There’s nothing better than a freshly hand-washed car, but using premium detailing products to get the best finish can be costly.
Our Halfords Advanced ranges are famous for giving you professional quality products at affordable prices, covering everything from hand tools to bike racks. We’ve now launched the Halfords Advanced Car Cleaning range, which has everything you need to get that professional-quality finish without the premium price tag.
Here’s our guide to achieving that showroom shine with our Halfords Advanced Car Cleaning range.
Stage One: The Wheel Wash
We always recommend tackling your wheels first, since they’re likely to have the most grime. But with the Halfords Advanced Reactive Wheel Cleaner, you’ll have sparkling clean wheels in no time.
Thanks to specialised colour-changing technology, the formula reacts with brake dust to tell you when the cleaner has done its job. Once it turns purple, you’ll know that brake dust & ferrous metal contaminants have been dissolved to leave your wheels dirt-free – just rinse the product away.
Halfords Advanced tip: For more stubborn dirt and baked-on grime, use a wheel brush to agitate dirt for a sparkling clean.
Stage Two: The Pre-Wash
With your wheel grime taken care of, it’s time to talk pre-wash. Every professional detail will include a pre-wash stage, to reduce the chance of swirl marks and scratches and make things easier during the contact wash.
Our pick for the best pre-wash treatment is the Halfords Advanced Snow Foam; its high-foaming formula gives you plenty of suds and can be easily applied with a snow foam lance and pressure washer. Use it with the Halfords Advanced PW50 High Pressure Washer for the perfect cleaning partnership, thanks to the premium snow foam kit included and the long reach 10m hose to help you reach every nook and cranny. Alternatively, you can also use a short spray gun for greater control and easy angling. It’ll help you get to even more hard to reach areas such as under wheel arches, alloys and door sills.
The pre-wash stage is also the perfect time to use targeted cleaners. The Halfords Advanced Citrus Pre-Wash Degreaser is designed to lift bugs and greasy residue on your paintwork, metals, glass, and trims that a standard wash would struggle to remove, while the Halfords Advanced Tar & Glue Remover makes light work of that stubborn road tar and any adhesive residues.
Halfords Advanced tip: Try not to wash your car when the sun’s out – bright and direct sunlight can reduce the effectiveness of your products, and lead to water spots and marks.
Stage Three: The Contact Wash
The snow foam pre-wash should have taken care of most of the heavy soiling and debris, but a thorough contact wash is needed to really get your exterior gleaming. The Halfords Advanced High-Performance Shampoo is tough on dirt but gentle on your car – it has a pH-neutral formula with biodegradable detergents, and just like the snow foam, it’s safe to use on waxes and sealants.
The specialised slick formula helps to keep scratches and swirls to a minimum, so getting everything squeaky clean is a breeze. Plus, the formula is concentrated, so you get even more cleaning power for less.
Halfords Advanced tip: Once you’ve rinsed off the shampoo, be sure to dry your car by hand using a drying Towel. This should prevent any water spots or marks.
Stage Four: The Details
With the dirt and grime now gone, it’s time to protect and enhance your exterior – these extra steps make all the difference to your end result.
Ceramic car treatments are a favourite amongst professional detailers since they not only protect your paintwork but also create a hydrophobic layer that repels dirt and water. The Halfords Advanced Ceramic Foam Sealant gives you similar water beading and protective qualities of a premium ceramic sealant but in an easy-to-apply foam formula. Then once it’s on, the protective, dirt-repelling results last up to 3 months!
To keep your paintwork looking freshly washed and at its best, our Halfords Advanced Quick Detailer will remove light dust, unwanted fingerprints and other marks from the paintwork and is super simple to use.
Next up are tyres and trims. Over time, they can fade, crack, and lose their sheen, so even if they’re not dirty, your car won’t have that showroom finish. A tyre dressing is a professional detailing essential, and the Halfords Advanced Tyre & Trim Gel makes restoring the look of your tyres & trim quick and easy.
Just wipe the gel onto your trim and tyre with an applicator sponge or microfibre cloth, then gently wipe off the excess after a few minutes for a glossy, dark finish.
Halfords Advanced tip: For a super-glossy finish there is no need to wipe it off, or you can even apply the dressing twice.
Stage Five: The Interior
No car wash is complete without a thorough cleaning of your interior, which is why the Halfords Advanced range has products to bring your interior back to life.
Comprehensive cleaning doesn’t have to be complicated, which is why the Halfords Advanced Interior Quick Detailer cleans and restores all your interior plastics, vinyl, and wooden trims in one product. You’ll achieve a clean satin finish and protect your surfaces against future UV ageing, giving you a fresh clean finish in minutes.
Even if your interior is relatively free of dirt, stained fabrics & seats can make everything feel a little grimy. The Halfords Advanced Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner can be used on car carpets, upholstery, fabric trims, and even roof linings to lift stubborn stains and any bad odours. Paired with the Halfords Advanced Glass Cleaner for streak-free glass and mirrors, your car’s interior will be spotless.
Halfords Advanced tip: The Interior Quick Detailer can be used on the plastics and rubber in your engine bay too, for a shining car inside and out.
So, that’s our guide on how to use the Halfords Advanced range to get that professional finish right on your driveway, for less. Now that your car’s shining and spotless, head over to Halfords.com to explore our other motoring accessories.
