Meguiars

Stifler · May 4, 2006, 12:52

Hey all,

I was wanting to give the car a real good wash and polish this weekend and it seems like meguirs is the best product to use, looking at the website there a lot of products.

Can anyone recommend a good shampoo and polish from them, or is it a case of any one will do as they are all good s:)

s:)

Cheers.

edward.carter · May 4, 2006, 13:10

I use there gold class shampoo very good stuff, havent tried there polish...

when i did mine the weekend i used meguirs gold class shampoo, quick clay followed by autoglym super resin polish and then meguirs gold class liquid wax. s8)

s8) very shiny! pics on another post s:)

s:)

Anonymous · May 4, 2006, 13:52

I've used both the Gold Class and the Pink wash gel. I can't really tell the difference between them so i use the Pink one as its a quid cheaper.

roger · May 4, 2006, 16:08

Stifler, just remember its wash, polish, wax. A 3 stage process. 4 stage if you add clay to the preparation before the polish.

TBH if you are doing the full job, the wash shampoo doesn't really matter first time round, but IMO Meguiars Gold Class is good once you have the wax on. Its much "softer" to the surface than others, and keeps the wax finish intact.

Polishing gets rid of surface irregularities and creates the shine. Waxing gives you depth to the polish and provides a protection to the polished surface.

Every detailer has their own preferences, but as long as you follow these steps you can't go far wrong. Personally I use Meguiars #5 Carnuba wax, but the chances of you finding that locally are pretty slim. So if you are buying from Halfrauds / local store have a study of the Autoglym / Meguiars ranges.

You can always add a "glaze" after the polish which purports to make the finish even better.

If you want to get anal, register here http://www.detailingworld.co.uk for all the gen.

Anonymous · May 4, 2006, 18:41

Agreeing with Roger, I'd say that Meguiars stuff is good and the thing I've found that makes the biggest difference is a clay bar (Meguiars Quik Clay). Use this after washing before polishing and waxing. It will make the colour appear deeper and add depth to the shine. Try it after washing and see how much stuff it removes from the paintwork.

At the moment my personal regime consists of washing every 1-2 weeks with Meguiars NXT or Goldclass wash. Clay bar and waxing about every 6 months and adding polish to that about once a year. This is enough to keep the cars looking good without getting too anal! (Roger, Steve s:P

s:P ) And at the minute, although my black golf was last waxed about 6 months ago, the paint still comes up good after a good clean and doesn't feel "dried" out at all. It's probably due a good three-stager sometime soon though. Ideally I'd probably wax the cars more but just don't have the time with my job and the fact that I'm meant to be renovating the house at the minute plus I do a lot of miles in my company Golf and to keep it immaculate would mean a degree of detailing every week.

Stifler · May 4, 2006, 18:46

Cheers for all the help guys s:)

s:)

I'll have a hunt online for the best prices now s:)

s:)

MRMike · May 4, 2006, 21:01

I really don't rate the Autoglym Sruper Resin polish, I think the best product AutoGlym make is the Extra Gloss protection which is fantastic after a layer of NXT.

Two's Company · May 4, 2006, 22:41

Quote from: "RUSTY"without getting too anal! (Roger, Steve s:P s:P )

What's wrong with washing up liquid s:wink: :wink: s:wink: s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

spit · May 5, 2006, 05:56

Quote from: "Two's Company"
Quote from: "RUSTY"without getting too anal! (Roger, Steve s:P s:P )

What's wrong with washing up liquid s:wink: :wink: s:wink: s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

Steve's car really does look the business when its all shined up though - I guess you get back what you put in.

and yes Stifler - get the clay bar and detailing spray - its really effective.

Two's Company · May 5, 2006, 09:53

The best car wash soap I have ever used is Swissol Car Bath;

m http://www.swissol.co.uk/products/wash-products.asp m

It's not cheap but you only need a cap full per bucket. It lifts the dirt so easily and is very gentle on the paint. It also smells like coconut shampoo s:D

s:D

Once my current supplies run out I am going to try this one as it's better value.

m http://www.cleanandshiny.co.uk/ProductD ... uctID=9195 m

Cheers

Steve

roger · May 5, 2006, 11:30

Quote from: "RUSTY"At the moment my personal regime ......Clay bar and waxing about every 6 months and adding polish to that about once a year.

Rusty...I hope you got this the wrong way round. You should always polish after a clay bar, then wax. You can layer good wax on polish, but once you've polished, all the wax is gone so you have to start the process again.

I polish (subject to requirements) about every 4 - 6 months, and wax every 2 - 3 months. Clay bar is only done when it needs it. IMO once it's done, if you keep the wash, polish if necessary and wax regime going another claying will not be required.

The car is in the garage most of the time, so this is certainly not as often as might be required by those who leave it outside and use it 24/7.

Note to everybody.....Clay bar and polish is abrasive and will reduce paint depth, so it must not be done too frequently.

Stifler · May 5, 2006, 13:05

Ok let me make sure i got this right s:)

s:)

Its wash, polish (every 4 months) then wax (every couple of months)

Only problem is whenever i wash my car, it always streaks like an utter b*****d, maybe a new cloth is required for wiping of excess water s:(

s:(

Cheers again guys s:)

s:)

roger · May 5, 2006, 14:01

Yeh, that's about it. The actual times depend on the use and state of the car, but basically wash frequently, wax when needed (ie when standing water stops "globulising" into small globules, and then polishing once or twice a year, or if you have contaminants (birds, insects, sap etc that a wash doesn't get off.)

Try this for some more of the how to do

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/how-to.html

If you are getting dirty streaks its the sponge / chamois you are using in dirty water. Suggest you throw these away, buy a wash mitt and drying towel, and use the 2 bucket method for washing. It will work even better, once you have the car nicely waxed.

markiii · May 5, 2006, 14:06

2 bucket method?

Two's Company · May 5, 2006, 14:11

Quote from: "markiii"2 bucket method?

A bucket with the soap in and a separate one with plain water to rinse the washmitt in.

Stops the dirty water from the soap bucket being put back on the car s:oops: :oops: s:oops:

roger · May 5, 2006, 14:13

Quote from: "markiii"2 bucket method?

You obviously haven't been following my "cleaning" posts Mark s:wink: :wink: s:wink: .

One has suds, one is clear water. Before you re-suds your mitt ('cos you don't use a sponge, do you s:shock: :shock: s:shock: ), give it a shake in the clear water. This gets rid of particles and dirt. Then put in the suds bucket and you are always washing with clean water.

Avoids scratching the surface and the dirty streak syndrome. s:D

s:D

Anonymous · May 5, 2006, 16:21

Just hi-jacking the thread slightly s:P

s:P

Roger, have you ever tried/used any of the so called waterless cleaning
products? if so what did you think?

I tried some on a different car last weekend and I have to admit I was quite impressed with the result, I cleaned and polished the whole car without using any water!

edward.carter · May 5, 2006, 16:23

Quote from: "Bluey"Just hi-jacking the thread slightly s:P s:P

Roger, have you ever tried/used any of the so called waterless cleaning
products? if so what did you think?

I tried some on a different car last weekend and I have to admit I was quite impressed with the result, I cleaned and polished the whole car without using any water!

whatever that is sounds handy for the surrey boys if water ban does come into effect!

Anonymous · May 5, 2006, 18:51

Quote from: "roger"
Quote from: "RUSTY"At the moment my personal regime ......Clay bar and waxing about every 6 months and adding polish to that about once a year.

Rusty...I hope you got this the wrong way round. You should always polish after a clay bar, then wax. You can layer good wax on polish, but once you've polished, all the wax is gone so you have to start the process again.

I polish (subject to requirements) about every 4 - 6 months, and wax every 2 - 3 months. Clay bar is only done when it needs it. IMO once it's done, if you keep the wash, polish if necessary and wax regime going another claying will not be required.

The car is in the garage most of the time, so this is certainly not as often as might be required by those who leave it outside and use it 24/7.

Note to everybody.....Clay bar and polish is abrasive and will reduce paint depth, so it must not be done too frequently.

Sorry Roger that's what I meant - adding in polishing after claying but before waxing - wasn't worded brilliantly. I've always wondered how abrasive the clay bar is

Anonymous · May 5, 2006, 18:56

Quote from: "Bluey"Just hi-jacking the thread slightly s:P s:P

Roger, have you ever tried/used any of the so called waterless cleaning
products? if so what did you think?

I tried some on a different car last weekend and I have to admit I was quite impressed with the result, I cleaned and polished the whole car without using any water!

I can't speak for Roger but personally I think these are a bad idea unless the car is pretty clean anyway. When washing a car you want lots of water to flush / lift the dirt without it being rubbed against the paintwork. With no water I would say theres a much greater chance of scratches and swirls. I must admit to never having tried these products and so can't speak from experience s:)

s:)

Stifler · May 6, 2006, 16:23

Well i have just finished washing, polishing and waxing and all i can say is Holee sh*t!!!

Meguirs is the business!, i bought the gold shampoo and wax (left the clay for now) and a meguirs cloth, the results are truly breathtaking, i will use nothing else from now on!

I doubt it rolled out the factory looking as shiny as it does now! s8)

s8)

Thanks for all the help guys s:)

s:)

Two's Company · May 6, 2006, 17:19

Quote from: "Stifler"the results are truly breathtaking

I'm glad you're happy with the result. s8)

s8)

A black car can be made to look amazing depending upon how far you want to take it. s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

This is what can be achieved on a black car with the right products and knowhow;

m http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4835 m

I think you might have to join the forum to see these pics.

roger · May 7, 2006, 10:48

Stifler, glad you are happy. Meguiars is definitely better than your average offerings to Joe public - but I can guarantee you (as Steve and I have found), do a bit of investigating, spend a bit more money (yet again) and you can get it even better. s:D

s:D

roger · May 7, 2006, 10:50

Quote from: "Bluey"Just hi-jacking the thread slightly s:P s:P

Roger, have you ever tried/used any of the so called waterless cleaning
products? if so what did you think?

I tried some on a different car last weekend and I have to admit I was quite impressed with the result, I cleaned and polished the whole car without using any water!

No never tried them, and TBH I don't think I want to.

As Rusty says, water is your friend to get all the grit, gunk etc off the car before you do the finishing.

philster_d · May 16, 2006, 12:26

Ordered my polisher + some products thanks for the tips.

Phil