[xenon]

Gotcha, thanks. Might give it a bash when the new car arrives.

[johnboysafc]

Originally Posted by Beemer5to3

Always the same in the north east! I'm hoping the graft I put in will see me just having to do easy maintenance washes from now until it warms up!

I moved to Cumbria and live very rural, so multiply north east roads by 100 lol !!

[Froggie401]

Smashing job. Looks great.

I managed a quick snow foam, wash and dry at the weekend. I'm afraid to do a proper contact wash in case I get swirls. I recently bought a Blo Car Dryer Air and while it's a slow enough process it leaves a nice water mark free finish.

[Jim_330e]

Nice job, looks great.

How did you find the Meguairs liquid wax to use? What's the expected life span?

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by Froggie401

Smashing job. Looks great.

I managed a quick snow foam, wash and dry at the weekend. I'm afraid to do a proper contact wash in case I get swirls. I recently bought a Blo Car Dryer Air and while it's a slow enough process it leaves a nice water mark free finish.

If you use the right products and wash the car carefully you'll be fine. Some tips I'd recommend:

1) Use a pre-wash (Auto Finesse Dynamite I mentioned in the post) before snow foaming, which will really help get rid of the harsher dirt.

2) Use a soft noodle type of microfibre wash mitt, using the 2 bucket method (one for suds, one for rinse), and always wash the top two thirds of the car before the dirtier bits at the bottom, and always clean your wheels separately.

3) Use a microfibre drying towel gently, and never a chamois.

Originally Posted by Jim_330e

Nice job, looks great.

How did you find the Meguairs liquid wax to use? What's the expected life span?

It's fantastic stuff to apply - one of the easiest out there. On with a Meguiars foam applicator pad, leave to cure for 5 mins and then buff off. It doesn't haze like other products so it's so easy to buff off.

If applied to a properly prepared surface, I.e freshly polished and wiped down after with an IPA panel wipe before applying, you should get 6 months of protection. You'll be doing maintenance washes in that period anyway, which you can top up the protection with their Ceramic Spray wax.

[isleaiw1]

That looks great, but its a lot of hard work...

I ended up with mine looking like this for almost zero effort

Products used - auto glym, and a few notes.....

[xenon]

That RS4 looks epic.

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by xenon

That RS4 looks epic.

Thanks - I like it and in truth not much more a month than a heavily specced M340iT as the residuals are so much better...

(you can see the son in laws in shot, its also a great car, but for the extra I preferred the Audi)

[eforty6_m3]

Car came out great...good work!!

[RichE91]

Originally Posted by Beemer5to3

Cheers! Gyeon stuff is decent - what have you gone with? It was cold up in the north east today, but nice and clear so I jumped at the change to try out my new polisher and polishes!

Going to give the new Bathe+ a try. I’ve also got iron, tyre cleaner, can coat, cure, leather coat, new bucket, new mitt, snow foam, wet coat and q2 glas coat. It’s going to be a long day but we’ll worth it.

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by RichE91

Going to give the new Bathe+ a try. I’ve also got iron, tyre cleaner, can coat, cure, leather coat, new bucket, new mitt, snow foam, wet coat and q2 glas coat. It’s going to be a long day but we’ll worth it.

Definitely worth it! Over the moon with mine. I've only tried their wet coat, but was very impressed by it.

[johnboysafc]

Originally Posted by RichE91

Going to give the new Bathe+ a try. I’ve also got iron, tyre cleaner, can coat, cure, leather coat, new bucket, new mitt, snow foam, wet coat and q2 glas coat. It’s going to be a long day but we’ll worth it.

I use both Bathe+ and Wet Coat
Bathe+ doesn't give many suds, bet excellent product, then wet coat when rinsed works brilliantly
I blow dry the car it's so hydrophobic it runs off and drys super quick

[andy5468]

I have a set of 20 inch black alloys. Any advice on what to use to shine up the black and protect the alloys?

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by andy5468

I have a set of 20 inch black alloys. Any advice on what to use to shine up the black and protect the alloys?

Are they scratched or do you just mean as a sealant / coating?

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by andy5468

I have a set of 20 inch black alloys. Any advice on what to use to shine up the black and protect the alloys?

My previous cars were ceramic coated and whilst this one hasnt been yet, I expect they will use the Gtechniq product for alloys they have used before, helps make them easy to clean....

For the experts on here, anything special recommended for white paint over and above the norm I have had applied before (its metallic white if that matters..)

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

My previous cars were ceramic coated and whilst this one hasnt been yet, I expect they will use the Gtechniq product for alloys they have used before, helps make them easy to clean....

For the experts on here, anything special recommended for white paint over and above the norm I have had applied before (its metallic white if that matters..)

It probably depends on how much you wash your car as to what to do.

Ceramic coatings are great if done properly by a professional, but also very expensive. I did all the work on my car myself, and maintenance wash every couple of weeks so negates the need for ceramic coating in my opinion. All I'd say is avoid your local £6 car washes!

If you're doing it yourself, then something like Meguiars Ceramic liquid wax / ceramic spray will keep it protected if maintained correctly. If applied correctly you're looking at 4-6 months protection.

[OM3RTA]

Beemer5to3 Excellent result sir!

Anyone on here ever went the de-ionised water route?

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by Beemer5to3

It probably depends on how much you wash your car as to what to do.

Ceramic coatings are great if done properly by a professional, but also very expensive. I did all the work on my car myself, and maintenance wash every couple of weeks so negates the need for ceramic coating in my opinion. All I'd say is avoid your local £6 car washes!

If you're doing it yourself, then something like Meguiars Ceramic liquid wax / ceramic spray will keep it protected if maintained correctly. If applied correctly you're looking at 4-6 months protection.

I cant remember the last time I washed my car myself. Had the SQ5 and M5 ceramic coated (GTechniq CSL in both cases) and then the kind man who ceramic coated it would come and do a maintenance wash every 6 weeks.... Havent got the RS4 coated yet and wondering whether I should be looking at something different this time, given its a very different colour, and well, you dont know what you dont know....

[Jim_330e]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

I cant remember the last time I washed my car myself. Had the SQ5 and M5 ceramic coated (GTechniq CSL in both cases) and then the kind man who ceramic coated it would come and do a maintenance wash every 6 weeks.... Havent got the RS4 coated yet and wondering whether I should be looking at something different this time, given its a very different colour, and well, you dont know what you dont know....

I'm guessing the kind man also relieved you of some hard-earned cash for each visit

[andy5468]

Originally Posted by Beemer5to3

Are they scratched or do you just mean as a sealant / coating?

They are in pretty good nick and no scratches. I want to keep them that way. Would also like a nice glossy coat / sealant on them. Although clean, the black is rather dull.

Alloys as shown in my avatar.

Any recommendations for a good product for the job?

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

I cant remember the last time I washed my car myself. Had the SQ5 and M5 ceramic coated (GTechniq CSL in both cases) and then the kind man who ceramic coated it would come and do a maintenance wash every 6 weeks.... Havent got the RS4 coated yet and wondering whether I should be looking at something different this time, given its a very different colour, and well, you dont know what you dont know....

With that level of time between maintenance washes I'd definitely go down the ceramic coating route as they're extremely durable. If you've had them before then you'll know they'll massively enhance the gloss, helped by the fact they will machine polish it beforehand. A lot of people think it's the sealant that gives the car that amazing gloss, and while they will enhance gloss, it's the polishing stage that actually gives the gloss on the paint. You can only enhance what you have in the first place!

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by andy5468

They are in pretty good nick and no scratches. I want to keep them that way. Would also like a nice glossy coat / sealant on them. Although clean, the black is rather dull.

Alloys as shown in my avatar.

Any recommendations for a good product for the job?

Depends what you can be bothered to do! I actually use Turtlewax Seal n Shine (Sealant) on my wheels and it really helps stop the brake dust sticking, and if I'm in a rush i just use a quick few sprays of Meguiars ceramic spray wax.

There are alloy wheel specific sealants, but again it depends on how much effort you're willing to put in & how much you wash your car. If the gloss black finish is looking dull, then they may need a polish too.