no idea which to choose.

[sum-dj]

never really done any hardcore cleaning on my car and been looking at a few threads on here and want to give it a try.
confusing with the huge amount of different products out there.
need advice on shampoo, mitt, clay bar, need something that'll get rid of faint scratches if poss (megs 105/205 good for this?)
also a decent wax.
should that cover pretty much anything?
budget of about £150 for products.
thanks in advance.

 

[Ethan1996]

My personal favorites from the endless products I've tested!


need advice on shampoo - Autoglym Car Shampoo

mitt - Lambswool mitt (Meguiars or Dodo juice)

clay bar - Never used one but I imagine Meguiars sell one which should be pretty good

need something that'll get rid of faint scratches if poss - Really faint scratches can be hidden quite well with Autoglym SRP, or a scratch remover works well, I find Farcela G3 Professional scratch remover the best personally if removing scratches by hand or by machine.

also a decent wax - Autoglym sell a HD wax which is good for beginners, Meguiars also sell a gold class paste wax which is quite good judging by reviews I've seen before for the price. Like most things though the skys the limit and there are some waxes by companies like Dodo juice that are alot of money, but I've never tried these so can't comment on them

should that cover pretty much anything? - A wheel cleaner could be a good idea, Wonder Wheels Hot Wheels for stubborn brake dust etc, Bilberry wheel cleaner for more often use, or just soap and water if you seal your alloys once clean. Also a good wheel brush would be an idea, and a good drying towel to dry the car off (pat it dry, don't rub to avoid swirls/scratches.) A prewash or snowfoam could be used if you have a jetwash to also help clean the car before you touch it, to further minimize any scratches.

budget of about £150 for products. - If your budget is £150, id look at maybe getting a used DA polisher from a member on here or eBay and some compounds (Farcela G3 for example), with some practice you can get your car looking perfect. For the minimum, i'd get two buckets, a lambswool wash mitt, AG car shampoo, and a drying towel. Then to get a better clean i'd look into a wheel cleaner and brushes depending on the state of your wheels, and then SRP to hide small scratches, and a cutting polish like Farcela G3 to remove small scratches. Then for the ultimate, i'd look at a DA polisher.
thanks in advance.

 

[sum-dj]

My personal favorites from the endless products I've tested!


need advice on shampoo - Autoglym Car Shampoo

mitt - Lambswool mitt (Meguiars or Dodo juice)

clay bar - Never used one but I imagine Meguiars sell one which should be pretty good

need something that'll get rid of faint scratches if poss - Really faint scratches can be hidden quite well with Autoglym SRP, or a scratch remover works well, I find Farcela G3 Professional scratch remover the best personally if removing scratches by hand or by machine.

also a decent wax - Autoglym sell a HD wax which is good for beginners, Meguiars also sell a gold class paste wax which is quite good judging by reviews I've seen before for the price. Like most things though the skys the limit and there are some waxes by companies like Dodo juice that are alot of money, but I've never tried these so can't comment on them

should that cover pretty much anything? - A wheel cleaner could be a good idea, Wonder Wheels Hot Wheels for stubborn brake dust etc, Bilberry wheel cleaner for more often use, or just soap and water if you seal your alloys once clean. Also a good wheel brush would be an idea, and a good drying towel to dry the car off (pat it dry, don't rub to avoid swirls/scratches.) A prewash or snowfoam could be used if you have a jetwash to also help clean the car before you touch it, to further minimize any scratches.

budget of about £150 for products. - If your budget is £150, id look at maybe getting a used DA polisher from a member on here or eBay and some compounds (Farcela G3 for example), with some practice you can get your car looking perfect. For the minimum, i'd get two buckets, a lambswool wash mitt, AG car shampoo, and a drying towel. Then to get a better clean i'd look into a wheel cleaner and brushes depending on the state of your wheels, and then SRP to hide small scratches, and a cutting polish like Farcela G3 to remove small scratches. Then for the ultimate, i'd look at a DA polisher.
thanks in advance.

Excellent! Thanks for taking the time to reply. Will get on and order the stuff tomorrow and get it sorted when we get a rain free weekend.

 

[Coby.]

If you're a complete beginner something like this could be if use.... Over budget slightly but will have most bases covered.

http://shop.autofinesse.co.uk/ultimate-car-care-kit

 

[sum-dj]

If you're a complete beginner something like this could be if use.... Over budget slightly but will have most bases covered.

That looks perfect. I'll upload a couple of pics of the scratches I was on about, see if you think this could help.

http://shop.autofinesse.co.uk/ultimate-car-care-kit

That looks perfect. I'll upload a couple of pics of the scratches I was on about, see if you think this could help.

 

[sum-dj]

This is on the roof. Not the best photo ever.

 

[Ethan1996]

View attachment 111856This is on the roof. Not the best photo ever.

I could confidently say Farcela G3 scratch remover compound would remove that to almost invisible if not invisible by hand. Certainly removed worse on my car, and used it earlier to remove the worst sanding marks (see my thread in the detailing section - "to polish or replace" I think it's called.) Those sanding marks were removed with Farcela G3.

 

[Amos91]

Can you feel it with your finger nail? To be honest by hand I'd use srp or tripple which should be adequate at hiding it.

You've also missed out a drying towel. Something like the uber yellow from i4detailing is perfect. Remember to pat it dry rather than rub around the paint introducing further scratches.

If you're a complete beginner something like this could be if use.... Over budget slightly but will have most bases covered.

http://shop.autofinesse.co.uk/ultimate-car-care-kit

That kit looks perfect tbh.

 

[yellowbelly]

I'd highly recommend having a look on AMDetails website, can get all you need for under £150.

Bubbles
wash mitt
drying towel
Glass
Wheels
Clay
APC
Glaze (may be a better/safer option)
Wax and/or Seal

 

[sum-dj]

Can you feel it with your finger nail? To be honest by hand I'd use srp or tripple which should be adequate at hiding it.

You've also missed out a drying towel. Something like the uber yellow from i4detailing is perfect. Remember to pat it dry rather than rub around the paint introducing further scratches.




That kit looks perfect tbh.

Can feel scratches very slightly with my finger nail. I used that auto glym stuff on it once and that's when I noticed the scratches. Doesn't help hide them but mechanic I sometimes use reckons they'd polish out. Also the strips along the doors, can they be polished too? My drivers side one is scratched.

 

[Ethan1996]

Can you feel it with your finger nail? To be honest by hand I'd use srp or tripple which should be adequate at hiding it.

You've also missed out a drying towel. Something like the uber yellow from i4detailing is perfect. Remember to pat it dry rather than rub around the paint introducing further scratches.

I mentioned a good drying towel the best one I've found is a £3 Kent car care one on amazon, they're the most absorbant towel ever if you ask me, cleaned my clio and dried it three times, and washed my mums nissan micra yesterday with the same towel, just ringing it out between washes.

 

[Ethan1996]

Can feel scratches very slightly with my finger nail. I used that auto glym stuff on it once and that's when I noticed the scratches. Doesn't help hide them but mechanic I sometimes use reckons they'd polish out. Also the strips along the doors, can they be polished too? My drivers side one is scratched.

If he said they can be polished out I'd give it a go with a good cutting polish, I'm sure others can recommend alternatives but I've only really ever used Farcela G3 and I'm very happy with it, seems to fairly easily be able to remove any bird dirt or scratch from my car as long as it's not too severe/through the paint.

 

[yellowbelly]

I mentioned a good drying towel the best one I've found is a £3 Kent car care one on amazon, they're the most absorbant towel ever if you ask me, cleaned my clio and dried it three times, and washed my mums nissan micra yesterday with the same towel, just ringing it out between washes.

Can I ask why you needed to dry something 3 times, or have I missed something? Isn't that like saying you killed a bird 3 times?

 

[Ethan1996]

Can I ask why you needed to dry something 3 times, or have I missed something? Isn't that like saying you killed a bird 3 times?

Haha sorry should have been clearer, I washed it in the morning before taking it to get machine polished, then after he'd finished I took it home and cleaned it all off as it was slightly dusty and there was some polish left in panel gaps etc, and then used egp to protect the paint, then a bird destroyed my hard work soon after so had to wash the roof again and just rinsed and dried the rest of the car too.

 

[yellowbelly]

Haha sorry should have been clearer, I washed it in the morning before taking it to get machine polished, then after he'd finished I took it home and cleaned it all off as it was slightly dusty and there was some polish left in panel gaps etc, and then used egp to protect the paint, then a bird destroyed my hard work soon after so had to wash the roof again and just rinsed and dried the rest of the car too.

Ah I see. Did you not bother wringing it out when you'd finished the first time?

 

[Ethan1996]

Ah I see. Did you not bother wringing it out when you'd finished the first time?

No was intending to put it in the washing machine when i got home, but then needed to use it a couple more times