paint and plastic protection

ok up to this year i had no idea what detailing was, but upon ordering this car, i thought i may want to try and look after it. so i started loitering through some car detailing forums trying to work out what to use to wash and wax my new car, and more importantly what to use to try and protect the paint, plastic and rubber from the spanish sun.
so i now have some:

for cleaning:

Valet Pro PH Neutral Snow Foam
dodo juice ph neutral car wash
Meguiar's Clay and Detailing Spray

for protecting:

CarLack 68 Nano
Finish Kare 1000P Hi Temp Sealent
Finish Kare 2685 Pink Paste Wax

Finish Kare 108 Top Kote: for plastics and tires for now but may use some G-Techniq for the plastic trim in the future

testing it out on my old car at the moment, my arms are killing me, so may have to look in to a polisher as well.
mind you once the hard work is done, it should be a case of just using a snowfoam wash once in a while to get the same finish, and do the wax and sealant once every 6 months or so.

would be nice to hear what any experts think of these product combos. or i will let you know how they stand up over time. once i get my car that is!

Rootsboy.

My lad is anal regarding car cleaning and has all the tools a valeter uses, when he cleans his car it takes him about a day.

He tends to use snowfoam and the power washer.

I on the other hand like clean cars but like to use my time for other thing. Via various forums I have discovered the two bucket method. One bucket has the warm water with Meguiars (or whatever shampoo you choose), the other bucket has cold water for rinsing your mitten.

Claying will remove grease.

First hose off the main dirt/dust then dip your mitten in the shampoo bucket and work on a panel at a time, each time you finish putting the shampoo on the panel dip your mitten into the cold water bucket and rub the mitten free of debris.

This is supposed to prevent swirl marks on the paint.

I do tend to borrow my lads detailing spray to finish things off, I'm quite happy with this method.

Hi Rootsboy, I agree with the above post by Evo-king using two bucket method.
I have been using the snow foam- same make as you mentioned but I only use it if extremely dirty.
The 'Car Lack 68' I am very familiar with, and used it from new on our Scirocco.It took 2 days to prep the car after picking it up from dealers. Using a PC Dual Action polisher I did it in three stages :-
1)Sonus Final Finishing polish- very fine compond to remove the maks the dealer had left from polishing
2)Car-Lack 68 to get the glossy wet look that normally only comes from metallic paints by making the top coat (laquer)of the solid white really shine.
3) final coat of carnauba wax (I used chemical guys 50/50 wax) but anything decent will do for the depth of shine.
Here is the result two years on from new:-

The Meguiars two bucket method is what i use normally with a couple of good wash mits. Ive also just reordered some more Poorboys wheel sealant for the wheels (see link) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290555055519?s...1439.l2649 I use for the paint form good carnabua wax. This has kept my D4 like new for the last 2 years if washed gently without over soaping the wash bucket when dirty.

Pete

Here is another shot showing the reflection that is possible on white paint if you are prepared to put in the effort:-

So what's wrong with an old rag and some washing-up liquid stolen from the missus? works fine for 99% of the population and you get a lot of Squeezy for the price of most of the chemicals you guys are using...........

The two bucket method is the best to keep swirls to a minimum - Good quality shampoo and wash mitt and a good drying towel - Protection varies for each person - for the winter a sealent would be my option rather than a wax -

Washing up liquid has its uses but not for an everyday wash !

I am a convert to Swisswax after years of experimenting with lots of different products. I gave my car a full machine polish with a moderate compound to remove some very fine scratches (mainly on the solid black A, B and C window pillars) then used Swisswax Cleaner Fluid Regular to clean all of the paintwork in preparation for applying the wax protection. I put two coats of Swisswax Onyx onto the paint and allowed it to cure for around 15-20 minutes before buffing off each time. It can also be used on all off the plastic trim to protect it. I treated the wheels with Swisswax Wheel Wax and the glass with Swisswax Crystal. Their products are very easy to use. I also use diluted G-techniq C2 Liquid Crystal after washing and drying the car as quick detailer. It has nano technology and forms a further bond over any wax you put on. Water beads brilliantly on the car and this process makes washing it a doddle.

Here are some pics of how it looks.

   
   
   

Wow. The car looks great. Where do you all find the time to (a) know so much about car cleaning products; and (b) actually clean your cars so thoroughly??

I think I'll be taking mine down the road to be cleaned - not sure the standard will match the TLC going on on this forum though!

Thanks for the compliment.

I've always looked after my cars and wash them by hand rather than using car washes (either the hand wash £5 jobs or the mechanical ones). It's not really difficult but having the right products makes a huge difference as does how you initially prepare the car. If you invest the time to do it correctly at the start it makes ongoing washing pretty easy as the dirt doesn't stick so easily to the paint in winter and flies don't get baked on it the summer. There are some easy to follow video guides online that can help.