Best washing technique?

[cider_fox]

Hey all, I recently got an S2 and was trying to find out the best way to keep it clean. There's an old thread here recommending Meguiars soft wash gel or gold class shampoo viewtopic.php?f=76&t=22261. Ant reason to use these over something like Autoglym Pure Shampoo which I use on another vehicle... but the bottle is nearly empty anyway...

Also, anything special needed for the roof? Or is it just a case of water and soft cloth?

Ta!

[dapinky]

I am no expert, but I have always used whatever cheap car shampoo I was gifted for Christmas, with plenty of clean water (changing it regularly) to get the grime off. Once it is clean I give it a coat of ceramic sealant (Can't remember the name of the one I currently have, but it's in a blue bottle ).

I don't use shampoo with 'wax' in it, or add wax afterwards - but, that said, my paintwork isn't good enough to really worry about now. (The blue car is lucky to get squirted with the hosepipe and wiped down).

For the roof, I bought a kit from Renovo which is a 3-part thing - a cleaner, a colourant and a sealer/waterproofer....... the cleaner is applied with a scrubbing brush to get into the cervices in the material, and once dry, it can be coloured (if required) or just waterproofed.

I still have most of it somewhere, but if the roof isn't too bad, a soft brush and hosepipe will do the job, but if it needs more, any car shampoo (without wax) and a scrubbing brush will do wonders..... but if you disturb the fibres too much it will need re-proofing afterwards. Fabsil, or any other tent waterproofer will do the job (I have even seen some people using Thompsons Waterseal) - basically, just something with silicone to stop the rain penetrating.

My roof hardly ever gets touched these days as the cars live in the garage, and I rarely put them up.

[MPx]

I just use water on mine - no additives at all. Seems to stay clean enough for me - especially if its been Autoglym'd super resin polished in living memory. The roof responds well to being vacuumed rather than washed - I use a small skirtingboard/stair brush vac attachment.

[cider_fox]

Thanks both, super helpful!