How do you clean your FR? (or any other car for that matter)

sunny2k2000

Under the Hood!
Sep 4, 2008
131
0
Leicester
I wash in the following order:

1. Jet washing - to spray off as much of the dirt, grime, bugs, bird droppings, etc.

2. Wheels and tires - Agitate with a wheel brush to clean wheels without scratching. I wash each wheel and tire one at a time and rinse thoroughly

3. Wash body - I use two buckets. Fill one bucket with soapy water and fill the other with clean water. Each time ready to reload sponge with soapy water, I dip it in the clean water first, to rinse out the grit.

4 Jet Wash – beginning to wash at the top of the car and wash down.

5. Drying - to remove excess water is with a Water Blade and towel.


Also what cleaning products do you guys use? (Including Interior, air freshners etc..)


Thanks in advance,

Sunny
 

2zeroalpha

Chippin at the chalkface
Feb 12, 2008
682
0
Yorkshire
Similar to you, however no jetwasher. I use carlack sealant followed by collinite wax because they are so hardwearing.
 

Dyscontinued

Active Member
Apr 15, 2007
1,142
4
Leeds
I believe the idea behind the two bucket method is to have two sponge/gloves. One for each. You wipe on the soap with one and off with the other.

Take a look in the Car Care and Detailing section, but beware, some people take cleaning their car to a whole new level and the more you read the more normal it becomes!
 

sunny2k2000

Under the Hood!
Sep 4, 2008
131
0
Leicester
Interesting...

I had a likkle read in the Car Care and Detailing section, and indeed people take car cleaning on a new level! I thought I was bad but i'm a amature campared to these guys! :shrug:

There are soo many cleaning products in market and it makes choosing the right one SOO difficult, :confused:

I noticed that most people mention "Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner" I think i will give this a try. :think:
 

robdf2

Yellow is the best
Feb 21, 2006
3,605
2
location , location
I wash in the following order:

1. Jet washing - to spray off as much of the dirt, grime, bugs, bird droppings, etc.

2. Wheels and tires - Agitate with a wheel brush to clean wheels without scratching. I wash each wheel and tire one at a time and rinse thoroughly

3. Wash body - I use two buckets. Fill one bucket with soapy water and fill the other with clean water. Each time ready to reload sponge with soapy water, I dip it in the clean water first, to rinse out the grit.

4 Jet Wash – beginning to wash at the top of the car and wash down.

5. Drying - to remove excess water is with a Water Blade and towel.


Also what cleaning products do you guys use? (Including Interior, air freshners etc..)


Thanks in advance,

Sunny

I do something different.
1, snow foam the car then rinse
2, wash the car (2 bucket method)
3, snow foam again if required then rinse
4, clay the car if required
5, wash again
6, dry
7, polish
8, seal or glaze
9, wax

thats a quick method , dont get me started on a full detail lol
 

IanG

Active Member
Aug 23, 2007
264
0
I do the following each week and car is currently wearing two coats of Victoria Wax Chaos

1. Snow foam (Espuma Activo)

2. Rinse with pressure washer

3. Wheels with non-acidic wheel cleaner (Autobrite Very Cherry)

4. Wash with two buckets and sheepskin mitt (Dodo Juice BTBM)

5. Rinse with pressure washer

6. Dry with soft drying towel

7. Wipe down with Quick Detailer (Serious Performance Show Detailer)

Usually do a full detail at least twice a year which includes claying paint and machine application of a light polish to remove any swirls

And I use products from a variety of manufacturers and suppliers and I have somehow bought more than I will ever need or use example got around 25 different waxes and thats without counting the sealants:whistle:
 
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Dyscontinued

Active Member
Apr 15, 2007
1,142
4
Leeds
Interesting...

I had a likkle read in the Car Care and Detailing section, and indeed people take car cleaning on a new level! I thought I was bad but i'm a amature campared to these guys! :shrug:

There are soo many cleaning products in market and it makes choosing the right one SOO difficult, :confused:

I noticed that most people mention "Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner" I think i will give this a try. :think:

I had a go at giving my car paint a bit of a restore as it was really quite dull.

Not wanting to order online and wait I went to Halfords and bought:

AutoGlym Bodywork Shampoo and Conditioner

AutoGlym Super Resin Polish

AutoGlym Extra Gloss Protection

Halfords 12v Polisher

Easter weekend spent 4 hours washing, drying (with a nice new microfibre cloth - much much better than the old fashioned leather chamois I was using) and using the polish.

The Polish really did make the car shine more and also a lot more black than it was. Really did make a difference though I don't doubt there is still improvement to be made I don't think the paintworks in good enough nick to worthy more cost.

The Extra gloss I used this weekend after another wash seemed to make it more dull to be honest, but then it hasn't been as sunny so might just be that.
 
May 25, 2008
1,919
1
S.Wales
www.seatcupra.net
I do this more or less every week:- (i did it twice before)...anyways

before anything I clean the wheels
soak it, scrub it, soak it, dry it, polish, buff...(20mins 4 wheels)
(nothing special just shampoo)
---
hose the car down in water
shampoo it (autoglym, or Megs) normally AG
two bucket method
wash it, rinse it, dry it...
after the shampoo, I wash it off with water
then its autoglym aquawax with a microfibre cloth.
---
dry the wheels again, give the exhaust a quick wipe, tyre dress
job done
---
1hour or less all done :)

I normally use:-
autoglym shampoo
autoglym aquawax (its just quicker)
autoglym metal polish (exhaust tips)
autoglym deep shine or HD wax (for the bonnet only)
seat black magic touch pen...(war wounds...)
autoglym bumpercare (as tyre dressing with a sponge)
and various bits and pieces

I don't bother with detailing as I clean often but If do attempt it I would be using swisswax onyx :)
 

SeanCorky

BMW E92 335i M Sport
Sep 4, 2008
809
3
Liverpool
I do something different.
1, snow foam the car then rinse
2, wash the car (2 bucket method)
3, snow foam again if required then rinse
4, clay the car if required
5, wash again
6, dry
7, polish
8, seal or glaze
9, wax

thats a quick method , dont get me started on a full detail lol

Similar to me. I can be gone for 8 hours if I'm in the mood!

Tried machine polishing for the 1st time on Sunday too, gotta remove a few light swirls
 

SeanCorky

BMW E92 335i M Sport
Sep 4, 2008
809
3
Liverpool
black magic shines awesome! (had to be said lol)

Too right, i can have mine like a mirror if i try hard enough. I weren't sure wether or not to get white or zenith grey but they won't shine like the black!

(Disclaimer, may be slightly biased?)
 

Dyscontinued

Active Member
Apr 15, 2007
1,142
4
Leeds
black magic shines awesome! (had to be said lol)

Indeed, my last Cupra was Black Magic and this LCR is just Black normal, still black so still shiney, but Black Magic was a league of it's own!

Probably why I felt this looked dull when I bought it too, despite been lower mileage and a year newer.
 

SeanCorky

BMW E92 335i M Sport
Sep 4, 2008
809
3
Liverpool
just ordered my meguiars DA , im having dreams already about using it lol , is there something wrong with me? :blink:

I;ve got the DAS-6, i work away so i had it in my house for a month until i could try it. I was all excited coming home to give it a go ha
 

wjohnson

Active Member
Dec 17, 2008
212
0
It completely depends what level I want to go to. Every 5-6 months I wash using similar method to original post then clay the whole car then rewash then polish to correct some swirls (if required) then 2/3 coats of Dodo Juice Purple Haze or Blue Velvet as I have a black leon FR. Then if you can be bothered and have the energy left use a spray detailer to get some really deep reflections such as Dodo Juice Red Mist. Everyone Im sure has their own opinion on waxes/protection products but I think the Dodo Juice range offer very good results at a reasonable price.

For the wheels Bilberry Proffesional Wheel cleaner sprayed and aggitated with a brush and left to dwell for 4-5 minutes before rinsing. Then poorboys wheel sealant.