[stuart.bush]

Thought it might be good to start a detailing thread where people can share tips and products which make the best of the car. Cleaned mine today with demon shine snow foam, then sealed it with DODO juice red mist tropical detailing sealant, think you`ll agree that is one hell of a shine.

 

[summerjunk]

Yep, that's some pretty darn good reflections!

 

[lee789]

Looks great Stuart. Far better than mine which is currently covered in sandy rain stains and blossom!!

 

[paz45]

Hmmmm
gonna have to do mine again:thumb:

 

[summerjunk]

Some of the best/favourite products I use regularly (won't mention shampoo as there is so many that do a good job)

Interior- meguiars quik interior detailer, smells lush and gives a matt finish on the dash

meguiars carpet and interior cleaner - so good at keeping the mats and seats looking brand new, leaves no marks when dry.

Exterior - sonax brilliant shine detailer. One of the best products I've discovered this year. Such a good detailer but also has good sealant properties so extends the life of any sealant too.

Finally my favourite product is

Meguiars endurance tyre gel - have been using this stuff for years, so good at keeping the tyres black with a nice shine. Also keeps the wheel arch liners black too.

 

[stuart.bush]

Some of the best/favourite products I use regularly (won't mention shampoo as there is so many that do a good job)

Interior- meguiars quik interior detailer, smells lush and gives a matt finish on the dash

meguiars carpet and interior cleaner - so good at keeping the mats and seats looking brand new, leaves no marks when dry.

Exterior - sonax brilliant shine detailer. One of the best products I've discovered this year. Such a good detailer but also has good sealant properties so extends the life of any sealant too.

Finally my favourite product is

Meguiars endurance tyre gel - have been using this stuff for years, so good at keeping the tyres black with a nice shine. Also keeps the wheel arch liners black too.

Yeah i`ve always like the stuff from Meguiars, not tried the interior detailer though as most leave a horrid shine but if this one is Matt i`ll give it a go for sure. I`ve long been a fan of DODO juice, i know it can be expensive but the results are fantastic and the smell...almost edible lol. And for the windows it has to be invisible glass.

 

[Agmuns]

where people can share tips and products which make the best of the car.

I really like how deep the candy red on my Focus are with Swissvax Concorso. However, wax does not stay on as long as synthetic sealers, so I am considering changing to something else during the winter season when I get my 3008.

Other than that, I use the following products after a lot of testing:
Exterior:
* regular wash: Chemical Guys Mr Pink
* before polish and wax: Bilt Hamber Korrosol (removes iron stains from the paint), Bilt Hamber Surfex HD (regular degreaser) and Prickbort (tar remover). I never use clay, because it scratches the paint and you have to use tools to polish them away.
* RainX for windows (exterior only)
* Swissvax protection matt for plastic (exterior only). The matt version obviously gives a matt finish, while the regular gives a "used car for sale-shiny" plastic.
* Swissvax Autobahn for the rims
* Swissvax Pneu for tires.

Interior:
* Swissvax leather cleaner and leather milk for seats, doors and other leather parts.
* A moist micro fiber cloth for plastic surfaces (no products)
* Autoglym car glass polish for windows and mirror (interior only)
* Chemical Guys Green clean for cloth interior (floor etc).

 

[jonnyb1978]

Interesting thread. Never been one for diy car cleaning but really need to on this.

Any recommended products for the GtLine part leather affect seats?

 

[NickK-UK]

Tomorrow will be clean the car day..

One trip in the rain down the A3 and back..

Meguiars Gold Class shampoo
Autoglym Super Resin Polish

I found that the clay bar does work, however you need a clean car to prevent any swirls due to dirt being picked up. Works well on road tar too.

I have some autoglym intense tar remover that gets used to weaken it before it gets a blasting with the jet wash.

I'll slowly add more products when the wife isn't looking

 

[stuart.bush]

I really like how deep the candy red on my Focus are with Swissvax Concorso. However, wax does not stay on as long as synthetic sealers, so I am considering changing to something else during the winter season when I get my 3008.

Other than that, I use the following products after a lot of testing:
Exterior:
* regular wash: Chemical Guys Mr Pink
* before polish and wax: Bilt Hamber Korrosol (removes iron stains from the paint), Bilt Hamber Surfex HD (regular degreaser) and Prickbort (tar remover). I never use clay, because it scratches the paint and you have to use tools to polish them away.
* RainX for windows (exterior only)
* Swissvax protection matt for plastic (exterior only). The matt version obviously gives a matt finish, while the regular gives a "used car for sale-shiny" plastic.

* Swissvax Autobahn for the rims
* Swissvax Pneu for tires.

Interior:
* Swissvax leather cleaner and leather milk for seats, doors and other leather parts.
* A moist micro fiber cloth for plastic surfaces (no products)
* Autoglym car glass polish for windows and mirror (interior only)
* Chemical Guys Green clean for cloth interior (floor etc).

Wow that`s a George Lucas type budget you got there lol, What`s the swissvax stuff like ?

 

[stuart.bush]

Interesting thread. Never been one for diy car cleaning but really need to on this.

Any recommended products for the GtLine part leather affect seats?

I think the Meguires quick detailer would work, if its real leather i use to use DOD juice supernatural leather sealant, it made the leather feel ultra soft and kept it looking like new. Not cleaned the inside yet, does anyone know if the seats are real leather in part or is it PVC stuff on a GTline

 

[Tucker66]

Wow seeing yours, Paz45 and Lees 3008 in the red is making me so jealous... got at least another 2 months till we get ours, but I keep telling the hubby it'll be worth the wait.
In the meantime I'll be getting tips from you guys :lol:

 

[jonnyb1978]

I think the Meguires quick detailer would work, if its real leather i use to use DOD juice supernatural leather sealant, it made the leather feel ultra soft and kept it looking like new. Not cleaned the inside yet, does anyone know if the seats are real leather in part or is it PVC stuff on a GTline

Leather effect: Taken from their spec detail

Mistral 'Imila' leather effect and cloth seat trim with
Aikinite 'double stitch detail

 

[Agmuns]

Wow that`s a George Lucas type budget you got there lol, What`s the swissvax stuff like ?

It's bought over time, so its not that expensive to fill up when I'm empty. The wax from Swissvax is enough for several cars (or years if you use it on one car). The key is to buy when they have sale and to keep it in boxes so the wife does not see how much you have lined up. :lol:

Honestly, I do believe you pay for the brand when you buy Swissvax. For sure you can get equally good products for less money. But I have little experience with other high quality wax products, so I cannot recommend anything else. Swissvax (and most natural waxes) is easy to work with compared to synthetic products. You put on a very thin layer on the car and buff off after a few minutes.

The leather products for interior is top quality. I have natural leather in my car and it looks new every time I use it. I don't know if Ford have used high quality animal skin or if the treatment with Swissvax is to blame, but the leather is still tight and bouncy with no folds or anything after 80 000 km and 4 years.

The downside with wax is that it does not hold long against salty roads. Therefore I think I will try something from PolishAngel with the 3008 during winter, and keep using wax during the summer.

 

[digitaldr]

I'm fairly new to detailing but here's my regimen: Pressure wash rinse, Bilt Hamber snow foam, Autoglym wheel cleaner (will be changing to bilt hamber next time) pressure wash rinse, 2 bucket wash with grit guards and Meguiars microfibre mitt, pressure wash rinse and microfibre towel dry. Every 2-3 months Autoglym HD wax. I've just bought some bilt hamber fallout remover - Korrosol - which I'll probably use next wash although the clear coat probably doesn't have much in the way of embedded contaminants yet.

I'd like to try out some other waxes/sealants eg Fusso99 soft coat but will probably wait until I've finished the autoglym hd wax.

Is tar remover really necessary when the weather is cold?

 

[olli_tr]

Ok, so here's what I plan to do:

Thorough wash (right after my car gets delivered):
- Prewash with Bilt Hamber Surfex HD
- Remove metal particles and rust with Wolf's Chemicals Deironizer
- Wash with Dodo Juice Born to Be Mild car shampoo
- Apply Soft99 Fusso Coat on painted surfaces
- Apply Finish Kare Hi-temp Paste Wax FK1000P on wheels
- Apply Gtechniq C4 on plastic trim
- Apply Softcare Car Textile Protector on the seats

Standard wash:
- Prewash with Bilt Hamber Auto Foam
- Wash with Dodo Juice Born to Be Mild car shampoo
- Wash wheels with Bilt Hamber Wheel Cleaner if needed
- Finish with Soft99 Fusso Coat Speed & Barrier Hand Spray

Also got some Griot Bug and Smudge remover and Chemical Guys Satin Dressing for the tires... Yes, this might seem overkill for many and I can understand that as well. :lol:

 

[Nagaman]

Do the modern reds last as long as other colours?.
There was a time when they went 'off' due to UV damage I seem to recall.

 

[stuart.bush]

Ok, so here's what I plan to do:

Thorough wash (right after my car gets delivered):
- Prewash with Bilt Hamber Surfex HD
- Remove metal particles and rust with Wolf's Chemicals Deironizer
- Wash with Dodo Juice Born to Be Mild car shampoo
- Apply Soft99 Fusso Coat on painted surfaces
- Apply Finish Kare Hi-temp Paste Wax FK1000P on wheels
- Apply Gtechniq C4 on plastic trim
- Apply Softcare Car Textile Protector on the seats

Standard wash:
- Prewash with Bilt Hamber Auto Foam
- Wash with Dodo Juice Born to Be Mild car shampoo
- Wash wheels with Bilt Hamber Wheel Cleaner if needed
- Finish with Soft99 Fusso Coat Speed & Barrier Hand Spray

Also got some Griot Bug and Smudge remover and Chemical Guys Satin Dressing for the tires... Yes, this might seem overkill for many and I can understand that as well. :lol:

I love born to mild but my pressure washer broke then i discovered the snow foam standard hose adapter from Demon Shine which is fantastic with a big cherry smell and lots of foam but i still use a 10l bucket with grit guard to rinse the lambs wool mit during washing.
I`ve dropped waxing with a hard carnuba wax to just once a year now, rest of the time i just use red mist.

What i need is recommendations for the interior now we know it`s not real leather and something to seal and polish the wheels after cleaning.
I don`t want to use anything that will leave a hideous shine on the trim, for my Audi i used Meguires 40 but over time this left a sheen on the surfaces.

 

[stuart.bush]

Do the modern reds last as long as other colours?.
There was a time when they went 'off' due to UV damage I seem to recall.

Thing with ultimate red is it`s pearlesant and the gloss coating is really thick.
You can see when you look close in real life of course the gold flecks that
make it shine in the sun. I cant see the color fading TBH.

 

[V6Matty]

Personally use gliptone leather cleaner and conditioner for my seats, really nice product and leaves a wonderful leather smell after