how do you rate SIMONIZ?

[Scanny]

im getting seriously pissed off with the weather. i work nights and sleep during the day. its pretty much hit or miss on whether i can wash the car properly on my days off and giving her a polish has only been possible once so far in 3 weeks due to either too much sun or its rained and i want a few more layers on the bodywork.

a solution has been spotted and purchased. simoniz rinse of wax! this stuff is activated by water so you wash the car but dont dry it. once rinsed you apply this stuff as you would normally with dry polish but instead of allowing it to dry, you rinse this stuff off before it drys which is ideal for me, not that i will be trying it today. 10 hours at home between shifts does not allow for a wash/wax so it can wait til monday.

should i expect great things from this product or is it like most things in tesco, cheap and nasty?

[Kieran]

You'll probably find it'll bead water for a bit, but not very long (think a week or two, rather than months) and I doubt it'll do much for improving the appearance other than giving it a layer of 'shiny' that'll quickly disappear. It won't stack up well at all against a proper polish and waxing, but then it's not really designed to.

I doubt it'll 'layer' in the way you want either - but as a quick time-saver, it'll do. Probably!

Might be worth searching the detailing world forums - I bet there's posts on there regarding this product.

[Scanny]

i have noticed the beading since i put a layer of turtle wax on the other day. ideally i want to put more of that on but matching my days off with the right weather conditions is not easy. especially as it takes so long with a leggie. i do it all by hand, wash, rinse and polishing with sponges, cloths and chammy. its not that i am obsessive, i am just too tight to buy any equipment lol

[Ghost_2008]

I usually, wash with a Simoniz shampoo, I polish with Auto glym resin and Auto Glym Aqua Wax. I dont polish after every wash (I wash once a week) but I wax after every wash. So a quick rinse with the hose, wash with the shampoo, dry and finish with te Aqua Wax, it's very quick and easy and leaves a lovely shine on the car...... you will get flawless beading for a couple of weeks at most but it's quick enough to use after every wash so thats no big deal.......

For me it's the best of both worlds.........

[giblet]

I might be wrong here, but your post seems to confuse a polish with a wax. If your after a hard wearing wax, then I can wholeheartedly reccomend Collonite 476s, which lasts for ages and ages and ages and ages and ages...

[I-S]

I agree with Gib...

I applied collinite 476 very thickly (don't do it... it took forever to buff off) on top of autoglym EGP last july.

A quick wash and it's still beading now.

[Scanny]

you might not be wrong though Gib. i would hazard a guess that wax acts to protect the paintwork while polish gives the car a shine?

this would explain why the car feels smoother to touch, particularly the door handles

i have zip wax, turtle wax, rinse wax and no polish!

[giblet]

Aye, get a bottle of autoglym super resin polish. Its very very easy to use and gives a damn good result by hand imo

[JTG]

Spot on with the Collinite, lasts all year round. Is very good stuff.

[Scanny]

will do mate. its autoglym i used to use. i had a different bottle for every surface of the car from the dashboard to the doorframes. 2 of us spent 4 hours polishing my rover once ready for a date that got cancelled at the last minute. i think i will go back to their stuff. the finished car was impressive

[Scanny]

it looks like i am not working tonight so i am going to work on the car. which should i do first? wax or polish?

[Ghost_2008]

You should, rinse with a hose if possible first to remove any grit, wash with a shampoo, polish and finish with wax....... some polishes actually remove a layor of clear coat, T-cut is an aggressive form of this, I'm not to sure about the Autoglym resin polish though, I understand is fills swirls and light scratches rather than remove them........ but the wax is a layor of protective coating......

[Scanny]

i bought auto glym resin polish and as it was a kit, i now have autoglym car shampoo. i bought a polishing/waxing mitt too since the cloth was a pain to use. i am going to mark it so 1 side is for polish and the other for wax. i dont want any of my equipment used for mixed purposes so they are all different colours and stored with the relevant chemicals. im still using buckets and sponges for the wash/rinse though.

not right now though since it has started raining while i was buying the stuff. bloody weather!

[JTG]

You should, rinse with a hose if possible first to remove any grit, wash with a shampoo, polish and finish with wax....... some polishes actually remove a layor of clear coat, T-cut is an aggressive form of this, I'm not to sure about the Autoglym resin polish though, I understand is fills swirls and light scratches rather than remove them........ but the wax is a layor of protective coating......

Bang on.

Also, the AutoGlym bodywork shampoo/conditioner is very, very good and will not undo your hard work by stripping the polish/wax.

Of course, if you really want to do it properly (without going in to machine polishing and de-swirling).......... Rinse, wash with a nice shampoo, run a clay bar thoroughly over the whole car, wash again, dry, apply one or two coats of AutoGlym SRP, apply one coat of good wax. Give your wheels a good seeing to and get some glass cleaner on mirrors and windows inside and out, admire your handy work.

Claying the car will make a massive difference.

[Scanny]

what does a clay bar do?

im not convinced i will get the results i would like due to the car being metallic silver. a dark colour is more work to ensure all the polish marks and water marks are gone but the finished effect is very nice. i cant imagine a silver car giving me that though so i think my aim will be more protective than showroom shine. i may be wrong but i am not optimistic about the finish compared to the ocean blue rover i had years ago

[AlanDITD]

Silver is a bitch to make shine but you can do it mate no worries!

[JTG]

what does a clay bar do?

im not convinced i will get the results i would like due to the car being metallic silver. a dark colour is more work to ensure all the polish marks and water marks are gone but the finished effect is very nice. i cant imagine a silver car giving me that though so i think my aim will be more protective than showroom shine. i may be wrong but i am not optimistic about the finish compared to the ocean blue rover i had years ago

Hamilton silver is a great colour. Well worth doing it properly at least just the one time, then just generally keeping it clean with regular washes.

A clay bar will remove all contaminants that have attached themselves to your paintwork over the years. Just run your hand across the bonnet, it will feel generally quite lumpy and grainy, after going over it with a clay bar it should feel as smooth as glass (apart from stone chips etc of course) and this WILL help you bring out a much better finish. I would do this, then apply two coats of SRP and a coat of wax (for myself, this would be Colinite as it lasts aaages).

This way you've got it in as good shape as you can get it without taking a machine to it and regular washes with a not too harsh shampoo like AutoGlym bodywork shampoo/conditioner will keep it looking top notch. Dedicate a day to it so that it doesn't get rushed and I'm sure you'll be pleased.

/STP

[Scanny]

i appreciate the advice but i think i will stick to a wash, polish and wax for now. the rear arches need doing and there are a lot of imperfections on various parts of the bodywork, the front obviously being the worst so the plan is to get a full respray in the same colour after the arches have been done. i do like the silver even if it will never look as noticably shiney as a dark coloured car. i can see a few specks of blue sky now so i am going to give her a wash now and a coat of polish. hopefully i can continue in the morning although the weather forecasts are not filling me with confidence.
thanks guys

[Scanny]

thats me done for the night after 3 1/2 hours. rinsed, washed with turtle (saving the autoglym for later), rinsed, polish put on, interior plastics sprayed and wiped (including the boot), interior glass cleaned, door frames and all other nooks and crannies wiped down and finally took the polish off mostly by streetlight/torch. it is a lot shinier but not good enough. im going to crack on with at least 2 more layers first thing in the morning before i finish off with a couple of layers of wax

[giblet]

TTIUWP!

I second the suggestion for a clay bar, the bilt hamber one is only a tenner and its got some good reviews. Silver isnt that hard to make shiny -

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/gib786/DSCF9569.jpg

Thats a friends TT that I spruced up a while back. Wash, clay, rewash, polish with super resin polish and then wax

[Scanny]

i need to see how well i did in daylight but that TT has the kind of look i would like. i didnt bother with my white supra for same reason ie it seemed pointless. i didnt bother with the GLS due to the annoying squeal from the engine every time it got wet and the GDI had too much damage to bother cleaning, never mind polishing. the sport is the nicest car i have ever owned and despite the odd chips and bits of flaking paint, it doesnt look its age, especially on the inside. thats why i am putting the effort in to keep it looking nice

or maybe i have too much time on my hands when i am not at work

[Scanny]

less than 3 hours after i finished the first layer of polish and its raining. looks like it has been for a while too. this weather is doing my head in now

[giblet]

Aye the weather is tripe. You should try owning a black car, looks good for all of 5 mins before its filthy again!

I have always spent time cleaning my cars, from my bargain bucket rovers to the vr-4

[Scanny]

the V6 is the first one i would attend a meet with. its not a VR4 but it wont show the club up. the last thing i want to do is turn up in a wreck. i can take pride in this one and thats all i am doing. it is in good nick and i want to keep it that way

[JTG]

Good on ya.

Still recommend a clay bar when you get some time on your hands though ;)

[Ghost_2008]

Good on ya.

Still recommend a clay bar when you get some time on your hands though ;)

Yeah if you want to give her a real good going over you have got to try a clay bar....... it removes surface contaminants, I washed the car and clayed the car the following day and my god the amount of dirt still on the car was amazing..........

Obviously this time of year is crap for keeping a car clean regardless of colour. It is worth however giving a pre summer and pre winter thorough clean and protect.......... this should involve, rinse, wash, clay, wash, polish, wax........

It sounds like you have organised your kit to avoid contamination which is a really good start....... different people like different brands when it comes to the actual products but the each to their own........ some like Meguires, other Auto GLym etc......... I find Auto Glym very reasonably priced and I think if you stick to one brand the products compliment each other........

regardless, if you give the car a thorough clean as a once off it make the in between cleans much much easier.......

Good luck

[Scanny]

ok guys. i will get a clay bar for next time
between last night and today i have put around 6 hours into the car.
rinsed with clean water
washed with turtle zip wax
rinsed with clean water
dried with chammy
polished with autoglym (resin)
cleaned the inside (windows and plastics)
took the polish off
left overnight and it rained.....
rinsed with clean water
dried with chammy
polished with autoglym
left to dry, took the polish off
thick layer of turtle wax
left to dry, took the wax off

unfortunately i cant upload pics from home but i will upload them on tuesday. i am quite happy with the results but i have noticed a few things. the body behind the rear offside tyre feels grainy compared to a few inches above (overspray?) and the skirt has been badly refitted by someone. there are a lot more contaminants on the bodywork at the bottom of the doors and around the arches than i had previously noticed. they are tiny but i reckon the clay bar is a good idea so i am going to try it and hopefully have it looking even better for the scottish meet in a few weeks

[giblet]

The contaminants on the bottom of the doors could be tar, common spot for tar to build up.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc179/gib786/VR4%20Detail%20Feb%2010/DSCF3319.jpg

Thats what the clay bar looked like after claying the bottom half of my drivers side door in Feb. Suprisingly enough I had clayed it just over 2 months earlier

[Ghost_2008]

Yeah tars an absolute killer...... Sounds like you had a go at the paint work, more importantly your happy with the results....

Also if the rough patch is over spray you can rub it back with some ebrassive polish... Just go easy on it...

[Scanny]

the little black spots are definately tar. there are a lot of small areas here and there that are a bit more serious though. where the paint is flaking, stone chips etc. what my main concern is why there is overspray at all. the rear part of the side skirt has been removed but the question is why? it certainly isnt as tight to the body as the other side and if it needed spraying on the car then it didnt simply fall off and get bolted back on.
i will never uncover what has happened to this car. Bill had it for a year and he got it at auction with no history. the one promising thing is that it still had the tax disc holder, fitted floor mats and window sticker from the original dealer. plus of course she purrs like a kitten. i dont even get the notorious tappet rattle that most people suffer from. YET! the top up oil in the boot was 15w 40 which i want to change to 10w 30 after reading the post about oils

[Scanny]

this is the result of 6 hours work
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/scanny77/cars/3fd34168.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/scanny77/cars/22e5f699.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/scanny77/cars/72e9a7e8.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/scanny77/cars/b82f1375.jpg

i love those tinted windows. they just look amazing in the sun when they are clean. sadly we dont much sun up here and the rain prevents them staying clean for long so i have to appreciate them for short bursts

[giblet]

Looking good. Tar spots can also be removed by using something like Autosmart Tardis, which is designed to remove star and glue deposits. Very strong stuff!

[Scanny]

do i use that with the clay bar?

she stayed clean for over 12 hours! the rain held off and my bird feeding neighbour has been away for a few days. rained last night though so she is filthy again. bathtime tonight although just a rinse this time. the polishing cloths and mitt havent dried yet. she could do with another hoovering too.

[giblet]

Nope, you just spray it on and let it dwell for a bit before wiping it off. Its usually only available in bulk but you can buy it in 500ml bottles from ebay

[miller]

what quantities do people use for snow foam applications whilst we are on the cleaning subject? I cant seem to get a thick all over foam! Using 1part foam 2parts water, tried 1pt foam 4pt water aswell!

[giblet]

Is your foam lance 500ml or 1 litre? I tend to use "one inch" of snow foam with the rest topped up with water, with the dial turned up to full

[Scanny]

just a quickie. should i be using thick or thin layers of polish and wax? i am 2/3rds of the way through my autoglym polish (325 ml) after 4 layers and i have been using masses of wax in a single layer which is a pain to take off again. literally, my back is killing me today

[Ghost_2008]

Trial and error I guess, but I use the polish in small quantities, to much could result in a lot of unecessary wastage..... and with wax your probably better off doing two or three thinner coats than one thick coat..... but that really depends on the type of wax your using, I have use paraffin wax's in the past which work well in thick coats (they are a pain to remove but the end result is very good). Other wax's such as the turtle wax Ice and the Auto glym aqua you cant really apply a thick coat because of the type of product it is..... with both polish and wax it's important to ensure that you get an even coverage......

But each to their own, as long as you get the desired outcome.

[Scanny]

unfortunately the whole car isnt this good but this is something that caught my eye last night. taken when i gave up at 2300
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/scanny77/cars/93cf8523.jpg

im sticking with turtle wax to use it up. eventually i want to upgrade everything to autoglym including the clay bar. i cant spare the £30 just now though:(

[Ghost_2008]

unfortunately the whole car isnt this good but this is something that caught my eye last night. taken when i gave up at 2300
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/scanny77/cars/93cf8523.jpg

im sticking with turtle wax to use it up. eventually i want to upgrade everything to autoglym including the clay bar. i cant spare the £30 just now though:(

Yeah it can get expensive quite quickly and the clay bars are a one use product, but then it only really needs a once over with clay once a year......

The back end looks very nice.......