Beginners advice required...

[feeblebob]

Hi all,



New to this forum, only just found it and boy, what a lot of info! Question is this. I`ve always enjoyed keeping my cars clean and spent a lot of time looking for a really nice finish. However, having just bought a 2001 Lexus GS300, it`s time to look into how best to keep it. I`ve never had a car with such immaculate paint so it makes sense to make more of an effort now. It`s been 6 months since I got and have never had any sort of abrasive wash near it, no car washes (...), nothing, I wanted to wait until the weather got a bit better and set about it then. I`ve started reading about products, went to the Meguiars website to see what they had. Thought I had planned what to get (always used AutoGlym in the past, by the way), came on here and its a different world. Bearing in mind I don`t mind paying for a decent product, what would you guys recommend starting off with. I normally use Autoglym stuff only but do use...a sponge. Sorry about that. Should I be using a mitt or what?



Any advice?

[Pennypacker]

Hi feeblebob!!



I`m presuming you`re asking about car wash shampoos? For recommendations on polishes, cleaners, glazes, sealants, waxes, QD`s, etc, the list can go on seemingly forever. That is one tangled web.



Regarding shampoos, I`ve heard a lot of good things about Griot`s Car Wash. I`ve never used it before, but just ordered a bottle myself. I`ve heard it has very good lubricity, which to me is the most important characteristic of a good shampoo. Top of the Line Bubble Bath is also quite nice--very gentle on paint, solid cleaning ability (smells really good, too).



Nothing wrong with Meguiar`s though. References to their pro series (with all the numbers) and nxt line are ubiquitous. And Meg`s Gold Class is an excellent car wash (and not just for an OTC product).



Oh and nothing wrong with using sponges either...as long as it`s a seasponge (or apparently, the Home Depot grout sponges--which I think I`m going to try). Particle release from seasponges is very good in my estimation.

[feeblebob]

Wow! So sponges are OK as long they`re the right ones. I must admit, I do quite like the sound of a mitt for washing, I might get a decent one and see how it is.



I must admit being an AG devotee for so long, I thought a highly detailed wash was was, polish then extra gloss protection. Now I see you wash, clay, wax, seal, and so on. Im going to enjoy going through the archives on here to find out more about it all. Sites like this are brilliant for new info.



Seeing as you mention that Megs is OK, I`ll try some of that to start with at least. I can get it locally without having to wait for delivery etc. and its bank holiday weekend so thats four days I could spend getting the old bus into decent shape.



BTW, are most of the brands people talk about on here available on the internet in the UK? I`ll bet my last pound that they`re everywhere in the States but typically we seem to lag behind with new products. Does anyone recommend a good, reliable internet stockist?

[Wasatch]

Sheepskin mits are great. There`s nothing wrong with Autoglym. There`s tons of stuff to try out. One of the hottest lines out there now is Finish Kare, check them out. Werkstatt is some nice stuff, Collinite waxes, MFs from pakshak, I`m going to get some Menzerna Acrylic Jacket, just get a few products and see how you like them.

[Accumulator]

Sheepskin mits are great. There`s nothing wrong with Autoglym..



Yeah, don`t get seduced by the "only Meguiar`s/whatever is any good" stuff that some people say ;) If you want to try other stuff that`s cool, but it`s not like any one company has a monopoly on good products. I like Autoglym`s SRP a lot...



Some good products you cand almost certainly find across the pond are from 1Z ("EinZett"). And yean, Menzerna stuff is great too.



The thing to think about when washing is this: the dirt that gets on you car is abrasive, it can scratch the paint if it gets pressed against it. So how to get the abrasive dirt off the paint without pressing it against the paint :confused: It`s all about being as gentle as possible, so use shampoos with good lubricity (Meguiar`s #62 is pretty good) and rinse your wash media out very frequently (don`t try to do half the car without rinsing it out, I don`t even do half a panel).



Wonder how hard it`d be to find a foamgun supplier who`d ship overseas :nixweiss



Oh, and Welcome To Autopia!

[DM101]

Just my waxes....Pin sourvan, Meguire 16 & 26, DP Max Wax, CMW, Natty Blue, Swissol, Zymol Japon & Con.($150), Optimium Wax, Wheel Wax, Trade Secret, and add all the sealants I have you have your own detail shop for 2 cars! No wonder i`m broke!!@!@

[Pennypacker]

BTW, are most of the brands people talk about on here available on the internet in the UK? I`ll bet my last pound that they`re everywhere in the States but typically we seem to lag behind with new products. Does anyone recommend a good, reliable internet stockist?



I believe pakshak.com, autogeek.net, and exceldetail.com ship internationally. Someone please correct me if I`m wrong. But between those three, you can probably find just about anything and everything you`d need.



And yeah, I`d probably go with a sheepskin mitt myself over a sponge if I had to choose. Neither will marr if used correctly and your washing technique is sound, but I think it`s more fun using a mitt. :)

[dtailmycar]

Guys I recently had a set of stock rims for my saab from a friend. The rims are coated and have been sitting on his backyard for some time, I already tried degreaser, APC and some non acid wheel cleaner (TW). They still dirty and I know that with some help and elbow grease they may come to life. Any suggestion will be apprecciate, thanks!!

[dtailmycar]

SORRY !!! can any one move this to other forum..