Car washing advice / products

[Toonsoldier91]

Afternoon. I have a Daytona gray a3 saloon, had it since last Wednesday.

I'm not new to detailing but it still blags my head with all the products out there.

My current washing routine is snow foam jet wash rinse with hose pipe shampoo rinse dry with towel then use some sonax bsd. This worked well on my silver insignia and beeded extremely well.

I'm after some new products for this car how ever and would like them for this week end coming as it'll be the first time I've washed this car.

I'm after a new wash mit, a drying towel and some quality microfibre cloths ( I normally buy autoglym hi tech finishing cloths but they are about 7 quid each and money is tight at the moment after spending 15,500 on my car )

So what products would yous recommend ??

Also I'm after some wheel sealant as I'd like to keep theses in tip top condition and some tyre dressing

 

[Supa Koopa]

Try Polishedbliss, they have a good range of products, decent advice online (always willing give me), a good selection of microfibre cloths and are free delivery for everything. I've bought several of their cloths and will be buying more. I also bought a Microfibre Madness drying towel which I love but they are ridiculously expensive. the mid sized one was about £17 and it only just does a 3 door S3.

 

[Toonsoldier91]

Try Polishedbliss, they have a good range of products, decent advice online (always willing give me), a good selection of microfibre cloths and are free delivery for everything. I've bought several of their cloths and will be buying more. I also bought a Microfibre Madness drying towel which I love but they are ridiculously expensive. the mid sized one was about £17 and it only just does a 3 door S3.

Thanks will try them, 17 quid doesn't seem too bad if it works better than the one I have.

Do you dab the car dry to wipe??

Also what do you use on the inside ??

 

[Supa Koopa]

Hi There,

This is the drying towel (I bought the medium size)
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/microfibre-madness-dry-me-crazy-towel.html

I use these for quick detailing sprays as they are very thick.
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb-luxury-buffing-towel-cat24.html

I use these for removing wax as they have a bit of bite but the other side is still plush
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb-deluxe-buffing-towel-cat24.html

Wash mitt I'd go for either of the following depending on what you want
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/gyeon-q2m-woolie-cat3.html
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/microfiber-madness-incredimitt-cat3.html

Tyre dressing is personal to be honest. I've not tried loads but both of these are okay
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/meguiars-endurance-tyre-gel-cat15.html
http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/c...erior-cleaning/tyre-shine/?549992100&&cc5_110

Wheel sealant, well the good stuff is quartz coating but unless you have a garage to keep the car in for 24hours it's almost impossible to use.
I've tried some wheel wax which was okay and this which was also okay
http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/c...or-cleaning/wheel-cleaner/?549992120&&cc5_111
Neither are outstanding but I'm limited in what I can use, but I will be using them again when my new S3 turns up.

If it's the first time you cleaned it and it's not new (even if it is), I'd look at de-tarring, fallout removing and claying it to get the paintwork properly clean to then apply whatever wax or sealant you fancy. Unfortunately as soon as you go beyond a quick wash this game can get very expensive and time consuming.

 

[Supa Koopa]

Ooops, missed a bit.

The drying towel I lay it on the car so it soaks up the excess and then a gentle sweep if needed.

Inside I've tried allsorts but not found anything I'm completely happy with to recommend.

 

[Toonsoldier91]

Thank you for a very detailed reply. I will take a look at the products and get some stuff ordered.

The paint work doesn't feel too bad to be honest. Will probably wait until the summer kicks in to get it machine polished then seal the paint work.

 

[Bristle Hound]

Hi There,

This is the drying towel (I bought the medium size)
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/microfibre-madness-dry-me-crazy-towel.html

I use these for quick detailing sprays as they are very thick.
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb-luxury-buffing-towel-cat24.html

I use these for removing wax as they have a bit of bite but the other side is still plush
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb-deluxe-buffing-towel-cat24.html

Wash mitt I'd go for either of the following depending on what you want
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/gyeon-q2m-woolie-cat3.html
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/microfiber-madness-incredimitt-cat3.html

Tyre dressing is personal to be honest. I've not tried loads but both of these are okay
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/meguiars-endurance-tyre-gel-cat15.html
http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/c...erior-cleaning/tyre-shine/?549992100&&cc5_110

Wheel sealant, well the good stuff is quartz coating but unless you have a garage to keep the car in for 24hours it's almost impossible to use.
I've tried some wheel wax which was okay and this which was also okay
http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/c...or-cleaning/wheel-cleaner/?549992120&&cc5_111
Neither are outstanding but I'm limited in what I can use, but I will be using them again when my new S3 turns up.

If it's the first time you cleaned it and it's not new (even if it is), I'd look at de-tarring, fallout removing and claying it to get the paintwork properly clean to then apply whatever wax or sealant you fancy. Unfortunately as soon as you go beyond a quick wash this game can get very expensive and time consuming.

@Toonsoldier91 - Some great product recommends from @Supa Koopa

You will find we all have our own favourite car cleaning / Detailing products
Some of mine are as follows -

Drying towel -
https://www.prestigecarcareshop.com/products/prestige-car-cares-legendary-big-yellow

General purpose MF's -
http://www.costco.co.uk/view/p/view...-ultra-plush-microfibre-towels-36-pack-713160

Buffing towels -
http://www.saverschoiceuk.com/16-x-...ibre-edgeless-korean-car-detailing-cloth.html

Wash mitt -
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/microfiber-madness-incredimitt.html

Tyre dressing -
http://www.meguiars.co.uk/shop/endurance-high-gloss-tyre-gel

Wheel sealent -
http://www.planetpolish.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5

See what I mean lol

If you are brave enough do some research on DW
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/

 

[Nigeltdi4life]

Afternoon. I have a Daytona gray a3 saloon, had it since last Wednesday.

I'm not new to detailing but it still blags my head with all the products out there.

My current washing routine is snow foam jet wash rinse with hose pipe shampoo rinse dry with towel then use some sonax bsd. This worked well on my silver insignia and beeded extremely well.

I'm after some new products for this car how ever and would like them for this week end coming as it'll be the first time I've washed this car.

I'm after a new wash mit, a drying towel and some quality microfibre cloths ( I normally buy autoglym hi tech finishing cloths but they are about 7 quid each and money is tight at the moment after spending 15,500 on my car )

So what products would yous recommend ??

Also I'm after some wheel sealant as I'd like to keep theses in tip top condition and some tyre dressing

Congratulations on your new car purchase, A3 looks gorgeous in Daytona grey.

As for wash mitts, i get them cheap off eBay as i cant justify paying 10-15pound for a single wash mitt. A wash mitt is a wash mitt, its not rocket science to produce. You can get 3 for 8-10pounds, everytime i wash my car i use 4 wool mitts which reduces scratching greatly.

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