Am I using the best stuff............suggestions/advice please

[david.aka.judas]

below is a small list of what i use on my car in order (hopefully), my car is star silver so i cant get the depth of shine you lads get - still fun though:

1. Karcher K2.54MR + pw, to get the loose crap off.

2. Simoniz bug and tar remover on the lower half and rinse.

3. Farecla alloy wheel cleaner.

4. Shampoo - generic stuff, you know the one thats always 100% free, did well in auto express though (have to use 2 caps becuase the water is so hard).

5. wipe down, or cheat and go for a drive, or cheat even more and get the portuguese round the corner to clean it for £6...

6. meguiars clay bar kit (bought yesterday, never used it before).

7. meguiars stage 1

8. meguiars stage 2

9. meguires stage 3

10. generic trim cleaner, or really bad - back to black.

please help, strange mix of stuff used as you can see, I know there must be better. just add to each section or write a new list if u can be a*sed.....lol

[Dwabo]

the clay and megs stage 1 dont need to be used that often.. prob once or twice a year... as for the stage 3..it aint very durable.. so an alternative wax can/could be used...

[david.aka.judas]

the clay and megs stage 1 dont need to be used that often.. prob once or twice a year... as for the stage 3..it aint very durable.. so an alternative wax can/could be used...

agreed - stage 1 only needs to be done once a year.

you say another wax, but which one.......

[johnnyg]

any of the collinite range or what ever you can afford mate the choice is yours

[glenboy]

Don't forget the 2 bucket method,one for washing and one for rinsing the wash mitt,no sponges allowed as they harbour grit............

[rushy]

Its all down to prep mate. If you have clayed and polished correctly then the stage 3 will work a charm. The only thing I would say is from what i've been told, stage one is a chemical cleaner, stage 2 is a none abrasive polish. So in affect you have nothing that is going start paint correction, you could try Scratch X or AG SRP, as it has fillers and abrasive's so should help bring your paintwork up a treat.

[steve1975l]

5. wipe down, or cheat and go for a drive, or cheat even more and get the portuguese round the corner to clean it for £6...

I am not surprised you don't get a decent shine. Stop them ruining you car right now.

As said above good preparation is the key and then the weekly washes take no time at all as dirt won't stick to the paint. Get some AG SRP and some collinite 915, then after each wash spray a quick detailer on the car and wipe off. Keep some microfibre towels, blackfire interior protectant, megs glass cleaner in the boot. Then when waiting at the train station, school etc it give you something to do...the interior.

Some good long guide on polishedbliss.co.uk

[ed taylor]

There are many different products out there that prity much do the same thing. The preperation, as said above is the important part. But when you have been "detailing" for a while you will tend to settle for "a set" of products that you are comfortable with, ie ease of use and what you think brings out the best shine on your motor.