*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

[Dav4]

just washed my car in meguiars gold class and then used Sonax BSD for the first time.
Anyone know if the Sonax bsd can scratch the paint i watched a few youtube vids on the best way to apply it and applied with a cheapo microfiber cloth then buffed the remaining off with one of my good drying towels but looking at the paint afterwards theres a few parts that look like they have faint scratches on that i am sure weren't there before!

 

[Robbo]

BSD itself can't scratch your paint, if anything it will make scratches less likely.

A bad/dirty cloth, or dirt still on the car will potentially cause scratches. Make sure it's buffed off properly too as smears can look a bit like scratches.

 

[Dav4]

ok thanks. as i say it might have been the cheapo microfiber cloth i used as it was the only one i had that was new and clean. can you recommed a good microfiber? whenever i use them they always feel scratchy on the paint when rubbing which makes me paranoid its leaving fine scratches and it certainly looks like thats the case today. My thick drying towels never feel like that on the paint when drying the car off.

 

[Robbo]

There are so many microfibres out there, it depends where you are getting them from. Something like the Purple Monster would be good, or the Eurow blue ones. Ragmaster ones are good too.

I'd avoid the really short pile thin cheap ones. You can use them for the windows or something.

 

[Armageus]

Amazon basics microfibres are fine and were decently priced last time I ordered some

 

[dacads]

@Dav4 when was the last time you decontaminated your car?

Also try and add a pre-wash/snow foam to your routine, to help remove more dirt.

 

[Dav4]

@Dav4 when was the last time you decontaminated your car?

Also try and add a pre-wash/snow foam to your routine, to help remove more dirt.

As in what clay bar etc? I’ve Never done anything like that. Can’t it be quite tricky using decontaminates if you don’t know what your doing properly in regards to potentially damaging the paint?
I haven’t got a pressure washer either so can’t use snow foam etc.
I generally wash my car every 1 or 2 weeks hose it all down then it’s washed with a bucket of meguiars gold class or wash and wax and dried off with a micro fibre towel. Normally it looks good enough after that but thought I would give the sonax bsd a try with it being easy to apply but I’m sure I could see some faint scratches especially on the bonnet from rubbing it in with a cloth.
Would I be better off paying to get it done with a clay bar or something by a valeting company before polishing again in case I’m rubbing grit into the paint?

 

[Cookeh]

Grief no, clay bar couldn't be easier. Buy a Bilt Hamber 'medium' clay bar, get some water (or car shampoo + water) in a spray bottle, use the spray bottle to wet and area and then skim the flattened clay over the surface until you hear it go from what sounds like scratching stubble to near silence. Apply practically no pressure to the clay (it doesnt need pressure to work) whilst keep it lubricated. It's almost impossible to do any damage unless you are forcing the clay into the paint.

You can also use snow foam should you want to; you can get hose based attachments or you can do it through pump sprayers.

 

[dacads]

You can use a clay mitt as it's easier but not as effective.

Also are you using the two bucket method?

 

[Dav4]

Grief no, clay bar couldn't be easier. Buy a Bilt Hamber 'medium' clay bar, get some water (or car shampoo + water) in a spray bottle, use the spray bottle to wet and area and then skim the flattened clay over the surface until you hear it go from what sounds like scratching stubble to near silence. Apply practically no pressure to the clay (it doesnt need pressure to work) whilst keep it lubricated. It's almost impossible to do any damage unless you are forcing the clay into the paint.

You can also use snow foam should you want to; you can get hose based attachments or you can do it through pump sprayers.

Ok thanks I’ll look into buying one.

 

[Dav4]

You can use a clay mitt as it's easier but not as effective.

Also are you using the two bucket method?

No I don’t use the 2 bucket method I always thought hosing it all down first to get the dirt off was enough before using a bucket of warm water with Meguiars in. Is it better having to buckets on the go to wash the mitt in is it?

 

[Kenai]

Hose it down, then do nothing else and let it dry. You'll see that you've probably removed absolutely nothing.

 

[dacads]

No I don’t use the 2 bucket method I always thought hosing it all down first to get the dirt off was enough before using a bucket of warm water with Meguiars in. Is it better having to buckets on the go to wash the mitt in is it?

Yessir, one with just water for rinsing, then the other with shampoo in for dipping your mitt into.

 

[alx]

Any one got any suggestions for hiding/removing small leathers scratches on armrest?

 

[Cookeh]

Leather dye or a full blown leather refurb kit. Gliptone is your best bet there. For a good colour match you'll have to send a piece of leather in that colour to them and they will make up the dye. You can send a little extra bit from the very base of the seat or you can send a headrest or whatever you find.

 

[Temujin]

Considering getting my car ceramic coated in the near future, local place uses the Gyeon mohs stuff which seems fairly well regarded, and looking to do it for the added protection and ease of cleaning though it is an expense i could probably spend on more interesting things. Anybody here had it done and have any thoughts? Cost is basically £500, they have the car for 4 days to do a single stage correction before adding the coating and allowing it to fully harden.

 

[Tinders]

If you do lots of miles, then i dont think the ceramic coating lasts any longer than a decent hard wearing wax like FK1000P/Collinite. But that £500 they are charging isnt bad value if your paint is messed up, as just a paint correction is 300 ish.

Personally If the paint isnt too bad, id just use a decent polish and a decent wax on top and then use something like BSD after a wash to keep it looking spangly. Dont forget you still need to have a decent washing routine to keep the ceramic coatings looking good.

 

[Temujin]

I don't do a lot of miles, like 6-8k a year. More looking at ceramic because of the added hardness it offers on the paint and resistance to swirling and other defects, the paint isn't messed up per se but would likely benefit from the correction that's included.

Also the added advantage of not needing to regularly polish and wax for a long time is attractive!

 

[Cookeh]

£200 to ceramic coat a car is an utter joke. Nothing stops you applying a ceramic coating yourself, its far from hard and starts at around £35.

 

[Tinders]

Its not hard to apply at all, but for the best results it needs to be applied inside and needs time to harden etc.