Definitive list of must have cleaning products.

Can we create a list of must have products for a person looking to start afresh.

I have ordered a new car and it would be easier to buy a few products each month whilst I wait.

:smile::bounce::bounce::bounce:

plus it will help the days go buy until the car arrives

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
i will make a start then,


shampoo= Megs gold class is pretty good, from Halfords. ( i like it ).

wash mit= again anything which is micro-fiber or lambs wool will be ok.

it all depends on your budget and how much of a detailer are you. ?
 
Good quality microfibre towels / cloths, for drying and polishing / buffing e.g. Meguiars Water Magnet Microfiber Drying Towel, Meguiars Supreme Shine Microfibre (3 pack). Don't know if these ones are any good, but can get them from Halfords.
 
Duragloss 253 for tyres.

The rest is subjective but the items for me that fall into the 'emporors new clothe's' are
Snow foam
Bilberry
 
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Well Im not sure if its much help to you but I use most of the Dodo Juice range and IMO its really good stuff, and not 'break the bank' expensive either!

I use the Supernatural Shampoo, Lime Prime, Orange Crush wax, Red Mist quick detailer. All really good products and I would happily buy all of them again!

One thing I couldn't live without is a decent wheel brush, Halfords do one, I think its their own brand, but its really good and still in shape after a couple of months too!
 
Well I used the last time I had a car worth looking after: which is a while ago I might add. I used to use Autoglym super resin polish and then finish it with Extra gloss protection. That combination seemed to work well. Normally, I just used a normal halfords shampoo or similar with a sponge. (I am old school)

I keep hearing about clay, mitts, and stuff and find myself a bit lost.

Maybe people can explain WHY they use the products they do?
 
Well I used the last time I had a car worth looking after: which is a while ago I might add. I used to use Autoglym super resin polish and then finish it with Extra gloss protection. That combination seemed to work well. Normally, I just used a normal halfords shampoo or similar with a sponge. (I am old school)

I keep hearing about clay, mitts, and stuff and find myself a bit lost.

Maybe people can explain WHY they use the products they do?

Well where to start lol...

I know everyone has a different opinion on their 'ideal' car prep methods, so this is just my take on it all, it is by no means gospel lol! :tongue_smilie:

I use 2 buckets, one for soap and one for rinsing
I have used Simoniz shampoo from Halfords which was good but I now use Dodo Supernatural and it feels a lot smoother.
I have a Meguiars wash mitt as the deep ply is supposed to keep dirt from being dragged over the paintwork, as happens with sponges - main cause of swirls :thumbdown:
Work a panel at a time - top to bottom - and rinse the mitt before more getting more soap, this stops 'old' dirt being put back on the car.
Rinse
Once done I squeegy the windows and chamois the rest dry so that now marks are left.
I use MuckOff (mountain bike cleaner), a wheel brush and small kitchen sponge for the alloys so that it is done thoroughly. I dont know of much that take rubbish like muck and brake dust off as easily.
Once all this is done it would be time to clay the car but seeing as yours will be new you probably wont need to bother for 6 months.
Next up is polishing I use Lime Prime as it isn't aggressive but gives a good shine. Applied with a microfibre cloth and buffed off with another/other side.
Then my car is waxed with Orange Crush - the car is covered and left for an hour before being buffed off with another microfibre. IMO it gives a really deep look and lasts a bit longer too.
As mine is kept in the garage I can then put Red Mist (quick detailer) on which has to be left until 24hrs after waxing, spray on and buff off jobby, it gives an extra level of protection and makes most crud fall off with a pressure wash. it also gives great beading in the rain for that super cool look.

Im sure that others do it in different ways and they will no doubt share with you but the above method works well for me, and give results like this;

P10207752.jpg

Hope all of that helps in some way...
 
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For easy availability you can't go wrong with autoglym products.key is keep it simple
Snow foam- citrus based
Pressure rinse
Apply bug/tar remover where necessary
Wheel arches/wheels- AG clean wheels(works well diluted 1:1 with water and fine on painted wheels) wheel brush
Pressure rinse wheels
Zymol shampoo-use 2 bucket method and wash mitt
Pressure rinse
Dry using microfibre cloths
AG super resin polish(quaterly)
AG extra gloss protection(quaterly)
Wax-whatever your preference I like turtle wax original
Seal wheels- EGP/poor boys wheel seal/wax which ever you prefer
Last but not least tyre dressing
 
I'm old skool & a lazy bu9ger...

Personaly, I pressure wash to get most of the grit off.

Use AutoGlym shampoo conditioner with two buckets & a microfibre to give it a good clean.

Then AutoGlym Aquawax to finish off. No need to dry off... also means no drip stains to polish out.

A bit odd... but I also prefere to wash the car (outside) on a light rain/showery day... it rinces the car as you go...

Then do the wheels with Meguris.

It does the job for me, in about an hour...

And usually has bird **** onit again within a day anyway!
 
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Yeah I hear ya re the bird ****. Im sure every town is haunted by dive bomber seagulls. Annoying. Maybe we can sticky this thread for newcomers to the detail world like me?
 
All Purpose Cleaner G101
Wheel Cleaner Smart Wheels
Shampoo Optimum Car Shampoo
Glass Cleaner 3M Glass Cleaner
Matt Tyre Dressing 3M Tyre Restorer
Bling Tyre Dressing Wheel Wax Tyre Dressing
Tar Remover Tardis
Clay Elite PolyClay
Clay Lube Citrus Bling
Wax Free 1 Poorboys Nattys Blue
Wax Free 2 Collinite 476S
Wax Free 3 Finish Kare 1000P
£50 Wax 1 Swissvax Onyx
£50 Wax 2 Dodo SuperNatural
£100 Wax Zymol Glasur
£150 Wax Swissvax BOS
Wheel Sealant Optimum Opti Seal
Interior and Plastics 303 Aerospace
Metal Polish Optimum Metal Polish
QD Optimum Instant Detailer
Cutting Compound 3M Green
Polish 3M Yellow
Finishing Polish 3M Blue
Pre Wax Cleanser Dodo Lime Prime

That's what I tend to use! :smile:

Russ.
 
all of the above seem alot of bother for a weekly clean on a car. fair enough once every month or whatever for a good detail to bring it back up to scratch, bt most of the above cost an absolute fortune an not everyone wants to spend their whole staurday/sunday cleaning their car.

For weekly cleaning, all ive ever used is an autoglym valet kit
Contains:

Shampoo
Clean Wheels
Super Resin Polish
Paint Renovator
Fast Glass
Bumper Care
Tar Remover
(Bottle of Screen Wash)
Sponge
Polishing Clothes
and a case.

Then i use dodo juice lime prime and then wax it with purple haze wax.

Simples :thumbsup:
 
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Can you experts advise the best bug and tar remover please?

I must say i admire the amount of love you shower on your cars but i wonder how long on average you spend doing all this cleaning. I don't neglect my car by any stretch but i think i need to pull my finger out!
 
Can you experts advise the best bug and tar remover please?

I must say i admire the amount of love you shower on your cars but i wonder how long on average you spend doing all this cleaning. I don't neglect my car by any stretch but i think i need to pull my finger out!

Liberal amounts of muckoff, rinse and re apply a couple of times while you clean the dirtier parts of the rest of your car and then some elbow grease.

Not a fan of aggressive cleaners.

And I spend about 2 hours cleaning it, so far every weekend but this is to the point of getting it spotless outside and polished.
 
Hey Grumpy, you in Sheffield per chance?

I'll get some muck off then on the way home, i'm not a fan of aggressive cleaners either.
Cheers mate.
 
Hey Grumpy, you in Sheffield per chance?

I'll get some muck off then on the way home, i'm not a fan of aggressive cleaners either.
Cheers mate.

Doncaster but I get around a fair bit ;P

Just be warned you might not find it in the car section as it's generally put with motorbike/cycle kit it seems.

I use it all around the bottom of my car now, it doesn't clean everything off but it breaks the dirt down and softens the bugs/blood up.
 
Jesus Grumpy, BLOOD: What have you been driving over, the neighbours cat?!

Well the large red smears I've been getting on the front recently, I think they're bugs but I tend not to slow for cats/birds/children so who knows!

:oops: