Metallic Phantom Black - Which Products for mirror-like shine?

[a4rxw30tdi]

Hi,

Can anyone advise on which cleaning products are best to use. I'm due to pick up new A4 in Metallic Phantom Black in May!

Used previously Auto Glyn range of polishes (applied with 100% cotton terry towels and buffed off with Micro fiber cloths), but after a while especially in sunlight, noticed a lot of cobweb/ swirls in the paintwork!! (especially when it had come back from an Audi service, they tended to wash it after!!)

If possible, I want to try and avoid this from happening on the new car.

Would like to keep the car looking glossy/shiny & new and protected! Perhaps I caused the swirls on previous car by washing/polishing the car too frequently before (norm 3-4 wks or when dirty and Sunny weekend arrived!!)

I do enjoy cleaning the car - sorry I know it might sound sad to those who don't bother, but I find the result after is very satisying, especially if you can acheive a lasting mirror-like finish without causing swirls!

Would be interested to know what products are best to shine/gleam and gloss paintwork to a mirror like shine, is Auto G the product I should be using on new car?, Would prefer products which are practical & can be applied by hand without use of professional machinary.

Any help/tips advice lists/links would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards
RJW

[2007DBR9]

I just use Halford's car shampoo on mine, (same colour, awsome wchoice of car!) and I take it to the car wash on Sundays, the ones where you wash it yourself, and just use all the stuff there. I gice it a generous wash, about £5 worth.

[squinty]

not sure its the cheapest option, but my brother has recently bought a machine polisher, no tlike one of those 20 quid jobbies from halfords. i am unsure where he got it from but its a meguiars one, with 3 different coarse-ness pads. came with a specific polish for each head also, one smells of bananas, one smells of coconut, cant remember the lst and he got a free micro fibre cloth with it.

it looks like tyhis one

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/S...?ProductId=432

the pack he has got is meant to be good for beginners as the hasshest rating pad is onyl a 6 out of 10, (with 10 being the harshest).

he took it for a test of our dads car the other day, his car is probable getting on for being 10 years old now and has never really had a good valet, so was covered in swirl marks, after doing a section on the bonnet with the car polisher the marks were greatly reduced. from all over to only a few. not nbad considering the age and condition of the car.

[2007DBR9]

If it is a brand new car then the paint should not be damaged, so all you have to do is keep it clean. Oh and make sure you don't do it on the sunlight, and that you clean one side, rinse it, clean the other, rinse it etc. Works for me! Judging from your name I am guessing you ordered a 3.0 TDI? Same as mine, fantastic car! You will not be disappointed

[a4rxw30tdi]

If it is a brand new car then the paint should not be damaged, so all you have to do is keep it clean. Oh and make sure you don't do it on the sunlight, and that you clean one side, rinse it, clean the other, rinse it etc. Works for me! Judging from your name I am guessing you ordered a 3.0 TDI? Same as mine, fantastic car! You will not be disappointed

Hi.. Yes its a 3.0tdi S-line Tip in the Cabriolet! Looking forward to receiving it. What do you use to dry yours off with? I found leathers a bit harsh and get dirty quick, perhaps one of those micro fibre cloths? I recently came accross a brand, quite in-exspensive called, 'Devil Shine' I'm told that spraying this on before drying really shines... Any ideas? Would this cause swirls I wonder?

[a4rxw30tdi]

not sure its the cheapest option, but my brother has recently bought a machine polisher, no tlike one of those 20 quid jobbies from halfords. i am unsure where he got it from but its a meguiars one, with 3 different coarse-ness pads. came with a specific polish for each head also, one smells of bananas, one smells of coconut, cant remember the lst and he got a free micro fibre cloth with it.

it looks like tyhis one

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/S...?ProductId=432

the pack he has got is meant to be good for beginners as the hasshest rating pad is onyl a 6 out of 10, (with 10 being the harshest).

he took it for a test of our dads car the other day, his car is probable getting on for being 10 years old now and has never really had a good valet, so was covered in swirl marks, after doing a section on the bonnet with the car polisher the marks were greatly reduced. from all over to only a few. not nbad considering the age and condition of the car.

Thanks for that... Really want to try and avoid using machines though, at least till my pocket recovers!!! or until the car gets a little older and in need of it! Wanting to avoid the swirl marks appearing is my main goal, my last car was only 2 years old and it look horrid in the sunlight! I'm not sure whether it was the combination of polishes used, they frequency of using them, direction of applying it, the cloth which was used or the audi service peeps washing it!?!

Are there any products out there I wonder which shine and protect and dont leave swirl makes in thier wake?

Cheers for the link I'll keep it for in the future.

[2007DBR9]

I just give it a good rinse with the hose, and leave it! Make sure you resist the temptation to wash it in a warm / sunny day, that is where streaks start to appear. You ordered the convertible versoin? Wow that will be a nice car!

[REMO]

Hi,

Can anyone advise on which cleaning products are best to use. I'm due to pick up new A4 in Metallic Phantom Black in May!

Used previously Auto Glyn range of polishes (applied with 100% cotton terry towels and buffed off with Micro fiber cloths), but after a while especially in sunlight, noticed a lot of cobweb/ swirls in the paintwork!! (especially when it had come back from an Audi service, they tended to wash it after!!)

If possible, I want to try and avoid this from happening on the new car.

Would like to keep the car looking glossy/shiny & new and protected! Perhaps I caused the swirls on previous car by washing/polishing the car too frequently before (norm 3-4 wks or when dirty and Sunny weekend arrived!!)

I do enjoy cleaning the car - sorry I know it might sound sad to those who don't bother, but I find the result after is very satisying, especially if you can acheive a lasting mirror-like finish without causing swirls!

Would be interested to know what products are best to shine/gleam and gloss paintwork to a mirror like shine, is Auto G the product I should be using on new car?, Would prefer products which are practical & can be applied by hand without use of professional machinary.

Any help/tips advice lists/links would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards
RJW

To keep swirls and cob webs away as much as possible first rince the car good then use two buckets one with your suds in and the other with clear water do a panel at a time, then rince your lambswool mitt dont use sponges they trap dirt , rince the mitt in the clean water then back in the suds bucket then carry on doing a panel at a time, start at the top and work down,dont use leathers to dry with, these cause webbing and swirls, use a drying micro fiber drying towel sonnus or a guzzler by cobra, dont wash if the pannels are hot; ie dark colours wait till panels are cool .dont let anyone else wash your car if you want it to stay looking the way it should, only wash by hand, keep your pride and joy swirl free, enjoy. Protection, zaino sealant z5 will keep your pride protected from pollutants for 6 months. hope this helps

[Malcolm44]

I would suggest that if you want to keep your car in pristene condition, you join the detailing world forum. Lots of guides and how to's. for example read this on washing

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...ead.php?t=4637

regards

[squinty]

squinty's brother taking over.

as remo has already said, two bucket wash method with a wash mitt, and dry with a towel is the best start you can have. always wash your wheels after the car, and use a completely separate cloth/brush/sponge/mitt to the one you wash your car with.

this will greatly reduce the chances of swirls being inflited on the paintwork in the first place.

the autoglym polish you used on previous car(s) was probably the super resin polish. this has 'fillers' in it, which will fill in the light scratches and swirls, but doesnt last forever, and they do become visable again.

you dont need to polish your car all that often really. maybe twice a year. wax/sealant is a lot more important, as this provides the protection. a basic rule of thumb for when to wax the car is when you rinse it after washing and the water doesnt bead up=time to wax

a good wax will give you long lasting protection, and a deep gloss shine. depending how far you want to get into things, you can also get a product called a 'glaze'. i have a 'wet look' glaze, that i apply before waxing the car to give the gloss a bit of extra depth.

detailing world is also a great place to get info and help, just be careful though! before you know it you will of spent £500 on cleaning and care products! lol.

in 6 months to a years time, it may be worth picking up a clay bar. basially, you use this after washing the car and it lifts all the contaminants off that have built up on the clearcoat.

one final thing that i will suggest though, is that you DO NOT get the supagard applied to the car. it really is a waste of money. however, as always there is a but. get on ebay and pick up a can or two of the supagard interiorgard fabric spray. that is definately worth getting.

edit: oh, and you can NEVER wash you car too much lol. i wash mine at least once a week!