How do you clean your Elise (i.e. what bits/how detailed)
Discussion
Hi all
Ok I'm a bit of a picky bugger when it comes to cleaning my car (read; anal) and, surprisingly, get alot of joy out of it. My last car I only used at weekends and I loved that because I could clean it, and then detail it. Now, I actually DRIVE my Elise and so it makes it much more difficult; I'm forever cleaning it rather than 'detailing'.
Anyway...I've just come back from 2000miles through the highlands and the car is proper proper filthy. I jet washed it (only jet wash, no brush) just to get the loose crap off ready for mucho cleaning session this weekend.
I need to clean every part of if, thoroughly, and so my plan is as follows;
wheels off; clean and wax
clean wheel arches
clean calipers *
wheels back on, clean diffuser **
clean exhausts then polish exhaust tips
clean exhaust surround
clean car bodywork and dry ***
take out interior carpets and hoover annd carpet shampoo them
hoover whole interior
autoglym leather cleaner on all leather
autoglym interior cleaner on plastics etc. on dash
clean inside windows (front/sides/rear)
clean plastics (speaker surrounds, behind seats etc)
if there's time, I'll then polish the car and wax it, but I doubt there will be
So, the purpose of my post is to ask what other bits do you more 'exacting' Elise owners clean? I do loads of little picky bits and especially when I have the car in bits but wanted to know everyone elses, urmmm, 'fetishes'
Oh, and a quick note; how easy is it to take out the seats? Would make cleaning the interior fabulously easy to whip them out, if it's easy enough to do of course!? Thoughts please!?
Anyhow, I'll stop talking now. Thanks for taking the time to read and if you've got this far, well done hehe!
Thanks
Tony
*I always clean calipers every week I wash the wheels so they're fairly clean, but I use taking the wheels off as an opportunity to do them properly
**I do the diffuser each week also but this time it needs a good old scrub from some Highland muck!
***my normal sunday approach; top half, new bucket of water, bottom half, dry with chamois, all sills and painted bits cleaned and dried.
Ok I'm a bit of a picky bugger when it comes to cleaning my car (read; anal) and, surprisingly, get alot of joy out of it. My last car I only used at weekends and I loved that because I could clean it, and then detail it. Now, I actually DRIVE my Elise and so it makes it much more difficult; I'm forever cleaning it rather than 'detailing'.
Anyway...I've just come back from 2000miles through the highlands and the car is proper proper filthy. I jet washed it (only jet wash, no brush) just to get the loose crap off ready for mucho cleaning session this weekend.
I need to clean every part of if, thoroughly, and so my plan is as follows;
wheels off; clean and wax
clean wheel arches
clean calipers *
wheels back on, clean diffuser **
clean exhausts then polish exhaust tips
clean exhaust surround
clean car bodywork and dry ***
take out interior carpets and hoover annd carpet shampoo them
hoover whole interior
autoglym leather cleaner on all leather
autoglym interior cleaner on plastics etc. on dash
clean inside windows (front/sides/rear)
clean plastics (speaker surrounds, behind seats etc)
if there's time, I'll then polish the car and wax it, but I doubt there will be
So, the purpose of my post is to ask what other bits do you more 'exacting' Elise owners clean? I do loads of little picky bits and especially when I have the car in bits but wanted to know everyone elses, urmmm, 'fetishes'
Oh, and a quick note; how easy is it to take out the seats? Would make cleaning the interior fabulously easy to whip them out, if it's easy enough to do of course!? Thoughts please!?
Anyhow, I'll stop talking now. Thanks for taking the time to read and if you've got this far, well done hehe!
Thanks
Tony
*I always clean calipers every week I wash the wheels so they're fairly clean, but I use taking the wheels off as an opportunity to do them properly
**I do the diffuser each week also but this time it needs a good old scrub from some Highland muck!
***my normal sunday approach; top half, new bucket of water, bottom half, dry with chamois, all sills and painted bits cleaned and dried.
Jet wash with pressure turned down (full pressure on the windscreen, the wheels and the underarches)
shampoo with a sponge with Auto Glym Bodywork Shampoo (use the chemical spray on the pressure washer filled with standard wash/wax for under the arches and the rear diffuser)
use a separate half of a sponge with hot soapy water for the wheels. leave handbrake off and roll the car back and fore to get all the bits of brake dust off the wheels.
rinse.
dry with chamois and a bucket of clean hot water. Use kitchen paper to wipe down the door sills.
polish glass with Auto Glym glass polish.
Zymol whole car incl 2 coats on the nose and the tail.
use cheap Turtle Wax on the wheels to stop brake dust sticking to them.
Autosol the exhausts and the insides of the exhausts.
Get it dirty again.
shampoo with a sponge with Auto Glym Bodywork Shampoo (use the chemical spray on the pressure washer filled with standard wash/wax for under the arches and the rear diffuser)
use a separate half of a sponge with hot soapy water for the wheels. leave handbrake off and roll the car back and fore to get all the bits of brake dust off the wheels.
rinse.
dry with chamois and a bucket of clean hot water. Use kitchen paper to wipe down the door sills.
polish glass with Auto Glym glass polish.
Zymol whole car incl 2 coats on the nose and the tail.
use cheap Turtle Wax on the wheels to stop brake dust sticking to them.
Autosol the exhausts and the insides of the exhausts.
Get it dirty again.
Ye Gods man!
I thought Iliked cleaning my Elise, but I can see there are whole new levels.....
My cleaning regime is clean it every week (just wash n wax cleaner), alloy wheel clean the wheels, clean the insides (seats, dash, windows, carpets etc) and then "back to black" the plastic external trim and then the following week clean it on the outside again and then wax it.
I thought cleaning it every week / waxing every fortnight was a bit "anal"! I get some stick for it anyway.
However I have just bought stages one and two of Meguires (?) 3 stage system (I already have a 100% carnuba wax) and I'll be trying that out this week, weather permitting. I also intend to get round to getting it to the jet wash and getting the wheel arches blasted. Does anyone else take the wheels off to clean them?? Seems a bit extreme?
I thought Iliked cleaning my Elise, but I can see there are whole new levels.....
My cleaning regime is clean it every week (just wash n wax cleaner), alloy wheel clean the wheels, clean the insides (seats, dash, windows, carpets etc) and then "back to black" the plastic external trim and then the following week clean it on the outside again and then wax it.
I thought cleaning it every week / waxing every fortnight was a bit "anal"! I get some stick for it anyway.
However I have just bought stages one and two of Meguires (?) 3 stage system (I already have a 100% carnuba wax) and I'll be trying that out this week, weather permitting. I also intend to get round to getting it to the jet wash and getting the wheel arches blasted. Does anyone else take the wheels off to clean them?? Seems a bit extreme?
Tony - you do all that, every week? Are you serious? 
Now where's that idiot (IMO) who spent £450 on having his car polished?
Taking the seats out is easy. You need a 5mm and 6mm hex bit (the front and rear bolts are different sizes) and a decent length extension bar for your socket set.
FWIW my Elise will be being washed this weekend for the first time since about August/September. I used Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection on it last year so it hardly needs cleaning and always looks like its just been polished after just being washed.
Now where's that idiot (IMO) who spent £450 on having his car polished?
Taking the seats out is easy. You need a 5mm and 6mm hex bit (the front and rear bolts are different sizes) and a decent length extension bar for your socket set.
FWIW my Elise will be being washed this weekend for the first time since about August/September. I used Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection on it last year so it hardly needs cleaning and always looks like its just been polished after just being washed.
Thanks for the replies guys!
Tony; yes, I get grief also for cleaning my car so much (without fail, once a week)...and I really wish I could do it more!
Regarding the wheels, I wash my wheels front and back every week and I do this by poking my hand through the spokes (I have a 111S so it's the 8 spoke jobbies). You can clean the WHOLE wheel with it still on the car (if you have big hands though, you will graze your knuckles. all worth it though!). However, every 2 months or so I take all wheels off the car (very easy to do) and give them a good scrub front and back and then wax them with just normal car body wax. This helps to keep brake dust off and makes future cleaning much easier. Especially with the rear jacking point lifting both wheels off the ground, it makes it fairly easy to take the wheels off the car.
I'm still struggling to find a polish I've fallen in love with - but then I do have a black car I guess. Doh!!!
I tried the meguiars 3 stage system and found it 'ok'. VERY time consuming though. Also what I did find good was the clay bar - wash car, clay bar, then do the 3 step system. Takes a fair while (so helpful to keep it in the garage and do 1 a day or something) but did look good. I didn't find the shine 'stayed' though.
Hope that helps!
T
Tony; yes, I get grief also for cleaning my car so much (without fail, once a week)...and I really wish I could do it more!
Regarding the wheels, I wash my wheels front and back every week and I do this by poking my hand through the spokes (I have a 111S so it's the 8 spoke jobbies). You can clean the WHOLE wheel with it still on the car (if you have big hands though, you will graze your knuckles. all worth it though!). However, every 2 months or so I take all wheels off the car (very easy to do) and give them a good scrub front and back and then wax them with just normal car body wax. This helps to keep brake dust off and makes future cleaning much easier. Especially with the rear jacking point lifting both wheels off the ground, it makes it fairly easy to take the wheels off the car.
I'm still struggling to find a polish I've fallen in love with - but then I do have a black car I guess. Doh!!!
I tried the meguiars 3 stage system and found it 'ok'. VERY time consuming though. Also what I did find good was the clay bar - wash car, clay bar, then do the 3 step system. Takes a fair while (so helpful to keep it in the garage and do 1 a day or something) but did look good. I didn't find the shine 'stayed' though.
Hope that helps!
T
cuzza said:
Tony - you do all that, every week? Are you serious?
oh no no no. My 'every week' regime is
clean wheels front and back,
clean and polish exhausts,
clean diffuser.
wash body work top half, new bucket
wash body work bottom half,
and dry with chamois.
the above I am only going to do this weekend because of my recent long trip the car is filthy; completely filthy. Actually I have a photograph of just how dirty it is (this embarasses me almost to post; please don't think this is the norm!!)
(I've jet washed the car since these just to get the actual lumps of dirt off but you get the idea. The brake discs just had a little water on them the previous night when I stopped the car so don't worry about those!).
To give you an idea of the state of the interior too...
but, I tell you, the trip was worth it though..
.... 
Ah, no garage so it's outside (bucket of water and a watering can - 3rd floor flat) and hope the weather stays good, but not too good as I have no shade!
I have to admit I just clean the visible bits of the wheels, although I do take some time and attention on them.
Is it possible to do damage using the three step system? I was on their website and it seems the keep the really good stuff back for the professionals!
Until you came along I thought I was a bit obsessive, but I now realise it's all relative...
I got the wax from ebay and all I can say is that it's visibly better than triplewax, which isn't much of an endorsement but that was my previous choice! It's called Jof's and its £6.99 + p+p a 500mls bottle.
I have to admit I just clean the visible bits of the wheels, although I do take some time and attention on them.
Is it possible to do damage using the three step system? I was on their website and it seems the keep the really good stuff back for the professionals!
Until you came along I thought I was a bit obsessive, but I now realise it's all relative...
I got the wax from ebay and all I can say is that it's visibly better than triplewax, which isn't much of an endorsement but that was my previous choice! It's called Jof's and its £6.99 + p+p a 500mls bottle.I wash mine twice a month, rinse the car first with the hosepipe (ban permitting), then bucket of hot water with Halfords car wash stuff. Then rinse and dry. Then Autoglym 'Clean Wheels' on the alloys. Brings them up a treat. I just hoover the interior and run a damp chamois over the dashboard to pick up dust etc.
Frankly I thought I was doing a decent job but in this company I feel awfully lacklustre!
Frankly I thought I was doing a decent job but in this company I feel awfully lacklustre!
When those type of disks get this easely corrodet, no wonder why the pads get stickky when you leave it overnight after a carwash?
Are Alu disks a sellution for that?
Oh and Tony I think your a mad man by cleaning all that(the first list) very time consuming but seen your car you've had a nice ride in the country
and had fun..
GTRene
Are Alu disks a sellution for that?
Oh and Tony I think your a mad man by cleaning all that(the first list)
very time consuming but seen your car you've had a nice ride in the country and had fun.. GTRene
Wait until Just1 and Janitor start adding to this thread, then you will all be truely amazed at how "dedicated" some people can be.
Try this www.detailingworld.co.uk/ if you want to see some truely mad/dedicated people.
Try this www.detailingworld.co.uk/ if you want to see some truely mad/dedicated people.
the zymol story? thats to much for me...1 time ok...but 3 or even 5 times waxing the car...good for the car, but I'm not such person, I clean the car drive very fast to dry it ready...sometimes a bit extra atention for the wheels and interior but thats it...clean but not ready to eat from clean though I like such cars, I don't have that in me to do so. GTRene
beachbum said:
Wait until Just1 and Janitor start adding to this thread, then you will all be truely amazed at how "dedicated" some people can be
Haha! True Beachy one... true
And sure enough, here I am 
Tony - Check out this thread fella. www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=15&t=253485 You actually posted on it yourself early on, but I added a bit more slightly lower down with a link to another site etc. You should be able to get a fair bit of info directly out of it
Then after that little topic related read, check out these guides www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides.html and contact Richard from Polished Bliss if you want to get deeply involved
(He's a top bloke by the way - plenty of advice for YOU and YOUR CAR. Tell him Clive with the new Elise SportsRacer sent ya ) Top marks for wanting to do a top job by the way
Some will say 'just drive'... but we all do that too! If anyone started saying 'just clean', then that would be a rather different kettle of fishy things And oh yeah... enjoy!
>> Edited by Janitor on Friday 31st March 12:03
Yay, there ARE people out there like me!
Thanks Janitor - I don't recall reading the rest of that thread so will go to those links.
My biggest problem has never been the dedication or the willingness to clean the intricate parts of my car, it's been either the weather, or finding the right products. I've still not found a polish/wax combination I'm happy with and I've tried a fair few.
Damn my striving for perfection
Reubusta...ya git
Thanks Janitor - I don't recall reading the rest of that thread so will go to those links.
My biggest problem has never been the dedication or the willingness to clean the intricate parts of my car, it's been either the weather, or finding the right products. I've still not found a polish/wax combination I'm happy with and I've tried a fair few.
Damn my striving for perfection
Reubusta...ya git
Sorry i am late on this one, in a nutshell I have found the Autoglm stuff to be exellent and is available fron all good branches of halfrauds, If you want that extra special look then Zymol is your boy though i just spent the last 2 days doing the full 3 stage proccess, oh and it aint cheap either though you use very little, so it goes a long way. I have now got a presure washer and car vac in the garage. I wont go into details as it would send you all to sleep but i try to be pretty anal about cleaning, as my big Bruv used to valet cars for a living and kind of got me into it.
clean wheels front and back,
clean and polish exhausts,
clean diffuser.
wash body work top half, new bucket
wash body work bottom half,
and dry with chamois.
To be fair this is the correct way to do it- From the begining when you first get a car new or old I use a clay bar and take off any old polish/wax etc.
RINSE THE CAR FIRST! one of the most important things! takes off all surface muck and prevent light scratching.As you will know a car is the dirtys't at the bottom, so make sure that is the last place to wash. When i wash my exige I use a seperate bucket for wheels/Body work and archs! Also when washing the body work i have two buckets, one with my cleaner in and the other with clean fresh water in it. This allows you to rise you dirty spunge when it is dirty, instead of putting it back onto the car,if you get me!The car get dryed in my garage with a Megiures special cloth(hold and absorbs much more than a chamois!) then use a separte chamois to clean cills,door edges, access panells etc!then I wax it using Zymol-If you can't afford this then Use megiurs(second best i think) I use TOUGHSEAL on the wheels to keep any brake dust away from the wheels and they are just so easy to clean after this!
I wash my car after it is used so there is never a need for hard scrubing or powerwashing, this is bad for the paintwork! I wax it every two weeks whether it is used or not!Polishing should not be needed uless you have damaged paintwork!
In this photo, you will see my seat cover on and a cloth over my cill to protect it when jumping in and out! I Truly am obsesed.
clean and polish exhausts,
clean diffuser.
wash body work top half, new bucket
wash body work bottom half,
and dry with chamois.
To be fair this is the correct way to do it- From the begining when you first get a car new or old I use a clay bar and take off any old polish/wax etc.
RINSE THE CAR FIRST! one of the most important things! takes off all surface muck and prevent light scratching.As you will know a car is the dirtys't at the bottom, so make sure that is the last place to wash. When i wash my exige I use a seperate bucket for wheels/Body work and archs! Also when washing the body work i have two buckets, one with my cleaner in and the other with clean fresh water in it. This allows you to rise you dirty spunge when it is dirty, instead of putting it back onto the car,if you get me!The car get dryed in my garage with a Megiures special cloth(hold and absorbs much more than a chamois!) then use a separte chamois to clean cills,door edges, access panells etc!then I wax it using Zymol-If you can't afford this then Use megiurs(second best i think) I use TOUGHSEAL on the wheels to keep any brake dust away from the wheels and they are just so easy to clean after this!
I wash my car after it is used so there is never a need for hard scrubing or powerwashing, this is bad for the paintwork! I wax it every two weeks whether it is used or not!Polishing should not be needed uless you have damaged paintwork!
In this photo, you will see my seat cover on and a cloth over my cill to protect it when jumping in and out! I Truly am obsesed.
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