UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Hi guys,

How often does everyone wash and wax their cars to protect their paint? I try to to get it done once a week.
Do you use any special products and what do you recommend?

Had mine machine polished at Deluxe Detailing (to remove swirls and marring) and then coated with IGL Quartz (ceramic) which adds a hard protective layer to the paintwork and provides amazing shine. Better than when new. Water beads off and dirt is easy to remove. Good for at least 2 years protection before a top up is required. Not cheap, but dramatically reduces risk of adding swirls to the paintwork during washing and drying.

When washing I use a PH neutral shampoo (Krystal Kleen Choccy Wash) and use a soft wool cleaning pad. I usually wash once a week and, when I do dry, I use a large microfibre cloth.

My rinse water is fed via a DI pressure vessel which removes nearly all particulates/salts from the water such that there's no real need to dry the car (no water marks left on the paint surface when the water dries)

Angelwax H2Go on the glass to repel water (once every 3 months).

IGL Dash is great for covering marks on interior plastics without adding excessive shine

I wash my car maybe 5 times a year.

When you think about it most paint damage occurs when washing it.

I machine polish my car usually every 12-18 months and it’s currently ‘wearing’ a couple of coats of Fusso Coat Dark 12 Months Wax. It’s actually a sealant rather than a wax, and is highly hydrophobic - very impressive water beading and water just rolls off the paintwork. Realistically I’ve found it offers a good six months protection, but type of shampoo used will be a factor in durability of a sealant or wax (I use a ph neutral shampoo that doesn’t strip sealants or waxes off the paintwork).

For a good value wax with good durability, I really like Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. I believe it’s effectively the liquid version of Collinite’s 476s paste wax. Collinite 845 is very easy to apply and buff off, and I’ve managed to get 6 months protection before needing to top it up.

It’s important to decontaminate the paintwork (iron fallout remover, tar remover and if necessary, claying) before applying a sealant or wax to maximise the bonding properties of the product to the car’s paintwork. Apply the sealant or wax with a sponge applicator pad, and buff off with soft microfibre cloths.

Dink wrote: Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:53 pm When you think about it most paint damage occurs when washing it.

This is very true, although the key to minimising paint damage (scratches, marring and swirls) when washing your car is having a careful, effective washing technique, and as little contact with the paintwork as possible. A good pre-wash stage as a first step will remove most of the dirt before any contact is made with the paintwork during the wash stage.

I usually wash my car every 7-10 days and my wash technique is (and current products used);
- prewash stage; apply snowfoam (Valet Pro Ph Neutral snow foam) with lance attached to pressure washer and leave to dwell for around 10 mins
- while the snow foam is doing its thing, I clean the door shuts, grilles, brake calipers, chrome exhaust tailpipes and other intricate parts with soft bristle detailing brush
- wash the wheels with dedicated microfibre wheel mitt and clean the wheel barrels with Wheel Woolies (Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo)
- pressure wash rinse car to remove any remaining snowfoam
- wash stage: two bucket wash (I use 3; the extra one for washing the wheels), with lambs wool wash mitt and a ph neutral shampoo (currently using Chemical Guys Extreme Bodywash and Wax shampoo). Grit guards in the bottom of the buckets to trap any grit picked up in the wash mitt and stop it being reapplied (inflicting swirls) to the paintwork
- rinse wth open ended hose to sheet the water off the car, so leaving as little water as possible on the paintwork to dry off. There’ll be very little water left if the car is well protected with a good layer of sealant or wax.
- dry remaining water off the car with Metro Vac Sidekick Blaster warm air dryer. Pat dry any remaining water with microfibre drying towels (avoid rubbing dry, as this can inflict marring and swirls)
- clean glass (Autoglym Fast Glass)
- dress tyres and black plastic trim (Finishkare Top Kote Tire Dressing)

This is mine just after I’ve machine polished it and applied two coats of Fusso;

I ceramic coated my car 2 years ago with Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light and Exo V2 (now revised to v4), and it looks still as good as it did after polishing it 2 years ago, with I'd say very very few scratches have been incurred, It's good for 5 years. I also wash weekly.

I agree with SRGTD, the most important step of keeping a great shine and looking 100% is the weekly wash with the proper technique as this is where 90% of scratches and swirls will be put on the car or completely avoided. I haven't tried the Fusso wax or collonite (i've heard extremely good things though), as I prefer Ceramic Coats and Sio2 infused waxes, due to working on construction sites I need maximum protection.

As a new owner I booked my car into the local vehicle detailer (actually took it in this morning). They wash it properly, clay bar it and will apply a ceramic coating (Gyeon - Q2 Mohs). Not cheap but it does provide a first layer of protection which is easy to clean.

I had my last car prepared the same was and it was great for the 2 years I had it and it still looked fab when I got rid even though it was 10 years old. The only thing I did was wash it with 'Optimum No Rinse - Wash & Wax' around once every 2 weeks during the Summer and much less often in the off-Summer months (I didn't wash it at all for around 3 months of the year).

No Rinse is not for the purists but it's better than taking your car to a hand or automated wash. You just need two buckets filled with water, some No Rinse and 2 or 3 microfibre clothes ('edgeless work towels') and a proper drying towel. Wet a cloth with no rinse, lightly wipe a section of a panel, rinse the cloth in the other bucket containing only water. Do the same again then use the towel to dry the section you've just cleaned. Rinse and repeat Start on the roof, and move around the car, getting lower until you have finished the car. It took me around 25 mins to do my Audi A3 once I'd perfected the process.

I probably fly in the face of public opinion by doing the wheels last. I don't jet wash them and I pre-treat the wheels and the tyres with non-stick chemicals which makes the process less messy.

If you are not familiar with the 2-bucket method of washing that would be my first port of call (youtube). You'll be surprised at how clean the bucket with cleaner is at the end compared to the bucket you use to rinse the cloth.

fleagal wrote: Mon Nov 19, 2018 2:57 pm As a new owner I booked my car into the local vehicle detailer (actually took it in this morning). They wash it properly, clay bar it and will apply a ceramic coating (Gyeon - Q2 Mohs). Not cheap but it does provide a first layer of protection which is easy to clean.

I had my last car prepared the same was and it was great for the 2 years I had it and it still looked fab when I got rid even though it was 10 years old. The only thing I did was wash it with 'Optimum No Rinse - Wash & Wax' around once every 2 weeks during the Summer and much less often in the off-Summer months (I didn't wash it at all for around 3 months of the year).

No Rinse is not for the purists but it's better than taking your car to a hand or automated wash. You just need two buckets filled with water, some No Rinse and 2 or 3 microfibre clothes ('edgeless work towels') and a proper drying towel. Wet a cloth with no rinse, lightly wipe a section of a panel, rinse the cloth in the other bucket containing only water. Do the same again then use the towel to dry the section you've just cleaned. Rinse and repeat Start on the roof, and move around the car, getting lower until you have finished the car. It took me around 25 mins to do my Audi A3 once I'd perfected the process.

I probably fly in the face of public opinion by doing the wheels last. I don't jet wash them and I pre-treat the wheels and the tyres with non-stick chemicals which makes the process less messy.

If you are not familiar with the 2-bucket method of washing that would be my first port of call (youtube). You'll be surprised at how clean the bucket with cleaner is at the end compared to the bucket you use to rinse the cloth.

Your Local Detailer should advise you that you shouldn't use shampoos containing wax on your Gyeon (very good stuff, you'll love it). Although my question is why use waterless wash? I tried it once, but threw it out after one panel as it scratched it.

Your Local Detailer should advise you that you shouldn't use shampoos containing wax on your Gyeon (very good stuff, you'll love it). Although my question is why use waterless wash? I tried it once, but threw it out after one panel as it scratched it.

I hadn't realised I was to avoid shampoos with additives after having a Gyeon coating. Thanks for the heads-up.

I previously used No Rinse and then upgraded to No Rinse with wax on my previous car which also had a coating (not Gyeon) and it always looked fine. I never scratched a panel during the wash but I was always very gentle. The soaked cloth would seem to melt away the dirt, I'd rinse the cloth, do the same section again then dry. Always looked great although I may not be as fastidious as some others.

The main reason I used waterless wash is due to speed and convenience. Getting two buckets of water, a few clothes and a towel is a lot quicker that getting hose, jet washer, snow lance, sprays etc.

As a consequence I clean the car more often which means it's less dirty when I start and the task is much quicker. Granted, it's a compromise but better than a supermarket hand wash or automatic car wash.

fleagal wrote: Thu Nov 22, 2018 12:53 pm

Your Local Detailer should advise you that you shouldn't use shampoos containing wax on your Gyeon (very good stuff, you'll love it). Although my question is why use waterless wash? I tried it once, but threw it out after one panel as it scratched it.

I hadn't realised I was to avoid shampoos with additives after having a Gyeon coating. Thanks for the heads-up.

I previously used No Rinse and then upgraded to No Rinse with wax on my previous car which also had a coating (not Gyeon) and it always looked fine. I never scratched a panel during the wash but I was always very gentle. The soaked cloth would seem to melt away the dirt, I'd rinse the cloth, do the same section again then dry. Always looked great although I may not be as fastidious as some others.

The main reason I used waterless wash is due to speed and convenience. Getting two buckets of water, a few clothes and a towel is a lot quicker that getting hose, jet washer, snow lance, sprays etc.

As a consequence I clean the car more often which means it's less dirty when I start and the task is much quicker. Granted, it's a compromise but better than a supermarket hand wash or automatic car wash.

You ideally you should use Gyeon Bathe+, currently I use Bathe Essence (just higher concentrated) and it's 4 pumps for a super foamy 20L bucket. By no means is the wax bad for the coating, it just gets in the way of the self-cleaning abilities so just lessens it's properties so you can still use up any you still have!

Fair enough I can see why it's less work it was no work when i tested it, I always have my stuff close the the garage door so it's really just a matter of open the door and go! Got the polo down to 30 minutes start to finish, unfortunately it doesn't include the interior