Just thought i'd throw together a cleaning guide for you all in a bid to rid the world of swirl marks and people who clean cars with Fairy Liquid (the uk's number 1 selling car cleaner! Fact!) In my opinion is it all boils down to technique rather than product as different people are happy with different levels of shine. The important thing for me to have, and for you to remember ,is how to keep that shine and protect and 'seal' your paint in the process. So ill begin:
To wash the car:
1.Hose off any loose dirt form the cars surface.
2.Spray alloy wheels with your choice of cleaner (Meguiars Hot Rims for me)
3. Using an alloy wheel brush, aggrivate the wheel cleaner into stubborn areas and rinse the wheel afterwards.
4.Fill one bucket with a warm solution of water and cleaning product (Meguiars NXT car wash for me)
5. Fill a second bucket with cold water, this is to rinse your wash mitt or sponge (prefferably a mitt) after every pass over the car. This helps to eliminate further swirl marks as it keeps loose grit away from your cleaning impliment for longer.
6.For ease of drying, remove any hose attachments and use a steady flow of water to rinse the car, the weight of the free flowing water will perfectly rinse the car and 'sheet' itself off the panels leaving less to dry afterwards.
7. Using your choice of either Chamious Leather of Microfibre drying towel dry the car (preferrably out of direct sunlight on darker cars to avoid stubborn marks) not forgetting those bastard water traps such as: tailgate, mirror bases, rear quarter windows and below rear lights and filler cap. My best advice would be to take the car for a quick spin after your main drying is done to let these water traps empty.
These steps should give you the following results. I have used my freinds Focus, which i have helped him build, as an example as your all most likely sick of mine by now. Although there is a distinct theme running with the 2 cars!
Now that the paint is clean we need to make it shine and give it ' depth'. To do this apply your polish of choice (Meguairs Stage 2 Deep Crystal in this case) in small circles and apply it thinly. This gives the best level of shine while being easier to buff off and lessens chances of further swirling.
While most people would be happy to leave it at that what some dont realise is that a polish (dependant on brand) can leave little or no lasting protection to your surface. This is where Wax comes into play. Wax seals in your shine and protects it for longer. The shine on the Focus is achieved using a Meguiars NXT Tech Wax, however i have just been treated to a Chemical Guys product called Blitz Spray Sealent which is much easier to apply and highly recommended.
When removing your product, left to right and in straight lines is the key to reducing swirl marks especially in darker cars.
This method acheved the following shine:
Engine bays:
The engine bay of this particular Focus was very badly soiled with traffic film, dust and dirt.
Covering the battery and distributor cap are essential aswell as any exposed filter cones.
Spray an engine and machine cleaner liberally (Gunk in this case) onto all soiled surfaces. Start car and allow engine temp to rise just off the lowest point on the gauge, this helps the cleaner break down the dirt quicker.
With the engine still running and using a medium strength spray for the hose, rinse off the engine being careful to avoid directly spraying the battery, dizzy cap and HT Leads.
To make back plastics shine, use a cheap tyre shine and an off cut off sponge for the show car shine effect.
I hope this is of some use to some of you. Feel free to comment or throw your own techniques at me.
Special thanks must go to my good freind Dave H. Owner of the E30 325i BMW posted a few days ago on the forum, for he is my guru and has taught me all i know about detailing techniques. Enjoy.
All products used can be found on www.cleanyourcar.co.uk.
Posted in Members rides as its how i clean my ride, if that make any sense!
To wash the car:
1.Hose off any loose dirt form the cars surface.
2.Spray alloy wheels with your choice of cleaner (Meguiars Hot Rims for me)
3. Using an alloy wheel brush, aggrivate the wheel cleaner into stubborn areas and rinse the wheel afterwards.
4.Fill one bucket with a warm solution of water and cleaning product (Meguiars NXT car wash for me)
5. Fill a second bucket with cold water, this is to rinse your wash mitt or sponge (prefferably a mitt) after every pass over the car. This helps to eliminate further swirl marks as it keeps loose grit away from your cleaning impliment for longer.
6.For ease of drying, remove any hose attachments and use a steady flow of water to rinse the car, the weight of the free flowing water will perfectly rinse the car and 'sheet' itself off the panels leaving less to dry afterwards.
7. Using your choice of either Chamious Leather of Microfibre drying towel dry the car (preferrably out of direct sunlight on darker cars to avoid stubborn marks) not forgetting those bastard water traps such as: tailgate, mirror bases, rear quarter windows and below rear lights and filler cap. My best advice would be to take the car for a quick spin after your main drying is done to let these water traps empty.
These steps should give you the following results. I have used my freinds Focus, which i have helped him build, as an example as your all most likely sick of mine by now. Although there is a distinct theme running with the 2 cars!
Now that the paint is clean we need to make it shine and give it ' depth'. To do this apply your polish of choice (Meguairs Stage 2 Deep Crystal in this case) in small circles and apply it thinly. This gives the best level of shine while being easier to buff off and lessens chances of further swirling.
While most people would be happy to leave it at that what some dont realise is that a polish (dependant on brand) can leave little or no lasting protection to your surface. This is where Wax comes into play. Wax seals in your shine and protects it for longer. The shine on the Focus is achieved using a Meguiars NXT Tech Wax, however i have just been treated to a Chemical Guys product called Blitz Spray Sealent which is much easier to apply and highly recommended.
When removing your product, left to right and in straight lines is the key to reducing swirl marks especially in darker cars.
This method acheved the following shine:
Engine bays:
The engine bay of this particular Focus was very badly soiled with traffic film, dust and dirt.
Covering the battery and distributor cap are essential aswell as any exposed filter cones.
Spray an engine and machine cleaner liberally (Gunk in this case) onto all soiled surfaces. Start car and allow engine temp to rise just off the lowest point on the gauge, this helps the cleaner break down the dirt quicker.
With the engine still running and using a medium strength spray for the hose, rinse off the engine being careful to avoid directly spraying the battery, dizzy cap and HT Leads.
To make back plastics shine, use a cheap tyre shine and an off cut off sponge for the show car shine effect.
I hope this is of some use to some of you. Feel free to comment or throw your own techniques at me.
Special thanks must go to my good freind Dave H. Owner of the E30 325i BMW posted a few days ago on the forum, for he is my guru and has taught me all i know about detailing techniques. Enjoy.
All products used can be found on www.cleanyourcar.co.uk.
Posted in Members rides as its how i clean my ride, if that make any sense!
well helpful thanks!
how does that work then 
