Wash, clay and wax.

Byers

Byers

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Hi my names Dean from Carlisle. I've been on this forum a couple of months now since purchasing my a3. After looking at various threads on here I decided I was going to give my car a bit of a detail. I've never used clay up until today so am a bit of a novice at all this but here's some pics of my effort.
Quick pic of how she was before I started..
ImageUploadedByTapatalk HD1358032683212295

Here she is after a shampoo with autoglym shampoo, turtle wax clay bar and detailer, finished with autoglym wax and tyre dressing. Tyre dressing I wasn't too impressed with as I like them too look very glossy.

Tyre dressing applied
ImageUploadedByTapatalk HD1358032901937596

ImageUploadedByTapatalk HD1358032829674332

ImageUploadedByTapatalk HD1358032848591847

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ImageUploadedByTapatalk HD1358032933738695

ImageUploadedByTapatalk HD1358032956826772

ImageUploadedByTapatalk HD1358032985039464

Car roof
ImageUploadedByTapatalk HD1358033009365934

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ImageUploadedByTapatalk HD1358033032098042

Engine bay quick clean up
ImageUploadedByTapatalk HD1358033088710285
 
What tyre dressing did you use that you didn't like? I ask as I've just run out so will be looking to get some new supplies soon. :)
 
I used autoglym tyre dressing in the pic mate. Don't get me wrong they look black. Just I usually like them to look wet. Best stuff I've used i used is turtle wax wet and black. It's usually about 8 quid but its half price in halfords at the moment.
 
Where does a 'last step product' fit into my regime? or am I already using one?
My usual routine...
1.Hose it down
2. Wash the car (lambswool mitt) with turtle wax shampoo (stuff you put in the water)
3. Dry off, first with a rubber blade type thing, then with a micro fibre kind of synthetic shammy towel (£15 each from halfords, I use 2)
4. 'Polish' with Autoglym (super resin polish) leave for 10mins and then buff off, by hand.

Just been reading the polished bliss website and am even more confused, where would the clay stuff fit into my routine or what would it replace and also would a 'last step product' be used after i've used the autoglym or is the autoglym a 'last step product' itself?? I'm a very keen wash/wax/polisher, I'm always happy with the after results I get but if there's anything else I could do for a better result i'm all for it, was hoping to give it a good once over before the weather turns crap again??
Cheers
 
also would the Carnauba replace the autoglym? or would that go on after? I sound like a right newb, but just wondering?
 
I'm newb myself mate. This is my third car since passing my test,I passed about 5 year ago but this is my routine anyways which works really well for me.

First of all hose down the car getting off all the loose dirt and grit.
I then spray wheels with wheel cleaner and leave too soak whilst washing the car body.i wash the body work over using the two bucket method, one with autoglym shampoo and hot water, the other bucket with just hot water to rinse mitt. Actually very surprising how much grit does come off into rinse bucket.
I clean the wheels with a separate sponge then rinse down the full car followed by drying off the body work with chamois leather.
Once Ive done that I then clay the full car, each panel at a time.i used turtle wax clay and detailer. This is my first time using clay and I am very impressed with it. The amount of dirt and tar that came off what looked like a clean panel was unreal.
After the clay I used autoglym polish resin and autoglym tyre dressing on engine ,tyres and front grills.

I don't know if my method is totally right but ok for. As for the finish I thought the wax would do that

Dean
 
Polish with SRP then use a good wax to seal in the shine. I use colinite wax which gives great results and really let's rain bead off it.

No doubt someone will be along soon to post the definitive guide
 
Luke2.0tdi2006 said:
Where does a 'last step product' fit into my regime? or am I already using one?
My usual routine...
1.Hose it down
2. Wash the car (lambswool mitt) with turtle wax shampoo (stuff you put in the water)
3. Dry off, first with a rubber blade type thing, then with a micro fibre kind of synthetic shammy towel (£15 each from halfords, I use 2)
4. 'Polish' with Autoglym (super resin polish) leave for 10mins and then buff off, by hand.

Just been reading the polished bliss website and am even more confused, where would the clay stuff fit into my routine or what would it replace and also would a 'last step product' be used after i've used the autoglym or is the autoglym a 'last step product' itself?? I'm a very keen wash/wax/polisher, I'm always happy with the after results I get but if there's anything else I could do for a better result i'm all for it, was hoping to give it a good once over before the weather turns crap again??
Cheers
Click to expand...

Apologies for the massive quote, but I thought it might help put things in context. If you need more help, this is the best place to go A world for detailers...

So your questions, one at a time.

"Last step product" or LSP for short is a wax or a sealant. There are various pros and cons to both but basically a wax is naturally derived (think carnuba/trees and bees wax) where as a sealant is chemical/man made. Which you use is down to personal preference. To confuse matters further you get hybrids. Autoglym HD wax is a hybrid and not a bad choice if you want something to try. As you are using Super Resin Polish as the last thing, then the answer is "no" you are not using a LSP at the moment. Don't panic though, Super Resin Polish leaves a little bit of protection to your paintwork. If you want to finish your hard work and stick to Autoglym, HD wax would be a good "LSP". Tip: get it off the internet, it will be much, much cheaper than Halfords.

A clay bar would fit into your routine after you have washed and dried the car, but before you polish. So in your case before the Super Resin Polish. The goal is to get stuff stuck to the paint, that washing didn't remove, off the paint. Note most pros and keen amateurs would use a tar remover and iron/fallout remover before claying. Don't worry though, this is not mandatory. In fact if you look at most guides you will find there are a load of extra steps people take. It all depends on the time you have available. I've gone from wash/dry to claying with no issues.

This might be of use:
How to Clay Bar - YouTube

I think at this time of year the best thing you can do is keep on top of keeping your car clean. Keep the salt off, even if that's only a jet wash. Waxes can be tricky to apply at this time of year. I am using Dodo Juice Supernatural Acrylic Spritz through the winter as it is spray on, wipe off. It's a spray sealant.

Hope that gives a few hints. Please reply if you need more help and I will try my best to help.
 
Thanks for your quick responses!
Scotty, just to confirm then......
Wash, dry, clay, super resin then the autoglym HD as the 'LSP' ? I think i'll go with the HD stuff as I wanna get it done tomorrow, from having a look on internet it would be cheaper but i'm gonna have to buy it from the shop as i'll need it as tomorrow is the only day i'll have the time! I've been looking at 'Blackfire wet diamond' seems to have pretty good reviews, but unless you know of a shop that sells it it'll have to be ordered online, gonna have a look at this clay bar thing on youtube, once again thanks for your help

Luke
 
I've certainly got the bug! Since my last post i've bought:
Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Kit £25.00

Blackfire All Finish Paint Protection £35.00

Blackfire Midnight Sun Paste Wax £30.00

2 x New Lambswool Mitts £17.00

1 x New Bucket £1.20

Various Microfibre cloths and pads £28.00

= Too much money!

All I need now is a day that's above -2 degrees!! I'm itching to get out there, feel like some sort of addict....lol also been looking into the snow foam situation, I've not got a pressure washer though, is it worth getting the one that works without the pressure washer or are they sh*t?
 
hmmm good work.... Like you are pretty expert in this stuff. Thanks for sharing the photos of your work, You car is shining like the new build. I like the clay bar because of its results. Which brand you are currently using on washing your car..?
 
I see you have caught the bank account cancer too! I have recently got into 'detailing' and have now got my brother hooked as we did his Merc and motorbike a couple of weeks ago and now he won't shut up about it.

With regards to snow foam, I cant reccomend this highly enough.

IMAG0475

IMAG0476

I was undecided on buying a hose attachment or the PA foam lance for a pressure washer. In the end went with the latter and wouldn't do without it now. I figured that after a few hours prep (snow foam, 2 bucket wash, clay, polish (though i still need to get some sealant - Jetseal 109??)), that was enough to try to get it in a decent condition. Then in these winter months I could give it a quick snow foam and rinse weekly to remove the worst of the road grime, without the need to do a full-ish detail every time.

I started out buying Megs quick clay kit with a 50g clay bar & quick detailer, which did a great job..

IMAG0449 ..this is from just the bonnet

..but after some homework, I found you can get stuff much cheaper. Bilt Hamber do a 200g bar (smooth or medium (leave the aggressive stuff for the pro's)) for less than a tenner..and only need WATER as a lubricant?! I already have Auto Finesse fine clay and their clay lube, otherwise i'd have bought this probably. Havent used the AF stuff yet so cant comment, but have read that it is pretty good.

One thing is for sure.......I will never use the £5/6 handwash places EVER again. Besides..i'm having FAR too much fun with my snow foam lance!
 
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Being a total newbie to this just one more question, regarding the clay would it not save time and work by leaving the car wet after washing rather than drying it, that way I would still use the meguires quick detailer for lubrication but surely leaving water on it would provide extra lubrication as well as the quick detailer, or is there a reason to dry it first, just don't wanna ruin my paintwork on my first attempt with the clay. I've looked about on different forums but it seems to be 50/50 some say yes and some say absolutely not?? but none give a reason what harm it would do?

Thanks in advance
 
I read that too. Wasn't sure so dried mine first. I guess when it is dry you can see what area you are working on, and if you have a clay bar that needs lube, then you dont mistake the rinse water for lube. The last thing you want to do is use a clay on your car without the proper lube (unless it is say that Bilt Hamber one, but even then I would still use a lube just to be safe)
 
Last edited:
AUDI_ADDICT said:
I read that too. Wasn't sure so dried mine first. I guess when it is dry you can see what area you are working on, and if you have a clay bar that needs lube, then you dont mistake the rinse water for lube. The last thing you want to do is use a clay on your car without the proper lube (unless it is say that Bilt Hamber one, but even then I would still use a lube just to be safe)
Click to expand...


Not sure I mentioned the word lube enough in that :think:
 
At this time of year you would just be best washing it, claying it quickly and putting a sealant / wax on it like Collinite 476. AG HD Wax is good but not overly durable.

When weather is better and less salt / crap on the road that is the best time to do a full on job and then 6 months later for winter protection. Having a shed full of products used over the last few years I have found the following the quickest and most effective when machine polishing isn't part of the process;

Snow Foam on to dry car, allow to work and then rinse
Wash with two bucket method
Rinse
Apply C-Quartz Iron-X (lots of people have mentioned tar remover but Iron -X does this as well as removing metal contaminants from the paintwork)
Rinse thoroughly
Dry

Secret is to run your finger tips over the paint; if it feels like glass then paint is pretty clean, if rough it needs claying.

Bilt Hamber Autoclay plus water spritzer

Now some people wash again and dry after claying and then apply LSP, but I tend to use IPA to wipe off clay residue and this also takes the last of any oils off from previous products (if any left) to leave the paint as bare and tacky as poosible for your polish wax to bond to it. If you don't clay and Iron-X your polish is bonding to dirt and it'll pretty much fall off and leave little protection.

Autoglym SRP is OK but contains fillers and polishes so if you can see swirls in the paint then use this to fill them up and it'll look great. If you paint is OK then if you have time use a Glaze (I use Chemical Guys Blacklight) and then your LSP; in my case Collinite.

As maintenance every time I wash I now apply an Aquawax spray (CG, Duragloss or AG do this) which has carnumba in it to after rinsing post wash but before drying

HTH. If you look on Detailing World prepared to be lost and even more confused with a sizeable overdraft.
 
P_G said:
At this time of year you would just be best washing it, claying it quickly and putting a sealant / wax on it like Collinite 476. AG HD Wax is good but not overly durable.
.
Click to expand...

I bought Blackfire wet diamond all finish paint protection and midnight sun paste wax have you ever used that and if so what d'you reckon on it?
 
P_G said:
At this time of year you would just be best washing it, claying it quickly and putting a sealant / wax on it like Collinite 476. AG HD Wax is good but not overly durable.
Click to expand...
Some discussion on the two.

Hd wax or Collinite 476 - Detailing World

P_G said:
Apply C-Quartz Iron-X (lots of people have mentioned tar remover but Iron -X does this as well as removing metal contaminants from the paintwork)
Click to expand...

Not true, I'm afraid. That's what CarPro Trix is for...

Car Pro TRIX Iron & Tar Remover 1 Litre | Wheels & Tyres | Juicy Detailing
 
Luke2.0tdi2006 said:
I bought Blackfire wet diamond all finish paint protection and midnight sun paste wax have you ever used that and if so what d'you reckon on it?
Click to expand...

I haven't used either as they appear to produce better results on black or dark colured cars like Blackhole and I've not had a black car. But then youcould look at Duragloss Clear Coat Polish, Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 / or Speed Armour, G-Techniq C2 etc etc. Not even mentioning priducts from Swissvax, Meguiars. It's all down to personal choice as there are loads of LSP's / sealants around.
 
Last edited:
scotty76 said:
Some discussion on the two.

Hd wax or Collinite 476 - Detailing World



Not true, I'm afraid. That's what CarPro Trix is for...

Car Pro TRIX Iron & Tar Remover 1 Litre | Wheels & Tyres | Juicy Detailing
Click to expand...

Iron-X does remove tar spots and contaminants as I use it on the car and on alloys and haven't needed any tar removing product other than it. Trix is specific for it but never needed it and been using Iron-x for the last 2 years to the same effect.

476 for me as well, more durable than HD Wax by 1-2 months plus ease of application so long you don't try and cake it on.
 
Yeah I did, I got a karcher one in the end (thats all funds would permit!) and a karcher foam nozzle which was extremely small but I just couldn't wait for something else to be delivered! It was doing my head in how dirty the car was! I got Valet Pro PH Neutral Foam and couldn't wait to get out there with it, the first decent day we had was Saturday so I was straight out there 'snow foaming'...lol
tbh I don't reallly rate it (the whole snow foaming thing) I understand why you would do it, as in lift a lot of the dirt off before you start swirling a wash mit around on the paint work but for the amount it did remove I just wasn't that impressed. So that was all I had time for on saturday, snow foam, wash and dry. So I was still itching to have a go at the clay and try the BF wet diamond so today I got up particularly early (for my day off) and took to my drive once again, washed, dried, clayed, polished just about to try the blackfire and down came the RAIN!!! not happy, you were right about the clay thou it does remove more s**t than I expected, soon as we have another decent day I'll get a few pics up
 
The attachment for the Karcher isn't worth crap. What you really want is the PA Foam lance. Nice thick foam that sticks like s***

Snow Foam and Lance Kit | Pre-Wash Foam | Washing & Drying | Juicy Detailing

This is what I got from Jen as a starter kit (great deal), will maybe go for Megs/AF Avalanche or some Valet Pro next ( ..I know it's an extra expense, but it's like black & white), just remeber to let it sit for 5-8 mins

...and of course once its been clayed and waxed/sealed it should be even MORE effective
 
Autoglym HD Cleanser is also worth using prior to SRP and then HD Wax. Helps get the paintwork to a good starting point before applying the other products...
 
Was lookin at the clean pictures I have of my car as the snow flurries came and went today..the car sat outside in the cold, in need of a bath.

So I ran her a couple of warm buckets of water..and set to work.

An hour later I was freezing, but glad I'd made the effort in the cold...I have a nice clean motor again
 
I think we're all desperate for the sun to come back so we can satisfy our O.C.D(obssesive cleaning disorder)
I think every one has a different regime for our motors, I managed to get out yesterday and finally got a full clean done.
My routine when I can fit it in, is:

1. Juicy Snow foam with Karcher Foam lance (which I don't thinks too bad)
2. Rinse, Then 2 B.M, with Dodo Juice Lambswool Mitt.
3. Dry with Auto Glym drying towel
4. Auto Glym tyre cleaner and Dodo Juice crevice mitt for the spoke-y alloys
5. Clayed with Meguiars Clay and detail spray.
6. Polish with Auto Glym Ultra Deep Shine, Polish off
7. For a quick wet/wax look I use Meguiars Ultimate Quik Wax, great when you don't have time for full wax.
8. Then its inside with my trusty handheld Dyson and some Super Berry Silocone Dash Spray, its the nuts
9. Finally I use Meguiars tyre Black Gel, last for a while, if not then Turtle Wax Wet n Black

Think I might buy a nice DA for the summer, make things a lot easier,
it's hard though, once you have the bug it's hard to get rid off it, my Mrs thinks I'm mental,
standing in the freezing cold, polishing to my hearts content.

A big hello to all the fellow cleaner freaks out there.


Scott :rockwoot:

apologies for the order of the pics, I'm sure you can put them in order. Lol.
 
It's an expensive hobby, but it gets a little cheaper once you've bought everything.

I found that I've probably spent £500 in total on kit and products, which seems like a lot: but things like the buckets and pressure washer will last a long time, as will several of the products which I only use a small amount one every few washes. I find that it's now become a rolling replacement of shampoo (lasts ages), LSP (not too bad if you use something like Auto Glym Extra Gloss Protection - it goes a fairly long way), wheel cleaner (okay, this only lasts 10 or so washes, but that's still 6 months+) and occasionally a new mitt, microfibres or applicator pads.

So it's a big intial outlay, and if you do a full detail every week you'll get through it quickly, but if you do an outside clean every 2/3 weeks, and the inside "when it needs doing" then I find I probably only spend £10 or £20 every couple of months, which isn't too bad. Some people buy a new wax fairly often to try them out, or use a lot more products, but for most fairly casual detailers (I'm aware that that's a bit of a juxtaposition) then it's really not that expensive after the initial stuff. I tend to treat myself to something new occasionally - a snow foam lance is next on the list - but after the first set of stuff, it's an optional treat.
 
audi upgrades
It's very true. The initial outlay will last well. I'm often amazed people will spend thousands of pounds on a car but are unwilling to spend £30 on a wax to protect it. :)
 
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