# Rich's cheap and easy but great results detailing routine



## RichDean (Nov 24, 2009)

Hey guys,

I just thought I'd share the detailing routine that's worked really well for me over the past couple of years. I'm sure some of the expert/professional detailers on here may frown on it as it's not terribly high-level, but I'm one of those people who wants their car looking as shiny as possible for as long as possible, without spending hours out the back every Saturday. I'm busy man! I also don't want to spend a fortune on exotic waxes or equipment.

So here's the routine, the products I use, and a few rules I live by:

*I use a wash mit, not a sponge*
Sponges are flat and press grit onto your paintwork, sponges aren't, and don't. Shimples.

*I use the two bucket method*
For those unfamiliar, the two bucket method is when you fill up your first bucket with hot water and add your chosen shampoo, then you fill up a second bucket with just clean hot water. You apply the hot soapy water from the first bucket to clean your car, but before you apply more soapy water, you rinse your wash mit in the second bucket with clean water before applying more soapy water. This helps to remove dirt and grit from your wash mit and will save your paintwork.

*I use a microfibre drying towel, not a chamois leather*
Chamois take ages to dry your car, they don't wash out very well, they're just crap.

*I use a hose, not a pressure washer*
Unless it's low pressure, a pressure washer justs blasts grit into the paintwork. I know, because I've done it.

Here's a list of all the items I use (obviously these can be substituted for different ones, but these are my preferred items):

2 x red buckets from Halfords = £3

Any microfibre or sheepskin wash mit = £9 
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/sonus-sheepskin-wash-mitt/prod_32.html

Halfords sponge (for the wheels) = £1.50

Britemax Clean Max car shampoo = £11 
http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/britemax_clean_max_9.html

Meguiars Water Magnate microfibre drying towel = £14
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_199187_langId_-1_categoryId_165609

Britemax #6 Spray & Shine detailing spray = £11
http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/britemax_spray_shine_9.html

Autoglym Super Resin Polish = £10
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/pre-wax-cleaners/autoglym-super-resin-polish/prod_742.html

Carlack Nano Systematic Care = £31 (part of a kit)
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/complete-detailing-kits/collinite-476s-carlack-kit/prod_408.html

Collinite 476s Super Doublecoat Wax = £31 (part of a kit)
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/complete-detailing-kits/collinite-476s-carlack-kit/prod_408.html

Autoglym Car Glass Polish = £5
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/engine-and-exterior/autogylm-car-glass-polish/prod_748.html

Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care = £6
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/interior/autoglym-vinyl-and-rubber-care/prod_746.html

Meguiars Supreme Shine microfibre polishing clothes (pack of three) = £16
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_200389_langId_-1_categoryId_165609

*Total cost: £117.50*
Might seem like a lot, but they will last for ages and you wont be using them all the time.

*Main Detailing Routine (I do this every 3-6 months)*
This detailing routine is based around the Carlack/Collinite pack from Clean Your Car, and is designed to give your paintwork a good protective sealant, one that will last for months. The point is that you do this lengthy detailing session once in a while and then just maintain it the rest of the time.


1. Lightly hose down your car to remove surface dirt and clean using the two bucket method mentioned above. Use the Britemax shampoo and the sheepskin wash mit to wash the paintwork. There should then be enough soapy water left to wash the wheels and wheel arches with the sponge. When you're done, lightly hose down the car again to remove the soapy water.

2. Dry the car paintwork with the Meguiars Water Magnate drying towel, though don't use this on the wheels, let them dry naturally.

3. Apply the Autoglym Super Resin Polish to the whole car using a soft damp cloth. Wait for it to dry, then buff it off using one of the Meguiars Supreme Shine polishing cloths. You can apply and buff the polish to one panel at a time, but this takes ages! The polish should remove surface dirt and other impurities on the paintwork. The polish doesn't really seal the paintwork that well, so I personally would avoid ever just polishing on its own without a sealant or wax on the top.

4. Apply the Carlack Nano Systematic Care with the sponge pad provided in the kit. You'll need to damp the sponge first. The Carlack Nano is some clever micro-polymer sealant that is designed to clean the paintwork and form a protective sealant. it comes out quite watery and you'd be forgiven for thinking that you're not putting enough on, but you only need to apply a thin coat. I like to leave it for 15-20 minutes to dry to a haze before I buff it off with one of the pink polishing clothes provided with the kit.

5. Apply the Collinite Wax with the round pad provided. The Collinite is a hard wax and provides a really strong protective sealant to the car, and gives it a super glossy finish. My paintwork is literally like glass when I use this stuff. If you've got time, apply two coats, but be warned, it's pretty hard to buff off, so be prepared to have a sore arm at the end! Once it's dried to a haze, buff off with one of the Meguiars polishing clothes.

6. Apply the Autoglym Car Glass polish to your glasswork. This stuff is a bit tricky to apply and you have to be quick otherwise you will get crusty white powder everywhere. I use just a roll of kitchen towel to apply and buff. Squeeze a blob to the kitchen towel and apply to the windows, then flip the kitchen towel over to a dry part and buff off before the polish has a chance to dry. It leaves the windows looking really shiny and clear.

7. Apply the Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber Care to your tyres and other black plastics on the body work. I find you can just spray this stuff onto the tyres directly then use some more kitchen roll to wipe off the overspill from your wheels, while buffing off any water marks from when you washed them earlier. I use a soft damp cloth to apply it to the plastics, being careful not to get any onto the paintwork.

8. (Optional) Give the car a spray over with the Britemax #6 Spray & Shine detailing spray and buff off as it dries. This isn't essential, but one thing I've noticed about the Carlack/Collinite combo is that they seem to create a bit of static, and so in the first week after applying dust seems stick to the car more than normal. The Britemax spray is anti-static, and so helps to avoid this.

This routine should leave your care looking showroom clean, and the best part is that the Carlack Nano and Collinite wax are so hard waring, you wont have to do it again for months!

*Maintenance Routine (I do this every two weeks)*
Once you've done the main detailing routine above, you just need to keep the car clean. I find the best way to do this is below:


1. Wash the car as in step 1 above.

2. Dry the car. Use the Meguiars Water Magnate drying towel as you would above, but this time as you dry, spray the Britemax #6 Spray & Shine detailing spray onto the paintwork. This is a liquid kind of wax, and so by applying it and then drying it off, you're quickly and easily applying a topup coat of wax to keep your paintwork looking slick.

3, 4 & 5 You don't need to do these steps.

6. Apply the Autoglym Car Glass Polish - as above.

7. Apply the Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care - as above.

So by doing all the hard work once in a while, the maintenance routines should be really quick and easy, saving you a lot of time and effort, and hopefully a bit of money too!


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

> 3. Apply the Autoglym Super Resin Polish to the whole car using a soft damp cloth. Wait for it to dry, then buff it off using one of the Meguiars Supreme Shine polishing cloths. You can apply and buff the polish to one panel at a time, but this takes ages!


If you polish the whole car and it's even vaguely warm it dries far too quickly and it's an arse to buff off. Much easier to do a panel at a time.

I've not used Carlack before, but it's described in your link as a paint cleaner. You would use this to remove any previous product from the car, so the wax has the best base for application. The autoglym SRP is a polish, but it also uses filler compounds to fill (quite effectively) small swirls. Surely using a paint cleaner AFTER this removes the fillers. You would hope it would if it's good.

I'd use those 2 products in the opposite order.


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## RichDean (Nov 24, 2009)

Hey Hark

Good points, to be honest using both the Autoglym SRP and Carlack Nano both together is perhaps a bit OCD.

They both clean the paintwork and they both give a level of sealant, but from using them both its always seemed to me that the SRP is weighed more towards the cleaning part and less towards the sealant part, whereas the Carlack Nano seems to be weighted the other way round, and seems to give a much more noticeable seal after, so it seemed like the best way was to use the SRP first to clean and Carlack Nano to seal. The SRP does fill in swirls, but the Collinite wax also does a good job of this so this part wasn't so important to me.

I'm sure you could use them the other way round though, or possible just use one without the other.


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Hark said:


> I've not used Carlack before, but it's described in your link as a paint cleaner. You would use this to remove any previous product from the car, so the wax has the best base for application. The autoglym SRP is a polish, but it also uses filler compounds to fill (quite effectively) small swirls. Surely using a paint cleaner AFTER this removes the fillers. You would hope it would if it's good.
> 
> I'd use those 2 products in the opposite order.


EXCEPT... that the CarLack NSC also applies a swirl-filling coating of its own in the form of an acrylic coating. It'll remove tar so may remove the SRP. Then again the SRP probably removes the NSC. I have both, and have no idea which order to use them in. They probably remove each other so either way is P'ing against the wind.


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## sixdoublesix (Nov 3, 2009)

No detailing brush on that shopping list!?


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

I think if it's only a 6 monthly thing that you could argue it's not over the top. I've done mine over the last few days and despite washing the car twice and then fetching loads off with a clay bar, the paint cleaner fetched even more off, before I moved on to polish. SRP is very underated I think.

I had some new goodies arrive today. Some dodo Supernatural Wax and some liquid leather scuff kit and cleaner.


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## RichDean (Nov 24, 2009)

> by sixdoublesix » Yesterday, 15:09
> 
> No detailing brush on that shopping list!?


To be honest I never use one. Do you mean a detailing brush to remove excess polish dust and the like? If so then this is definitely a good idea and something that would be good to add, though I never use one myself, instead I use one of the microfibre polishing clothes to give the car a brush down at the end.



> by Hark » Yesterday, 17:08
> 
> I think if it's only a 6 monthly thing that you could argue it's not over the top. I've done mine over the last few days and despite washing the car twice and then fetching loads off with a clay bar, the paint cleaner fetched even more off, before I moved on to polish. SRP is very underated I think.
> 
> I had some new goodies arrive today. Some dodo Supernatural Wax and some liquid leather scuff kit and cleaner.


Definitely agree, I haven't got the balls to use a clay bar, so for me the SRP is the next best thing at getting the paint back to clean.

Let me know how you get on with the liquid leather scuff kit. I've already got LL cleaner and conditioner and was going to give the seats a good clean this weekend. I've also got a bit of wear on the bolsters, so I've just ordered the Scuffmaster kit off ebay as I've heard good things: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Audi-Car-TT-A...CarParts_SM&hash=item4aa5b04008#ht_2884wt_907

I'll let you know how I get on with mine.


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## sixdoublesix (Nov 3, 2009)

Your post above appeared in full on the homepage? weird?

Yes both, a detailing brush for inside to clean the vents and dashpod dials (inset bit, not actual needles etc) and for outside, to clean sections that a cloth cant reach, little nooks, like, around badges


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

RichDean said:


> Definitely agree, I haven't got the balls to use a clay bar, so for me the SRP is the next best thing at getting the paint back to clean.


I felt like that mate, but it really is fool proof and makes a big difference to the paint work.

As long as you use loads of quick detailer to keep it lubricated and keep rotating the clay to get a clean side, you can't go wrong. Don't use in direct sunlight as it dries out very quickly. Worth doing mate. I seem to generally use a whole bottle of QD when doing it.

Be good to see some pictures of your clean car.


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## SteveTDCi (Nov 10, 2009)

I went on a dodo juice training day yesterday so just to add my 2p, polishes and wax/sealents are two different things, so the polish usually contains some kind of abrasives and fillers, SRP is such a product and while it does offer some protection it does not do the same as a wax/sealent. On top of the polish you should apply something that will protect the paintwork, so something like collinte 476, using another product that contains abrasives and fillers is pointless as you are not offering any protection.

Before applying the polish you should start with a decontamination wash and strip off all existing wax, ideally you shoule do this 2-3 times per year although this depends on the area the car is left and the durability of the wax you are using.


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## RICHJWALL (Apr 11, 2011)

Your link was sent to me by a friend and i have now tried the 2 bucket method with the micro towel. Well i must say what a differance. The Wash / wax bucket has no dirt in it right down to the last drop and the clean water bucket is no longer clean with all the grit etc, which i used to put back on the car. I have now got a wash mit and will try this instead of my usual soft wash brush, in the same method.
Its nice to use something new which works as people say it will.

Thanks Rich


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## SteveTDCi (Nov 10, 2009)

how about ...

http://www.monzacarcare.com/towels--pad ... sh-mitt/0/

but i'm going to try one of these next ....

http://www.monzacarcare.com/dodo-access ... -sponge/0/


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

Finally finished my exterior detail today.

Used Dodo Super Natural for the first time and was very impressed with initial look and how easy it was to use.


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## SteveTDCi (Nov 10, 2009)

Hark said:


> Finally finished my exterior detail today.
> 
> Used Dodo Super Natural for the first time and was very impressed with initial look and how easy it was to use.


its good stuff, you don't need to top it up between washes though, red mist should give a little extra protection if you need it.


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## amiTT (Jul 24, 2007)

I can achieve the same in about £40 worth of spending...

_Any microfibre or sheepskin wash mit = £9_
Costco do a 3 pack microfibre wash mitt for £12

_Halfords sponge (for the wheels) = £1.50_
Use a microfibre cloth, can get into the nooks and crannies a lot easier than with a sponge, again costco do a 36 pack for £12 odd...

_Britemax Clean Max car shampoo = £11_
Use johnsons baby bath (blue bottle) on offer all the time in supermarkets £3 a bottle and usually BOGOF

_Meguiars Water Magnate microfibre drying towel = £14_
Use a microfibre cloth again...

_Britemax #6 Spray & Shine detailing spray = £11_
20ml of "Demon Shine" concentrate with 480ml water makes an ideal detailing spray, from the 1l bottle of "Demon Shine" that will make up enough bottles to last the lifetime of the car. £10 1l bottle makes god knows how much!

_Autoglym Super Resin Polish = £10_
not bad, but my favourite all in one product at the minute is AutoBrite Cherry Glaze, no dusting and doesnt stain black plastics, also a lot less goes a lot further. £6 for 500ml
_
Carlack Nano Systematic Care = £31 (part of a kit)_
not needed if using either SRP, or AB CG, or can be used instead if you feel the need to spend that much on an all in one product.

_Collinite 476s Super Doublecoat Wax = £31 (part of a kit)_
This I agree with. If you want something cheaper and easier to work with, Meguiars #16 can be purchased for about £12, or another favourite being AG HD Wax at approximately £40

_Autoglym Car Glass Polish = £5_
detailing spray made from the above works a treat on windows inside and out.

_Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care = £6_
Cherry Glaze from above works wonders on black plastics...

_Meguiars Supreme Shine microfibre polishing clothes (pack of three) = £16_
MF Cloths from above again no need...

To be honest, the whole 2 bucket method is a bit of a myth, I have never used it, and have never inflicted swirls on any car I have owned. I detail and correct any car I own at purchase, and it stays that way for the duration of ownership. I do approximately 30k miles a year so none of my cars have been garage queens, they are just cleaned regularly and care is taken during the whole process.


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