Forums Forums Enthusiast Forums A - Z Autowirral How to wash your car

rofl u nutter placid...r u up to ur eyes in big mac boxes haha!!

big macs, how dare you, i only eat the finest of burger king i will have you know

ooo double whoppper!!

drooling over my laptop babe, stop it i am getting all tingly

Here's my full wash routine....Grab a coffee!

Equipment/products:

Pressure washer + foaming attachment
2 buckets
Microfibre wash mitt (meguires in my case)
Applicator pads (x10)
Micro fibre clothes x8
Wheel Brush x2
Detail brush
detail swabs
Glass cleaning clothes x 2
Meguires Water Magnet


Snow foam (mine comes from Clean and Shiney)
Meguires NXT shampoo
Meguires satge 1 and 2 paint cleaner and polish
Meguires Scratch X
Clay Bars 1 per wash
Colinite 915 Wax
Colinite 476 Wax
Tyre Gell (Meguires)
Chemical guys Alloy cleaner
Megs Glass Cleaner
Megs interior Cleaner
Meguires Last touch detail spray
Meguires Wheel Cleaner


I stick the clothes in the wash the night before I start.

1. use the pressure washer and Foam Attachment with the snow foam and cover the car in a liberal layer of foam. This lifts surface dirt from the paintwork.

Leave for 5 - 10 minutes soaking.

2. fill 1 bucket with clean water and the other with water and shampoo

3. Rinse the foam off the car.

4. Using the mitt starting wash 1 panel and then rinse it in the clean bucket of water. THe dirt wil rinse out into the second bucket. The bucket with the shampoo is still clean and you wont be rubbingdirt into the paint. Do this with each panel, leaving the sills till the end.

5. Rinse the car and dry it.

6. Use the megs scratch x to remove any blemishes. by rubbing with a single finger in a microfibre

6. Twice a year I clay the car. This pulls contaminant out hte paint. A simple test is to get the selophane off a fag packet or the like. Stick ya finger in it ad run it over the bonnet. I may feel like sand paper....It needs claying:

Spray some detail spray on a 12 inch x 12 area. Take the clay bar and kneed it to soften it. Now rub it in straight lines over the sprayed area. Wipe of hte spray with mirco fibre clothe and do the next section. Repeat the fag packet test and it should feel like glass.

7. Now use the paint cleaner (not T-cut as its too harsh) to remove the remaining oxidants.

8. Polish up to give a shine using the Megs stage 2 polish

9. Now I wax the paint work....twice a year I use the Colinite 915. This is a baot wax that has to be softened in th oven of in the summer on the dash. THis year I'm gonna try 915 and 476.

10. Clean the glass using the glas cleaner and two clothes one to clean the other to polish. Do the same to the lights

11. Now the wheels....Spray on the whel cleaner and scrub it with the brushes leave it 30 seconds then rinse with a hose.

12 Use the Chemical guys wheel wax to coat the wheel. (next time the dust will rinse off.

13. Now the chrome (exhaust, boot trim door handles etc using the chimcal guys wax.

so that 4-6 hours for the outside!

Inside is a little easier,

14. Hoover, and clean the plastics with the interior cleaner.

15. Open the doors and the boot and wash and wax the interior painted surfaces.

16. Finally and most importantly stand back open a beer and admire!

I do this twice a year. In between I foam, rinse, wash, and top up the wax. Then do the wheels and windows. (about 3 hours)

i find ARC useful lol

Exactly, I have used hand car washes in the past, but the roller type can leave marks on the paint. Takes me about 30 mins to wash, rinse, shammy the car.

....I think it has even been mentioned that my sponge has done more miles than the car

i find that i could not give a chuff as i am to lazy lol and it takes about 5 minites for me to get y car washed and dryed and all the scratches are free, no hassle at all. sometimes it gets very tiring sitting watching the rollers so for energy, i sit there drinking red bull and eating a mars bar, this then gives me the energy i need to unscew the valve caps to put air in the tyres, it is very hard work sometimes you know!

All hail Meguiars.

I love the megs products, NXT gen shampoo smells really nicee too!
Best investment was the megs wash mitt, brilliant thing

Investing in a clay bar to do the paint this year, could do with it by now.

Was lookin at these today in Halfords mate, think i may invest in some before April....

They really are worth the money (plus it keeps your hands warm )

My hand was like Ice today

The latest gadget in the detailing wolrd is the Smitt. A bit like a sponge but you can put ya hand in:

this is like what customice was sayin about before i think....

This is what Ice meant:

thaaaaaaats the 1 .....