How do YOU wash/wax your car?

[J4MMYz]

Interested in knowing what steps people take to properly clean their car...

When it needs washing, i'm planning on - rinse < snow foam < wash with shampoo < rinse < microfibre dry.

When it needs waxing, all of the above then - autoglym clay bar kit < autoglym wax

(providing I don't have any scratched to get out anyway..)


Whats everyone else's methods? I heard about tar remover, so is there anything I should do before claying? Or anything I can do extra to the routine wash?

Also, I have normal sized buckets (like a builders bucket) - will a grit guard fit in these?

Cheers.

 

[Fox5150]

I've just done my first "detail" on my wife's Yaris and am a complete novice at this. I had a good read on the Detailing World forum and the Polished Bliss and Auto Finesse websites to find out a bit more. The products I used are all from Auto Finesse (except where noted) as I seem to have latched onto their stuff:

-Snow foamed with Avalanche, using a Karcher K2 and the Polished Bliss snow foam lance
-Rinsed
-Washed using the two bucket method with Lather and a lambswool mitt
-'Tarred' using Autosmart Tar Remover (although I will be using ObliTARate)
-Clayed using a G3 clay mitt. This thing is so easy to use, even for a novice like me!
-Rinsed
-Polished by hand using Tripple
-Waxed with Desire
-Trim restored using Revive
-Windows cleaned with Crystal
-Tyres dressed with Satin

This doesn't have alloys so nothing special for the wheels. If it did have, then no doubt Imperial and Mint Rims would have made an appearance. They certainly will when I get my A3!

The Desire is supposed to last ages, so a maintenance wash shouldn't really need to be too much effort. Just snow foam > wash > dry. Some of the bits would probably need topping up before the wax did, so will fold those in as they're needed. The full shebang should only need it twice a year though, from what I've read anyways. I was planning on October and March.

It was all so very easy, just took elbow grease and time!

 

[J4MMYz]

I've just done my first "detail" on my wife's Yaris and am a complete novice at this. I had a good read on the Detailing World forum and the Polished Bliss and Auto Finesse websites to find out a bit more. The products I used are all from Auto Finesse (except where noted) as I seem to have latched onto their stuff:

-Snow foamed with Avalanche, using a Karcher K2 and the Polished Bliss snow foam lance
-Rinsed
-Washed using the two bucket method with Lather and a lambswool mitt
-'Tarred' using Autosmart Tar Remover (although I will be using ObliTARate)
-Clayed using a G3 clay mitt. This thing is so easy to use, even for a novice like me!
-Rinsed
-Polished by hand using Tripple
-Waxed with Desire
-Trim restored using Revive
-Windows cleaned with Crystal
-Tyres dressed with Satin

This doesn't have alloys so nothing special for the wheels. If it did have, then no doubt Imperial and Mint Rims would have made an appearance. They certainly will when I get my A3!

The Desire is supposed to last ages, so a maintenance wash shouldn't really need to be too much effort. Just snow foam > wash > dry. Some of the bits would probably need topping up before the wax did, so will fold those in as they're needed. The full shebang should only need it twice a year though, from what I've read anyways. I was planning on October and March.

It was all so very easy, just took elbow grease and time!

Thanks for the reply. My understanding is that tar remover should only be used if waxing later? As it can take wax off?

How do you apply the tar remover, just with a cloth or is it a spray on, spray off?

 

[Fox5150]

Before you wax, you really need to get the paint as clean as possible, so you need to go through the decontamination stages first which is typically tarring and claying and then rinse it all off so the paint is "naked" before you start waxing.

With the tar remover, I did a panel at a time; spray it on, let it do its thing and wipe it off with a MF towel. Use an old one as you'll want to throw it away once you're done with it as it stinks. Don't try and wash it as it'll smell everything else and you won't get it out.

One other thing that I read is it's best to lay something down first so that the wax has something to bond to. Again, from the Auto Finesse stuff, use Tripple if your paintwork needs some love, or Rejuvenate if it doesn't. Both put on a nice glossy surface so that the wax can bond to it. I used Tripple on the Yaris and the wax went on like a dream.

 

[J4MMYz]

Before you wax, you really need to get the paint as clean as possible, so you need to go through the decontamination stages first which is typically tarring and claying and then rinse it all off so the paint is "naked" before you start waxing.

With the tar remover, I did a panel at a time; spray it on, let it do its thing and wipe it off with a MF towel. Use an old one as you'll want to throw it away once you're done with it as it stinks. Don't try and wash it as it'll smell everything else and you won't get it out.

One other thing that I read is it's best to lay something down first so that the wax has something to bond to. Again, from the Auto Finesse stuff, use Tripple if your paintwork needs some love, or Rejuvenate if it doesn't. Both put on a nice glossy surface so that the wax can bond to it. I used Tripple on the Yaris and the wax went on like a dream.

Can you just power wash the tar off after its treated instead of wiping? I'd just prefer to do it that way instead of wiping

 

[Fox5150]

Good question and honestly, I've no idea. Hopefully someone else will chime in that knows for sure. I would have thought it would need wiping as it's a solvent, so washing it off probably won't do much, but I really don't know in practice. Sorry.

 

[skiptowncat]

For best results use a polish or glaze before waxing.

 

[Phil-1]

This is what I will be doing this weekend

Rinse
Snow foam
Rinse
Wash 2 bucket method
Wash wheels separate bucket
Dry
Clay
Rinse
Dry
Polish
Sealer
Wax x 2

Sit back with beer and enjoy my hard work

 

[cjmcgrath]

Don't rinse before you snowfoam the car it renders the snowfoam useless because the foam then runs off a lot faster so doesn't cling to the dirt as well and the water also helps dilute the snowfoam so doesn't cut through as well. Then rinse, 2 bucket wash with a microfibre wash mitt, dry with a good quality microfibre towel, tar remove, clay, (compound/polish if required), glaze, sealant, 2 coas of wax then just to make it pop another coat if sealant

Makes for a really nice deep shine and provides good strong protection

 

[Fox5150]

Don't rinse before you snowfoam the car it renders the snowfoam useless because the foam then runs off a lot faster so doesn't cling to the dirt as well and the water also helps dilute the snowfoam so doesn't cut through as well. Then rinse, 2 bucket wash with a microfibre wash mitt, dry with a good quality microfibre towel, tar remove, clay, (compound/polish if required), glaze, sealant, 2 coas of wax then just to make it pop another coat if sealant

Makes for a really nice deep shine and provides good strong protection

From what I've read, I wouldn't pop another coat of sealant on after waxing as the chemicals within the sealant will eat away at the wax you've put on. Sealant >> wax, but not the other way round. This might just be with the AF products though.

 

[J4MMYz]

Don't rinse before you snowfoam the car it renders the snowfoam useless because the foam then runs off a lot faster so doesn't cling to the dirt as well and the water also helps dilute the snowfoam so doesn't cut through as well. Then rinse, 2 bucket wash with a microfibre wash mitt, dry with a good quality microfibre towel, tar remove, clay, (compound/polish if required), glaze, sealant, 2 coas of wax then just to make it pop another coat if sealant

Makes for a really nice deep shine and provides good strong protection

Is there much point glazing white? My car will be glacier white and from what I've read it's only effective on black or other dark colours

 

[skiptowncat]

Is there much point glazing white? My car will be glacier white and from what I've read it's only effective on black or other dark colours

Yes, it will fill in any microscratches and provide a much glossier look to the car.

 

[cjmcgrath]

From what I've read, I wouldn't pop another coat of sealant on after waxing as the chemicals within the sealant will eat away at the wax you've put on. Sealant >> wax, but not the other way round. This might just be with the AF products though.

I use chemical guys stuff and the sealant I use is also a quick detailer so it doesn't effect the wax coatings, just helps with any excess wax in body lines, joints and in badges with a soft bristle brush.
If your wanting to perform a proper detail then all the steps I mentioned before are all as important as the other to achieve a true shine.

 

[Fox5150]

I use chemical guys stuff and the sealant I use is also a quick detailer so it doesn't effect the wax coatings, just helps with any excess wax in body lines, joints and in badges with a soft bristle brush.
If your wanting to perform a proper detail then all the steps I mentioned before are all as important as the other to achieve a true shine.

Thanks for that. Had a suspicion it might be product specific

 

[JayA3sline]

Wet sand baby! Gtechniq protection then only requires a rinse, snow foam, rinse, shampoo, rinse and air blast and sit back and enjoy the shine

 

[Bristle Hound]

Wet sanding = balls of steel

Thought you did the wet sanding till I saw the 'KDS Detailing' plate on the last pic lol

Sure does get rid of the orange peel so much associated with Audi paint

 

[JayA3sline]

Wet sanding = balls of steel

Thought you did the wet sanding till I saw the 'KDS Detailing' plate on the last pic lol

Sure does get rid of the orange peel so much associated with Audi paint

I did do it mate. Did 3 days training at KDS and spent 10 days total doing it! Plenty of pictures for proof for any doubters

 

[JayA3sline]

Training

Then the graft:

 

[Bristle Hound]

I did do it mate. Did 3 days training at KDS and spent 10 days total doing it! Plenty of pictures for proof for any doubters

Kudos to you buddy