Share your experiences / preferences here.
Best / worst / cheapest / most expensive products etc

EV - expecting some good stuff from youy  

Read my first big wash on the thread below

http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic2325.html

I now use Gloss-it polishes (about £80 worth) to varying degrees of cutting power to remove swirls and fine scratches and finish off uses either their concourse polish or my prefered wax which DoDo Juice supernatural (£20 for my machine stick or £90 for wooden tub like Mav71) for a glossy deep shine

My Zymol HD Cleanse (£38 ) prewax cleaner has been replaced with DoDo Juice Lime Prime and I have just replaced my pressure washer with a Nilfisk E140

I just use basic wash n wax for everyday washes and crack open my Zymol Clear Auto bathe (£38 ) for washes that will include some polishing or rewaxing, using two buckets and a sheepsskin washmitt, noodle washmitt for lower body work/sills and microfibre washmitt on the wheels

feel free to ask away Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

And I haven't got round to doing the White car yet so I just use a good 2bm wash and finish off with DoDo Juice red must spray sealent once patted dry using microfibre towels not a chamois leather that could induce scratches

I don't do sponges either, same reason can trap tiny particles of dirt against bodywork and leave fine swirls, RDS Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Full valet every 4 wks £80,
Nice and shiny for 2 hours til I leave my village and throw up farmers tractor mud from the road

I bet CG says some thing along the lines of...Townies moving to the country and don't expect animals blah blah

Found the thread on my gloss it polishes

http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic4128.html Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Rowy wrote:

I bet CG says some thing along the lines of...Townies moving to the country and don't expect animals blah blah

exactly w s

I use turtle wax 'wax it wet' wash car. spray over with the stuff. towel dry... done . And as a winner of three gordons I must know what I am doing  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Told ya's

To wash I generally use the Diamondbrite shampoo & conserver mixed together or the Autoglym Shampoo/conditioner mixed with their Autogloss rinse in warm water. I wet the car 1st with either the hose or pressure washer & let it soak for a minute. I now use a wool washmit on the roof first & work down. If it is warm/sunny then I wash in stages - i.e roof then shady side first & sunny side last & dry sunny areas first.
I have allways used the above products & have never tried some of the very expensive products as mentioned above but would be interested to see in person the direct results of these.

Up until recently I did allways use a sponge (one for wheels/door shuts etc & one for the body) but have been converted to the mitt method though sponges are easier to work with to be honest. The reason for change is mitts & microfibres are supposed to reduce scratching but I have to say I have noticed some light marks but when you clean a car as often as I do then I guess it is to be expected especially with today's soft paint.

Every time (weather permitting) I use any of the cars they are cleaned before I go out - I won't go out in a grubby vehicle. Even if it was clean the previous day there is generally a due/frost overnight so in this case just a bucket of warm water to wipe over the car with a mitt & then another with the clean synthetic leathers in & finish with a microfibre towel. The only problem with cleaning as often as this is that you wear off the polish quicker & I generally use the Autoglym Super Resin Polish & the Hi-Definition Wax on top. Again I have never tried any of the much more expensive products but would need convincing that they make any noticeable/longevical difference.

If I am doing all under the arches which I generally do if using the hose etc I have a long handled paint brush for the metalwork under there & a sponge for the liners & I use TFR to assist then blast off. I do this area first. Sometimes I do the wheels at the same time or when I wash the vehicle. The paint prush is also used for doing round the wheel nuts, door shuts & around lights + any other crevices etc. (Past) Freelander 2 HSE 2010 MY In Rimini Red.
(Past) RR Evoque Dynamic Lux Si4 In Firenze Red.
(Past) RR Evouque Pure Tech in Barollo Black with bespoke Firenze Red colour coding.
(Present) Freelander Metropolis 2015 MY In Santorini Black with Ivory Premium Leather.

I wish I had the time to wash the car each day

the Zymol stuff I have is very expensive, but I use the shampoo only prior to a full on wax, leaves the car clean without any waxes that could react to the polishes

for the other washes I use my 25L barrel of turtle wax, I think I went OTT with that purchace, had it a year and still looks like I haven't used any

Do you machine polish aswell EV? Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

npinks wrote:

I wish I had the time to wash the car each day

the Zymol stuff I have is very expensive, but I use the shampoo only prior to a full on wax, leaves the car clean without any waxes that could react to the polishes

for the other washes I use my 25L barrel of turtle wax, I think I went OTT with that purchace, had it a year and still looks like I haven't used any

Do you machine polish aswell EV?

I have just got back from Watership Down and I think the Freely looks best in brown splodge
Oh and dont forget you need the matching tree scratches on the doors too

im a fan of smartwax,shampoo,wax and sealant,seems to last about 12 weeks,before the rain water stops beading.smartwax dressing for plastic/dash/ inside and out.shampoo is £8,wax£15,sealant £17,and dressing £9.

One of the best.smoothest finishes I have seen is on mcphersonstrut,s motor.
I think he uses one of the Turtle Wax products then uses another of their products after the polishing to finish off with.

Thank you kind sir, your a gentleman...and there's not many of 'us' left
fyi - Turtlewax platinum series precision car wax then protective extra gloss.
I've moved up in the world of polishes, glazes, sealers and waxes, trying to justify £40 to Mrs 'M' on some wax didn't work

does anyone have any experience with 3M protective film ( and other brands )
How well does it protect against scratches whilst off road.