Cleaning regime

[Busterboo]

Well I can assure you I am no miss daisy neither and my car gets driven hard and fast and I don’t have many stone chips at all! But of course no coating apart from PPF is going to protect against stone chips, what it does provide is a] nice glossy shine b] car stays cleaner and is much easier to clean and c) combined with the right wash techniques reduces the risk of swirls and micro scratches.

It occurs to me now that we may both be wrong: you use a ceramic coating and have few chips and I don't and have lots, so the coating could be more protective than we think.

[Busterboo]

a] nice glossy shine

I wish I'd not had my E89 treated with Autoglym polish, because driving due West at sunset, especially in winter, is terrible.
The reflections from the bonnet are blinding.

Don't you find this?

[coldel]

Ceramic coating does not protect against stone chips, however it is a big upgrade on traditional waxes etc. as a last stage product. It does lots of things from UV protection to preventing etching to paint clarity but it doesn't stop a piece of rock chipping the paintwork when it hits it at 80mph. The difference in bonnet chips is more than likely simply down to the quality of roads in your area and how close you drive up behind other cars more than anything.

On the polish side, remember this is as much for removing swirls and holograms as it is for making a car look shiny. Just because it looks shiny doesn't mean you have done the other job which is to fix those swirls. You will have very limited success when applying a polish by hand, machine polishing is umpteen times more effective. If you really want to go to town get a number of polishes that start with the deeper cutting then finish with a fine finishing polish, the generic all in one polishes are ok but you will get better results with multi stage polishing.

Also note that polishes contain fillers, AG SRP is very well known for this (sorry!) for example and contains a lot of it, so it looks like it has done the job initially but the fillers fail over a short time. Your more dedicated brands with multi stage polish levels will be more effective.

[Busterboo]

The difference in bonnet chips is more than likely simply down to the quality of roads in your area and how close you drive up behind other cars more than anything.

Thank you for this and the rest of your reply, coldel.

Yes, as I've said, the roads round here are poor. As for driving close to other vehicles, though, I don't think I do. (I have noticed, however, the phenomenon of the windscreen sometimes being hit by stones from vehicles going in the opposite direction.)

Your reply suggests you drive a highly polished car. Doesn't your bonnet blind you sometimes?

[coldel]

I only suggest the driving up close as an issue as by default vehicles do flick up debris and the closer you are the more likely you are to take a splattering of it. On a drive out with mates once one of them wheel spinned away from a junction and I was right behind him, my heart dropped hearing all the stones hitting the front of my car lol

I don't get bonnet blindness no, I've never experienced that in any car I have owned. I do live in the city, so maybe low sunsets dont affect me as much and I am never really driving in a westerly direction, most roads around here go in all different directions. The main issue I tend to get is reflection of the dash in the windscreen.

[Pondrew]

I am a cheapskate but I like a clean car so:
One bucket of clean warm water and a sponge first if the car is quite dirty. I omit this stage if it's not bad.
One bucket of warm water, with a capful of the cheapest (screwfix) wash and wax detergent. I use a sponge to wash the car from roof to sills. Then do the outside of the wheels last with the remaining water. Every second or third wash I remove the wheels and wash the insides with the same water. Then clean the brake calipers with a damp microfibre cloth and dry with a separate cloth.

Second (or third) bucket of clean water and wipe over whole car, roof first, with a damp microfibre cloth, rinsing the cloth regularly. After doing one panel, I polish it dry with a clean 'drying cloth' (a large textile soft cloth). Same on all panels, windows and wheels.

Only uses a maximum of three gallons of water and my cars come up as if they have been professionally waxed.

I never use a hose and would not dream of using my pressure washer on any car. I will not pay the local 'Taliban car wash' either.

I use carnuaba wax once in a while just to keep the cars looking nice and shiny.

[plenty]

Many petrol stations have self-serve jetwashes and space for you to park and spend a bit of time.

I bring to the jetwash the following:

- Two buckets
- Spray bottle with APC (all-purpose cleaner)
- Bottle of waterless wash (e.g. Optimum No Rinse)
- 6x2 litres used plastic drink bottles filled with water
- Wheel mitt, wash mitt, various brushes, drying towels

1. Use APC and wheel mitt to clean the wheels (much easier of course if they are coated/sealed). Put 4 litres of water in Bucket #1 and use to rinse wheel mitt.

2. Use APC and brushes to clean door jambs, fuel filler door, edges, plastics, arches etc. Use Bucket #1 to rinse brushes.

3. Use the jetwash to get the loose grime off. Don't use the jetwash brush on your paintwork (it's ok for glass, wheels and undercarriage).

4. Put the remaining 8 litres of water in Bucket No.2 and add waterless wash product.

5. Wash bodywork using wash mitt and Bucket No.2 (a grit guard is a good idea).

6. Dry bodywork and wheels with drying towels.

The above method is easy, can be done anywhere, is faster and easier and gets the car 99% as clean compared to a full routine with pressure washer. If there is access to a tap at the location you don't need to bring any water with you.

[RAYK47]

yeah i have the same feelings towards jet washing, not a fan. Seems to be mixed on if you should use a jet wash or not.

[coldel]

I have the Hydroshot pressure washer but rarely use it now. I just run a hose and for the snow foam attach a bottle and lance to the hose, it does 80% of the same job i.e. remove debris and loose dirt so its not dragged over the paintwork. If you are going to jet wash keep it back at a safe distance and just be aware regular jet washing is going to degrade the quality of your LSP.

Oh and if you like shiny, the shine comes from the polish process, not the wax. The wax will add a little bit of shine, but the majority of it comes from the polish process (hence the name!)

[RAYK47]

[coldel]

https://youtu.be/CeCtO9i9B4A

[RAYK47]

yeah i saw this, that is a crazy shine.

[coldel]

Weirdly the quality comes up pretty bad on YT. But yes that was about 4-5 hours worth. And within a couple of days it looked like crap thanks to wet weather and london driving lol

[RAYK47]

that is demoralising.

[coldel]

Its not so much the shine but keeping the car clean and not having stuff sitting on it for weeks. Its a bit demoralising aesthetically but good to know that you are keeping it in as good condition as you can.