marzman Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 Hey guys, I have a few questions which I could use some guidance on please. I'm well out of touch in the detailing world as it's been a good 4 years or so since i've had a car worth washing myself. Snow foam lance - I have a Nilfisk with a stock foam bottle. It kind of works, but the snow foam only stays on the car for < 10 seconds. Whats the cheapest option for a propper one which will work with my Nilfisk? Wax it Wet or equivalent - I was always a big fan of the spray on Wax it Wet-type products. i.e. wash the car, and during drying you spray on the wax and wipe off with a microfibre cloth. I cant seem to find anything like this in Halfords anymore. I can find spray on wax, but the car needs to be dry before applying and it needs buffing off afterwards. Any suggestions please? I've been using a Demon Shine product, but it's more of a short term shine rather than a wax. Wheel sealant - Any recommended products to seal my wheels and make future cleaning easier? Lastly - where's a good place to buy products from, other than eBay or Halfords? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 For your snow foam lance, these style ones do decent foam (with the right pressure and snow foam) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KEW-NILFISK-ALTO-SNOW-FOAM-LANCE-AND-1LTR-BOTTLE-FITTED-WITH-BRASS-ADAPTOR/251608271109?epid=680840714&hash=item3a95058905:g:Z8sAAOSwAHZUP6tT This style seem pretty generic, just find one that’s definitely Nilfisk friendly and order it. They look like they all come from the same factory to me. Personally I CBA with waxing that often, so I tend to use sealants. I use Sonax Xtreme Brilliant Shine Detailer at the wet stage, mainly because it’s grabby on dry paint, but also because it’s a doddle to use with wet paint and it leaves a decent shine with good longevity (given the ease of application). Some people find it streaks but I’m not one of them. It pretends to be a quick detailer, but I have it on good authority it’s more sealantesque. If you want genuine wax quality finish, I haven’t found anything as good as actually waxing, for that really deep, dripping wet look. If if you want something incredible that works in the wet and requires next to no effort, check out this voodoo magic http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/gyeon-q2m-wetcoat.html For wheels, lots of people like http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/sealants/finishkare-1000p-hi-temp-sealant/prod_589.html It’s an insanely huge amount at a very reasonable price, I don’t think anyone has ever used a full tin! As for suppliers, check out Forum Trader https://waxandshine.co.uk/ but also I use Polished Bliss a lot. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 If waxing is something you like to avoid then wash the car with Gyeon Bathe+ it lays down a hydrophobic layer that works like a wax just by washing the car and is miles better than any wash/wax efforts out there (and gets the Ilogikal stamp of approval too). GTechniq C5 Wheel Armour is amazing stuff if you dont mind throwing a bit of cash at looking after the wheels. There are forum traders that sell stuff, you can also use Polished Bliss which has free postage. Don't walk into Halford's and buy a basket full from there (autoglym and Megs is mostly bang average), about 95% of the stuff is a waste of time, most things worth having aren't sat on the shelf there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 http://www.envycarcare.co.uk/shop/finishing/speed-gloss/ That’s all you need. Foam the car, wash the car, then whilst it’s still wet spray this stuff on using your foam lance. Leave for 5-10mins, then rinse off and walk away. No need to even touch the damn car, and it lasts for aaaaages too. Chuck it on the whole car, including wheels. One of the best products I’ve ever used both in terms of finish and I-can’t-be-arsed-today-ness 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G1en Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 I sell Carchem spray wax. Can be used wet or dry and sounds like the products you used to buy. Only £5.99 at present. I also sell the Gtechniq C5 ceramic wheel coating and have used this like many others with grest results. Also just taken in the carchem wheel armour if you want an easier and quicker product. Check them out on the website, cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 As G1en mentions above, check out Car Chem offering s from him, specifically Spray Wax if you specifically want a wax or better still HydroCoat. It’s a sealant-almost-coating rather than wax but it’s much less effort than even wet waxing. The alternative would be Gyeon Wetcoat, like HydroCoat but premixed; spray on, pressure wash off, job done. Swap out your current shampoo for Bathe+ and add even more protection. I use & recommend Polished Bliss for Gyeon stuff. In terms of snow foam lances, expect to pay anywhere between £25-45 for a decent lance but there’s little-to-no difference between them so just go for the cheapest you can find. Bin the Demon Shine. Discard the Nilfisk shampoo bottle. Stop going to Halfords altogether. Especially for cleaning stuff! And I don’t really recommend buying chemicals from eBay either, there’s often scant regard for what they’re actually selling and how to handle it and that’s in the seemingly few cases where they’re actually selling what they claim to at all! Stick to reputable retailers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul K Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Slims detailing in Enfield have a fairly decent webservice, and if you happen to be in North London, also have a "walk in Store" www.slimsdetailing.co.uk I think there is also another company (cant recall the name) who also have a walk in store in Nottingham..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/90880/best-car-wash-wax-sprays-2018 Doubt you'd be troubled by purchasing any of the top contenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 A test of durability over 3 weeks, measuring water beading when “relatively dry” for those weeks and putting Halfords stock of spray waxed against rinse aids and QD’s... I’ll say it; I question the validity of that test. might as well have just rated them by how pretty the bottle was! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 (edited) Also tested how quick the water sheeted after application from the panel..... TBF I know its easy to slat turtle wax products, I personally don't know why as a company like this tomorrow could throw millions at a product line and you better believe it could be a winner with that much R&D. Dodo Juice Future Armour Autoglym Rapid Aqua Wax Angelwax Blue Rinse Bilt Hamber auto-qd All of the above premium products tested state, can be used as a 'wax it wet' or drying aid...... Edited June 13, 2018 by davey_83 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Totally forgot about Envy, great shout Dan, all my envy stuff is in big containers in storage, so I've not used it for ages and they slipped my mind. Everything I've used from them has been good, well priced and in decent quantities to boot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 9 hours ago, davey_83 said: Also tested how quick the water sheeted after application from the panel..... TBF I know its easy to slat turtle wax products, I personally don't know why as a company like this tomorrow could throw millions at a product line and you better believe it could be a winner with that much R&D. Dodo Juice Future Armour Autoglym Rapid Aqua Wax Angelwax Blue Rinse Bilt Hamber auto-qd All of the above premium products tested state, can be used as a 'wax it wet' or drying aid...... Turtle Wax throw more money at “reviews” than they do R&D. :lol: So yes, if you consider their budgets, I do believe they would “win” ;) AutoExpress in particular are also known for this. They are not widely considered for their unbiased, independent reviews! BH is a QD. Anglewax is a rinse aid. And AutoGlym is absolutely not a premium product! Can be used as a wax is different from being a wax. See BSD, albeit in reverse. Im not saying any of them are terrible products, by the way, but half of them do something completely different to the purpose of the test. It’s akin to me testing CarPro Iron X against IPA and Fairy Liquid then coming to the conclusion that Iron X is the best fallout remover... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted June 13, 2018 Author Share Posted June 13, 2018 This is mint advice, really happy with this guys, thanks. Got some reading up to do before buying some bits this weekend. Cant wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 Okay the Gyeon Bath+ stuff sounds amazing, but do i have to apply with a bucket and mitt? Can it be applied with a foam lance? I'd like to just snowfoam, rinse and dry if possible as washing the car kills my back for a few days. Is it worth going for the following then, or should i skip the Bathe+ and go from the Snowfoam to the Wetcoat? Car Chem Snow Foam Gyeon Bathe+ Gyeon Wetcoat Then i'm going for: Car Chem Revolt Car Chem Alloy Wheel Armour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 If a regular two bucket wash was too punishing for me, I’d take the pain of doing it thoroughly one time and then get the Wetcoat on to naked(ish) paint for the best possible bond. After that, if it’s too much to wash, you can top up the wetcoat after each snowfoam and rinse, just using your pressure washer. It’s not ideal, but you’ve got constraints you’ve got to work within. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 In those circumstances I would skip the expense of Bathe+ (using via a foam lance would either dilute it too much to be effective or use an obscene amount) and just stick to Wetcoat instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 1 hour ago, marzman said: I'd like to just snowfoam, rinse and dry if possible as washing the car kills my back for a few days. I find it takes no more effort to run a mitt over the car compared to a drying towel? Ultimately to have to touch everywhere with both tasks....... Bring a chair out and place the bucket on that to save bending down to it each time. For sections of the car below the waistline, squat with a straight back is best practice regardless. Just trying to give tips given me, as my little brother details for a living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 Yeah good shout... sounds like a plan. Okay so i've bought the following this evening: From eBay Foam Lance From G1en@Waxandshine Car Chem Snowfoam 1L Car Chem Revolt 500ml Car Chem Alloy Wheel Armour 500ml Car Chem Bug Remover 500ml From www.cleanandshiny.co.uk (The only site I could find Gyeon products in stock!) Gyeon WetCoat 1L Total spend - approx £69. The only thing i'm a bit concerned about is that i've possibly cheaped-out on the wheel sealant. Thinking I should have gone with the GTechniq C5 but that was £42 alone, so will see how I get on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 3 minutes ago, davey_83 said: I find it takes no more effort to run a mitt over the car compared to a drying towel? Ultimately to have to touch everywhere with both tasks....... Bring a chair out and place the bucket on that to save bending down to it each time. For sections of the car below the waistline, squat with a straight back is best practice regardless. Just trying to give tips given me, as my little brother details for a living. You've hit the nail on the head, it's the extra bending to the buckets to rinse the mitt and get clean water etc. Typically my back has just enough stamina to snowfoam, rinse, and dry with a microfibre. I'm dead by the time i get to the wheels, but at least I can sit for that. If I have to 2BM wash as well then i'm ruined. I've been popping the codeine like skittles this week since doing a full 2bm wash at the weekend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 (edited) Save you're back and drop to a single BAL bucket with grit gaurd, these hold so much more water the dirty stuff stays at the bottom. Ive used these for years and years and had no issues. PS always final rinse with an open hose to sheet the water away, makes drying a doddle. https://www.toppstiles.co.uk/tprod8768/bal-mixing-bucket-225ltr.html Edited June 14, 2018 by davey_83 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 I got one of these to save my back, if your surface is flat and pot hole free, its dead easy to shuffle around on the wheels. https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/slims-fully-adjustable-multi-shaped-car-creeper-z-l-shaped.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 FWIW I was always a bit unsure about the effectiveness of the TBM, until I cheaped out one day and used just the one bucket on my old car immediately prior to sale as someone was coming to look at it unannounced. The wrap went from still flawless to noticeable swirls in one sitting: I was gutted, and although no one normal would probably notice the difference, once you’re into making your car look good it stuck out like a sore thumb. Always, always, always TBM. It really does make a huge difference! Although I get that your back is stuffed and it’s awkward to do, if you can you’ll notice the difference. If you really can’t, then you need to be looking at getting a proper coating on there imho as at least that’ll be a bit harder to mark up, plus washing time is MASSIVELY reduced so the TBM takes a fraction of the time (like half, in my experience). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 I have to agree with Ekona, TBM makes a massive difference for every single wash. Grit guards are a waste of money as well, they do nothing but encourage unsafe wash technique, frankly. But given it’s the bending over to the bucket that is the problem here there’s no reason to use one bucket instead of two anyway. I would suggest, to save your back, do your snow foam and rinse as usual, then apply the shampoo to the paint work via the foam lance instead of a bucket - it’s best to do so one or two panels at a time or reapplying the shampoo regularly to ensure a safer wash, and make sure you’re still washing out the mit regularly as you go as well. Elevating the bucket is a good shout if you can, even if you then combine the two methods and just have one rinse bucket for the mitt. Open hose with slow running water to encourage sheeting on the final rinse is also good advice, but it might be worth considering a DI filter so you can rinse and walk away without worrying about water spots, no drying needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Consider ceramic coating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 5 hours ago, coldel said: Consider ceramic coating? I've gone off the one on my BRZ, once they scratch, it's there until you're brave enough to wetsand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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