a level with the gti!

Anyway random thoughts I'm having! Do people wash mf cloths after every use? How do people store their cloths to ensure they are kept good? I have always used autoglym super resin polish in the past and not been a big user of wax. I have some Harley's carnuba stuff that I plan to use on the new one initially after sealing but what do people do after the weekly wash? I've always polished every week but is that necessary and if so what polish do people use?

Any advise gratefully received 👍

Cheers

Adam

Hi Adam, bet you can't wait to get your hands on your new GTI. Good move to to all the prep and first detail yourself and keep the dealer away from it.

Always wash your cloths etc after every car wash.  I wash my microfibres, microfibre wheel mitt, drying towels and glass cloths after every use.  Machine wash at 40°C - normal detergent but NO fabric conditioner which can degrade the absorbency of cloths and drying towels.  Then tumble dry (no dryer sheets for same reason).  Then store them away.  I use the mesh WoWo bags to store mine in (have quite a collection of these now, and then all are kept in a big plastic tub with the lid just sitting on top but not sealed down. Lid resting on top keeps dust from gathering on them but being left loose allows air into the box.

Anything made of wool such as lambswool wash mitts are thoroughly rinsed out in tepid water (not hot) and gently squeezed out and then reshaped and left to air dry. I hang them up in WoWo mesh bags. 

Depends what you mean by polishing?  Proper polishing with an abrasive polish should not be done every week, be it by hand or DA. Every time you polish you are removing a bit of the clear coat so really should only be done a couple times a year IMO, and perhaps spot polish any isolated defects that may need sorting, rather than doing the whole car.  If you feel the need to do it more I would say limit it to every 4 months. I use Poorboys SSR polishes and Meguairs polishes but there's plenty of good ones out there on detailing websites.

If you are going to wax then apply as often as is required which depends on the longevity of the wax and can be anywhere between 2 weeks to 3/4 months.  In between all you should need is the weekly (or however frequently you do it) maintenance wash.  Reapply wax when necessary.  In between waxes, you might want to use a spray sealant or quick detailer after the regular wash to reinvigorate your shine/gloss.

Look forward to hopefully seeing some pics of your new pride and joy very soon. 

[m19ads]

Thanks for the replies guys comments taken on board! I will certainly post some Pictures as soon as I can.

[Wo-Wo]

As above, I wash mine after every use. Especially when they have suffered an attack such as this:



My Wo-Wo cloths came in mesh bags which stops them going manky by allowing air flow through them. I wouldn't keep them in an air tight container for that reason.

Charming - that's obviously what that bird thought of wowo hear!?!?! En route with my Browning up and over!

[m19ads]

Lol!! Wowo I ordered my stuff from your website I think!

[davewilliams000]

In between waxes, you might want to use a spray sealant or quick detailer after the regular wash to reinvigorate your shine/gloss.

@Bec - I thought this was a big no-no... touch the paint as little as possible!

The only time I use QD now is when I need to get rid of any bird related deposits on my car

[Booth11]

In between waxes, you might want to use a spray sealant or quick detailer after the regular wash to reinvigorate your shine/gloss.

@Bec - I thought this was a big no-no... touch the paint as little as possible!

The only time I use QD now is when I need to get rid of any bird related deposits on my car

It is a no-no Dave, but I didn't mean use it in between washes, that is a massive no-no.   I meant used immediately after washing/rinsing/drying on the perfectly clean car.  Many add a spray sealant/QD at this stage to refresh the gloss in between waxes or full sealant applications.  Some use products such as Gyeon Wetcoat or a dilute mix of Gtechniq C2v3 at the rinse stage whilst the paintwork is still wet to add gloss. I very occasionally use DoDo Juice Red Mist after a wash if I'm not fully waxing the car.  But I rarely use it as it's a faff to buff off and less is more IMO.  I have recently bought a bottle of Swissvax Quick Finish QD to try at some point. 

But at all other times, QD is only used for the removal of sap and bird poo.  Most recently yesterday when a seagull kindly left a big juicy present on the roof. 

[davewilliams000]

I misunderstood a bit there lol. Yes have been to use QD ad the birds have been leaving me several deposits over the past couple of days.