As you’ve probably read by now I (Tony) clean my car each and every weekend, for god knows how many hours, without fail.  I do it to my current car (Escort Cosworth) and I did it to my old car for a year and a half (205 1.9 Gti).  Because of this, in my thousands of hours cleaning cars, I have used most products – good and bad – (whether that’s a good thing or not I don’t know) but I thought I’d share my experiences with you, recommending the good products, and ensuring the one you buy is right first time.

I’ll start with the first thing to do on your Saturday morning (other than nurse your hang over!) and work my way through all products, covering most (or probably all) areas of a car. 

The initial wash…

I use Turtle Wax Car Shampoo, and have done for years.  A fair bit (more than the recommended cap full for sure) in your bucket, then filled up with WARM water (this helps to soften and glaze the existing wax on your car).   Having loosened and rinsed all the dirt, use TWO brushes to clean your car.  I use one for above the bumper line, and one for below.  This way, you’re not transferring grit from the dirtiest part of your car (the bottom) to generally the cleanest (the top) and risk scratching.  Make sure you ONLY do the body work and windows.  No wheel arches, no wheels.  Your bodywork (should) look lovely, and you want it to stay that way.  Once finished, and the car is rinsed from all soap, use a chamois to perfectly dry the car (remember to open and close the doors, boot, bonnet and windows a few times before and during drying, to avoid those annoying drips from sills and lips).

Once dry, and your car’s looking “ok”, now the –what I would call- fun bit starts.  If you look in your local Halfords or Charlie Browns, you will see that there is a product for each and every part of your car, from the bodywork right down to the plastic edging that seals your windows.  You’ll see that I (try) to cover all of them, but if there’s any I’ve missed, please do e-mail me.

The wax…

I’ve used many different products in the past 3 years of car owning, but only recently have I been recommended such an amazing combination.   Autoglym’s Super Resin Polish, immediately followed by Autoglym’s Extra Gloss Protection.   The extra gloss protection I’d really only recommend for Metallic paint jobs – as Ben noticed no great improvement when he used it from the finish achieved with the Super Resin Polish.   Quick note here – use the Autoglym polishing clothes also !  They’re not a gimmick, and I don’t think £5 for 8 is too bad – and you will notice a world of difference.  They last for a long time, and are hand washable.  Doing both the polish and the gloss protection does take a while (and you do need to leave the gloss protection on for an hour to dry) but it is truly worth it.

The wheels…

Each week, my wheels get the full treatment just like the rest of my car.  Here, I recommend Wonder Wheels.  I firstly get rid of any mud/dirt using water and fairy liquid, and then use the Wonder Wheels.  It’s great stuff, getting rid of anything from regularly washed wheels.  It’s no use washing your wheels once every 6 months, and hoping Wonder Wheels will get it all off – they need to be washed as frequently as your car.  Personally, every 2 months I take off all 4 x wheels, and clean them inside and out (fairy liquid,  Wonder Wheels) and then I wax them (yes - wax your wheels) with a normal car wax (I use turtle wax).  Be generous with the wax, a quick wipe, and not only will they shine, but they are SO much easier to clean week in week out, because the brake dust is unable to cling to the wheel so well.  This was recommended to me by a gentleman who owns an alloy refurbishing company, and I in turn recommend doing it too.  The benefits are well worth the effort.

The windows…

These do not go untouched once drying is over either !!! For both inside and out, I use Turtle Wax’s window cleaner in spray form.  Make sure you do the inside of the rear window twice – when you open side windows, dust is blown back, and makes it the dirtiest window.  Even more so than the front in some cases.  A quick spray on, a scrub with paper towels (or equivalent) and they gleam !!!

The leather…

My car is an Escort Cosworth Lux, fitted with the optional Recaro full leather seats.  The car is a ‘93L, and although in wonderful condition, the front seats needed a “spruce up” (the back are near enough perfect, seemingly very few people have sat in the back in it’s 8 year life!).  Anyway, for my spruce up, a colleague of mine recommended Autoglym’s Leather Care Cream.  It is not a cleaner – and so the seats need to be cleaned before using it, it is a rejuvenator.   The bottle said it enriches the leather, and gives it a wonderful feel as well as a wonderful smell.   And boy did it !! I took out the whole rear seat, to give it a try on an inconspicuous area to start with.   4 hours later I had done all seats, and had a smile from ear to ear.  I can highly recommend the leather care cream, and also suggest using the Polishing Cloths (mentioned above) to take “off” the cream.

The engine bay…

The engine bay of your car is obviously very specific to the individual.  In my current car, I have a lot of alloy components, which look lovely when polished but awful when stained.  For the general area of the bay, I use WD40 on a rag.  Not only does it clean, but it prevents any sort of rust at the same time.  Next, the alloy components.  The best way I have found is Brasso’s Wadding.  You can buy it any any Halfords/B&Q etc, and it will last you a long time.  The results are worth the elbow grease.  But once done, remember to block off your vents (or scoops etc.) next time you clean your car, otherwise it will all need doing again.

Exactly the same Brasso Wadding will also make your stainless steel exhaust look equally as stunning.

I hope the above has been of use…we will introduce a “bad products” page in the near future, where you can submit your own views and thoughts on products ranging from gear knobs to gear boxes.  If you’ve had a bad experience with any sort of product, please e-mail us so others are spared.