Detailing car for the first time - are these cleaners ok?

Technical Area Cleaning & Detailing
2

Hi,

I have recently bought MX5 mk2.5, and want to make it look even better. After spending some time reading about cleaners and stuff, I found that Autoglym and Gtechniq would be a safe and a good choice for me. So here are the items that I want/will be buying:

 

Paint work:

1) CLAY DETAILING COMPLETE KIT (https://www.autoglym.com/clay-detailing-complete-kit) - Will use this after washing the car to clean the paint and prepare for polishing.

  1. SUPER RESIN POLISH (https://www.autoglym.com/super-resin-polish) - For polishing and removing small scratches.

  2. EXTRA GLOSS PROTECTION (https://www.autoglym.com/extra-gloss-protection) - For “sealing” in polishing (like wax, but not as expensive).

 

Other:

  1. HEADLIGHT RESTORATION KIT (https://www.autoglym.com/headlight-restoration-kit) - for headlights

5) GTECHNIQ FOR GLASS (http://gtechniq.com/products/auto/perfect/exterior/paint/automotive-glass-care-kit) - to remove scratches and secure glass

 

  1. VINYL AND RUBBER CARE (https://www.autoglym.com/vinyl-rubber-care) - for dashboard/inside

 

(Will clean tyres/wheels and soft top separately later).

 

Is the above not too much?

Also, what and how many of different applicators/micro fibre cloths do I need?

And in what order should I do everything?

 

Thanks a lot!

 

3

Not bad but I would get a form of pre wash in there (snow foam) and use the 2 bucket method with a decent mitt. Improving your wash method is critical to improving a car otherwise you undo your hard work or remove protection to quickly.

What shampoo are you using?

Over the clay kit this is under decontamination I would get some fallout remover such as Ironx from Carpro and tar remover such as Carpro TarX.

Over the clay kit do not bother buy Bilt Hamber soft, it is cheaper and only needs water as lube, the clay kits are rip off material.

SRP a good quality AIO, but personal viewpoint beyond Autoglym’s view is that sealants should not sit on an oil base so EGP is not the best.I would look towards a £20-£30 wax to begin with instead of EGP, such as Autoglym HD wax or even something such as Fusso Dark or light.

Headlight resto - are they that bad?

Gtechniq is okay, but with a lack of experience it may be worth trying a slightly less “fussy” product such as their G5.

Vinyl and rubber care do not bother unless you want a glossy interior finish, it may be worth considering just using all purpose cleaner and not dressing. If you need something to clean then consider something like Carpro Inside.

Over the wheels and tyres you need to do this first these will be the most dirty elements, get something like ironX and some brushes to do inside the wheel and face as well as the arch. Consider protection with something like Carpro Hydro02 for being lazy and tyre dressing I like carpro PERL in concentrate form.

Soft top can be considered later (unless you want the renovo kit or use All purpose cleaner and a fabric sealant).

Over MF’s and applicators:

Get some cheap MF’s like the yellow ones from Costco (probably one of the most famous towels) - http://www.costco.co.uk/view/p/kirkland-signature-ultra-plush-microfibre-towels-36-pack-713160

Use these for interior, dirty jobs and when they have had it they are cheap!

Drying cloth - so many choices but I like the Dodo juice ones - learn to use proper drying technique though!

Applicators - Meguiars yellow are okay for most jobs applying wax, consider getting a few so you can apply SRP as well.

Fluffy MF’s for removing wax and quick detailer - consider the Carpro BOA’s both colours and versions.

 

But I come back to my first point nail your wash technique first rather than overlook it.

 

 

4

Everything he said!

I was posting then saw your reply Ninja

5

Thanks for tips, Ninja59.

A couple of comments - is EGP that much worse than wax? (it costs 4x less than that wax, and as I am already spending almost £150, I wanted to save a bit). But if that’s not the place to save, let me know. (I was following advice on Autoglym’s site, which said EGP or wax is fine after polish.)

 

Regarding washing - as I live in a flat and only have underground parking, I cannot “bucket-wash” my car. So I take it to a car wash where people use high pressure karchers and handwash/dry it. I know it’s not as good as doing it yourself, but maybe it’s not the worst?

 

And headlights are not that bad, but a bit cloudy at the top, so I probably dont need that restoration kit - is there anything less serious that would help?

 

P.S. Im not sure what you meant regarding clay - do I need to use something extra (like Ironx from Carpro) before I use clay?

 

Thanks again

6

Phemark,

I have one of those clay kits. Then I bought a Farecla G3 clay mitt from Halfords.

MUCH easier to use, and seems to get good reviews on detialing forums. Forget the clay kit.

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-cleaning/clay-bars-detailing-products/farecla-g3-body-prep-clay-mitt

 

I too have an underground car park.  I just wash my 5 anyway. No-one has ever commented.

 

7

Another vote for the Farecla clay mitt. Works a treat.

8

I wouldn’t discount using Autoglym vinyl and rubber car on your interior plastics if you’ve got it to use. I mostly use it on my vinyl roof, which on my 02 MK2.5 still looks as good as new, but I did recently in preparation for showing the car do the dash and other plastic bits with V&R. Everything looked mostly fine on mine anyway but it had just dulled being 14 years old and needed a proper freshen up.

The V&R will bring it back up as new but be careful!  It will initially make it look very shiny, and once you do a bit it will stick out against the rest, so start it and finish the job. Then buff it as you go so it takes the shine off.  Spray it on the cloth and not the car, as it will go everywhere, I just used a decent microfibre cloth. You may find that what you think is a grey dash is actually supposed to be black!  I assume the V&R cleans off years of oxidation fro the plastic that give it the dull grey look. 

9

I didnt think about using it on the roof - will it be fine if I do so? I guess I do this after I clean it?