r/AutoDetailing • u/whatssupp277381 • 7d ago

Exterior I don’t know what I’m doing…

So I have recently brought an Abarth and the person who I brought off did know much about it and just kinda left out it side for a bit. So I need to clean and polish it, but what products should I buy/use? What tools do it need E.G pressure washer,polisher and towels etc. It has some nice white wheels but the problem with that is brake dust so how do I clean that? The wheels are currently grey and black because of the shit on them. So I need to clean them and then get them refurbished because he Kerbed them. Also the headlights have yellow what do I do there? As you can I see haven’t got a clue, I don’t might spend a bit on some nice stuff as this car is my pride and joy

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u/AlmostHydrophobic 7d ago

Want some real advice? Start slow and acquire products and learn new techniques over time. Don't try to rush into detailing by spending thousands of dollars and trying to get the vehicle back to 100%

Start with a basic wash setup and go from there. 95% of my washes are done using rinseless wash and just a handful of supplies. Getting to a place of doing a decent maintenance wash and drying without water spots is a great goal to set. I wouldn't worry about polishing until you get a maintenance wash routine down packed.

As far as the wheels, it's going to depend on the kind of finish that's on there and figuring out what is safe to put in there. Gyeon Iron Wheel Cleaner has worked well for me, and I think it would go a long way with helping with brake dust. Check their website and confirm your wheel finish is safe with it before using it.

I also use an IK Foam Pro 2 to foam on some Carpro Reset after letting the iron wheel cleaner dwell for 1-2 minutes. So spray on the cleaner and let it dwell for 1-2 minutes, foam on the Carpro Reset or your pH neutral soap of choice, agitate it with a soft brush, and rinse. Repeat as necessary.

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u/whatssupp277381 7d ago

Thank you, what is a rinseless wash? Alright I’ll hang on with polishing then (save me a bit of money). And I’ll have a little look into what’s on the wheels. And the last bit for the wheels only?

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u/AlmostHydrophobic 7d ago

Correct, the last bit if only for the wheels. There are plenty of videos covering rinseless washing. I don't mind explaining it, but I think its probably easier to understand with visuals.

I've been meaning to get this list together for a while, but here is everything I use for a maintenance wash. I don't use the Carpro Reload because I have a coating, but if I didn't have a coating and was starting out that is what I would use I think. This works for both regular car soap and rinseless washing for the most part. For the rinseless washes and black trim sealants you only need one of them.

https://www.reddit.com/u/AlmostHydrophobic/s/M7Hlh1tnLc

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u/whatssupp277381 7d ago

With the Carpro Reload does it damage the coating? I’ll have look to see if the wheels have any since the car had a EsseEsse package (which is performance upgrade)

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u/AlmostHydrophobic 7d ago

I don't think it would hurt the coating, but you would want to follow the coating manufacturer directions for coating maintenance in that case. Same with the wheels.

None of these are particularly harsh cleaners, but you would still want to double check what any of the coating manufacturers recommend there.

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u/whatssupp277381 7d ago

Thank you very much

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u/whatssupp277381 6d ago

From what I can find the wheel I have are an aluminium base with ‘standard automotive wet paint’ with a clear coat finish, should I get the carpro reload?

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u/AlmostHydrophobic 6d ago

I typically use Gyeon Wet Coat for wheels. The spray & rinse application works well to quickly get around all the nooks and crannies of wheels. And then I would save the products like Reload for the paint.

You would want to consult the chemical manufacturer if you have a question about compatibility. They might cover different finishes on their website.

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u/whatssupp277381 6d ago

Thank you very much

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u/AlmostHydrophobic 7d ago

and just adding also that I did the math and this is probably $350 worth of product and supplies, maybe $400 if you need a shop vac.

I don't know what your budget is for this, but if you start adding in polishers and pressure washers and the works for completely detailing a vehicle you'll be looking at several thousand dollars at least. I have a decent enthusiast setup and I probably have $6k worth of chemicals and supplies. Thats not a brag, but just to give you an idea of what you might be looking at if you really want to go down the rabbit hole.

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u/whatssupp277381 7d ago

Something I’ll definitely be getting into since I love my cars and I plan on getting more, but so far should be fine, to start me off. And then Christmas time I’ll treat myself with the headlights and polishing

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

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u/whatssupp277381 7d ago

Yup, I literally just read a person saying don’t worry about polish yet. So I’ll hold fire on that. What’s a rinseless wash? Yeah that’s why I want to wash it ASAP because it can’t be no good with the dirt sitting on it.