big eck
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Registered: 20th Apr 03
Location: Tullibody. Drives - Audi B8 S4 & Fiesta Zetec-S
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I'm finally having my shed build today so got a place to store stuff and I've always wanted good cleaning gear.
I'm after a good jetwash along with all the gear that comes with it. A snow foam lance is also a must.
What the best way to go about this regarding what's the best value for money??? Also where can I buy it???
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thegsi
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Registered: 3rd Feb 07
Location: Kidderminster Drives: Evo (you can't afford one)
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www.cleanyourcar.co.uk is brilliant for everything you need.
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beany113
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Registered: 19th Jul 11
Location: Sittingbourne, Kent
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quote:
Originally posted by thegsi
www.cleanyourcar.co.uk is brilliant for everything you need.
^^^
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Balling
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Apr 04
Location: Denmark
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I've found www.i4detailing.co.uk is cheaper than cleanyourcar on most products.
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BluKoo
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Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
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Polished Bliss are pretty cheap too, and they offer free postage on everything.
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Whittie
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Registered: 11th Aug 06
Location: North Wales Drives: BMW, Corsa & Fiat
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How come the images on that site are from Tim Wallace and not you Murray? Just wondering.
I'm going to order stuff now thanks to this thread! 
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Dave
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Registered: 26th Feb 01
Location: Lancs
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First things first you need to make sure you have the correct pants, don't want CS going mental again.
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3CorsaMeal
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Registered: 11th Apr 02
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave
First things first you need to make sure you have the correct pants, don't want CS going mental again.
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3CorsaMeal
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Registered: 11th Apr 02
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I like dodo juice stuff nowadays, although i use other stuff: Over the years i've bought and tried loads of different shampoos and polishes.
I now use:
Karcher with an Autobrite foam lance
BODY:
-Dodo juice born to be mild shampoo
-Dodo juice clay and lube
-Dodo juice Lime prime
-Autoglym super resin polish
-Collinite 915 wax
WHEELS:
-Bilberry Wheel cleaner
-Autosmart Tardis
-Wax, just called "Wheel wax"
INTERIOR:
-Einszett leather care
-Poorboys Natural look
-AutoBrite Clear Vue Glass cleaner
Then i has the DAS6 machine polisher with menzerna polishes and pads
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Balling
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Apr 04
Location: Denmark
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quote:
Originally posted by BluKoo
Polished Bliss are pretty cheap too, and they offer free postage on everything.
Compared to i4detailing they're about 5-10% more expensive on most products which quickly makes up for the free postage.
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evilrob
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
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If you're starting from scratch, you can do a lot worse than the Auto Finesse starter kit:
http://shop.autofinesse.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=17&product_id=96
Contains all this for £169.95:
WASH STAGE:
- 1x Bucket and Grit Guard
- 1x Lambs Wool Wash Mitt
- 1x 500ml 'Lather' Car Shampoo
- 1x 1l 'Citrus Power' Citrus Degreaser Spray
- 1x 500ml 'Oblitarate' Tar & Glue remover
CLAY:
- 1x Clay Bar 200g
- 1x 500ml 'Glide' Clay Lube
POLISH STAGE
- 1x 250ml 'Tripple all in one' Polish
- 1x 250ml 'Revive' Trim Dressing
- 1x 250ml 'Crystal' Glass Cleaner
FINAL STAGE PRODUCTS:
- 1x 250ml 'Tough Coat' Sealant
- 1x 500ml 'Finale' Detail Spray
WHEEL PRODUCTS:
- 1x 500ml 'Imperial Ready To Use' Wheel Cleaner
- 1x 'Mint Rims' Wheel Wax
- 1x 500ml 'Satin' Tyre Gel
CLOTHS/MISC:
- 1x Yellow Foam Applicator
- 1x Tyre Product Applicator
- 1x Ultra Plush Microfiber
- 1x Drying Towel
- 1x Black Decal
- 1x Air Freshener
Only things it's missing is a wax, a second bucket and grit guard, and could maybe do with a few more microfibres.
If you email James and ask for a deal, they're usually quite flexible if you want to swap some stuff out for other stuff.
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evilrob
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
User status: Offline
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Here's my favourite stuff:
Essentials:
A pile of microfibre cloths
Shampoo: Dodo Juice Born to be Mild
Clay: Bilt-Hamber Soft
Polish: Car-Lack 68 Nano Systematic Care
Sealant: Car-Lack 68 Long Life Sealant
^ if you get the Car-Lack stuff, get a couple of Microfibre bricks as they work well for applying these particular products
Wax: Autoglym HD Wax or Collinite 476s
Quick detailing spray: Clearkote Quikshine
Nice to have:
Glaze: For a light car, check out Poorboys White Diamond - Glaze goes after polish and before sealant and/or wax. For a dark car, I use Poorboys Black Hole.
Trim restorer for your scuttle pan, window rubbers etc: GTechniq C4
Glass cleaner: Auto Finesse Crystal Glass
Fancy Microfibre: Microfiber Madness Crazy Pile
Metal polish (for exhausts etc): Auto Finesse Mercury Metal Polish
Wheel cleaner: Valet Pro Bilberry Wheel Cleaner for light dirt, Autoglym Clean Wheels for really baked in nasty stuff (ideally with a wheel brush)
Wheel sealant: Poorboys Wheel Sealant
Foam applicator pads for applying wheel products and metal polish
Interior surfaces dressing (dash, door cards etc): Poorboys Natural Look Dressing
When you've got the detailing bug:
Pressure Washer with Snow Foam Lance: Karcher are generally a good bet
DA machine polisher: Meguiar's Microfiber DA Kit is easy to use, not stupid expensive and yields good results
Technique:
Ideally you want two buckets with grit guards, a lambswool mitt (NOT a sponge), a proper car shampoo, clay, polish and then glaze followed by either a sealant or a wax, or a sealant THEN a wax (never the other way around).
Two buckets is to prevent you from making new scratches while washing - cos you're dragging something across the surface of the paint you want to use one bucket for soapy water, and one bucket for clean water. Before you reload your mitt with suds each time, give it a rinse in the second bucket to get any bits of crap off (at least once per panel). Grit guards are optional but do help prevent bits of grit floating about and getting back on your mitt.
A mitt is essential - as they also help pull dirt away from the paint so you're not rubbing it all over the car while you wash. Some people use two - one for the top half of the car, and one for the lower half of the car. A sponge is a big no-no.
Start from the top and work your way down - load up your mitt with suds and squeeze a bit out over the panel you want to wash to lubricate the surface before cleaning that panel. Use light pressure, work in straight lines rather than circular motions. The key here is to wipe off the dirt while doing your best to avoid inflicting any new scratches that will rob you of shine.
After shampooing give the car a rinse and you're ready to clay. Clay is used to pull off any stuff from the paint that washing hasn't done - like water marks, tree sap and other nasty stuff, really helps get the best shine. I recommend Bilt-Hamber as you can just use water for lubrication - many of the others require you to buy a matching 'detailing spray'. Break off a piece of clay, warm it up in your hands by folding it and flattening it out until it's supple, then liberally mist the panel you want to clay with water (I'm assuming you have some kind of spray bottle knocking about). Run the clay over the surface with fingertip pressure, remembering to fold the clay regularly to expose a clean surface. Keep going until every panel feels glassy smooth, breaking off a new chunk of clay as necessary if it starts getting particularly grubby. You'll be amazed how much crap comes off apparently clean paint I'd recommend having a look on YouTube for the best way to do this - it's easy when you see someone else do it.
When the car is washed and clayed, you're ready to polish - generally it's best to do one panel at a time as the longer you leave the polish on the harder it is to buff off. Normally you have to buff off the polish before you do your final sealant or wax stage - but with the Car-Lack Polish and Sealant combo I recommended above, you can just go straight over the polish without buffing it off, to save a step. With that particular combination I tend to polish the whole car, the go over with the sealant - all in one go rather than a panel at a time as it comes off easily. If you get any stubborn bits you can use the quick detailer spray to moisten it up a bit. These particular products are best applied with a damp micro fibre brick, and buffed off with a good quality microfibre cloth.
If you like, you can finish off with a good wax. Wax is generally best applied with a moist foam applicator pad, left to cure for half an hour and then buffed off with a clean, good quality microfibre cloth.
For the next 2-3 months you should be able to just shampoo, rinse, dry and finish off with a quick detailing spray and buff to restore the shine.
Tips:
Remove rings, watches, belts, anything that could scratch your car while you're leaning over it.
Remove labels from microfibre cloths, again to prevent additional scratches.
Fold microfibre cloths in half, then in half again, and turn frequently using all 8 'sides' created by the multiple folding.
Use light pressure at all times.
Go in straight lines when washing rather than circles to avoid inflicting swirl marks. Buffing in circles is OK.
If you drop the clay, bin it - it will have picked up crap from the floor and is useless.
If you drop a microfibre cloth, stop using it and get a fresh one.
Microfibres can be washed in the washing machine, just don't use fabric softener as this will ruin them.
Take your time - no need to go all Speedy Gonzales.
All the improvement in appearance will occur during the shampoo, clay and polish stages - the sealant and wax simply lock in your hard work and protect the paintwork.
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Daveskater
Premium Member
Registered: 29th Apr 08
Location: Oxford, UK Drives: Jap wagon
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by evilrob
If you're starting from scratch, you can do a lot worse than the Auto Finesse starter kit:
http://shop.autofinesse.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=17&product_id=96
Only things it's missing is a wax, a second bucket and grit guard, and could maybe do with a few more microfibres.
It's got Tough Coat though, so don't really need a wax as well. Personally I use two buckets from Focus without grit guards - dont put the mitt at the bottom, simples 
Numberwang!
Originally posted by AlunJ
I like you Dave, you are a man of men
Originally Whatapp'd by Neo
Dave's maybe capable of a drive-by cuddle
Look at my pictures
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BluKoo
Member
Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Whittie
How come the images on that site are from Tim Wallace and not you Murray? Just wondering.
I've never taken any proper pics of any client cars before. Tim Wallace was brought up specifically to get some shots for the site after detailing a couple of customer cars.
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by 3CorsaMeal
I like dodo juice stuff nowadays
I now use:
Karcher with an Autobrite foam lance
BODY:
-Dodo juice born to be mild shampoo
-Dodo juice clay and lube
-Dodo juice Lime prime
-Autoglym super resin polish
-Collinite 915 wax
WHEELS:
-Bilberry Wheel cleaner
-Autosmart Tardis
-Wax, just called "Wheel wax"
INTERIOR:
-Einszett leather care
-Poorboys Natural look
-AutoBrite Clear Vue Glass cleaner
Then i has the DAS6 machine polisher with menzerna polishes and pads
I have to say, after reading your Corrado clean thread I went and bought some "Born to be Mild" as the Megs/AG shampoo I've used in the past didn't seem to lather up that well, and my mitt didn't feel particularly well lubricated.
The DJ stuff is something else though, REALLY impressed.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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evilrob
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Daveskater
quote:
Originally posted by evilrob
If you're starting from scratch, you can do a lot worse than the Auto Finesse starter kit:
http://shop.autofinesse.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=17&product_id=96
Only things it's missing is a wax, a second bucket and grit guard, and could maybe do with a few more microfibres.
It's got Tough Coat though, so don't really need a wax as well. Personally I use two buckets from Focus without grit guards - dont put the mitt at the bottom, simples
It's always nice to have a wax, though - then you can find out which 'look' you prefer on your car.
I like having grit guards to agitate the mitt against when dunking in the bucket.
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evilrob
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Kyle T
The DJ stuff is something else though, REALLY impressed.
+1 for Dodo Juice Born To Be Mild
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big eck
Member
Registered: 20th Apr 03
Location: Tullibody. Drives - Audi B8 S4 & Fiesta Zetec-S
User status: Offline
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Ok I have found this pressure washer
http://www.cleanstore.co.uk/products/Product.asp?ID=7424
And this snow foam and lance
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=183611
Is that a good deal??
I already have the lambs wool wash mitt, Megs shampoo and clay bar kit. I just need a decent wax and wheel cleaner. Ive also got the megs tyre gel so that's sorted. Also what drying towel would you recommend???
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Gary
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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You need some of these too...
It's what the pros wear
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big eck
Member
Registered: 20th Apr 03
Location: Tullibody. Drives - Audi B8 S4 & Fiesta Zetec-S
User status: Offline
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If your not interested in this subject at all then do me and everyone a favour and GTF.
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Balling
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Apr 04
Location: Denmark
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by big eck
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=183611
I like how the more you pay the more free shit you get. Well it's not free then, is it?
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AndyCorsaSport
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Registered: 12th Feb 06
Location: Horsforth, West Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Just washed my car with some Comma wash and wax. Hot water. A sponge and hosepipe.
First I wet the car with the hose.
Then poured some wash a wax into a bucket, and filled with hot water.
Sponged the car with the hot wash and wax.
Rinsed off using the hose pipe
Left to dry.
Jobs a good en.
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evilrob
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
User status: Offline
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Drying towel:
http://www.chemicalguysuk.com/Chemical_Guys_Wooly_Mammoth_Drying_Towel_p/woolmamm.htm
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CORSA NUT
Member
Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
User status: Offline
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I've built up a few bits over the years and TBH there from all over the shop depending on price and how good they are.
All I'll add to what's been said already is but Microfibres from Costo. IIRC there £10 (36) for a big bag of yellow ones and there brilliant.
Contact your local AutoSmart dealer and get
5L Smart Wheels
25L pump sprayer
5L G101 - All purpose cleaner
5L Highstyle (silicone based)
5L Glass clear
5L Duet - Shampoo
Buy one of these...
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wheels-and-tyres/ez-detail-brush/prod_480.html
Don't look at the cost, there fucking brilliant and after years of abuse mines still like new.
Then get an AutoBrite HD foam lance with 5L Magifoam and a decent Karcher. Mines a 3.5 and is ideal.
Also get some empty hand held pump sprayers preferably with foaming heads, clean your car have these.
Also some Demon Shine. Asda sometimes have this on offer for £2 for 2 litres and will dry your car in minutes leaving some left over water for a decent drying towel, although I still use a shammy.
For the interior I use Poorboys Natural dressing..
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/interior/poorboys-natural-look-dressing/prod_328.html?page=1#tab3
A little goes a long way and smells amazing. Avoids the cheap shiney interior look!
Finally I use Collinite 476 wax which lasts 6 months (if you've clay bared beforehand) and is cheap and lasts forever.
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wax/collinite-476s-super-doublecoat-auto-wax/prod_207.html
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CORSA NUT
Member
Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
User status: Offline
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Also there loads I've left out this will get you going though
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