* The Car Cleaning Thread *

Spikey · 30 Mar 2016 at 16:40

Is there a decent product that helps with brake dust I can use on my alloys? Looking at getting my alloys recoated in the next couple of months and wondered what I could help use to prevent it and give them some protection?

CaptainRAVE · 30 Mar 2016 at 16:46

Nick1881 said:
I recently got Bilberry wheel cleaner, it hasn't impressed much so far, maybe I diluted it too much, I did 250ml of cleaner to 500ml water I think.

Dragons Breath is great but expensive.

I use bilberry neat. Along with wheel woolies and a coating of either HD wax or Autoglym wheel seal (the new stuff), the dirt just washes off with absolutely no hassle.

Conscript said:
Bit of a bump, but I've decided that I don't like the hose that came with my Nilfisk. Length isn't bad (8m), but because it's quite stiff plastic, it keeps coiling itself back up and getting tangled and twisted as I'm walking around the car.

Do you find the directhoses replacements a bit more manageable? The one I bought for the Karcher was nice and heavy and easy to manage, but it came from "cleantec_online", who seem to charge a lot more. I don't want to buy a replacement longer hose but find it's still quite cheap and light and keeps trying to recoil itself.

I would like an answer on this too. The hose is a complete pain.

Cookeh · 30 Mar 2016 at 17:57

Spikey said:
Is there a decent product that helps with brake dust I can use on my alloys? Looking at getting my alloys recoated in the next couple of months and wondered what I could help use to prevent it and give them some protection?

Use Iron-X/any fallout removing wheel cleaner and clay them every few months, then apply a good sealant to them. Something like FinishKare 1000p

Spikey · 30 Mar 2016 at 18:12

Cookeh said:
Use Iron-X/any fallout removing wheel cleaner and clay them every few months, then apply a good sealant to them. Something like FinishKare 1000p

Thanks I've got dragons breath. Would AG HD wax do the same thing for the alloys?

rhysduck · 30 Mar 2016 at 19:10

Only if the AG HD is high temp, as the fk1000p is. It's what I use all over. Bodywork and wheels. Excellent wax/sealant.

Spikey · 30 Mar 2016 at 19:37

Thanks mate

Gangster · 30 Mar 2016 at 19:56

Conscript said:
I diluted Dragons Breath roughly 1:1 with water and it was still very effective, more so than Bilberry.

Is it ok on powdercoated black wheels?

Conscript · 30 Mar 2016 at 21:33

No idea I'm afraid. It's pretty potent. Hence the name, it stinks too high heaven.

rodenal · 30 Mar 2016 at 21:37

CaptainRAVE said:
I use bilberry neat. Along with wheel woolies and a coating of either HD wax or Autoglym wheel seal (the new stuff), the dirt just washes off with absolutely no hassle.

I would like an answer on this too. The hose is a complete pain.

Which nilfisk do you guys have? The hose on my £60 effort (c120?) is fine, could even be a case of getting one meant for a slightly different model - or maybe they changed them at some point

Amos91 · 30 Mar 2016 at 21:54

Pretty sure I've got the direct hose one. It's absolutely perfect and doesn't kink. The standard nilfisk hose was driving me insane.

For alloy protection I would give them a good clean or refurb and apply something like Carpro Dlux. It's easy to apply and provides protection for 1-2 years... Plus you can do all the black plastic trims with the leftovers

EDIT:

Still early days but one month after application of dlux, around 800 miles -

Cleaned with pressure washer & just a soft brush with shampoo -

Beading very nicely.

CD32 · 31 Mar 2016 at 20:45

Re Alloy wheel cleaner....you can sometimes be paying out of your backside for something that is cheap but rebadged. Mercedes Benz star gard alloy wheel cleaner...and another make.....nothing more than oven cleaner with distilled water added....alloy wheel protector..again....stainless steel cleaner. Small can Halfords de-icer...works down to -20 compared to a large can of Unipart de-icer..works down to -15.....yet they are the same product...both coming from a large tote labelled Halfords de-icer. Just some interesting facts to throw your way.

norm · 31 Mar 2016 at 21:49

Amos91 said:
Beading very nicely.

Looks nice, but couldn't Renault have specced sportier looking alloys on this? Something with thinner or less spokes.

Si105 · 1 Apr 2016 at 10:47

norm said:
Looks nice, but couldn't Renault have specced sportier looking alloys on this? Something with thinner or less spokes.

They do on the Cups, I always had a soft spot for the 182 stock wheels though myself.

Raymond Lin · 1 Apr 2016 at 23:27

Probably an obvious question but those who polish with DA on their car, what do you do on awkward places such as around the number plates and around the door sills, do you just use hand polish around those areas?

agw_01 · 1 Apr 2016 at 23:58

Thanks guys. So Bilberry/Dragons Breath and some Iron-X followed by wax/sealant?

I do like Collinite 476S. I last applied it to the Scoob about 10 months ago and it's still beading. Surely a wax of this quality will go some way to protecting the wheels? I have loads of it left.

I can only dream of the time when I had weekends to machine polish a car. The Scoob is in dire need and between work, study and family with a 6 month old baby I have NO time for cleaning cars

Hence the need for something strong to get the wheels looking their best.

A bit of nostalgia, here's the Rover in all her machine polished glory...

These pictures were several years post polish. Just goes to show though, if you look after paintwork it'll stay in great condition for many years.

P.S. Sorry for the black wheels Howard

The top picture is OZ Ultraleggera wheels with Eagle F1 GSD3s, so it's not all bad

Blackhawk47 · 2 Apr 2016 at 09:19

This made me chuckle the other day.

Blackhawk47 · 2 Apr 2016 at 18:28

Used Chemical Guys Hybrid V7 car shampoo, finished off with Hybrid V7 spray detailer/sealant and Megs endurance tyre gel. :cool:

If you're looking for a streak free quick detailer I cannot recommend CG enough. One of my new favourite products.

Solus · 2 Apr 2016 at 19:27

Without having to delve in to the whole of this thread, what clay bar do people recommend? Clay mitts okay?

norm · 2 Apr 2016 at 20:04

Raymond Lin said:
Probably an obvious question but those who polish with DA on their car, what do you do on awkward places such as around the number plates and around the door sills, do you just use hand polish around those areas?

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/flex/pe8-4-80-mini-rotary-machine-polisher.aspx

Can take backing plates as small as 1". The plates are M14 threaded so might be compatible with your existing DA but you'd need some sort of extension bar.

RSR · 2 Apr 2016 at 20:10

I'd be very carful with a rotary as good as they are as you can burn through the paint very quickly. However, it will give very good results.

I'd personally be looking at a Rupes Mini DA.

*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

* The Car Cleaning Thread *