Detailing for idiots??

trying to get a collection together of detailing gear but cant seam to make any sense of it on detailing world, so here it goes... i currently pre-rinse the car, wash with autoglym shampoo, dry and polish (autoglym)... i wanted to maybes use snow foam as i have a canny few swirls in the paint and maybes move into machine polishing so..

- can anyone recommend a pressure washer with a good flow rate between £50-£80 (with capability to use a lance)
- how do i go about machine polishing?
- decent machine polisher?
- what is a recommended step-by-step washing routine (thorough wash)
- recommended products along the way
- also wanted to possibbly try clay bar

i know this is a lot but i would be very greatful

i would speak to Callum tbf. he is clued up. Clay bar wise i use meguires and the full kit includinh lube etc its fairly cheap.

My ears burning or was my name dropped!

cheers heard the meguires mentioned alot. products any good?. and soo, callum, your the man to speak to i need serious help. what i do now as i explained above is a massive step to what i use to be like (fairy liquid and a mop)

RDub wrote:

cheers heard the meguires mentioned alot. products any good?. and soo, callum, your the man to speak to i need serious help. what i do now as i explained above is a massive step to what i use to be like (fairy liquid and a mop)

Well when it comes to cleaning then I can help! Polishing on the other hand I'm still learning!

Products I would recommend for starting out would be auto glym as there readily available and not bad for the price! However I don't rate there shampoo, I find it very greasy and don't seem to get much suds!, meguires are good or if you want to spend abit more but get better results then Kleenfreaks are the top for me! I'm abit of a product haw and tend to jump about when I here good things

As for pressure washer then if your low on funds you can get a foaming lance for a hose pipe!!!! Don't expect the same foam as from a pressure washer but they still do the job for a pre wash!!

Now I would also recommend wax to seal in your hard work! Auto glym do a wet wax so it's easy to work in but dosent last all that long, hard waxes take longer to apply but last for months!!!! Again auto glym hard wax is good stuff or also kleenfreaks gives a top finish.

I recommend you buy a couple of buckets, a wool mit, a few micro fiber cloths and a drying towel!

Hope that helps abit, just keep asking if you need to k ow more!

Step by step

Rinse
Foam
Rinse
Foam
Wheels and any hard to get places
Rinse

Wash MIT and bucket starting from the top Down
Rinse again

(Clay if you are doing and then wash again)

Dry the car and then treat you plastics, clean windows ect....

Then wax!

Then stand back and admire your hard work!!! That's just a rough guid, not to in depth!

RDub wrote:

trying to get a collection together of detailing gear but cant seam to make any sense of it on detailing world, so here it goes... i currently pre-rinse the car, wash with autoglym shampoo, dry and polish (autoglym)... i wanted to maybes use snow foam as i have a canny few swirls in the paint and maybes move into machine polishing so..

- can anyone recommend a pressure washer with a good flow rate between £50-£80 (with capability to use a lance)
- how do i go about machine polishing?
- decent machine polisher?
- what is a recommended step-by-step washing routine (thorough wash)
- recommended products along the way
- also wanted to possibbly try clay bar

i know this is a lot but i would be very greatful

From the start.

Pressure washer, I'd recommend a Nilfisk C110. Around £60 ish if you shop around, much better than Karcher IMO. Foam lances readily available in Nilfisk (KEW Alto fitting)

Foam with a good foam mix (can use shampoo if you wish) I like the new Autofinesse Avalanche, seems to pull off a lot more dirt than other foams I've used.

Wash the car with the two bucket method, using a good shampoo, again I like Autofinesse Lather. I use a B&Q Grout sponge to wash, but you can use a good wash mitt.

Rinse.

Clay. The Bilt Hamber is a good choice to start with as its reasonably priced and can be used with water as a lube, so no need to buy clay lube.

Wash the car again.

Dry with a good quality drying towel. I use waffle weave drying towel rather than a fluffy one but its down to personal preference.

If you want to buy a polishing machine I would recommend a Kestrel DAS-6 unless you plan on doing a lot of cars weekly. (Remember you should only really machine polish a car once or twice a year at most). Also factor in pads and polishes.
This seems like a good deal at the minute. http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/Kestrel_DAS-6_Menz_Kit_2_1.html

I use a rotary polisher with Scholl concepts polishes, but I polish quite a few cars a month, but have used the Menzerna polishes and the work really well, especially for a beginner.

I've also recently tried the Autofinesse Tripple, with is an all in one product (polish, cleaner and wax in one product) and been very impressed by it.

If you've machined the car you now need to wash and dry the car again to remove all polishing residue.

Then seal all your hard work with a quality Wax or Sealant. I use Zaino on my own car, but use DODO / Poorboys / Chemical Guys wax on others. I've also just bought some Autofinesse Soul (yes I like AF!!) but have yet to try it.

Then when thats done its time to dress plastics and tyres to finish the job, and not forgetting the glass.

hope that helps.

Have a look through my posts as I've put a couple of old write ups of some cars I've done.

anymore questions just ask

Chris.

cheers for the advise really appreciate it now i think i understand the steps and what kind of makes and types of product i'm looking for .. cheers again

Dodo juice panel pops of wax are a great way of getting a really high quality product cheaply have a look at the Banana Armour version.

iv got a Nilfisk C110 and i couldnt fault it, £55 awesome bit of kit, kleen freaks products are the nuts as well, the detailing spray is ideal for a quick shine between washes and to use with clay bar