Keeping it Clean
Discussion
I'm attempting to clean my Elise every fortnight, and having just bought a new gaff with a drive, I'm enjoying being able to clean it right at my front door.
At the minute I'm just using warm water with a few squirts of washing up liquid (Tesco's own) and a big sponge. It comes up okay, but not as good as I'd like. The bits in behind the doors infront of the back wheels don't come up nice and clean, and it's hard to get right in between the spokes on the wheels.
What are other people's tools and workflows on cleaning their beauties?
Burns
At the minute I'm just using warm water with a few squirts of washing up liquid (Tesco's own) and a big sponge. It comes up okay, but not as good as I'd like. The bits in behind the doors infront of the back wheels don't come up nice and clean, and it's hard to get right in between the spokes on the wheels.
What are other people's tools and workflows on cleaning their beauties?
Burns
burnsburnsburns said:
I'm attempting to clean my Elise every fortnight, and having just bought a new gaff with a drive, I'm enjoying being able to clean it right at my front door.
At the minute I'm just using warm water with a few squirts of washing up liquid (Tesco's own) and a big sponge. It comes up okay, but not as good as I'd like. The bits in behind the doors infront of the back wheels don't come up nice and clean, and it's hard to get right in between the spokes on the wheels.
What are other people's tools and workflows on cleaning their beauties?
Burns
Tesco do a fantastic shampoo/wax - their own make, but works a treat, deed insects just wash clean off.At the minute I'm just using warm water with a few squirts of washing up liquid (Tesco's own) and a big sponge. It comes up okay, but not as good as I'd like. The bits in behind the doors infront of the back wheels don't come up nice and clean, and it's hard to get right in between the spokes on the wheels.
What are other people's tools and workflows on cleaning their beauties?
Burns
I do a) wash with shampoo, b) rinse with cold, c) Dry off with old t shirt
Comes up gleeming - see S2 pic on my profile.
For each car you are going to get different answers.
However for mine (and again this is just what I do, no particular method is "more" right than others.. but there are one or two points which are good to remember)
1) - Use the two bucket method... One full or your car wash, one to rinse each time (stops you rubbing the grit back onto the car)
2) - Get a good quality car wash that you are happy with,, I use Turtle Wax performance.. but there are loads out there.. look in halfords
3) - Get a good wash mit - not a sponge.. sponges keep hold of the grit and can cause bad scratches.. lambs wool mit from halfords really good and can be washed each time
4) - Method to washing - first wet the car down with clean water - hose or mit.. this removes loose dirt and grime.
Then wash the car using the two bucket method
Then rinse again using clean water - don't be tempted to throw the soap bucket over the car..
5) - Buy a microfibre drying cloth (better than a shami), and place it over the panel and drag it off using one corner (don't rub) - this will remove most of the water off each panel without rubbing to dry)
You're done!
After that you can apply a polish (autogly super resin polish is very good) and after that a top coat of a good wax.. but you don't need these each and every time..
But they do help to protect the pain esp the front nose of the car which gets really bad stone chips
HTH
However for mine (and again this is just what I do, no particular method is "more" right than others.. but there are one or two points which are good to remember)
1) - Use the two bucket method... One full or your car wash, one to rinse each time (stops you rubbing the grit back onto the car)
2) - Get a good quality car wash that you are happy with,, I use Turtle Wax performance.. but there are loads out there.. look in halfords
3) - Get a good wash mit - not a sponge.. sponges keep hold of the grit and can cause bad scratches.. lambs wool mit from halfords really good and can be washed each time
4) - Method to washing - first wet the car down with clean water - hose or mit.. this removes loose dirt and grime.
Then wash the car using the two bucket method
Then rinse again using clean water - don't be tempted to throw the soap bucket over the car..
5) - Buy a microfibre drying cloth (better than a shami), and place it over the panel and drag it off using one corner (don't rub) - this will remove most of the water off each panel without rubbing to dry)
You're done!
After that you can apply a polish (autogly super resin polish is very good) and after that a top coat of a good wax.. but you don't need these each and every time..
But they do help to protect the pain esp the front nose of the car which gets really bad stone chips
HTH
burnsburnsburns said:
I'm just using warm water with a few squirts of washing up liquid
STOP THAT!! Stop it right now!!!
Washing up liquid is designed to remove fat from frying pans. It has abrasives in it and these will do one thing and one thing only. They will NOT remove the fatty bacon residue from your bodywork, instead they will take off that nice shiny-ness that is the lacquer!
There's a good couple of threads somewhere about this topic, I'll hunt them out for you
burnsburnsburns said:
I'm attempting to clean my Elise every fortnight, and having just bought a new gaff with a drive, I'm enjoying being able to clean it right at my front door.
At the minute I'm just using warm water with a few squirts of washing up liquid (Tesco's own) and a big sponge. It comes up okay, but not as good as I'd like. The bits in behind the doors infront of the back wheels don't come up nice and clean, and it's hard to get right in between the spokes on the wheels.
What are other people's tools and workflows on cleaning their beauties?
Burns
ArrrgggghhhhhAt the minute I'm just using warm water with a few squirts of washing up liquid (Tesco's own) and a big sponge. It comes up okay, but not as good as I'd like. The bits in behind the doors infront of the back wheels don't come up nice and clean, and it's hard to get right in between the spokes on the wheels.
What are other people's tools and workflows on cleaning their beauties?
Burns
The pain. You do what to you P&J?
What would you do if you hated it?
Matt, that's a bit of a "piece of string" question, however a simple answer is that I used Poor Boy's Natty Paste Blue Wax (not expensive at all) on my black car (same as yours) and it looked awesome. Didn't last particularly long though, but did look very good indeed. I'd recommend that
TonyHetherington said:
Matt, that's a bit of a "piece of string" question, however a simple answer is that I used Poor Boy's Natty Paste Blue Wax (not expensive at all) on my black car (same as yours) and it looked awesome. Didn't last particularly long though, but did look very good indeed. I'd recommend that
Thanks Tony 
Cool - think I found it here: http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/product_info.php?pro... ... might give it a go ...
That's exactly the one 
My recommendation with it is that you have to wax on wax off quickly. It says do a panel at a time but my experience is do more like 1ft square maximum - left on any longer and it's a right pain to get off!
Make sure you have the right cloths for it too - a microfibre cloth from the same company is a must to get it off, and perhaps a meguiars sponge applicator to get it on. Dab some water on the sponge to soften the wax to use it (literally 3 drops of water).
Hope that helps
My recommendation with it is that you have to wax on wax off quickly. It says do a panel at a time but my experience is do more like 1ft square maximum - left on any longer and it's a right pain to get off!
Make sure you have the right cloths for it too - a microfibre cloth from the same company is a must to get it off, and perhaps a meguiars sponge applicator to get it on. Dab some water on the sponge to soften the wax to use it (literally 3 drops of water).
Hope that helps
TonyHetherington said:
Hope that helps
Certainly does - thanks BTW - someone had a link on here not long ago to a pump up, hand held spray / washer on here... looked on halfords where i thought the link was to and can't find it anymore. If anyone got a link to one, it would be much appreaciated!
Not heard of it before, but have a look in either the body work forum here;
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a...
or try the search facility (look on the menu at the top of the page) as that will throw up some good results for you I'm sure.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a...
or try the search facility (look on the menu at the top of the page) as that will throw up some good results for you I'm sure.
TonyHetherington said:
Not heard of it before
Ahh searched in there, then googled a name.. something like this http://www.hozelock.com/sprayers/I084.asp?region=R... A large pump-up spray thingy... I live in central london (WC1) and so hard to hose the car when1) you can rarely get a park in front of the house;
and
2) you live onthe 1st floor, and dont have an outdoor tap to link the hose to anyway
Thanks again Tony
Used Colinite 915 paste wax on mine, came up fantastic - After wash with CG Citrus then Autoglym SRP Polish, CG Glaze, CG Sealant, two coats of the 945. Took ages, but it was worth it. Didn't need claying, else it'd of had that as well. Reminds me, it's in need of another wash, one for the weekend I think.
Edited by LivinLaVidaLotus on Tuesday 6th November 20:10
TonyHetherington said:
WC1? Ah, I was very close to you this weekend! My band played a gig in the Marquee Club in WC2 (next to Stringfellows) on Sunday night. (Live in North Kent normally).
Thanks Tony - I jealous of your living close to country lanes... its an hours of city traffic before I get out into the country.... If you're playing up this way again let me know and I'll buy ya a beer =DI used CGs JetSeal on mine, can see a couple of pics on this thread on SELOC: http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=139038
I hate washing my cars. Since I sold my last house with a drive to one with allocated parking, I haven't once washed it in 4 months. I do pay other people to do it, and take more satisfaction in that.
It takes ages when it's just you washing it, and I can't abide all this waxing carry on.
Each to their own of course, but I hate washing cars just a tiny bit more than I do driving a dirty one. So the hand wash place up the road fits the bill nicely.
It takes ages when it's just you washing it, and I can't abide all this waxing carry on.
Each to their own of course, but I hate washing cars just a tiny bit more than I do driving a dirty one. So the hand wash place up the road fits the bill nicely.
Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff