I have had my black 2003 Audi A3 for almost 4 years now and while it still looks good when cleaned I have noticed many swirl marks appearing and many light scratches from idiots in car parks!
My previous cleaning strategy has been:
- Rinse the car with the hosepipe
- Wash each panel (starting with the roof working down) with a sponge and a single bucket
- Rinse each panel as I go
- Let it dry on it's own
- Polish it using micro fibre clothes and Autoglym polish
Almost bought an A5 last week but have seen some sense and have now decided to keep my car for a year or two. Figured I will spend a fraction of the cost of an A5 on making my car look a little better![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Currently every panel is covered in various light scratches which I think can be sorted with a bit of work, but I have 3 slightly more concerning marks.
All three images should be clickable to very high resolution images! (5-6MB!), please excuse the excessive tree sap all over the car! Was forced to park under a tree the other night and haven't had chance to clean this yet.
Passenger door - appears something has been closed on and marked both the door and frame down to the metal!
![](/xf/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Flsnet.co%2Fuploads%2Fcar%2FIMG_6806-s.jpg&hash=7c979336703c3fea8bd51a32d15a7888)
Rear passenger side panel - no idea what caused this but again down to the metal and looks like it may be rusting!
![](/xf/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Flsnet.co%2Fuploads%2Fcar%2FIMG_6808-s.jpg&hash=447bd9f6b798ecfe2b12a50303e0d52e)
Drivers door, two scratches crossing over each other, one deeper than the other. (will try re take this photo as seems more focused on the hedge)
![](/xf/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Flsnet.co%2Fuploads%2Fcar%2FIMG_6810-s.jpg&hash=ee7cc95f5a78b14a0ee6a0efc1723ee3)
I have set myself a budget of £300 for everything I need and starting to feel like this is too low! Especially if I am to fix the above marks.
Anyway after spending hours researching reviews into various products here is my current shopping list, hopefully in order of use to clean the car
Pressure washer - Nilfisk C120 £99.99 - can be found slightly cheaper but those additional accessories may make this useful for other things too! - from eBay
Snow foam - Auto Finesse Avalance 5L - found many positive reviews about this I figured the slightly extra cost could be worth it - £29.95 from Amazon
Lance - Autobrite lance - Everything I have read says buy a good one, still not 100% on this one really - £41.48 from Amazon
Wash mitt - Dodo Juice Tribble - Seems to have good reviews, should I buy two? - £12.50 from eBay
Shampoo - Dodo Juice Sour Power - So many mixed reviews on shampoos, any suggestions? - £7.49 from Bears wax factory
Buckets - ScrarchSheild 2 bucket set - Probably could get this cheaper! - £27.95 from eBay
Alloy cleaning - I currently use Autoglym Clean wheels and seems to work ok
Alloy brush - BWF Alloy brush - Any suggestions here? - £3.75 from Bears wax factory
Drying towel - Dodo Juice Orange 60x60cm - How many are needed to dry a car? - £12.95 from Bears wax factory
Meguiar's Clay kit - Still not sure on this, some say not to clay at all (Have also read some positives about 3M clay from eBay) - £20.70 from Amazon
Polish - I already have some Mer polish and some Autoglym super resin polish, do I need anything different?
Microfiber clothes - BWF branded - Was going to get a few of these, but would like some suggestions here - £0.89 each from Bears wax factory
Wax - Angelwax Dark Angel - £34.95 from Bears wax factory
Alloy sealant - Angelwax Bilberry - was this or the Poorboys alloy wheel sealant - £12.95 from Bears wax factory
Rain repellent - Angelwax H2Go - Seems to have a few good reviews - £4.95 from Bears wax factory
This comes in at £311.39 so slightly over budget!
Any suggestions would be welcome![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
![Ermm :ermm: :ermm:](/xf/styles/default/xenforo/asn/ad/ermm.gif)
My previous cleaning strategy has been:
- Rinse the car with the hosepipe
- Wash each panel (starting with the roof working down) with a sponge and a single bucket
- Rinse each panel as I go
- Let it dry on it's own
- Polish it using micro fibre clothes and Autoglym polish
Almost bought an A5 last week but have seen some sense and have now decided to keep my car for a year or two. Figured I will spend a fraction of the cost of an A5 on making my car look a little better
Currently every panel is covered in various light scratches which I think can be sorted with a bit of work, but I have 3 slightly more concerning marks.
All three images should be clickable to very high resolution images! (5-6MB!), please excuse the excessive tree sap all over the car! Was forced to park under a tree the other night and haven't had chance to clean this yet.
Passenger door - appears something has been closed on and marked both the door and frame down to the metal!
![](/xf/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Flsnet.co%2Fuploads%2Fcar%2FIMG_6806-s.jpg&hash=7c979336703c3fea8bd51a32d15a7888)
Rear passenger side panel - no idea what caused this but again down to the metal and looks like it may be rusting!
![](/xf/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Flsnet.co%2Fuploads%2Fcar%2FIMG_6808-s.jpg&hash=447bd9f6b798ecfe2b12a50303e0d52e)
Drivers door, two scratches crossing over each other, one deeper than the other. (will try re take this photo as seems more focused on the hedge)
![](/xf/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Flsnet.co%2Fuploads%2Fcar%2FIMG_6810-s.jpg&hash=ee7cc95f5a78b14a0ee6a0efc1723ee3)
I have set myself a budget of £300 for everything I need and starting to feel like this is too low! Especially if I am to fix the above marks.
Anyway after spending hours researching reviews into various products here is my current shopping list, hopefully in order of use to clean the car
Pressure washer - Nilfisk C120 £99.99 - can be found slightly cheaper but those additional accessories may make this useful for other things too! - from eBay
Snow foam - Auto Finesse Avalance 5L - found many positive reviews about this I figured the slightly extra cost could be worth it - £29.95 from Amazon
Lance - Autobrite lance - Everything I have read says buy a good one, still not 100% on this one really - £41.48 from Amazon
Wash mitt - Dodo Juice Tribble - Seems to have good reviews, should I buy two? - £12.50 from eBay
Shampoo - Dodo Juice Sour Power - So many mixed reviews on shampoos, any suggestions? - £7.49 from Bears wax factory
Buckets - ScrarchSheild 2 bucket set - Probably could get this cheaper! - £27.95 from eBay
Alloy cleaning - I currently use Autoglym Clean wheels and seems to work ok
Alloy brush - BWF Alloy brush - Any suggestions here? - £3.75 from Bears wax factory
Drying towel - Dodo Juice Orange 60x60cm - How many are needed to dry a car? - £12.95 from Bears wax factory
Meguiar's Clay kit - Still not sure on this, some say not to clay at all (Have also read some positives about 3M clay from eBay) - £20.70 from Amazon
Polish - I already have some Mer polish and some Autoglym super resin polish, do I need anything different?
Microfiber clothes - BWF branded - Was going to get a few of these, but would like some suggestions here - £0.89 each from Bears wax factory
Wax - Angelwax Dark Angel - £34.95 from Bears wax factory
Alloy sealant - Angelwax Bilberry - was this or the Poorboys alloy wheel sealant - £12.95 from Bears wax factory
Rain repellent - Angelwax H2Go - Seems to have a few good reviews - £4.95 from Bears wax factory
This comes in at £311.39 so slightly over budget!
Any suggestions would be welcome