Beginners detailing 'kit'...

[RB_Stu]

And yes, i have searched

Im looking to put together a 'kit' to start to look after my car a little better.. All ive had in the past is Autoglym stuff (super resin and gloss) and the odd bit of tyre shine, bumper dressing etc..

Now, im a total newb when it comes to 'prep' i hear people talking about tar remover, IronX and such and whilst i understand their use, what would you guys recommend as a 'sunday afternoon kit' for a newbie to buy (and use too.. ) to get started with..

Order of events would be useful too..

Assume the car has only ever been washed with Tesco's finest wash'n'wax

 

[JHead]

Assume the car has only ever been washed with Tesco's finest wash'n'wax

^ this

 

[Thrill]

Wash (Auto Finesse Lather/Dodo Juice Born to be mild), Clay and use some lubrication, with Bilt Hamber you'll just use water. (Bilt Hamber/3M Clay Bar; fine/medium stuff not coarse), Wash again, Dry (Chemical Guys Wooly Mammoth, wash the towel before use), Polish/Glaze (use Auto Finesse Tripple, polish, graze and wax in one), now we're going to Seal that nice shiny finish with Auto Finesse Tough Coat. You can add some Wax after this, but there's really no point to be honest (wax I like, FK1000P or Auto Finesse Temptation).

You also should buy Autosmart Smart Wheels for your alloys, Autosmart G101 as a general all purpose cleaner (literally cleans anything and everything), Autosmart Brisk (if you don't have Leather seats, if you do use Auto Finesse Hide Cleanser). Iron X is a good shout to use before your use your Autosmart Smart Wheels as it'll get rid of Iron and contaminants. Your wheels will go red upon contamination, can be used on paintwork too but the clay should sort that out. Iron X doesn't need to be used much, maybe once a month. Autosmart Tardis, for your tar.

Meguiars Endurance Tire Gel for your tyres, and for your exterior plastic trim you will need Auto Finesse Revive. For interior plastic/vinyl you will need Auto Finesse Spritz. Glass cleaner.. Auto Finesse Crystal. ValetPro Citrus Pre wash is a good shout for a pre-wash and getting bird crap off etc. I think I've covered everything here! These products are purely my favourite. You will also need a lot of yellow wax applicators (get from eBay from China, 99p for loads!) and I just throw after use. You'll need a lot of Microfibres, get them from Costco or the Kent Q660. Get some Autosmart spray jet bottles off eBay, they're the best bottles. Also get some IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) off eBay, that'll clean off polish residue. Auto Finesse Finale as a quick detailer for topping up your shine or can be used as a lubricant for clay bar.

If you need anything else, send me a PM I'll happily walk you through stuff

 

[Zeitgeist0190]

Wash (Auto Finesse Lather/Dodo Juice Born to be mild), Clay and use some lubrication, with Bilt Hamber you'll just use water. (Bilt Hamber/3M Clay Bar; fine/medium stuff not coarse), Wash again, Dry (Chemical Guys Wooly Mammoth, wash the towel before use), Polish/Glaze (use Auto Finesse Tripple, polish, graze and wax in one), now we're going to Seal that nice shiny finish with Auto Finesse Tough Coat. You can add some Wax after this, but there's really no point to be honest (wax I like, FK1000P or Auto Finesse Temptation).

You also should buy Autosmart Smart Wheels for your alloys, Autosmart G101 as a general all purpose cleaner (literally cleans anything and everything), Autosmart Brisk (if you don't have Leather seats, if you do use Auto Finesse Hide Cleanser). Iron X is a good shout to use before your use your Autosmart Smart Wheels as it'll get rid of Iron and contaminants. Your wheels will go red upon contamination, can be used on paintwork too but the clay should sort that out. Iron X doesn't need to be used much, maybe once a month. Autosmart Tardis, for your tar.

Meguiars Endurance Tire Gel for your tyres, and for your exterior plastic trim you will need Auto Finesse Revive. For interior plastic/vinyl you will need Auto Finesse Spritz. Glass cleaner.. Auto Finesse Crystal. ValetPro Citrus Pre wash is a good shout for a pre-wash and getting bird crap off etc. I think I've covered everything here! These products are purely my favourite. You will also need a lot of yellow wax applicators (get from eBay from China, 99p for loads!) and I just throw after use. You'll need a lot of Microfibres, get them from Costco or the Kent Q660. Get some Autosmart spray jet bottles off eBay, they're the best bottles. Also get some IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) off eBay, that'll clean off polish residue. Auto Finesse Finale as a quick detailer for topping up your shine or can be used as a lubricant for clay bar.

If you need anything else, send me a PM I'll happily walk you through stuff

That was a handy read. I'd love to have all the stuff to do a good job on my car myself, Just a pity it rains so often in NI, can hardly ever get a good day!

What would you say is the approx cost of the above basic detailing stuff. and roughly how long would a basic clean of the interior and exterior take? Obviously not a 15min Carwash-at-the-Maxol job.

 

[Thrill]

That was a handy read. I'd love to have all the stuff to do a good job on my car myself, Just a pity it rains so often in NI, can hardly ever get a good day!

What would you say is the approx cost of the above basic detailing stuff. and roughly how long would a basic clean of the interior and exterior take? Obviously not a 15min Carwash-at-the-Maxol job.

I split up my days, usually do inside Saturday and outside Sunday. Too much hassle doing it all in one day! Approx cost.. £80 maybe? Not sure, you just find products you like and gradually build up your stuff. The stuff I've listed is all good stuff and I've used it all, if you purchased everything on there and used it how it should be used.. you'd be amazed. There's so many waxes, glazes, polishes - it's crazy. Depends on your car colour and effect wanted too! The Autosmart stuff is great if you can find your local rep, you can get 5L bottles of most stuff for £12. Baring in mind on eBay you probably pay £10 for 1 litre. Takes me probably 45 mins for a decent inside clean, and around 4 hours for a full exterior 'detail'. I keep my car clean though, so it's less work. I forgot to mention snow foam too, defo get a decent pressure washer and a snowfoam bottle and some snowfoam.

I reckon I've reached my posting limit for today, oops!

 

[peanuthead]

Depends how far you want to take it. Firstly I would buy the cleaning stuff, no point polishing a car that hasn't been cleaned thoroughly. So a washing mitt, 2 buckets with grit guards, snow foam and lance, wheel brushes, wheel cleaner, drying towels and clay. That's really just the basic stuff for cleaning. Cost wise just that lot will cost £100+

 

[Zeitgeist0190]

Split days is probably a good idea. It'd be nice to have an Indoor/Covered location to do it I think with a drained floor. Gravel/Sand driveway is just...heartbreaking to park on after getting the car cleaned!

 

[Thrill]

I have a Carport and that's good for machine polishing, but I still wax/polish etc out in the open! I park on a gravel drive. I can imagine the mess of sand though!