ive read all the threads of marathon cleaning missions but it all goes over my head

Tell me where I'm going wrong with this method.....

(all autoglym stuff) one bucket of soapy water one to rinse the mitt in

Hose the car down
Shampoo, 1 panel at a time, rinse then dry, roof first then go round
Then the wheels
(if it needs it)
tar remover
Paint restorer
Polish
(back to normal)
Clean windows
Put on tyre blackener

All help welcomed
(don't have a jet wash so cant do that yet so have to hose it on full blast first)

Hear about cleaning wheels first, why is this?

 

Looks okay what you are doing already,you dont need to do the wheels first but a lot do including me.

Might be worth having a seperate mitt for the lower half of the car and a mitt just for wheels.

Oh and you could do with a wax or sealant after a polish.

 

As Al said, seperate mits would be a wise move.

You definitely need a wax to seal it after you polish it, makes it much easier to keep on top of.

You could invest in some snow foam too.

 

Snow foam means a jet wash too though = a bit too much for me

Got a separate mitt for the wheels bought another set of microfiber stuff, £4 from tesco for a sponge, mitt, wheel brush, 3 towels and 3 polish applicators

 

You can still foam with out the jetwashers, i have a lance that connects to my hose but its not as effective.

 

Doesn't soundf too bad, might be worth getting another bucket, so you have one to use on the car, and the other to clean the mnitt. Not 100% convinced by grit guards, get one if you want one. I would do the wheels first as it can get anoying cleaning a car then having the muck from the wheels spraying a newly cleaned body. Have you looked at claying? It can make a really large difference, plenty of kitys out there in the £20(ish) price rangw, do it after you have washed the car, spray plenrty of clay lube, or a light soapy solution, and give it a good rub with some softened clay (kneed it between your hands to warn it up). Hope that helps, your method is pretty good. What do you use for protection (your paint by the way)? A sealer or wax of sorts is deffo recomended, doesn't have to be super fancy expensive stuff either, I have a tin of simoniz wax that cost £8 and does a good job.

 

Wash,Dry, Clay Bar,Polish,Wax,Extra Gloss Protection then Wheels and Wax the wheels to finish off

 

Personally if you're going to use it I would put EGP on before a wax as it is a sealer !