MK5 Golf GTI
General => Detailing => Topic started by: Kevscupra on July 01, 2013, 01:43:18 pm
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A couple of month ago I got myself a fresh car and I've decide to keep this 1 as clean a possible. A fortnight after get the car on the road I bought a load of auto glym products and then washed, clayed, polished and waxed my car. It was the 1st time I used a clay bar and I was very pleased with the results.
Am just wondering what products everybody uses and what products people recommend for cleaning the whole car?
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Poorboy's Natty wax for my monthly wax... Megs microfiber system for a 6 monthly refurb lol. IronX on my wheels...amazing stuff!
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Ironx I read a lot about this, lots of people use it. Where can you buy it from?
After you have used ironx on your wheels what do you seal them with?
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Ebay or any good detailing retailer... Normally re-seal with Poorboys wheel sealer
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Poorboy's Natty wax for my monthly wax... Megs microfiber system for a 6 monthly refurb lol. IronX on my wheels...amazing stuff!
You use Megs MF every 6 months! :surprised: Do you not like your clearcote very much? :grin:
Ironx I read a lot about this, lots of people use it. Where can you buy it from?
After you have used ironx on your wheels what do you seal them with?
I fully detail my car once a year. I don't use anything more than a polishing pad and at most Menzera P085RD 3.02 Polish followed by Menz SF4000 to finish as it was detailed by Miglior about 18 months ago and i try to wash it safely in between.
Once a week (were possible) i wash the car with the 2 bucket method and then dry off using a towel and a quick detailer (generally FK425) to aid the process.
Once a every 3 months i will wash, clay and then wax. I have a few waxes but my go to at the moment is FK Pink Wax.
With regards to Iron-X and wheels. I have seen loads of people using Iron-X wrong. They spray it onto a dirty wheel and then marvel at how purple it goes. However my understanding is that Iron-X is there to be used AFTER the wheel has been cleaned. For me i use AS Smart Wheels, then i use AS Tardis to remove any Tar deposits, then i spray on Iron-X to remove any iron deposits that are left. Finally after that i clay then polish them before i seal with FK1000p.
Do not be suckered into buying GTechniq C5. I did a test on my car which i put GTechinq on the left wheels and FK1000p on the right wheels. I went overseas for 7 months leaving my wife with the car (so it wasn't washed apart from a PW rinse every now and then) the FK1000p performed no different to the C5 and if i am honest a little better.
Don't get me wrong C5 is good if you have nothing else. But as FK1000p can be used on paint (as can C5 but that's a different story) and it's half the price and you get a hoooooooge tin. Then FK1000p is the stuff to buy. I can't comment on other wheel sealants.
If you are going to seal the wheels then i suggest you do what i do above. Time consuming yes, but you should easily get 6mths+ where you only have to PW the wheels for them to be clean again.
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Iron X is very good however there is a cheaper alternative.
Wonder Wheel - Hot wheels
Its honestly the exact same as iron X.
Many of the detialers and body shops on cliosport.net use it on body work as well as wheels.
Can be picked up in supermarkets for mucho cheapness. Think someone found it on special offer in tesco for < £3
great stuff and great reults.
Ive got carbon lorrained pads in my clio and it removed all the disc and pad no problem at all!
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Never used Iron-X but have used Hot Wheels a fair bit... sure does clean them up; but I always feel it's extremely strong/toxic... bought some bilberry wheel cleaner (http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/valet-pro-bilberry-wheel-cleaner/prod_499.html)recently, haven't used it yet but by all accounts a decent wheel cleaner without the acid.
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Correct Bilberry isn't acidic. It's just Alkaline insted :grin:
I used to think Bilberry was good. But Smartwheels is outstanding compared to Bilberry. I was shocked at how good it was and only bought it as it was on offer at the time.
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Correct Bilberry isn't acidic. It's just Alkaline insted :grin:
I used to think Bilberry was good. But Smartwheels is outstanding compared to Bilberry. I was shocked at how good it was and only bought it as it was on offer at the time.
pmsl! :grin:
Where's the Smartwheels at? This it> (http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/autosmart-smart-wheels-acid-free-wheel-cleaner-5-litres.php)
haven't even used the billberry yet and looking at alternatives :rolleye: i know ill use it all anyway, so nothing lost.
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Lol i was the same.
Yes that's the stuff. I use it diluted at 5:1 and it removed 7 months worth of build up on my wheels. Only tar and really stubborn iron depostits were left as they had FK1000p/C5 on them. However you could only see it by getting really close to the wheels.
Invest in a good wheel brush too. Something like a Daytona Speedmaster or a Vikan wheel brush. Megs one's are ok but i found that the little rubber end came off the 2 i had (fortunately i noticed before gouging a wheel. Also i went through 2 of them in the space of about 8 months. Ive had my Daytona Speedmaster for about 18months now and it is still going strong.
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If you have painted wheels , I would avoid putting any sort of cleaners on them.
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If you have painted wheels , I would avoid putting any sort of cleaners on them.
IronX is ok surely it's pH balanced...
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If you have painted wheels , I would avoid putting any sort of cleaners on them.
IronX is ok surely it's pH balanced...
I was advised by two separate detailing company's not to use on mine. just a decent Shampoo and Wheel Woolies is enough to keep them looking new.
would you put IronX on your bodywork???? It's the same isn't it, when you have gloss painted surface and a lacquer finish :wink:
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If I was detailing a car that required it then yes I would use Iron-X on the paint.
It can be used on the paint with no harmful effects whatsoever as long as you are careful.
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If I was detailing a car that required it then yes I would use Iron-X on the paint.
It can be used on the paint with no harmful effects whatsoever as long as you are careful.
I was careful Carl, but it still decided to eat the laquer off my alloys..
I'm sure the O.P's alloys aernt painted so let him crack on.
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If I was detailing a car that required it then yes I would use Iron-X on the paint.
It can be used on the paint with no harmful effects whatsoever as long as you are careful.
I was careful Carl, but it still decided to eat the laquer off my alloys..
I'm sure the O.P's alloys aernt painted so let him crack on.
Not saying you weren't. I was referring to your comment of using it on a car body.
Did you use it on a dry wheel?
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If I was detailing a car that required it then yes I would use Iron-X on the paint.
It can be used on the paint with no harmful effects whatsoever as long as you are careful.
I was careful Carl, but it still decided to eat the laquer off my alloys..
I'm sure the O.P's alloys aernt painted so let him crack on.
Not saying you weren't. I was referring to your comment of using it on a car body.
Did you use it on a dry wheel?
No, it was quite catistropic , completely wrecked 2 of my 4 Detroit's that A1 wheels at Wolverhampton done till they put right 3 months ago.
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I wonder what lacquer they used then :confused:
I've found as long as the wheel or panel is wet then it is fine and always do a test area first to see how it reacts.
That's quite bad if it wrecked them.
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I wonder what lacquer they used then :confused:
I've found as long as the wheel or panel is wet then it is fine and always do a test area first to see how it reacts.
That's quite bad if it wrecked them.
Fortunately they totally refurbed them FOC but I will never use megs Wonder wheels again.Its far to acidic.
I was told IronX was best not used by both company's who I deal with detailing wise not to use it.
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Odd, Most pro detailers use it no problems. :confused:
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I only wax 2 or 3 times a year ...otherwise I wash once or twice a week using two bucket and grit guard method and a wash mit using chemical guys maxi suds then rince and towel dry ..I then use poorboys quick detailer and thats it ...when I detail ive used bilt hambler clay ..menzerna fast gloss .poorboys white diamond glaze ..white natty paste wax ..then sometimes dodo juice hard candy wax
I have used iron x before on wheels but I prefer using a vikan brush with water then just shampoo ...I polish them and seal them and find that does ok as I clean so often
sent using my own fingers
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Odd, Most pro detailers use it no problems. :confused:
Either A1 wheels done a sub standard job or the product destroyed the lacquer for no reason.
A1 wheels are one of the best refurbers from feedback on here over the years, but if your told to weaken the wonder wheels with water, then it must be acidic to a certain degree
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I was referring to Iron-X not wonder wheels :grin:
Iron-X has a PH of 6.5 - 7.0 so is pretty much neutral.
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If I was detailing a car that required it then yes I would use Iron-X on the paint.
It can be used on the paint with no harmful effects whatsoever as long as you are careful.
I was careful Carl, but it still decided to eat the laquer off my alloys..
I'm sure the O.P's alloys aernt painted so let him crack on.
Iron-x'D all of my clio the other week. no effects what-so-ever to the paint.
Just don't let it dry on and you'll be fine. Its a de-contaminant not a wheel cleaner
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So for good results on my wheel I should wash, Tardis, IronX then clay, wash, polish then seal with FK1000p?
Is eBay the best place for cleaning products?
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wash, Tardis, IronX then clay, wash, polish then seal with FK1000p?
I did exactly this (minus tardis as there were no tar spots) on 4 bare Monza 18's. Took quite a long time. I didn't polish them either.
I put on 3 coats of FK1000p. This was a month ago and I washed my wheels for the first time yesterday. What little brake dust there was washed off so easily with a little shampoo.
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Odd about iron-x. Have used it on the pescaras without a problem. Ditto with bodywork. Wonder Wheels and Hot Rims both need dliuting down as they're far too potent.
Tardis is great at removing tar spots before claying. Otherwise claying with shove the tar about and inflict damage on the paintwork.
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I Iron-X'd the paint today on a BMW I'm detailing. Was perfectly fine and pulled quite a lot of fallout off it. I just do one panel at a time. Spray with PW, Spray Iron-X on, leave a couple of minutes, PW off, wash with car shampoo and wash mitt (have a separate mitt for this) then PW rinse and move on.
Probably overkill but better to be safe with it.
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Iron X'd plenty of wheels and car body's this year for my customer's without 1 single problem,used it the other week on my dads brand new 120D M sport without a 2nd thought, it actually says on the bottle its clear coat safe for wheels and bodywork
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What products are a must?
Such as:
Shampoo's
Polish
Paint renovater
Detailing spray
Tyre gels,sprays etc
Wheel cleaners
Tar removers
Clay bars
Pads
Cloths
Towels
And anything else you can think of?..
I'm personally interested also cause I literally have no idea of which products do what and what brands do the best jobs without damaging your paint work.
I know shampoo is a must as fairly liquid is a big no no.. And therefor should be one of or if not the first product to by? But which brands etc as there is so much choice it's hard to choose and its not exactly cheap so some suggestions or a poll for a starting package could be a good idea? Specially for people like myself who are buying these products for the first time and then when we have a basic starting package and learn more as we go along we can add the next step stages to our collection..
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There is no "right choice" for detailing products. Ask 100 detailers and you'll get 100 different answers.
Read the write ups on here and on DW. You can see the processes involved.
I generally recommend getting the car detailed by a pro and then maintaining it whilst you learn about detailing. You would need buckets, shampoo, wash media (eg mitt, sponge), drying towel, maybe a quick detailer and/or wax for topping up.
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How much does hot wheels need diluting by?
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1:4