Car Valeting by Auto Shine UK

Another excellent product from Chemical Guys, Wheel guard gives your freshly cleaned alloy wheels that new sparkle again.
When the Chemical Guys Wheel guard pot arrived I was itching for a look and smell as I do with all products I order. Once the lid is unscrewed there’s a small paper cover on top, heres a warning remove this slowly as my tub was full of product and because it’s a cream and not a hard paste mine went everywhere.
I was slightly skeptical on what was the best way to apply Chemical Guys Wheel Guard, I opted for a slightly damp Microfibre cloth. This can be slightly messy and hard to get a thin coat so I found it was best to aim to spread it thinly once it’s on the alloy wheel, I left it for about five minutes to cure then I buffed it all off. I would recommend 2 coats just to makes sure all the wheel has been covered and leave around 20 minutes between coats. If you have time it pays highly to take the wheel off and do the inner rim as well.
Brake dust now just falls of my alloy wheels when I wash then with the pressure washer and they still have that new sparkle.
If only the application was less messy this product would get 10 stars

Chemical Guys Wheel Guard

It’s all in the name, Jetseal 109 is a sealant product which seals your freshly polished paintwork and helps maintain that wet glossy look and depth of colour.

Jetseal 109 was originally developed for the aerospace industry and is now here on the car detailing scene renowned for its ultimate protection and long life.
Having applied this on a number of cars from BMW’s to Ford’s this is one of the best sealants i have used.

Your recommended to apply two coats of Chemical Guys Jetseal for even coverage which I found easyiest and quickest using a machine polisher such as a Meguiars G220 with a finishing pad, you then need to leave it for around 20 minutes to fully cure and bond to the paintwork. When I first did this I was a bit worried that the jetseal 109 would be a nightmare to buff off but it was fine, as i kept swiping my finger on various areas to check to see if it was getting any harder to remove achecking every five minutes.

I have used this on a BMW 5 Series Estate that had paintwork issues and 2 months on and it’s still looks amazing. I have recently applied Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 to my car and have no wax on it, as I am aiming to see how well it stands against the elements with no wax on top of it.
Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 does seem on average to be more expensive than its rivals such as Zaino Z-8 and even other Chemical Guys products such as M-Seal and Extreme Top-Coat.

Chemical Guys Jet Seal 109

When polishing or waxing cars I’m forever dropping applicators or microfibers on the floor due to aching hands or just randomly losing grip so they end up laying on the floor and you can guarantee that there landing face down.
When I spotted these, I knew that it was going to be a step in the right direction.

I can hold the Handi-grip applicators for hours on end and my hand never aches as its so easy to re-grip as the sponge is nice and so soft and it fits perfectly in the palm of my hand. Handi-grip applicator  When polishing or waxing cars I’m forever dropping applicators or microfibers on the floor due to aching hands or just randomly losing grip so they end up laying on the floor and you can guarantee that there landing face down. When I spotted these, I knew that it was going to be a step in the right direction. I can hold the Handi-grip applicators for hours on end and my hand never aches as its so easy to re-grip as the sponge is nice and so soft and it fits perfectly in the palm of my hand. Also the flat top its ideal for writing product names on if there for dedicated uses. I have used Handi-grip applicators with Sonus SFX-1, SFX-2, SFX-3, Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 and Collinite 476s wax and never had a problem with application. These are a must have for anyone who details there car regularly.  I now have at least 6 Handi-grip applicators that I can think off and probably have more laying around which justifies how great they really are.

Also the flat top its ideal for writing product names on if there for dedicated uses.
I have used Handi-grip applicators with Sonus SFX-1, SFX-2, SFX-3, Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 and Collinite 476s wax and never had a problem with application.
These are a must have for anyone who details there car regularly.
I now have at least 6 Handi-grip applicators that I can think off and probably have more laying around which justifies how great they really are.

Handi-Grip Applicator

After trying a few car shampoo products, i am pretty certain that Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo and Conditioner is going to take some beating.
You dont need alot of the Gold Class Shampoo compared to other market brands where you feel your using alot of product to get minimal suds and results.
One common problem most people have is that when they pour Shampoo into the bucket and then proceed to fill with warm water by the time the bucket is half full you’re bound to find suds pouring over the top of your bucket.

If you have a pressure washer then here is a great and fun way to get the suds, fill the bucket up with warm water then add your Gold Class Shampoo then quickly blast some water from your pressure washer into the bucket, you now have a full bucket of warm water and a few suds.
If you dont have a pressure washer you can either fill the bucket up with warm water slowly, although this does still create alot of suds and wastes your valuable Gold Class Shampoo. So the best way is just is to fill the bucket nearly full then put some Gold Class Shampoo in and stir with your hand to get the shampoo and water mixed and then top of with more warm water.
When i washed my car with Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo i was really suprised in the quality of the shine and gloss effect that was left even when washing partially due to the rich shampoo content and condintioners that are contained within Gold Class Shampoo.

I found the wash mitt was gliding over the bodywork on my car really well due to added lubricants in the secret blend of Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo.
It is claimed that Meguiars Gold Class will not strip any wax or old protection on the paintwork as it doesnt contain any surfactants.
I think it will be some before i find a replacement for Gold Class Shampoo.

Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo

Why 2 buckets?

The last thing that you would want to do on your route to getting the perfect finish, or maintaining the new paint work on your car, is to use one bucket – trust me!
In bucket one you have your usual car shampoo and warm water and in bucket two you have ordinary warm water. Firstly you’re going to dip your wash mitt in bucket one and then proceed to start washing down the body work on your car. Now your wash mitt is dirty and you want to rinse it off so this is where bucket two comes in. Since its normal water you have a chance you wash your mitt off and if you have a grit guard in the bottom you can rub your mitt against it to remove grit that might be embedded deeper into the wash mitt. The main reason for the two bucket wash method is so that bucket two becomes full of grit and dirt and bucket one is kept clean and grit free minimizing swirls and scratching.
Now that is done you’re free to put your wash mitt back in to bucket one and wash down the bodywork again and keep repeating the process until your car is clean.
You haven’t mentioned a sponge and keep going on about wash mitts.
Due to the natural flat surface of your sponge as soon as it picks up grit or anything that is likely to mark your paint work there is nowhere for it to go so it just sits on the surface of the sponge and happily and unbeknown to you starts to mark your paint work.
Wash mitts have been developed to aid a better washing technique and reduce swirl marks. When you run your fingers through a lamb’s wool wash mitt your fingers disappear due to the deep pile so the same in theory happens to the grit and dirt particles.
Another thing that you can always bear in mind the more pressure you apply when washing the car the more risk you have of inflicting swirls or scratches.
Since the bumpers and lower half of the car will always be more dirty than the roof and top half of your car, it’s also an idea to have 2 different wash mitts one for lower panels and bumpers and then another for roofs and top half’s of panels
While this doesn’t guarantee you won’t get any swirl marks or scratches it does reduce the risk of any damage to paint work. When using a wash mitt with the two bucket wash method the more you wash your mitt in bucket two the more dirt you will remove.

The Bilberry Safe Wheel Cleaner from Valet Pro is a great non acidic wheel cleaner.
Personally I have used half of the 1 litre bottle of Bilberry Wheel Cleaner neat on a variety of soiled wheels, from well maintained wheels cleaned weekly with no sealant applied, to those alloys that get washed once every two months. It’s recommended that Bilberry is used diluted 1:1 for heavily soiled wheels or 1:4 for normal (weekly) usage.
Having used it on alloys recently that have been pressure washed a few times in their life, and had been subjected to two years hard life I thought I’d give the Bilberry Wheel Cleaner a shot at 1:1
I gave the alloy wheel a good spray, pretty much covering the face of the alloy and then sprayed some on the Vikan – Extra Long Wheel Brush.  I gave the insides of the alloy wheel a good brushing down. After I had agitated with my small brush I left the Bilberry to dwell for around 4-5 minutes then rinsed off.

Bilberry Safe Wheel Cleaner

As I had expected most of the brake dust had gone which was great but I was aiming to remove some staining as well with the 1:1 dilution, as I knew that a 1:4 dilution would have shifted the brake dust with a bit more agitation.

After 2 Attacks With Bilberry Safe Wheel Cleaner

Bilberry Safe Wheel Cleaner is a great product to use weekly or every fortnight as part as of your regular car wash routine, but to shift aged stains and tar spots I feel something slightly more heavy duty might be required like Meguiars Wheel Brightener.