[betty02]

So so soooooo much detail about detailing.

Basically I have no idea in what order things go? What is best? I don't ever want to get into buying a machine and detailing as it seems a lot to learn with different pads and products, I simply don't have the time, or patience to learn, will leave that to the experts!

However I am picking up a Karcher K2 this weekend and fancy doing things a little better so ordered 2 'buckets' and a wash mit, I have ordered a snow lance bottle for the K2, and some dodojuice iFoam. I already have some Auto Glym Super Resin Polish, clay bar and a drying towel.

So all in after this I presume I should be above average but not great.

My my question is the ordering of things, would this be the best way -

Rince
Lance
Rinse
2 Bucket
Rinse
Clay
Rinse
Polish
Buff
Beer
Enjoy

Or is that over rinsing ad not enough beer? Anything I am missing that I should buy? I know there is tons out there, but I don't want to spend loads, and happy to keep it small scale. Waxes, polishes etc are all beyond me. I read someone on here that had the SRP so just bought it lol. Can you polish and wax? If so what's the real difference?

So yeah any advice in silly stupid terms would be appreciated. As said please try not to get into too much detail or cash, as I simply cba

I do a 150mile commute a day (all in) so it gets mucky pretty much straight away!

Thanks
Simon

[Canary_Yellow]

Originally Posted by betty02

So so soooooo much detail about detailing.

Basically I have no idea in what order things go? What is best? I don't ever want to get into buying a machine and detailing as it seems a lot to learn with different pads and products, I simply don't have the time, or patience to learn, will leave that to the experts!

However I am picking up a Karcher K2 this weekend and fancy doing things a little better so ordered 2 'buckets' and a wash mit, I have ordered a snow lance bottle for the K2, and some dodojuice iFoam. I already have some Auto Glym Super Resin Polish, clay bar and a drying towel.

So all in after this I presume I should be above average but not great.

My my question is the ordering of things, would this be the best way -

Rince
Lance
Rinse
2 Bucket
Rinse
Clay
Rinse
Polish
Buff
Beer
Enjoy

Or is that over rinsing ad not enough beer? Anything I am missing that I should buy? I know there is tons out there, but I don't want to spend loads, and happy to keep it small scale. Waxes, polishes etc are all beyond me. I read someone on here that had the SRP so just bought it lol. Can you polish and wax? If so what's the real difference?

So yeah any advice in silly stupid terms would be appreciated. As said please try not to get into too much detail or cash, as I simply cba

I do a 150mile commute a day (all in) so it gets mucky pretty much straight away!

Thanks
Simon

Looks good to me.

I'd probably move the beer up to the point immediately after the post two bucket rinse, and then replace everything from there on with beer.

But no doubt that your approach will leave you less drunk and with a shinier car.

[Heavy messing]

Originally Posted by betty02

So so soooooo much detail about detailing.

Basically I have no idea in what order things go? What is best? I don't ever want to get into buying a machine and detailing as it seems a lot to learn with different pads and products, I simply don't have the time, or patience to learn, will leave that to the experts!

However I am picking up a Karcher K2 this weekend and fancy doing things a little better so ordered 2 'buckets' and a wash mit, I have ordered a snow lance bottle for the K2, and some dodojuice iFoam. I already have some Auto Glym Super Resin Polish, clay bar and a drying towel.

So all in after this I presume I should be above average but not great.

My my question is the ordering of things, would this be the best way -

Rince
Lance
Rinse
2 Bucket
Rinse
Clay
Rinse
Polish
Buff
Beer
Enjoy

Or is that over rinsing ad not enough beer? Anything I am missing that I should buy? I know there is tons out there, but I don't want to spend loads, and happy to keep it small scale. Waxes, polishes etc are all beyond me. I read someone on here that had the SRP so just bought it lol. Can you polish and wax? If so what's the real difference?

So yeah any advice in silly stupid terms would be appreciated. As said please try not to get into too much detail or cash, as I simply cba

I do a 150mile commute a day (all in) so it gets mucky pretty much straight away!

Thanks
Simon

Speak to Kyle at Altusautocare.com. 07776253621. I had no idea either till he spent 1hr with me on the phone discussing detailing and products. I eventually got a great bag of products from him with really detailed instructions on use. highly recommend his services.
His day job is detailing all the Aston Martins they use for media and show events.

Simon.

[Abzynthe]

Everyone has different methods and preferences.

I only detail my car probably twice per year, then just normal washes the rest of the time.
A full detail for me is:

Snowfoam
Rinse
Shampoo
Rinse
Iron X
Rinse
Shampoo
Rinse
Clay
Shampoo
Rinse
Polish
Buff
Sealant
Cure
Tyre Shine
Window Polish

[Dyl]

Go buy yourself some Sonax protect and shine NPT.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1316668

It's great, and it'll speed up your cleaning process.

[Cuninho]

I personally have better results doing the snow foam first as it sticks better to dry dirt than wet.

Looks pretty much the same as my regime though, but with a few less beers added in!

[Abzynthe]

Originally Posted by Cuninho

I personally have better results doing the snow foam first as it sticks better to dry dirt than wet.

Looks pretty much the same as my regime though, but with a few less beers added in!

Same. Mine doesnt foam up very well due to a mixture of pressure washer and water pressure where I live, so if I rinsed the car first, the foam would just run straight off.

[betty02]

Sweeet! Sonax purchased, will add that at the end after polishing?

Thanks for the advice, as said with gym, rugby, work and everything having time to do my car is hard, hence not wanting to get into it in too much detail.

Sonax looks like it can help keep crap at bay though, which looks like it helps me!

Thanks all some decent pointers.

Also noted beer should be priority, then lance first! Gotchya!

[Dyl]

Originally Posted by betty02

Sweeet! Sonax purchased, will add that at the end after polishing?

I just applied after a really good clean. You'll have to use a bit of elbow grease to buff if off but it works brilliantly once you're done.

[kwak24]

As said Sonax (which I believe is what the official BMW hard wax is) is pretty good stuff. I also find Autoglym aqua wax a fantastic product for "in between" use.

I've also just discovered and used a clay mitt (G3 possibly) that I picked up from Halfrauds and was very impressed with its ease of use and finish it left.

[320dAsh]

Check out Dragon's Breath for the wheels.

[Wills2]

I've given up on the whole thing and now take the car to the local money launders instead.

[AndyEssex330d]

I keep it simple

Wash, dry, then if polishing or waxing I use poorboys products (so easy to work with) so would be wash, dry, clay if needed, polish, buff, wax, buff, collapse and order a Chinese.

I've used poorboys polish, exp and wax on my RS and it's come up beautiful.

Two bucket method and use a mitt and not a sponge.

I'd always recommend a wax on top of a polish too.

[snipnoob86]

buy some Autosmart Platinum Polish off fleabay, it is a trade product so will most likely arrive unbranded however it is the best finishing polish available for quick, fast drying, dustless and very easy to remove. great for the novice polisher.

[Nobby Clark]

My usual Sunday morning is:

Snow foam Lance
Rinse
2 Bucket shampoo
Rinse
Dying aid (dry)
tyre dress

My bi annual detail is:

Bit Hamber wheels
Snow foam Lance
Rinse
2 Bucket
Rinse
Clay
Panel wipe
if needed - Megs swirl remover by hand x3
(super resin) Polish
Angel wax
Beer, beer, beer, beer
Enjoy

[320dAsh]

Originally Posted by snipnoob86

buy some Autosmart Platinum Polish off fleabay, it is a trade product so will most likely arrive unbranded however it is the best finishing polish available for quick, fast drying, dustless and very easy to remove. great for the novice polisher.

Everyone uses "the best" polish. I also use the best polish and it's called Collinite 476s.

[snipnoob86]

Originally Posted by 320dAsh

Everyone uses "the best" polish. I also use the best polish and it's called Collinite 476s.

i never said it was the best polish friend, far from it. it won't beat a £500 tub of carnauba, but it is good for the reasons explained in the post.

[320dAsh]

Originally Posted by snipnoob86

i never said it was the best polish friend, far from it. it won't beat a £500 tub of carnauba, but it is good for the reasons explained in the post.

[asif03]

My routine is similar to Nobby Clark's. Usual wash is:

Snow foam (used through a pump sprayer more recently. Works better IMO)
Rinse
Shampoo wash wheels
Rinse
Shampoo the rest of the car
Rinse
Dry
Dress tyres

Add in 'decontaminate (Iron X), rinse, clay (mitt), rinse, polish with DA (if required), IPA wipedown, wax/seal' before the 'dry' in that list and that's my bi annual detail which I like to do in March and October.

I've used Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer (BSD) as my spray sealant as it's got amazing reviews. Gives lovely beading/sheeting leaving the car dry (and mostly clean) after a short drive at 40-50mph, as well as adding a bit of gloss. Then discovered Sonax Protect & Shine NPT so I gave that a go and I'd say it's very similar to the BSD but with added durability. Both really quick to apply and cheap as chips from Euro Car Parts.

I've also got some Collinite 476s which I've had for around 6 years now. I don't think I applied it correctly when I first started using it which resulted in me having to put a stupid amount of effort in to remove it. That put me off it but I gave it another go a month back and so far I'm happy. Cheap enough and it's meant to last 6-9 months on the car. One tin will last you years if not a lifetime! Definitely recommend it if you'd like to get into waxing rather than just spray sealants.

Sorry for the essay lol

[betty02]

Thanks guys! Will hopefully gave time to give the car a better clean now Sunday! Rugby social Saturday so depends how i feel or if I survive!

Really appreciate peoples inputs and options. As said I don't really want to get into detailing as I will end up pocket less and still no time to do it!

Thanks all again!

Simon

[betty02]

Just to confirm, this is the correct Sonax?

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Va...92080&&cc5_755

[asif03]

Yep, that's the one