MG4 Detailing Thread - Other Models/Marques welcome!

[Deleted member 9692]

there’s no risk of swirl marks

Or proper cleaning….

 

[jpk]

Are there any reverse osmosis filters/machines you can buy and install to connect a pressure washer to?

 

[drivethru]

Good idea to start this thread.

I would not really call myself a detailer, more of an obsessive weekend warrior. I have watched a number of YouTube videos and there are a couple of guys whose channels I subscribe to as I like their style.

One is a Canadian guy called Pan and the other guy, Jon, has a channel called Forensic Detailing.

There are many channels that show you how to wash your car but after watching them i have developed my own quick was routine which I do every week and then a maintenance wash every third wash. I will also do a deep clean every few months.

Would be good to know your quick wash routine. Please do kindly share.

 

[RichardC]

Would be good to know your quick wash routine. Please do kindly share.

This is my routine:
1. Wheels and Tyres

2. Pre Wash with Snowfoam.

3. Rinse

4. Contact Wash

5. Dry car with towel and apply Quick Detailer

6. Clean Glass

7. Vacuum Carpets and Seats

8. Wipe down interior surfaces with interior detailer

9. Apply air freshener.

Others may do it differently and I usually do the final 3 on another day.

I also have a maintenance routine which replaces the 3rd or 4th quick wash - I will post this later.

 

[johnb80]

I use a Karcher hot pressure washer, snowfoam, shampoo etc for many years and I've always been pleased with the results. Recently I purchased 'Ceramic Boost' from Sams detailing along with a drying cloth and it turned out better than I could hope for. It works exactly as shown in the video below, it leaves a very well polished feel to the paintwork and drying the car after washing is a two minute job.

Ceramic Boost™

Description Spray on and rinse off to get an extremely hydrophobic effect on your paintwork, windows and wheels. Protection can last up to 3 months. 1. Remember to always test the product on an inconspicuous area first. Do not apply on hot panels or in direct sunlight, if unsure then you should...

www.samsdetailing.co.uk

Absolutely fantastic product.

 

[bowfer]

I use a Karcher hot pressure washer, snowfoam, shampoo etc for many years and I've always been pleased with the results. Recently I purchased 'Ceramic Boost' from Sams detailing along with a drying cloth and it turned out better than I could hope for. It works exactly as shown in the video below, it leaves a very well polished feel to the paintwork and drying the car after washing is a two minute job.

Ceramic Boost™

Description Spray on and rinse off to get an extremely hydrophobic effect on your paintwork, windows and wheels. Protection can last up to 3 months. 1. Remember to always test the product on an inconspicuous area first. Do not apply on hot panels or in direct sunlight, if unsure then you should...

www.samsdetailing.co.uk

Absolutely fantastic product.

I seem to be getting the same effect with EZ ceramic shampoo.

 

[jpk]

I did a bit of research on RO/0ppm filters and I'm considering this

Race Glaze Water Filter (14 Litre) - Race Glaze

Make your car washing easier - race Glaze professional water filters leave no white water spots and no need to dry the car. Saves time and reduces marring and drying risks.

raceglaze.co.uk

Not sure if this is overkill and if the 7 litre option will be enough. I'm thinking I'll rinse with this after my monthly application of bilt hamber touch on then dry with my car blower. Should allow good sheeting so expect easier and faster contactless drying!

 

[Deleted member 9692]

Are there any reverse osmosis filters/machines you can buy and install to connect a pressure washer to?

I did a bit of research on RO/0ppm filters and I'm considering this

Race Glaze Water Filter (14 Litre) - Race Glaze

Make your car washing easier - race Glaze professional water filters leave no white water spots and no need to dry the car. Saves time and reduces marring and drying risks.

raceglaze.co.uk

Not sure if this is overkill and if the 7 litre option will be enough. I'm thinking I'll rinse with this after my monthly application of bilt hamber touch on then dry with my car blower. Should allow good sheeting so expect easier and faster contactless drying!

With my RO/DI machine, it produces 100 gallons of pure water per day. I do get this output but when you see it in action it’s a trickle and not enough to feed a pressure washer by any stretch. That’s why I store the pure water in a water butt and run the pressure washer from that.

You can get commercial systems that would feed a p/w but cost prohibitive unless you are setting up a breaking bad style car wash, have an A1 day.

I did purchase an 11 litre DI vessel that you fill with resin originally. You can connect that to the p/w but the problem then is you are forcing the water to flow through faster and this means the DI process is not so effective. If you are getting one, I would go for the 11 litre and I would connect to a hose for final rinse, not the pressure washer. It works really well but depending on the TDS level of your input water, you may find the resin doesn’t last that long. If you don’t have one, suggest get a TDS meter so you know what you’re dealing with.

DI vessel - pros: quick and easy setup, portable, easy to use. Cons: resin may not last as long as you hope and it’s not cheap, not good for feeding pressure washer

RO/DI system - pros: lots and lots of pure water, can feed stored water to p/w. Cons: More involved to set up, higher outlay (but not silly, mine was circa £375 all in), need water storage for pure water and ideally waste water also (unless you want to pour all of that down the drain)

 

[jpk]

With my RO/DI machine, it produces 100 gallons of pure water per day. I do get this output but when you see it in action it’s a trickle and not enough to feed a pressure washer by any stretch. That’s why I store the pure water in a water butt and run the pressure washer from that.

You can get commercial systems that would feed a p/w but cost prohibitive unless you are setting up a breaking bad style car wash, have an A1 day.

I did purchase an 11 litre DI vessel that you fill with resin originally. You can connect that to the p/w but the problem then is you are forcing the water to flow through faster and this means the DI process is not so effective. If you are getting one, I would go for the 11 litre and I would connect to a hose for final rinse, not the pressure washer. It works really well but depending on the TDS level of your input water, you may find the resin doesn’t last that long. If you don’t have one, suggest get a TDS meter so you know what you’re dealing with.

DI vessel - pros: quick and easy setup, portable, easy to use. Cons: resin may not last as long as you hope and it’s not cheap, not good for feeding pressure washer

RO/DI system - pros: lots and lots of pure water, can feed stored water to p/w. Cons: More involved to set up, higher outlay (but not silly, mine was circa £375 all in), need water storage for pure water and ideally waste water also (unless you want to our all of that down the drain)

I had a good feeling just from my limited research that I wouldn't be able to run my own direct from the di filter I linked but it seems that I'd only need to rinse with the 0ppm water so I'd do all my wash routine and rinse with the PW then just connect the filter and standard hose pipe to finally rinse the pw water off.

 

[Deleted member 9692]

I had a good feeling just from my limited research that I wouldn't be able to run my own direct from the di filter I linked but it seems that I'd only need to rinse with the 0ppm water so I'd do all my wash routine and rinse with the PW then just connect the filter and standard hose pipe to finally rinse the pw water off.

I have a Vyair 11 litre vessel for sale, I haven’t advertised yet. I can work out the postage tonight if you are interested

 

[bowfer]

Step too far for me there lads.
No way I’m buying a fancy water system.
I’ll stick with the massive drying cloth that almost snaps the clothes line when I put it up to dry.

 

[Deleted member 9692]

Step too far for me there lads.
No way I’m buying a fancy water system.
I’ll stick with the massive drying cloth that almost snaps the clothes line when I put it up to dry.

You're using a drying cloth after your touchless procedure?

 

[bowfer]

You're using a drying cloth after your touchless procedure?

Noooo, don’t be daft
Touchless I sometimes use a leaf blower or just a quick blast around the block.

 

[Deleted member 9692]

Noooo, don’t be daft
Touchless I sometimes use a leaf blower or just a quick blast around the block.

TFFT

 

[Ian Key]

Here's my car wash routine which is less nerdy than some but in my opinion strikes a balance between obsessive and couldn't care less.

Pressure wash
Autoglym Polar Foam
Cuppa and a biscuit
Rinse off
Wash with Autoglym Conditioning Shampoo using a noodle sponge
Rinse off
Towel dry with big yellow car towels
Cuppa and a biscuit reprise
Dry door, tailgate and bonnet jams with microfibre cloths
Blacken the tyres with Autoglym Trye Dressing

The following day...
Vacuum the inside
Clean the interior plastics with ArmorAll Semi Matt protectant
Remove fingerprints from screens with lens wipes
Clean the glass inside and out

Wax twice a year with Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax

 

[PeteC]

Here's my car wash routine which is less nerdy than some but in my opinion strikes a balance between obsessive and couldn't care less.

Pressure wash
Autoglym Polar Foam
Cuppa and a biscuit
Rinse off
Wash with Autoglym Conditioning Shampoo using a noodle sponge
Rinse off
Towel dry with big yellow car towels
Cuppa and a biscuit reprise
Dry door, tailgate and bonnet jams with microfibre cloths
Blacken the tyres with Autoglym Trye Dressing

The following day...
Vacuum the inside
Clean the interior plastics with ArmorAll Semi Matt protectant
Remove fingerprints from screens with lens wipes
Clean the glass inside and out

Wax twice a year with Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax

What, no cuppa or biscuit on the second day?

 

[Ian Key]

What, no cuppa or biscuit on the second day?

I new there was something

 

[jpk]

I have a Vyair 11 litre vessel for sale, I haven’t advertised yet. I can work out the postage tonight if you are interested

I'm in Manchester M18, let me know what you'd like for it and what fittings or extras it might come with please

 

[Deleted member 9692]

Here's my car wash routine which is less nerdy than some but in my opinion strikes a balance between obsessive and couldn't care less.

Pressure wash
Autoglym Polar Foam
Cuppa and a biscuit
Rinse off
Wash with Autoglym Conditioning Shampoo using a noodle sponge
Rinse off
Towel dry with big yellow car towels
Cuppa and a biscuit reprise
Dry door, tailgate and bonnet jams with microfibre cloths
Blacken the tyres with Autoglym Trye Dressing

The following day...
Vacuum the inside
Clean the interior plastics with ArmorAll Semi Matt protectant
Remove fingerprints from screens with lens wipes
Clean the glass inside and out

Wax twice a year with Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax

Nice routine albeit with the huge mistake of no tea on day 2 as others have pointed out.

You may though have invited the “should I pressure wash before snow foam” debate. I’m staying out of it

I'm in Manchester M18, let me know what you'd like for it and what fittings or extras it might come with please

Forgot to weigh it last night (without resin of course). It’s 6 months old and in as new condition, comes fitted with male hose lock connectors in and out. I’ll put it on the scales tonight. It cost me 69.99 and I’m thinking £35 plus postage. No worries if it’s not for you, I’ll stick it on classifieds.

 

[Kithmo]

Am I the only one who doesn't want water to bead on my car ?
I find beading causes spots, I prefer the water to sheet off.