Caring for my Golf

[thatwillis]

So I have my golf 1.8T a car i have always wanted.  I have been cleaning it every week, with zipwax car wash a basic sponge and using a chamey (sp) leather to dry it off. What is some stuff i could invest in to get an even better clean?

What is your suggested cleaning routine?  ..... in simple terms for someone who has never really bothered to wash his car.

Thanks
James

[Dan J]

hi james welcome to the detailing section and hope you have deep pockets

right firstly ditch the sponge and chamios have you read the stickys at the top of the section? these will help you get a rough idea of how to do things and at what stage to do them etc theres also some good pics to look at too.

routine:
WASHING.
spray wheels with non acidic wheel cleaner and allow to soak while your getting everything else set up
aggitate wheels with a wheel brush or seperate wash mitt,never use the same washmitt you wash the body with for cleaning the wheels, re-apply cleaner if needed
wash car using 2 bucket method and a lambswool mitt of microfibre mitt(read stickys for full info)
clay using clay bar and plenty of lube(this is to be done only 2/3 times a year, full info in stickys)
rinse the car over again to remove clay lube
dry the car using a large drying towel.

POLISHING:
by hand or machine to remove imperfections like scratches swirls spiderwebbing oxydation orange peel, using various grades of polishing compounds and different pad combo's when doing it by machine,(more info and pics in the stickys)

SEALING:
sealants are applied after the polishing stage to protect the paint/clearcote from ultra violet damage and contamination etc. durabilty depends on the product and how its applied, can vary from 6 months to 12 months etc

WAXING:
final stage using a high grade carnauba paste wax which gives your car a deep gloss and a very hydrophobic coating which will repel water and protect the paint but this will diminish over time and will eventually need re-applying this will also be product dependant as they all vary in the amount of carnauba used in the recipes by different companys.

and finally dont forget to clean and polish the glass which alot of people leave out or dont pay much attention to

have a look at these sites and read through the various products which are set out in the relevant sections for each stage of the process.
www.waxamomo.co.uk

www.i4detailing.co.uk

hope this helps

Dan

[thatwillis]

Wow thats really helpful Thanks

I shall have a look at some of these products.

The answer to deep pockets would be a no....  But i shall see what i can do.

Would you do that ritual every week?

[Dan J]

no problem.

i say about deep pockets as once you start buying all the stuff and realise theres other stuff you need it starts getting expensive but thats part of the fun.

no i dont do this to my car on a weekly basis, the above is what you should look at doing if its the first time your car has seen that kind of attention then you only need to do certain bits every 4 to 6 months or longer if your cars not that bad.

once you've done the above you need to get into a regular wash routine to keep ontop of it and re-apply wax every other wash or so, use quick detailer after each wash to bring the shine back up.

[tech1889]

you do eventually need deep pockets i started with nothing and now im getting quite a collection 

[Tazzy]

totally agree, youll most likely try products as well and mix and match, but its all good

id recommend dodo juice supernatural shampoo

along with some pre wax paint cleaner like megs cleaner wax

as for waxes, theres so many on the market, its whatever catches your eye

then finish off with a quick detailer, id recommend megs ultimate quik detailer

[xkaty_h]

totally agree, youll most likely try products as well and mix and match, but its all good

id recommend dodo juice supernatural shampoo

along with some pre wax paint cleaner like megs cleaner wax

as for waxes, theres so many on the market, its whatever catches your eye

then finish off with a quick detailer, id recommend megs ultimate quik detailer

There's absolutely no point quick detailing after waxing, surely?

I'd do the routine that Purple Haze recommended. People are going to like or dislike various products, and occasionally because x and x product is flavour of the month, but I've found by trying out different ones you can create a nice little product base that you love and then can recommend to people yourself.

[Tazzy]

the megs ultimate is hydrophobic, not all waxes are, it just helps rain bead off your car easier, great on glass as well

everyone is going to have differen methods of cleaning their car, i just using a detailer between each stage helps me keep the surface clean

[Dan J]

the megs ultimate is hydrophobic, not all waxes are, it just helps rain bead off your car easier.

   all waxes are hydrophobic which is why we apply them to the cars