Advice on how to keep car in better shape

Notorious

Petrolheads
Hi all
As you may know I bought new car this April. I'd like to get it properly covered with wax and all bels and whistles so paint finish lasts longer and more importantly it's easier to wash, clean and look after the car after it's done.

Any recommendations on here? I don't need to polish anything (well maybe bit on roof where small boboo happened) just proper wash, clay, seal, wax and etc. I'm no expert in this.

What money am I looking at?
What advise could you guys give me on this topic? All post appreciated

Thanks

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From personal experience I would drop it down to elite auto clean in blanch. Ian there is very anal with his work and will be over the moon with the finish. You will pay a few hundred but worth it if you want to keep your paint in tip top condition. After he does it then it's easy to maintain it yourself
 
drive it on as is or you will end up a clean freak like me .

spend so much time washing n polishing that I won't take it out In the wet /winter or even if a chance of rain , sad really :new_puppy_dog_eyes:


it's impossible to keep a daily clean but proper wash method makes big difference .

apc, detar, clay , snow foam, drying towels etc ,

I find dodo juice , chemical guys and poor boys to be really good products and easily got for clean your car in the UK. read the reviews on their site and you'll get great advice on what products work best and last the best .
 
The key is safe washing and regular wax top ups. Do one big clean and get the paint pristine and then seal it. Then it's just a case of maintenance washes with a foam, ph neutral slick shampoo with 2 bucket method using a microfiber or lambswool mitt. The incredimitt or incredipad are perfect for this. Nice plush drying towel from the likes of CarPro or KKD Silverback.

Silver always looks clean anyway.
 
Hi, Defo no expert but do like to look after my car too when I can

My Advice Bring it back to paint (ie get rid of contaminants like tar tree sap ect)

Wash (car shampoo)
Detar
Wash again
Clay Bar till smooth (this is really important)

Wax (my prefered Maguires Tec Wax 2.0)

Then Maguires carnuba wax.

While you at it keep wheels in good order de tar if required and small bit of wax will keep dust from sticking

After above should be good for 6 months in between every time when washed dry her and Use a Quick detailer (light wax spray)

This will keep protection level up.

And best advice I can give is wash down underside of car wheel wells ECT as lots of mud and crap can acumalte and salt ECT if ignored can cause lots of problems..

If you keep on top of car with above will be easy to maintain a good finish

Cheers


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The washing process the most important but to be honest, I don't get too worried about nicks, scratches here and there because they are meant to be driven and enjoyed.
 
I've been doing some portfolio "detailing" on Backroads. Gone a bit quiet at present waiting on people to come back to me as their car is in garage or they work out of the country etc. Suits me down to a T and I just do it in my down time while in college.

I may offer it here but the rationale behind not offering it here was due to being a Subaru forum, and I wanted experience of a variety of cars.

I wont claim to be a detailer, every day I'm learning something new and I'm always looking for open, honest and constructive feedback to ensure I keep developing my ability. I'm also always sharing the little knowledge and experience I have.
 
Thank you all for replies, good and to the point advises, exactly what I need.

I will look up the crowd in Blanch defo as I am regularly in the area anyway.

I always use two bucket method (usually wash my car fortnightly) or when it's good weather I just have my little one pouring water direct from hose on to the area I wash and regularly rinse washing mitt so there is little to none contaminate on it. I will have to invest in to better tools to dry the car (and you already mentioned few products so I will go with them). Already have damaged the roof when tried to gather water drops using suction pump for windows (works very well on them)

??? One hot topic for myself is How the hell to clean those areas where door glass meets door. The thing which helps you to get water of the window when you roll it down and up? I had nasty scratches on my first Forester and also on Legacy from contaminates on that area. Is there a best tool for it? Some sort of a brush or brush is a bad idea all together? I really want to prevent this from happening on this car! ???

What is your take on Ceramic coatings? This lad seems to have very good reviews and it costs 300 yoyos for 2 years coating. 3 to 4 year coating for 400 and more than 5 year coating costs 500. I plan to keep the car for 2 years or so (or maybe 5).
http://www.spiritdetailing.com/coatings

Why would you want to do this and why wouldn't you? Price wise looks similar to what guys in Blanch would charge for Clean, Seal, Wax (200-300 eur and this would last, as you say 6 months + I'd need top it up after each wash)?
 
Ceramic coatings seem to be taking off alright.

The window issue just cleaning your glass properly will do you. Soft detailer brush and an APC/degreaser solution to clean the outside of the strip. Then wind down the window and wipe along the inside of the strip with a microfiber.

Same principle as cleaning window wipers to prevent scratching the windscreen.
 
If I recall correctly they use Gtechniq products... see http://gtechniq.com/products/auto/protect/exterior/paint/

Top notch stuff... but... definitely a professional product that takes training and skill to apply correctly.

If not done correctly you can really mess up your paint and no way back from it as will go "hard as glass" when dry.

That said... best sealer and long term protection I have come across.
Lasted about two years on my daily driver - which gets washed... well... almost never, as there is just no point where I live.
 
Great advice on this thread, well done lads.

I really need to sort mine out, pain has gone very dull and iv been paying someone to wash it cause well im lazy and its a black car so an absolute pig to keep clean.

Id love to drop big money and get something done like wrap/paint/expensive paint correction but i cant see that happening any time soon.

Need to get the 40,000 work carpark dents out first!
 
Dave just get a small bucket of water and a full litre of fairy liquid car will come up a dream. Let the sun dry it don't bother with that micro fibre method waste of time or just drive the car flat out to dry it ha
 
Buy a house with a garage or build one.
Wash it the odd time and polish it once a year.

Drive it like it's meant to be driven and put back in garage when finished.
 
I still have a boot full of that stuff I got off you Graham I never used it lol......meet to be good stuff
 
I still have a boot full of that stuff I got off you Graham I never used it lol......meet to be good stuff

I've two bags untouched.
Keep buying autoglym stuff in work cause it smells nice, rarely used but I have great intentions....
Couldn't be arsed polishing...for terenure it gets a bit of loving though!
 
Instead of buying all the sealants etc for the car drop it down to me and I will get it sealed for you which will last a good long time.

I'm in dublin myself
 
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