Using inappropriate products to repair or clean the car.
Discussion
I've been feeling poorly recently, but felt that I needed some exercise. So I decided to wash our black Range Rover myself.
It was filthy, but after an hour or so of hard work it looked quite impressive. As a final touch, I felt the icing on the cake would be a glossy sheen courtesy of some Meguiars Quick Detailer.
So I picked up the spray bottle of Autoglym Interior Shampoo instead and liberally sprayed the outside of the car with it, before smearing it about with a microfiber cloth, wondering why it wouldn't shine.
I now have a Santorini Black Range Rover that looks like someone has greased it before roasting it in the oven. It looks horrible and even re-washing it hasn't brought it up.
Has anyone else deliberately or otherwise used a completely inappropriate product to repair or clean the car with disastrous consequences?
The headlights on my first soarer were in a right state...borrowed some cleaning material from work to give them a wipe in the carpark at lunch.
I'd picked up a special brew of TRIKE and MEK and practically melted the drivers side light unit in a single wipe.
I think I nearly cried with shock and shame
I'd picked up a special brew of TRIKE and MEK and practically melted the drivers side light unit in a single wipe.
I think I nearly cried with shock and shame
One of my old co-workers walked out to his car during lunch break with a kitchen sponge and, wait for it... a bottle of shower gel.
I walked after him to see what on earth he was doing, it was also absolutely chucking down with rain outside.
He proceeded to enthusiastically wash his battered old VW Passat with the kitchen sponge and liberal amounts of shower gel, he said to me "I do it in the rain so that I don't have to rinse it off".
100% true, still amazes me 7 years later.
I walked after him to see what on earth he was doing, it was also absolutely chucking down with rain outside.
He proceeded to enthusiastically wash his battered old VW Passat with the kitchen sponge and liberal amounts of shower gel, he said to me "I do it in the rain so that I don't have to rinse it off".
100% true, still amazes me 7 years later.
designforlife said:
One of my old co-workers walked out to his car during lunch break with a kitchen sponge and, wait for it... a bottle of shower gel.
I walked after him to see what on earth he was doing, it was also absolutely chucking down with rain outside.
He proceeded to enthusiastically wash his battered old VW Passat with the kitchen sponge and liberal amounts of shower gel, he said to me "I do it in the rain so that I don't have to rinse it off".
100% true, still amazes me 7 years later.
Years ago a lad washed a colleagues car with a scourer! Needsless to say the colleague wasn't impressed! I walked after him to see what on earth he was doing, it was also absolutely chucking down with rain outside.
He proceeded to enthusiastically wash his battered old VW Passat with the kitchen sponge and liberal amounts of shower gel, he said to me "I do it in the rain so that I don't have to rinse it off".
100% true, still amazes me 7 years later.
designforlife said:
One of my old co-workers walked out to his car during lunch break with a kitchen sponge and, wait for it... a bottle of shower gel.
I walked after him to see what on earth he was doing, it was also absolutely chucking down with rain outside.
He proceeded to enthusiastically wash his battered old VW Passat with the kitchen sponge and liberal amounts of shower gel, he said to me "I do it in the rain so that I don't have to rinse it off".
100% true, still amazes me 7 years later.
That said, some people swear by hair conditioner to shine their cars better than bespoke car products (according to them)...I walked after him to see what on earth he was doing, it was also absolutely chucking down with rain outside.
He proceeded to enthusiastically wash his battered old VW Passat with the kitchen sponge and liberal amounts of shower gel, he said to me "I do it in the rain so that I don't have to rinse it off".
100% true, still amazes me 7 years later.
Car was filthy i was at the MIL house..
Bought a sponge from wilkos and used red fairy liquid in squirted straight onto the car and rubbed off. Hose pipe no jet wash. A poor mans clean.
Car had never ever looked cleaner. And it stayed cleaner for longer. Dust didn't stick as easily. The alloys didn't get dusty for a week!
Made me want to chuck the snow foam machine and big selection of shampoos in the bin when i got home,
Bought a sponge from wilkos and used red fairy liquid in squirted straight onto the car and rubbed off. Hose pipe no jet wash. A poor mans clean.
Car had never ever looked cleaner. And it stayed cleaner for longer. Dust didn't stick as easily. The alloys didn't get dusty for a week!
Made me want to chuck the snow foam machine and big selection of shampoos in the bin when i got home,
I've known two people clean off dirt with a kitchen scourer, both morons and both leaving dull patches where the scourer scratched the hell out of the lacquer.
I admit back in the early 90s, my mum used to task me with cleaning her MK3 Ford Escort. I was loaded up with a bucket with Fairy Liquid, a sponge and bucket. I was also handed the brush from the dust pan and told to use that on the bottoms of the doors, lovely and scratchy. Then to cap it off, dry it with a roll of kitchen roll rather than a nice chamois!
I did once pick up a bottle of Autoglym Odour Eliminator and go to clean my windows with it, almost the same colour label as their glass cleaner. No adverse effects though!
I admit back in the early 90s, my mum used to task me with cleaning her MK3 Ford Escort. I was loaded up with a bucket with Fairy Liquid, a sponge and bucket. I was also handed the brush from the dust pan and told to use that on the bottoms of the doors, lovely and scratchy. Then to cap it off, dry it with a roll of kitchen roll rather than a nice chamois!
I did once pick up a bottle of Autoglym Odour Eliminator and go to clean my windows with it, almost the same colour label as their glass cleaner. No adverse effects though!
designforlife said:
One of my old co-workers walked out to his car during lunch break with a kitchen sponge and, wait for it... a bottle of shower gel.
I walked after him to see what on earth he was doing, it was also absolutely chucking down with rain outside.
He proceeded to enthusiastically wash his battered old VW Passat with the kitchen sponge and liberal amounts of shower gel, he said to me "I do it in the rain so that I don't have to rinse it off".
100% true, still amazes me 7 years later.
Did it work though? I walked after him to see what on earth he was doing, it was also absolutely chucking down with rain outside.
He proceeded to enthusiastically wash his battered old VW Passat with the kitchen sponge and liberal amounts of shower gel, he said to me "I do it in the rain so that I don't have to rinse it off".
100% true, still amazes me 7 years later.
zafbandicoot said:
Car was filthy i was at the MIL house..
Bought a sponge from wilkos and used red fairy liquid in squirted straight onto the car and rubbed off. Hose pipe no jet wash. A poor mans clean.
Car had never ever looked cleaner. And it stayed cleaner for longer. Dust didn't stick as easily. The alloys didn't get dusty for a week!
Made me want to chuck the snow foam machine and big selection of shampoos in the bin when i got home,
Bought a sponge from wilkos and used red fairy liquid in squirted straight onto the car and rubbed off. Hose pipe no jet wash. A poor mans clean.
Car had never ever looked cleaner. And it stayed cleaner for longer. Dust didn't stick as easily. The alloys didn't get dusty for a week!
Made me want to chuck the snow foam machine and big selection of shampoos in the bin when i got home,
I use washing up liquid too and neat petrol on tar or grease spots, because nothing else gets even close for a really quick and efficient clean. There's a box of redundant Autoglym and Meguirs and Bilt Hamber polishes and waxes on the shelf which I don't use anymore as I find all these products leave a film on paintwork that works just like a dust magnet.
Chrismawa said:
Years ago a lad washed a colleagues car with a scourer! Needsless to say the colleague wasn't impressed!
Ditto my step Dad allowed someone's son who wanted a bit of pocket money clean his fairly new Rover 200, many years ago now but it was ruined.Wouldn't polish out and he couldn't sell it. Ended up giving the car away to a family member. I'd guess with a rotary it probably would have polsihed out.
The only bad thing I've done happened whilst cleaning my Mum's car as a kid where I used some old paint like tyre dressor on the tyres and got it on the hub cabs leaving actual black paint like brush marks on her silver wheel trims. I remeber it having tyre dressor on the tin. She was not best pleased.
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