How to Clean and Detail your Car Properly with Autoglym
When it comes to washing the car, some of us use a trusted bucket and sponge, while some of us get out the pressure washer. Some might even entrust others with the task of getting their four wheels gleaming again.
For those who enjoy giving our vehicles some TLC, you can’t go far wrong with taking some advice from the car cleaning pros at Autoglym. A full car clean usually works best when done in stages:
- Pre-wash.
- Wash.
- Decontaminate.
- Polish.
- Protect.
- Interior clean.
The experts at Autoglym recommend this order to reduce swirl marks and improve the overall finish durability.
Cleaning your car exterior
When giving your car a good wash, we fully recommend the Autoglym Polar Series.
The science behind the car cleaning
These Autoglym products have been specially designed to use charge interaction to boost the effectiveness of their pH-neutral chemical cleaning agents. Most cars have a negative charge, so when the positively charged Autoglym products are applied, the charge interaction attracts dirt into the formula, making it much easier to wash away.
1. Pre-wash first
Give your vehicle the ultimate pre-wash with the Autoglym Polar Blaster unique foam gun and the Autoglym Polar Blast Snow Foam, which together work to remove any initial dirt and debris by forming a thick pre-wash foam.
A pre-wash reduces the amount of dirt dragged across the paintwork, which lowers the risk of scratches.
2. Main wash
After pre-wash, apply the Autoglym Polar Wash to effortlessly remove any remaining dirt.
Wash one section at a time and be sure to rinse before the soap dries. It’s best to start from the roof and work your way down to prevent dirty water messing up your progress.
3. Remove stubborn contaminants
Once you’ve removed all the soapy water, it’s easier to notice any scratches, swirls, or any other stubborn contaminants.
A clay bar can help to remove remaining surface contamination and restore smoothness to the paint.
4. Correct scratches and restore gloss
If you find that there are some deeper scratches, you can remove these with Autoglym’s complete Scratch Removal Kit. The specially formulated Scratch Remover compound removes scratches and then polishes the area to a high gloss finish.
To restore gloss on the whole car, use Autoglym Super Resin Polish and your paintwork will soon look rejuvenated.
5. Protect the paintwork
After you’ve cleaned and polished your car, add some protection to maximise the longevity of your hard work. Use the Autoglym Polar Seal to give your car a protective, hydrophobic coating that will leave it looking glossy in no time.
Additional protection can help defend against:
- Road grime.
- UV exposure.
- Light contamination.
Now you’ve washed, cleaned, and protected your car, it’s wise to keep a detailing spray handy for a quick fix to get rid of light dirt and fingerprints. Autoglym’s Rapid Detailer will do the trick!
Car cleaning exterior tips
Bodywork
- Start from the roof and work your way down to avoid dirty water running down.
- Take one section at a time.
- Rinse off soap before it dries – especially on a hot day.
- Follow the contours of your car to guide the washing direction.
- Avoid washing in circles as this can create scratches.
- Don’t wash your bodywork if the weather is too hot.
- Hose down your car for a final time when you’ve done all your soaping and rinsing to budge those last little bits of dirt and dust that gather.
Wheels
Wheels should be cleaned separately because brake dust and grime are heavier than body dirt.
Recommended wheel cleaning process:
- Rinse first to remove fresh mud.
- Apply wheel cleaner.
- Allow to cool.
- Apply protection or tyre dressing.
Use Autoglym’s Clean Wheels to shift those stubborn baked-on deposits! Made to be tough on grime yet kind on the alloy itself, Clean Wheels is safe to use on lacquered alloys, painted and plastic wheel trims.
As with the body of your car, give it time to cool down before getting down to business with the wheels. We recommend that you do not apply wheel cleaners while the wheels are hot.
Cleaning your car interior
Now you’ve got your car looking spotless on the outside, it’s time to start work on the interior.
Interior cleaning order
- Begin with a quick vacuum of the car seats, dash and back shelf. If it’s tricky for you to get those hard to reach places, you’re likely to find a vacuum with a longer hose at your local petrol station.
- Get to work with Autoglym’s spray and wipe Interior Shampoo. Use on car seats, interior plastic, steering wheels, gear sticks, carpets, mats, headlining and doors to removes marks, spills and stains from all interior surfaces. The low foam formula is easy to use and wipe away.
- Get your car windows gleaming with Autoglym’s Car Glass Polish; use inside and out for crystal clear, smear-free vision.
- Apply Autoglym’s Vinyl And Rubber Care solution to the interior by lightly buffing to a finish with a microfibre cloth.
Now you’ve thoroughly cleaned and detailed your vehicle and have that showroom finish, it’s time to stand back and admire the results.
Remember, if you want the best car cleaning products, you want Halfords!
