Car Cleaning Products

Charliessmith

Active Member
Jun 16, 2017
494
51
What products do people use to clean there cars?
What is the best brand of cleaning products?

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Legojon

I only wanted a remap
Staff member
Moderator
Jul 7, 2015
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I suspect everyone will come back with a different answer. I tend to switch brands when I get bored. Currently using the Carbon Collective stuff (snowfoam, shampoo). Previously used Gyeon, Autoglym, Megs, Autobrite...
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,387
1,278
Check out the Car Care and Detailing forum board. There are probably other older threads of a similar nature on this forum board too;



 
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Dr.Dash

Active Member
Aug 30, 2015
342
73
Midlands
As you'll see from the links above there are a million answers and nearly as many products. I'm not into the whole detailing scene, but do like a clean car with some protection and minimum effort. You can probably get away with 4 or 5 products for the outside, Wash, bug/tar remover, sealant, drying aid and wheel cleaner unless you want to spend a day detailing your car in which case you need clay bars, mits, snow foam cannons... there are plenty of good products but also a lot of BS imo

A month ago I started using the new Turtle Wax Ceramic Hybrid products and so far I've been really impressed. Extremely easy to use, reasonable cost and effective. Currently its £18 per product, but various offers pop up, I paid £14.40 for each on a Halfords deal.

A month ago I washed the car (had some CarPro valet wash left) then polished with the Ceramic Polish & Wax, then applied the Ceramic Spray Coating. Still looks to be working well, and I'm expecting to get 5-6 months out of it, although I have bought the Ceramic Wet Wax subsequently. Its a drying aid which adds/rejuvenates the existing ceramic coating. 3 procucts should be enough to wash, protect and maintain.
 

Charliessmith

Active Member
Jun 16, 2017
494
51
As you'll see from the links above there are a million answers and nearly as many products. I'm not into the whole detailing scene, but do like a clean car with some protection and minimum effort. You can probably get away with 4 or 5 products for the outside, Wash, bug/tar remover, sealant, drying aid and wheel cleaner unless you want to spend a day detailing your car in which case you need clay bars, mits, snow foam cannons... there are plenty of good products but also a lot of BS imo

A month ago I started using the new Turtle Wax Ceramic Hybrid products and so far I've been really impressed. Extremely easy to use, reasonable cost and effective. Currently its £18 per product, but various offers pop up, I paid £14.40 for each on a Halfords deal.

A month ago I washed the car (had some CarPro valet wash left) then polished with the Ceramic Polish & Wax, then applied the Ceramic Spray Coating. Still looks to be working well, and I'm expecting to get 5-6 months out of it, although I have bought the Ceramic Wet Wax subsequently. Its a drying aid which adds/rejuvenates the existing ceramic coating. 3 procucts should be enough to wash, protect and maintain.

The second link above was started by me lol, I forgot I started it and there was only 5 answer so hardly the million answer I wanted lol
I'm like you, I want a clean car but I don't want it to take 2 days lol .
I love a bit of turtle wax, I've always used it but never seen the new ceramic hybrid, I will have to look out for that.
What do you use to wash the car?

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Sjdickso

Newbie
Apr 21, 2005
173
21
As everyone else said this will be different to who you speak to, i was always a Megs, AG and Poorboys, Autobright Fan.

Just recently moved to Turtle wax Hybrid, Madcow and for gloss and protection Soft99.

If you are new detailing and need to build up a product range you can not go wrong with the value of the Madcow BOKS.
 

Legojon

I only wanted a remap
Staff member
Moderator
Jul 7, 2015
5,284
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I think also as said above, it depends on what you want. I have liquid waxes that take seconds to apply and buff off. But in a fortnight the wax coat will be all but gone. But that's fine if I'm in a massive rush and plan to do it again shortly. Then there are other waxes like Fusso and Collinte which are more difficult / time consuming to apply and more care is needed to buff them off correctly and in time. But they last for months.
 

Dr.Dash

Active Member
Aug 30, 2015
342
73
Midlands
I love a bit of turtle wax, I've always used it but never seen the new ceramic hybrid, I will have to look out for that.
What do you use to wash the car?
I had some CarPro Valet wash left over, its just a decent normal car wash. A couple of those Noodle style microfibre sponges, a wheel brush for the Wheels & Seals and a selection of Microfibre cloths plus my new favourite car thing... detailing brushes. Only a few quid and they make it so easy to clean all the difficult bits, it really stands out when all the nooks and crammies are cleaned and only takes 5 mins with those little brushes.

The new Turtle Wax stuff is a bit of a leap forward from the classic products, there's also a range one tier down which is half the price and well liked by the detailers looking for a quick and easy product you can use on the drive. The wash, ceramic spray and wet wax would be my starting point for a simple effective cleaning regime if you don't need to Polish (ie get rid of swirls and minor defects).

The TW UK store currently has 15% off and free delivery, so three of the above would be about £46. The amount you use and the bottle size mean they'll last years, by which time there should be no-scratch robot car cleaners.
 
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SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,387
1,278
I think also as said above, it depends on what you want. I have liquid waxes that take seconds to apply and buff off. But in a fortnight the wax coat will be all but gone. But that's fine if I'm in a massive rush and plan to do it again shortly. Then there are other waxes like Fusso and Collinte which are more difficult / time consuming to apply and more care is needed to buff them off correctly and in time. But they last for months.

Whilst I’d agree that liquid waxes are generally not as durable as paste waxes, Collinite 845 Insulator Wax is a liquid wax with great durability and is one of my products of choice. It‘s effectively the liquid version of Collinite 476s and being a liquid, it’s very easy to apply and buff off. I‘ve found it gives around six months of protection before it’s necessary to re-apply. It’s good value too; can be bought for around £17 - £20 online for just under a 1/2 litre bottle, and the bottle lasts ages.

Ideal for anyone who’s short on time but wants a good value, good performing product.
 
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Soundlab

Active Member
Sep 14, 2019
41
10
The TW UK store currently has 15% off and free delivery, so three of the above would be about £46. The amount you use and the bottle size mean they'll last years, by which time there should be no-scratch robot car cleaners.

Thanks for that info. I was just about to order some from Amazon so have taken advantage of the above. Be interesting to see how these compare to the Meguiar's hybrid Ceramic products I've been using.

Now all I need to do is get the scratches repaired that the some delightful children put down the length of my car with their scooter handles before I can give these products a go ! Sadly, these will need paint as they've gone through the clear coat.
 

Dr.Dash

Active Member
Aug 30, 2015
342
73
Midlands
...Be interesting to see how these compare to the Meguiar's hybrid Ceramic products I've been using.
I'd guess they are broadly similar, from the tests and reviews I looked at the TW was a bit more durable, but they are using various detergents and cleaners to accelerate the tests, real world conditions may have different effects. Mine's been on a month now and no visible change to how it's beading etc I'll see how it goes and update as winter progresses.

You need very little of the ceramic spray coating, 2 squirts is easily enough for a door panel, 4 or 5 will do the bonnet/roof etc. Using more has no benefit and can make it tougher to remove/buff. Chuck your microficre cloths in a bucket of water when you've finished, I left one until the next day and its now permanently waterproof! Not ideal for drying .

When the roads are covered in filth I don't see much point in deep cleaning a car, I wait until its raining, use a very dilute car wash and microfibre mitt for the bodywork and soft brush for the wheels and seals then rinse and let the rain clear off the rinse water. Gets most of the filth off and no need to dry the car. Takes 10 minutes.
 

ChrisM75

Active Member
May 10, 2019
423
182
Detailing World will give you a good idea of what to use. However literally anything is better than nothing. Pretty much any ceramic product will work well and look good, its just down to price and ease of use.

If cheap and easy is your thing meguiars ceramic range is more than fine. The Turtle Wax range is cheaper, but a little harder to work with I find. It either needs more buffing or needs more topping up.

Really you only need to get more selective if you get really picky with the look you're after, or have specific needs, much as live in a dusty or muddy or wet or very sunny area.
 
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