Buying New Equipment

[Stevie-Boy]

Hi all, wanted some advice on buying some new products and a pressure washer. Was hoping for a little clarification on whether I'm doing the right thing. I've spent some time reading up so hopefully I'm not too far off the mark.

 

I have a silver 350z and I love cleaning it. I've gotten a little more into this and used a clay mitt and polishes and wax but I'd like to be able to go a bit further. I'm wanting to buy a pressure washer too. I'm using a Bilt Hamber wax currently. I'd love to try a snow foam too.

 

My thoughts for buying are:

 

Nilfisk C130

Find a snow foam attachment

Bilt Hamber snow foam

PoorBoys White Diamond

 

Could use advice on best polish to go with that as I currently have Meguiars.

 

I'm guessing all you guys use a pressure washer on the car?

 

Thank you for any advice to follow.

[Strudul]

Personal opinion is that snow foam is a gimmick and waste of water / money / time. All it does is act as a pre-wash to remove some dirt before you do your actual wash.

Edited May 29, 2017 by Strudul

[Stevie-Boy]

Interesting. You'd still buy a pressure washer either way though?

[Strudul]

Yeh, I still have and use my Karcher. Makes pre and post-wash rinsing faster and more effective.

[Stevie-Boy]

Have seen Argos are doing a Nilfisk Titan 120 for 99.99 which seems a really good buy.

 

Might seem a silly question but having never owned one before, it looks like you have to have your own hose to plug between tap and unit?

[Jay84]

Although some of them on here don't use pressure washers stating that the high pressure can push dirt and grit in, and use only low pressure water. There are a couple of threads about peoples preferred methods, slow water, double bucket etc.

[Strudul]

 

Hose is extra if you don't already have a garden hose with suitable connectors.

Edited May 29, 2017 by Strudul

[Stevie-Boy]

Ha ha love that diagram!! Needs a key though to denote which items you need to already own

[Strudul]

*Water, car, tap, hose, and electricity not included.

Edited May 29, 2017 by Strudul

[Stevie-Boy]

Ha ha thanks for that. It's a shame they don't include a hose because it's the only item stopping it being used straight from the box.

[Strudul]

There might be a package that includes a hose, but I'd have thought most people already have a garden hose, so it would be surplus to requirements for the majority.

[Stevie-Boy]

Fair play yeah

[Dracostan]

The advice I've always heeded with pressure washers was - most commercial washers don't have high enough pressure to do any serious damage. In any case always use at a shallow angle to the panel, never straight on, to prevent potential 'blow-in' of any dirt/particles.

I have a Karcher K2 Compact (https://www.kaercher...t-16731220.html) and have never had any issues of damage, even with the notoriously thin paint of the NIssans - I also have the foam lance attachment for pseudo snow-foaming!

 

Snow foam is a good thing for getting a start on sticky residues, like tree sap, bird poo and brake dust on wheels, but is no replacement for a good car shampoo and the required elbow grease of the two bucket method (& a stiff wheel brush). Claying will lift any remaining sticky, then a final rinse and chamois dry.

Edited May 29, 2017 by Dracostan

[ilogikal1]

Personal opinion is that snow foam is a gimmick and waste of water / money / time. All it does is act as a pre-wash to remove some dirt before you do your actual wash.

 

Sorry, I'm intrigued by this... what exactly do you expect snow foam to do?

[Strudul]

Personal opinion is that snow foam is a gimmick and waste of water / money / time. All it does is act as a pre-wash to remove some dirt before you do your actual wash.

Sorry, I'm intrigued by this... what exactly do you expect snow foam to do?

My understanding is that it will loosen some of the dirt which you will rinse off, so when you come to do your proper wash your car starts off a bit cleaner. This means slightly less work and chance of rubbing dirt into the paint causing scratches and your mitt won't get as dirty, so you don't have to rinse it / replace your water as often. However, the benefits are offset by the extra time / cost required to do it in the first place, you still have to put effort into the main wash, and your car won't be any cleaner in the end.

 

Unless you car is absolutely filthy, a quick rinse before washing is more than enough.

[ilogikal1]

Hi all, wanted some advice on buying some new products and a pressure washer. Was hoping for a little clarification on whether I'm doing the right thing. I've spent some time reading up so hopefully I'm not too far off the mark.

 

I have a silver 350z and I love cleaning it. I've gotten a little more into this and used a clay mitt and polishes and wax but I'd like to be able to go a bit further. I'm wanting to buy a pressure washer too. I'm using a Bilt Hamber wax currently. I'd love to try a snow foam too.

 

My thoughts for buying are:

 

Nilfisk C130

Find a snow foam attachment

Bilt Hamber snow foam

PoorBoys White Diamond

 

Could use advice on best polish to go with that as I currently have Meguiars.

 

I'm guessing all you guys use a pressure washer on the car?

 

Thank you for any advice to follow.

 

Good choices of products there. I've been using a Nilfisk C110 for years and it's never let me down. The C130 with a proper foam lance will serve you well.

 

Bilt Hamber is one of the best foams you can buy, so again good choice.

 

White Diamond/Black Hole are both very good filler glazes when combined with a carnauba wax. One question, which BH wax are you using, specifically?

 

Best polish will be determined by whether you're working by hand or machine, what you're attempting to achieve and budget, mainly. Assuming you'll be working by hand (as you haven't mentioned a machine polisher), I'd recommend Scholl S20 & S30+ for two stage polishing on tangerine and/or crimson Lake Country pads.

That little lot should serve you as well as you'll do by hand.

[crute/higgins350z]

Just a quick reply to say the soft 99 stuff is really good for a polish (imo) Japanese polish for Japanese cars. (Makes sense if you think about it)

[ilogikal1]

My understanding is that it will loosen some of the dirt which you will rinse off, so when you come to do your proper wash your car starts off a bit cleaner. This means slightly less work and chance of rubbing dirt into the paint causing scratches and your mitt won't get as dirty, so you don't have to rinse it / replace your water as often. However, the benefits are offset by the extra time / cost required to do it in the first place, you still have to put effort into the main wash, and your car won't be any cleaner in the end.

 

Unless you car is absolutely filthy, a quick rinse before washing is more than enough.

 

That's exactly what it's for, it's a pre-wash after all. The point is not to save time or money per se, but rather reduce/eliminate the damage you'll do by rubbing larger quantities of loose grit and debris across the paintwork. It's about the car being cleaner before the contact wash, not after. A good pre-wash is virtually essential unless you want to be polishing the paintwork every 2/3 months or you wash the car every time there's the slightest hint of traffic film and/or dust touching the car, much less settling on it.

 

A "quick rinse" simply doesn't remove anywhere near the same amount of dirt as a proper pre-wash when used correctly - as demonstrated here; the sections that were merely rinsed are visibly dirtier all round.

[Strudul]

Nowt wrong with doing a snow foam and it's undeniably better to do so, I just don't think it's worth it.

Edited May 29, 2017 by Strudul

[ilogikal1]

Nowt wrong with doing a snow foam and it's undeniably better to do so, I just don't think it's worth it.

 

Yeah, sorry, now I've stepped down from my soapbox I can see that's what you were saying from the outset.

 

I think I've demonstrated it's more than just a gimmick, but appreciate that the cost doesn't necessarily make the best option for everyone depending on your level of interest in detailing.

[Stevie-Boy]

I'm using Bilt Hamber double speed wax at the moment.

 

Thank you for the tips above. Do you think the Nilfisk Titan 120 from Argos is a good buy for 100 quids?

 

So for a really good amateur step up, we're saying after the washing and drying is done:

 

Scholl 20

Scholl 30+

PoorBoys White Diamond

Bilt Hamber Wax

 

I think I'm missing a sealant.

 

Is there one product that would be good to do the job of the 20 and 30+ in one go?

 

Rightly said, I have no machine polisher. Never tried one before so I do it all by hand.

[Stevie-Boy]

Oh, one of the questions asked was what I was trying to achieve would be a factor in product choice.

 

I clean more than the average person but I'm evidently no expert. I enjoy cleaning the car though so I don't need a product to last all year or twice a year etc.

 

I like to be able to stand back at the end and see how deep the shine looks. A really nice eye catching shine on the day is more important to me than how long it will last before needing done again.

 

Also, I'm not the strongest person so something that goes on easy and comes off easy is good as I'd get knackered buffing for ages and doing all the stages.

 

Cost is less important to me really.

[Stevie-Boy]

Will buy this today unless anyone says there is better for similar coin

 

Nilfisk C110 7-5 Xtra C Pressure Washer - Blue https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MRWOSJE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_x5elzb8MV1TDY

[ilogikal1]

In that case I'd replace the polish and White Diamond for a good AIO product - AF Tripple is very good, Rejuvinate has a bit more cut and less filler so choice would be dependant on how much correction you're after really.

 

If your car is currently in need of a lot of correction, you're best off getting it polished by a professional and investing in safe wash techniques rather than polish. That and White Diamond should see you good for a while.

[Stevie-Boy]

Car is in great condition and the paint is lovely. I just like keeping it nice rather than the fact it needs sorting out