Discussion
Spent a pleasant (but also frustrating) couple of hours this afternoon washing the 'liz and the ZT. As the only water the ZT has seen since October is rain 
it was great to discover that under all the filth she's red. Washing the liz I noticed there seems to be a layer of grime ground in that the Meguiares shampoo wasn't touching. Any ideas please on the safest way to deep clean the paint. The car is New Ally.
Also totally fed up after cleaning 104 wheel spokes. Does anybody know of a set of Victorys
,preferably black or anthracite, for sale?
it was great to discover that under all the filth she's red. Washing the liz I noticed there seems to be a layer of grime ground in that the Meguiares shampoo wasn't touching. Any ideas please on the safest way to deep clean the paint. The car is New Ally. Also totally fed up after cleaning 104 wheel spokes. Does anybody know of a set of Victorys
,preferably black or anthracite, for sale? yeah - Id try Meguires paint cleaner stuff .....if that dont make the paint feel really smooth under your fingertips then by a clay bar...then polish, then wax ...
when youre bored for 30 mins have a look here and get genned up on car cleaning to the extreme....then decide how much you can be bothered with and just do that
www.detailingworld.co.uk/
when youre bored for 30 mins have a look here and get genned up on car cleaning to the extreme....then decide how much you can be bothered with and just do that
www.detailingworld.co.uk/
Hey guys, I would love your input into one of my other posts (particularly bogie as your a bit of a legend with attention to detail ). I want to get my cleaning stuff together before picking up my car on Friday. www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?t=263017&f=23&h=0
). I want to get my cleaning stuff together before picking up my car on Friday. www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?t=263017&f=23&h=0you cant really go wrong with the Meguires range for the money and they cover everything......on a new car you shouldnt be needing a clay bar or paint cleaner for at least 6 months...if the paint is swirl free etc then all you should have to do is polish and wax once every 6 weeks.
The biggest tips are really around washing it etc without putting swirl marks/defects into the paint, therefore creating hardwork later (in reality you can never do this...but prolonging recitification for a year is better than knackering the paint on the first wash!)
so always:
1. Use 2 buckets - one full of suds for on, one clean water to rinse in after every wipe
2. DONT use sponges - just save them for the wheels/archliners/ bottom of sills etc
3. Use a lambswool washmit or microfibre mitt instead
4. Rinse with loads of clean water from hose - use a filter...either the Flash car was thing from Halfrauds or an in-line one - saves water spots when it dries too quick
5. wash wheels first - only with soap n water ...when your car is new stick some Toughseal alloy wax on them - brake dust never sticks then - do every 8-12 weeks
So id get:
wash mitt
some sponges
Toughseal alloy wax (google will find it)
Flash car wash thing for hose pipe
then polish/wax to your hearts content...but to be honest - if you wash it as above then polish/wax should only take say 2-3hours every 3 months or so...and in between it will look nice
The biggest tips are really around washing it etc without putting swirl marks/defects into the paint, therefore creating hardwork later (in reality you can never do this...but prolonging recitification for a year is better than knackering the paint on the first wash!)
so always:
1. Use 2 buckets - one full of suds for on, one clean water to rinse in after every wipe
2. DONT use sponges - just save them for the wheels/archliners/ bottom of sills etc
3. Use a lambswool washmit or microfibre mitt instead
4. Rinse with loads of clean water from hose - use a filter...either the Flash car was thing from Halfrauds or an in-line one - saves water spots when it dries too quick
5. wash wheels first - only with soap n water ...when your car is new stick some Toughseal alloy wax on them - brake dust never sticks then - do every 8-12 weeks
So id get:
wash mitt
some sponges
Toughseal alloy wax (google will find it)
Flash car wash thing for hose pipe
then polish/wax to your hearts content...but to be honest - if you wash it as above then polish/wax should only take say 2-3hours every 3 months or so...and in between it will look nice
Bogie thats just what I wanted My car is 2nd hand so will probably need a full clean soon after purchase. Do you use anything special to clean your wheels or just soapy water? Most people recommend Autoglym glass polish, what do you use? One last question (for now) do you clean your exhaust pipes (the visible parts), if so what with?
My car is 2nd hand so will probably need a full clean soon after purchase. Do you use anything special to clean your wheels or just soapy water? Most people recommend Autoglym glass polish, what do you use? One last question (for now) do you clean your exhaust pipes (the visible parts), if so what with?Pistonheads made me SAD(DER).
I used to be a regular wash your car kind of guy. Then i got a new Elise so i thought i'd treat her good and wax her.
I read some car washing posts
and i started to change. I'd take off the wheels and clean them. Clean under things and behind things that you can not see and that i didn't know existed.
I read more,
and then i went out and bought the 3 stage Meguires system. My GF thinks i'm mad, now i have to do everything 3 times, not once. ( This is the girl who says its OK to leave her WRX filthy because it's a rally car.)
I knew i was in trouble and had fallen far from grace
when i was elated to find Autosol stainless steel polish. I've started polishing my exhaust, Oh god what's going to happen if i get a real panel eliminator pack so you can really see my larini. 
Help me, I think I'm developing OCD. All advise appreciated.
ps Tony this is partly your fault and not the sort of behavior i expect from a moderator.
I used to be a regular wash your car kind of guy. Then i got a new Elise so i thought i'd treat her good and wax her.
I read some car washing posts
and i started to change. I'd take off the wheels and clean them. Clean under things and behind things that you can not see and that i didn't know existed. I read more,
and then i went out and bought the 3 stage Meguires system. My GF thinks i'm mad, now i have to do everything 3 times, not once. ( This is the girl who says its OK to leave her WRX filthy because it's a rally car.) I knew i was in trouble and had fallen far from grace
when i was elated to find Autosol stainless steel polish. I've started polishing my exhaust, Oh god what's going to happen if i get a real panel eliminator pack so you can really see my larini. Help me, I think I'm developing OCD. All advise appreciated. ps Tony this is partly your fault and not the sort of behavior i expect from a moderator.
Crapper said:
Bogie thats just what I wanted
soapy water on the wheels - nothing else ...Ive tried most wheel cleaners and they seem to accelerate the runsting process, strip the coating off the hubs etc ....if you do the wheels say every 2 weeks/1000miles and you have some wax on them then you shouldnt need anything to clean them.
Yep - I use Autoglym fastglass and a microfibre cloth on the windows ...Autoglym metal polish on the exhaust tips
My 45 minute monthly cleaning cycle involves wonderwheels & rinse, hose down to get muck off, any car wash with sponge, rinse, turtle wax "wax it wet"* with a chamois leather rubdown.
* this stuff ROCKS
Waterspots are a problem on my dark blue car so sounds like I need to investigate the flash car wash thing but whats the deal using it during a hose pipe ban ?
>> Edited by hbaumhardt on Sunday 23 April 11:00
* this stuff ROCKS
Waterspots are a problem on my dark blue car so sounds like I need to investigate the flash car wash thing but whats the deal using it during a hose pipe ban ?
>> Edited by hbaumhardt on Sunday 23 April 11:00
Done mine this weekend, 4 hours yesterday and another 2 to finish off this morning! There were more than a few times i wished id never started!
Would definitely recommend using a clay thing. I used the merguiars one and it was really quick on places like the roof where there was nothing to take off. It was only slow going on the lower parts of the car where it was taking a lot of cr@p off.
Used the merguiars 3 step stuff which should kind of fit with your budget. Looks great but it was a lot of work as i had to do everything 4 times including the clay!
I also use an in line water filter thing. Reckon i live in the wettest part of the country so a lottery win is more likely than a hose pipe ban but dont see why you couldnt connect it to the tap and fill a bucket from it.
Simon
Would definitely recommend using a clay thing. I used the merguiars one and it was really quick on places like the roof where there was nothing to take off. It was only slow going on the lower parts of the car where it was taking a lot of cr@p off.
Used the merguiars 3 step stuff which should kind of fit with your budget. Looks great but it was a lot of work as i had to do everything 4 times including the clay!
I also use an in line water filter thing. Reckon i live in the wettest part of the country so a lottery win is more likely than a hose pipe ban but dont see why you couldnt connect it to the tap and fill a bucket from it.
Simon
vipers said:
As the only water the ZT has seen since October is rain ?
My god, I wash my car at least once a week, sometimes 2 or 3 times, just cant abide a dirty car, especially mine, has yours been under a tarp or something, or just out side?
I'm afraid it just sits on the drive with the others waiting for its turn. Problem is we live in the middle of a one track lane with our farm next door so its pretty mucky unless there's been a protracted dry spell. Also seem to spend a lot of my driving time in Cornwall on similiar roads so as soon as I wash a car its mucky again. Funnily the ZT came up fine, the Elise ,which is properly loved, is the one with the ground in dirt. But the the liz is a light colour and older.
Thanks for the tips guys. I'll try and put some of it into practice. Had already bought the mitts etc. Spent nearly £50 in Halfords on assorted cleaning and polishing cloth things a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks for the tips on the two bucket thing. I did that yesterday but gave the second bucket to my four year old daughter to 'wash' the ZT, couldn't think what to do with it after she got bored so used it for fag ends!
bogie said:
Said a lot of good stuff
Youre my hero!
Now if I could convert you to a decent wax.....
I agree with you about wheel cleaners but when they are bad I use the zymol wheel cleaner. There is nothing better or kinder to wheels.
It takes me longer to clean my wheels than the rest of the car. I have 9 brushes and a couple different sponges just for the wheels!
I just use whatever wax I have in stock thats easy to get off...been using the same bottles for the last 4 years ! ....tried all the mainstream brands before that
Im open to trying new stuff (that dosent cost £100 a bottle!) but to be honest, by the time the cars' had a machine clean and polish you could stick any old wax on there and it would look shiny ...for about a month or so
currently using Meguires 3 stage and gold Class stuff ...have tried Zymol (from a friend) but couldnt tell any difference so didnt buy any
looking at all the 'expert' advice on some sites then it would appear that synthetic waxes last longer - maybe 3-6 months ..but natural carnuba etc looks better, but the best stuff may only last a month ...and since the dawn of time manufacturers have been trying to give the best of both worlds
personally to me - it dosent matter..the car lives outside and gets used most days...spend 3 hours on a Sunday and by Monday mid-day its mucky ..thats why I dont spend a huge amount of time/effort/money on cleaning it....but having always owned black cars for the last 8 years Ive learnt how to wash/look after paint finish, so you can wash it weekly in winter and it dosent look like youve used a brillo pad
Im open to trying new stuff (that dosent cost £100 a bottle!) but to be honest, by the time the cars' had a machine clean and polish you could stick any old wax on there and it would look shiny ...for about a month or so
currently using Meguires 3 stage and gold Class stuff ...have tried Zymol (from a friend) but couldnt tell any difference so didnt buy any
looking at all the 'expert' advice on some sites then it would appear that synthetic waxes last longer - maybe 3-6 months ..but natural carnuba etc looks better, but the best stuff may only last a month ...and since the dawn of time manufacturers have been trying to give the best of both worlds
personally to me - it dosent matter..the car lives outside and gets used most days...spend 3 hours on a Sunday and by Monday mid-day its mucky ..thats why I dont spend a huge amount of time/effort/money on cleaning it....but having always owned black cars for the last 8 years Ive learnt how to wash/look after paint finish, so you can wash it weekly in winter and it dosent look like youve used a brillo pad
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