[D_Fizzle]

I'll try to keep this short and try not to bore you all to death before you can advise me; basically I got my car last March, a 56 plate Alabaster Silver 2.2 SE, previous owners being (originally) an accounting firm and a woman with no interest in cars whatsoever. As you can imagine, the car has never had a serious wash and the bodywork is peppered with chips and scratches.

After reading a bit on here I've decided that I really should get in the habit of taking good care of the car but I don't know what basics I need and I can't find any kind of comprehensive list and I'm easily confused.

I can't afford to go mad but as long as the stuff is good VFM then I'm happy to spend a bit of my hard earned.

I have buckets, a wash mitt, a karcher, lots of microfibre cloths, Auto Glym polish, Gtechniq C4 and access to a Sealey rotary polishing machine (though it needs a new foam head). I know nothing about what order to wash in, or even what stages of wash to do. I've come up with a short list of things I should buy:

• 2 Grit guards
• Shampoo
• Wax/Sealant
• Bilt Hamber clay
• IronX
  
  Possibly these too:
• Valet Pro snow foam
• Foam lance (though pushing the budget here)

Check out the attached images to see some of what I've got to correct. I'm not sure what the best course of action is for the paint chips, respray? I've stuck some touch up paint in for now to protect things a bit but it's not lacquered so will come off with a bit of care and elbow grease. EDIT: Forgot to say that two of the pics (the red tinted ones) have reflections of my house wall I used to bounce the flash off, they're not paint marks! The only lines are the ones leading up to the wing mirror I think caused by the label on a microfibre Won't be making that mistake again.

Any advice welcome!

 

[robbo51]

This what I would do: (With PW and Snow Foam Lance ( A MUST GET!!)
Rinse
Snow Foam (Leave to dwell 5 to 10 mins)
Rinse
2 Bucket wash with a good car shampoo and MF mitt
Rinse
Treat wheels with Bilberry Wheel cleaner
IronX
Rinse

Clay
Rinse again
Dry
Polish with GTechnik P1
IPA Wipe down
Wax or Sealer

 

[wanner69]

+1 spot on robbo

 

[-kev-]

as above, grit guards not needed though so thats a few ££'s saved

 

[D_Fizzle]

Yikes this could be expensive!

Any thoughts on the paint chips?

 

[stevey_p7]

Or just pay to have it detailed like I did. Let someone else do the hard work for you. And do a proper job of it (not that I'm saying your not capable ;-))

http://www.civinfo.com/forum/cleaning/68006-stevey_p7s-1-8-civic-type-s-gets-magic-treatment.html

 

[leepickering16]

Or just pay to have it detailed like I did. Let someone else do the hard work for you. And do a proper job of it (not that I'm saying your not capable ;-))

http://www.civinfo.com/forum/cleaning/68006-stevey_p7s-1-8-civic-type-s-gets-magic-treatment.html

omg.

 

[D_Fizzle]

Or just pay to have it detailed like I did. Let someone else do the hard work for you. And do a proper job of it (not that I'm saying your not capable ;-))

http://www.civinfo.com/forum/cleaning/68006-stevey_p7s-1-8-civic-type-s-gets-magic-treatment.html

Ha, cheers! That thread actually started me off with this. I would like to do it myself because:

A: it's only an SE, nothing fancy
B: I like doing things myself
C: if I buy stuff it'll last more than one wash (and I'm a cheapskate)

Still, it would be very nice to have it pampered like yours

 

[Magic]

You'd struggle to replicate Ste's car exactly, especially on a budget, because the wax used to finish it is £200's worth!! But I'm glad I inspired you - that's why I shared the thread tbh! And because people say you can't do anything with silver.

A good starter kit will probably cost you around £100. You'd need two buckets, a decent sheepskin wash mitt, small tub of shampoo, a couple of drying towels, some work microfibres, a couple of buffing microfibres, quick detailer / gloss enhancer, a sealant of your choice, a panel pot of wax, some wheel cleaner and a couple of brushes. Snow foam is optional, as is a pressure washer - both of these would take you into £200+ with the rest of the stuff..