Washing/Detailing your A3?

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mcc49

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I am currently looking to buy some cleaning products for my car and was wondering what you guys use to wash/polish/wax your car. I had some Meguiar's gold class stuff before and was wondering if there are better products out there.
 
If it's Phantom black don't waste you time and money as you will still mark it!

p
 
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phantom said:
If it's Phantom black don't waste you time and money as you will still mark it!

p
Click to expand...

I dont agree with that, just takes a bit of patience. Patience in removing ALL the crud, patience in waiting for the right weather (dull cooler day) Patience in removing the polish/wax (dont rub too hard or fast, also dont apply too much gear which will mitigate the former).

I would recommend Auto glym super resin polsih, this fills in light scratches, i also recommend Collinite wax, lasts for ages.

Good luck.

P.S.

1 - wash
2 - dry
3 - apply polish
4 - buff.
5 - wax
6 - buff.

P.P.S. I would only do the above twice a year max, a good wax will last for up to 6 months, in between just give it a wash and dry using a good quality wash mitt - Sheepsfur? and a good quality drying towel - waffleweave. Stay away from chamois, they will scratch black paint with ease.

Finally Good luck, oh, i already said that :lmfao:
 
I heard good things about the Collinite and the AG super resin but was told it gets washed off easily revealing the scratches again.

What Shampoo do you recommend?
 
^^^^Ive done all of that , with all the same products apart from the wax , i used Autoglym liquid wax , but never again.

I'm no detailer , but i'm no oaf either i take my time and take care , but it still marked it and i'm not the only one either with the curse of the Phantom.

p
 
mcc49 said:
I heard good things about the Collinite and the AG super resin but was told it gets washed off easily revealing the scratches again.

What Shampoo do you recommend?
Click to expand...

Im sure the polish alone would get washed off easily, also it will show swirls too. But if you cover the SRP with collinite wax you wont go far wrong, its bullet proof and definatley doesnt wash off easily IME. Im talking specifically about the 476 double coat wax by the way. I got it here:

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=112

As for shampoo you wont go far wrong with a decent brand from halfords. Ive got a gallon tub of turtle wax stuff, its in a big green tub.
 
phantom said:
^^^^Ive done all of that , with all the same products apart from the wax , i used Autoglym liquid wax , but never again.

I'm no detailer , but i'm no oaf either i take my time and take care , but it still marked it and i'm not the only one either with the curse of the Phantom.

p
Click to expand...

Were your polishing/buffing cloths clean? Sorry, im not trying to ask daft questions but im struggling to see how you managed to introduce swirls.

I too have had a very soft metallic black car, and at first made a complete hash of it, but with time and prep i got it right.

By the way i got great results using turtle wax premium brand carranuba wax on the black.

Ive only started using collinite on this car as its supposed to be great on white cars.
 
Sorry bad wording from me, I know that Collinite stuff are extremely durable. Its the AG SRP stuff that gets washed off easily, but like you said if you coat it in Collinite then I suppose it wont get washed off easily.
 
Ive washed and polished the black car without waxing. Look great at first, then after the next wash the swirls were really bad, especially under false lighting at night. I **** myself to be honest, "WTF have i done"! But a good wax takes ALL the swirls away, trust me ;)
 
L60N said:
Ive washed and polished the black car without waxing. Look great at first, then after the next wash the swirls were really bad, especially under false lighting at night. I **** myself to be honest, "WTF have i done"! But a good wax takes ALL the swirls away, trust me ;)
Click to expand...

Thats settled then , you can bring your car care kit down to the RR day:)

p
 
Agree - I have a black A3 and after polishing, the swirls magically disappear.

Over the years I've stuck to Autoglym products. The Super Resin polish is really good and while black cars show the dirt badly, it is still rewarding once you've finished it.
 
Depends how fussy you are, black is a pain in the backside to keep clean, mark and swirl free. Seems like I only have to look at ither of mine and swirls magincally appear!

If your lazy the collinite stuff gives a good finsih and lasts a long time!

Personally I'm not a fan of the AG range apart rom their window cleaner polish. See can;t even remeber the name of it but it's not the fast glass. It's the only stuff ths seems to clean glass without leaving marks! But thats a personal pref!

J.
 
marriedblonde said:
Depends how fussy you are, black is a pain in the backside to keep clean, mark and swirl free. Seems like I only have to look at ither of mine and swirls magincally appear!

If your lazy the collinite stuff gives a good finsih and lasts a long time!

Personally I'm not a fan of the AG range apart rom their window cleaner polish. See can;t even remeber the name of it but it's not the fast glass. It's the only stuff ths seems to clean glass without leaving marks! But thats a personal pref!

J.
Click to expand...

Yeah AG products get a bad press. But i think on the whole their super resin polish is held in high regard.
 
I've stated to use Meguiars NXT liquid wax which gives very impressive results and I've got the spray NXT wax which you can apply to the car as a "top up" between waxing, when its still wet after washing and buff off once its dry.

I get a good deep, black, glossy finish - and I would say the Zymol carbon wax I have does not give any better results.

I have avoided swirl marks so far by washing using a Megs wash mitt using the two bucket method, with a Megs grit guard and prewashing with a super sprayer.

Cheers.
 
skodaudi said:
I have avoided swirl marks so far by washing using a Megs wash mitt using the two bucket method, with a Megs grit guard and prewashing with a super sprayer.
Cheers.
Click to expand...

Ive not got the grit gaurd , but i jet wash down 1,2, 3 , times maybe , two bucket method with a Megs wash mitt starting at the top and working down one panel at a time.

Jet wash down again.

Dry off ( dabbing gentley ) with a Megs waffel weave towel.

I'd say about 1-1 half hours to wash the car , no polishing or waxing thats extra.

p
 
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With all this talk about swirl marks, I am tempted to ask the dealer not to wash the new A3 predelivery. However I am not very confident with my detailing skill so I dont know if I could get a decent finish at home anyway. Oh choices.
 
You can spend a furtune on products but unless you're showing your car there's only so much you need.
Mine's avus pearl silver so it's a LOT easier to keep maintained than black!
I basically jet wash it down then use Megs Gold Class shampoo and microfibre mitt with a 2 bucket method. I just let the mitt do all the work and use straight lines rather than swirling. Obviously starting with the roof and working down. Then i rinse it down thoroughly and then pat it dry with a Megs water magnet cloth. Note: Pat, not rub.
I'm using Megs Gold Class liquid wax at the moment. Does a lovely job.

I think most people totally underestimate the amount of dirt which sticks in the surface and doesn't come out with just washing. Hence why you should clay and polish the car a couple of times a year especially with dark colours to avoid bad swirling.
 
From new tried AG deep resin and that AG top sealer stuff but was not that happy with it :unsure::unsure::unsure:

So a few weeks ago i purchased some Meguiars NXT and whoosh does it give a deep wet look shine also used it on the daughters tatty black Corsa SXI and even that looks brill from a distance.
:happy::happy::happy:
After giving the motors a good lick of NXT what would you recommend on top for a sealer.
:think:
 
I've got Phantom Black - and use AutoGlym Shampoo followed by AutoGlym Super Resin Polish. I get a perfect result every time as long as the weather isn't too hot. Looks as good as the day I picked it up new from the dealer. AutoGlym Glass Polish is also superb.

And no - I don't own shares in AutoGlym.
 
I washed my car last week to find I couldn't find my waffle weave towel - so had to resort to the chamois to dry it - what a total waste of time - it looked flipping awful.

So decided to use up some of the AG Super Resin Polish I had in the garage - it transformed the car - got rid of the water marks and swirls and really brought out the shine. Think I'll be using it more regularly now.
 
I always use the AG Super Resin Polish on both the car and the alloy wheels. Seems to work very well, but my car is Silver which always makes cleaning so much easier. I've even been known to use a car wash when I'm on holiday and it doesn't seem to have any harmful effect.
 
redbutcher said:
I washed my car last week to find I couldn't find my waffle weave towel - so had to resort to the chamois to dry it - what a total waste of time - it looked flipping awful.
Click to expand...

I still use a chamois.
I get 'most' of the water off with that then immediately go over it with a microfibre cloth to get rid of watermarks.
I do that a panel at a time.
It works a treat.
I've tried drying the car with microfibre cloths only, but it takes ages.
 
For the tyres i always use meguiars 'hot shine', looks brilliant and last a couple of weeks (depending on weather) but....

What do you guys use to finish the alloys? Anything?
 
Swissol/Swissvax Best of Show or Saphir. You wont be disappointed. Dead easy to apply. Use the Swissvax cleaner-fluid and remember to apply the wax as thin as possible. It might appear expensive but a tub of wax should last 3 or more years.

(No affliation - just use it on my TT and my wife's black A3)
 
PNH80 said:
What do you guys use to finish the alloys? Anything?
Click to expand...

Polished them with Meguire's, then copious amounts of Poor Boys Wheel Sealant.
My god, that stuff is excellent.
I must have at least half a dozen coats of it on now.
The dirt/brake dust just slides off, no problem.

I will make a confession though.
I'm starting to get heartily sick of washing my car.:sorry:
Seems to be an almost daily occurrence, with the bird crap it gets on it.
I washed it on Friday night, it had been straffed by Saturday morning.:keule:
I was so hacked off I nearly went to the local carwash.
In my defence, it's one that uses foam strips on the rollers, rather than the old-fashioned nylon 'fishing line'.

It's only a matter of time...:undwech:
 
Zaino range of products, some of the very best products you can buy.

cs16-1.jpg


Mine with several layers of Zaino on, its also one of the longest lasting products available & the dirt just doesnt seem to stick as much.
 
Cheers for that, i always neglect my wheels. Basically because Audi appear to have f**ked them up. It was an ex demo car and they'd clearly refinished the wheels...quite badly may i add.
I will be getting some new alloys, looking like BBS CH's. Common but look fantastic. Obviously i'll be taking far more care over those!
 
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