Car detailing

Get yourself on to wax works website based in darlington they have the best of stuff at good rates combine postage to

One tip always hose off first then a good wash with a good car shampoo, then I use bilthamber claybar, then another wash then a good polish with either autoglym or surf city garage products
Hope this helps nothing like a gleaming car!!

There are so many companies around now. With all the competition, there aren't really any bad products any more.

The main things would be:
(I'll suggest a few products but it'll depend if you want to buy from a shop or order online, and a budget of course.)

Shampoo - Auto Finesse Lather, AutoGlym

Wheels - Auto Finesse Imper, Wonder Wheels Hot Wheels (the purple one)

Dash board/ Instruments /Engine bay - an all purpose cleaner is ideal for cleaning all ofor these. Mixed in a spray bottle, 1:4 for the engine bay, 1:10 for the interior.

Polishing - nice and easy all in one polishes are ideal. The have chemical cleansers, mild abrasives, fillers to mask some minor swirls and things and a little protection.
Auto Finesse Tripple or AutoGlym Super Resin Polish.

Protection - this is where budget and what you want from it come in.
You can spend hundreds on a wax, or you can spend less than £20 and still be happy.
Collinite 476s is something worth looking at. Very cost effective. Extremely durable and easy enough to use

Wax after polish to protect.

You can get some crossover products which provide both the mild cut of a polish and the protection of a mild wax, but I alwsys treat them as separate items.

You can then apply a glaze or sealant (or both!) on top of wax.

Depends on the sealant. Both Dodo Red Mist and Zaino Z8 are designed as final finish sealants that go over wax.

No clay bar users here?

I tend to do the basics that VIP pointed out and similar to what scratcher does. I do however use a G3 Clay mitt which is far quicker to use than a bar .

Collinite 476s is a super wax/protectant. I've used on a few wheels with good results ; no more struggling to clean the wheels . The trick with it is not to put too much on; you don't need to.

Bang per buck it's a superb wax. If you want something almost as durable but easier to apply with a little more gloss I understand Collinte 915 is meant to be good here.

Saying that, my car didn't respond too badly to basically a wash>>>clay mitt>>>Megs 205 (I should have 105'd it but most of the swirls have gone)>>>Collinte 476s

As always I am learning, and it could be shinier, but it's better than it was, and a damn sight easier to clean, not to mention faster.

is this 476 stiff the final sealing coat? How long does it last?

476s is sort of like a sealer in some respects (after all, it will protect the paintwork to a degree and it's great stuff on wheels) but in truth it is a wax so yes it can be the final stage as you put it.

Collinite say it will last 12 months. IMO on a daily it's probably more like 6, but it will still have some effectiveness after that from the one car I have kept that long to try it on. It's certainly the longest lasting wax I have used for some time! I think bar going to hybrid waxes and fancy sealants like GTechniq you can't really beat it.

I know the cars that I have waxed with Colly 476s are far easier to clean than the ones that have never been waxed. On the wheels you only really need a pressure washer to rinse away the dirt.

We also know that getting rid of whatever dirt you can before you start rubbing things prevents swirls and scratches etc. .

If you want to talke about cheap, allegedly you can make your own detailing spray by mixing water and car shampoo .

Don't mention the car wash places. I once ended up chasing electrical issues due to the chemicals used and on one I I thought I may need a respray (it looked like water had burned into the paint, despite it being washed indoors (yup, I was too lazy to clean it myself LOL).

That said, I am not a snowfoam user.