help with products/accessories please...

[Pep]

basically i'm about to order the following:

**extra FREE bar** Sonus Detailing Clay Grey Pkg/2 SON-3100-2 £11.02
Clay Lube - 49-Body Shine CLAG9 £5.06
Sonus Tire & Bumper Dressing SON-730-8 £6.77
Ultra Plush Microfibre Cloths Pkg/3 16" x 16" ULTG5 £8.47
Foam Wax Applicator BPI-FWA-1 £1.70
3M 3434 Masking Tape


total comes to £46ish incl. postage....

basically got a few questions:

1. can i use something other than specified lube to clay with, does it have to be a special lube?
2. what exactly do i do with microfiber cloths, dry the car with them?wipe polish off with them?!
3. anything cheaper than that bumper gel/tire stuff?

all of thats on clean your car, anywhere chepaer, could do with delivery this week.
i've got megs. polish and wax but car needs claying badly but all im using to apply etc is old t shirts...

advice, recomendations etc, it doesnt have to be show condition but i want it clean and shiny, cheper the better!

 

[Pep]

come on people i need to order this tonight:

clay lube - 5;95
sonus tyre/bumper - 6;77
foam pads - 1;70
tape - 2;38
ultrafine buffing towels x 32 - 3;36
3 x sonus clay 11;02

all thats £40 posted, but what else can i use instead of clay lube???

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Leave your car wet after you wash it , and use a weak mix of shampoo and water in a spray bottle instead of the clay lube .

You want plush microfibres for removing polish and wax , a waffle weave towel for drying your car .

For polishing i prefer the german applicators , they give more bite than the yellow foam pads .

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/accessories/ultimate-german-applicator/prod_280.html

I also use the microfibre applicators for waxing . Some people say they waste product but imo it negligible .

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/accessories/sonus-der-wunder-applicators-pkg/2/prod_136.html

 

[Brand86]

I dry mine after washing then use a mit and bucket full of shampoo and QDs and wet each panel at a time. Makes sure the panel is evenly covered with liquid and just prefer it this way. Personal preference I guess...

 

[Pep]

so the lube doesnt make much difference then, theres a fiver saved!

also is there anything better than the bumper and tyre gel stuff available anywhere, are there any similar websites on the net for cleaning stuff?

thanks for the replies people!

 

[MRBILLYUK]

I tend to buy alot of stuff from here :

http://www.chemicalguysuk.com/

He's a cliosport member R9DCG aka David Graham . Usually delivers within 48 hours plus you get 10% discount as well iirc

You definitely need some form of lube , i.e. shampoo or the clay will mark your paintwork

 

[Pep]

yeah, so just some weak shampoo in a spray bottle on the wet car?

do we get discount from cleanyourcar.co.uk?!

edit, just typed 'cliosport' in the discount box and got £1.21 off, sound right from a £24 order?

 

[Brand86]

so the lube doesnt make much difference then, theres a fiver saved!

also is there anything better than the bumper and tyre gel stuff available anywhere, are there any similar websites on the net for cleaning stuff?

thanks for the replies people!

No the specific lube isn't necessary, just use a solution of shampoo and or qds, and dilute with water as necessary, basically just make sure it feels quite "slimy".

 

[Pep]

nice one, cheers for all of the info.

the sonus bumper/tyre care, if i get some wax/polish on the plastic trim, will this remove it from the plastic?
if not whats the best way to get rid of it?

 

[MRBILLYUK]

If you get wax on any black plastic trim its a sod to get off and over time goes white . All the black trim products you see mask the white wax marks rather than remove it . To really remove any wax you need a solvent like turps . I use new look trim gel from carwashnwax.com , autoglym bumper care is good , but usually i just use wd40 , it lasts just as long as any of the other products . Spray it on an old cloth and rub it into the trim , then buff off .

http://www.chemicalguysuk.com/product_p/newlkk.htm

 

[ooze]

Dude the sonus grey can be very harsh i.e. inflict marring- i'd recommend using sonus green.

Some shampoo's eat clay alive so make sure its very weak.

If you get polish/wax on the trim then use some APC or AG Bug and Tar Remover or something of that nature

 

[Pep]

ok, nice one mate.

thanks for all the info.
just out of interest using the right thing to put on and take off wax an polish, will they make a difference to how the car will look afterwards?

its swirled to fook anyway and can't afford to get it pc'd yet, although im thinking to wait and then its and extra £25 towards getting someone to do it properly...

 

[Brand86]

I think the grey is fine if used carefully, the green is a bit too light sometimes and doesn't remove everything that the grey would.

 

[Rich]

As above the Sonus Green does bugger all on real world contamination.

I find the Consumer Megs one the best all rounder tbh.

 

[Pep]

how much should i be paying for someone to do the full works on my car, wash, clay, pc, polish, wax etc, the full bag of tricks?

including using their own stuff to do it.

just signed up on detailing world but my request needs to be checked by mods or something so no access to post yet..

 

[Rich]

Prices vary hugely - £40-50 quid for someone starting out wanting some cash up to £200 plus .

 

[Pep]

even including using their own products.
i mean my caqr needs claying badly, and the swirls are mega bad, so its a big job.

i was hoping to pay around £100 ish eventually, seem realistic?

 

[Brand86]

It's a whole days work to get a car half decent so expect to pay a fair bit, definitely worth doing though.

 

[Pep]

yeah thats what i was thinking mate, cant be bothered to modify but want it to look better so just gonna go down the super clean route!

once its been done properly i'll be able to keep it good, but its swirled too bad at the minute.

 

[Brand86]

yeah thats what i was thinking mate, cant be bothered to modify but want it to look better so just gonna go down the super clean route!

once its been done properly i'll be able to keep it good, but its swirled too bad at the minute.

I think £200 to get your car sorted out is great value considering the time it takes and skills and products needed. Considering dealers can charge more than £200 for a pretty lame valet its even better value!

 

[Pep]

hmm, more than i planned for...
what kind of scratches will a pc get out?

also will touching up some stonechips lightly and then pc'ing them smooth look ok?
need to get quite a few dents and stuff taken out, but could do with someone who knows what they are doing to check over the scratches and see what i need to pay a bodyshop to do and what can be done with a pc.