ilogikal1

...and not that much uglier.

Don't bother with wax unless you want to reapply on a monthly/weekly (or even daily if using RimWax) basis. Look at coatings and just clean with soapy water for a year+. As mentioned GTechniq, applied correctly, is a very good product; it'll protect the wheels and add extra gloss. Gyeon Rim is another to investigate.

www.cleanyourcar.co.uk Cheers Jay. I have seen that site before but have never bought anything from there as I've always used either "Polished Bliss" or Halfords. Got a trade card for Halfords so I do get a good discount on certain things. Will compare some prices though. Delivery charge from CYC doesn't make it economical for single product purchases. PB on the other hand... it does appear to be a quid and a half cheaper from Halfords at the moment if you're willing to go and get it yourself though.

Often not a bad choice of applicator, but for Megs (and most gel based dressings) a brush is just that little bit easier all round. I tend to use one of these detaling brushes myself.

Yes, yes I do.

Clean the tyres properly before applying (APC, scrub, rinse, repeat until the APC lather stops turning brown) and any tyre dressing will last longer. Megs is best applied with a brush too, btw. And make sure you let it cure before driving the car as it does sling if you're not a bit tight with it when applying.

That reason being that it's a rubbish product. Granted it's not the worst but this particular mix of chemicals struggles to hold its own in the adequate category. It's currently priced about right for what it is, and it'll do a job (albeit not all that well). Stick another label on it and it won't change at thing about it, whack the price up and it just becomes...well, the AutoBrite Direct range.

Ricey also does some magic with leather, he may also be able to help/advise.

Of course, looking good for it as well. If you want shiny, shiny tyres then Megs Endurance but if you prefer the natural look then Gyeon Tire (sic) and force cure it with a heat gun. So long at tyres are cleaned first, Gyeon will last a while but Endurance never seems to live up to that name with its fairly average durability.

You could have washed it first...

Oooh, interesting! *ilogikal1 does his best meerkat impression*

^^^^ exactly that. Nothing else to add to that really either. On the advice of Fairy Liquid; don't bother, that won't strip anything off at all. What it will do is affect the water behaviour but that's due the copious amounts of surfectants and not because it's even touched the LSP. Tar remover and fallout remover will both weaken waxes and many sealants, clay will likely strip it too but polishing will absolutely finish off even a fresh wax in a very short amount of time, especially by machine. It won't be the wax that's the issue, it'll be either that you're not working the polish enough or that the panel was too and the polish was drying out before you've worked it properly.

A Ferrari 288 Evo. [/geekery]

Anything upto and including clay/light polishing for a coating.

Most of the major cities is Australia are more expensive than London, but the wages are much more in line with cost of living so it's quite relative. Whilst it is expensive to be a tourist in Oz, it's not so bad if you're working there. Also when you get to know a few of the locals you soon find the less touristy places that are cheaper. Or just do your homework, they're not actually that difficult to find.

G1 is like any other coating in that it gets clogged up over time. It'll last 18+ months with ease, even with moderate to regular use of the wipers, but it needs a good deep clean every 6 months or so to keep to rejuvenate the effect. It doesn't mean that it's gone, it just needs a little maintenance to keep it working at its optimum. Unlike wax, you can give it a deep clean without just stripping it off entirely.

I'm probably closer to being Koothrappali, just without the exotic accent, rich parents or aptitude for science... so Stuart really.

I like to think my smugness is bearable though so it's okay. Also, it was a TBBT reference.

Do I look smug? I feel smug.

I find it a lot more user friendly if you dilute it 1:1 with deionised water. It's still not my favourite thing to use but it does it make it easier to get a good finish (and makes it more economical too). It's worth mixing a bit up and trying it yourself to see how you get along with it.

Good products but for the most part I don't really get along with the LSP's, purely for the usage though as I find they tend to be a bit too grabby for my liking when buffing.

All in here. Largely over multiple posts but it starts with Reload/C2v3/BSD but you can use the search function to search that thread for the other bits (and many, many more...).

I know, I go to a lot of effort to hide my disappointment in them....

It's probably fair to say that I'm not their biggest fan.

FTFY.