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Top down?

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DonDon

Member
North Hampshire - the original and best
I am just starting to clean my car more thoroughly and have gone for the Autoglym Polar Blast, Wash and Seal products (before looking on here for recommendations) :oops:

They very clearly say for all three products to start at the bottom of the car and work upwards. I have seen on here to start at the top and that makes more sense to me.

Why would they propose the opposite?
 
DonDon said:
I am just starting to clean my car more thoroughly and have gone for the Autoglym Polar Blast, Wash and Seal products (before looking on here for recommendations) :oops:

They very clearly say for all three products to start at the bottom of the car and work upwards. I have seen on here to start at the top and that makes more sense to me.

Why would they propose the opposite?
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Never understood it either, but have heard a theory that if you start at the top it could dry and leave smears before you finish, but if you start at the bottom it gets constantly wetted as you work your way up. No idea if that is a valid reason but I always start at the top anyway. :wink:
 
I do all wheels first (by that I mean sit on stool and clean properly with various brushes. No, not that kind of stool) then body top to bottom.
 
Cant see the logic of cleaning the bottom of the car just to have all the muck from the top then run down it?
 
I do the wheels first (on a stool) then snow foam and do bottom to top, it removes the worst of the crap first and it keeps the bottom of the car wet as you clean the remainder, I used to do top to bottom, my mates a valeter and he said that bottom to top is the correct way
 
The reason for the top down as I understand it, is that if you are using a single wash mitt and you start at the bottom, this is the dirtiest part of the car as its closer to the road surface. Starting at the bottom means more contamination in your mitt as you use it from the off. So start top and work your way down. Another benefit is that if you start at the bottom and go up, dirty offwash will drip down onto your clean lower part of the car.

Snow foams help to loosen stuff up and clean away grime. I also water blast the wheel arches and clean the wheels as this is happening (use a different mitt for the wheels).
 
I entirely agree - it seems obvious. I can't understand why Autoglym say the opposite and show it in their videos.
 
From the years I spent reading up on detailing world this seemed to be the best way .

Snow foam - start at the bottom and work your way up as it gives the foam more time to "dwell" on the mucky sills .

Wash - start from the top and work your way down leaving the sills until last as they have the most muck . Check state of water and change if needed.

At the end of the day for washing just use your common sense and if you are not using a grit guard in your wash bucket change the water frequently . Keep the washing mitt and water clean . :thumbsup:
 
I would definitely add into the process, using a clay mitt every 3-6 months.
Its easy and safe to use and the difference it makes to water running off the car, debris not sticking to it etc.
 
Last year I picked up a Foam gun so that is my starting point. After a high pressure rinse ,I wash (with Autoglym and a mitt) from drivers side front in a clockwise direction top, bottom or whatever comes first, rinsing each section as I go and end with a drying towel. My problem is the foam does such a good job, I mostly cant be bothered with the washing bit and just give it a good rinse and dry. I clean the wheels before the drying but occasionally use Bilt hamber wheel cleaner which then means they go before the foam. Might not be the right way but it's a step up from fairy liquid and an old pair of pants.
 
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