*** Car Wash / Valet / Detailing Thread ***

[ShiWarrior]

I’ve been used Bilt Hamber AutoWheel which gets rid of the majority of the muck but there’s still a lot of really stubborn stuff on the barrels which I don’t think I can do anything about with the wheels still on the car. Removing them would enable me to put a coating on them too.

Bh auto wheel is a reactive iron remover not for actual cleaning
Try an APC

 

[kinger8938]

Some birds dumped on my car yesterday, gave it a clean today scrubbed with a brush and normal shampoo stuff however the roof remains stained

Any tips or products to sort this?

Ta!

 

[MrRockliffe]

Bh auto wheel is a reactive iron remover not for actual cleaning
Try an APC

APCs are generally degreasers so I don’t think they’ll attack the brake dust.


@Goose I think you may struggle to get it off if it’s baked on properly.


The process Id take is:


Auto wheel to remove as much as possible
Rinse
Strong APC (I’d use Surfex at 10%) and soak as long as you can
Scrub the wheel with a wheel mitt
Rinse
Dry
Tar remover (such as cleanser fluid, but wheel must be dry)
Clay

If that doesn’t remove it, it tells me that it’s not contamination on top of the paint, so it’d likely need stripping.

 

[ShiWarrior]

APCs are generally degreasers so I don’t think they’ll attack the brake dust.


@Goose I think you may struggle to get it off if it’s baked on properly.


The process Id take is:


Auto wheel to remove as much as possible
Rinse
Strong APC (I’d use Surfex at 10%) and soak as long as you can
Scrub the wheel with a wheel mitt
Rinse
Dry
Tar remover (such as cleanser fluid, but wheel must be dry)
Clay

If that doesn’t remove it, it tells me that it’s not contamination on top of the paint, so it’d likely need stripping.

Generally

But not my one, it's a good cleaner, not degreaser

DIY Detail All Clean All-Purpose Cleaner (2 Sizes)

DIY Detail All Clean is a citrus-based all-purpose car cleaner that utilizes polymers and emulsifiers to break down grease and contaminants with minimal scrubbing. All Clean makes detailing easier by combining the most effective degreasing traits into one strategically built cleaner. This...

diydetail.co.uk

 

[ShiWarrior]

Some birds dumped on my car yesterday, gave it a clean today scrubbed with a brush and normal shampoo stuff however the roof remains stained

Any tips or products to sort this?

Ta!

Soft top i presume?

 

[Liquid_Entity]

you should do what i do

i don't have a drive (although i can use one occasionally)

i fill up a garden sprayer with rinseless wash
I fill up a Jerry can with rinseless wash

put my stuff all in a bucket
take it all over to my car
Take all the tools out of bucket, then fill the bucket up from the Jerry can

spray the rinsless wash over car
wash car
dry

i get my supplies direct from :

DIY Detail UK - Car Detailing Supplies

DIY Detail offers a curated line of professional-grade car detailing supplies. Our products are easy to use and perfect for everyday consumers and passionate hobbyists.

diydetail.co.uk

So I found out there is a Tesco Car Wash at my local giant Tesco Express. The one with a pressure washer machine. I went to Halfords and got some APC and a drying towel. They didn't have anything else as they said warehosue issues haha. Anyway, got to the car wash and one person ahead so I read the APC instructions and it was spray on 5 mins before washing. Sprayed it all over and waited, then gave it a full wash and clean up then used the towel to dry it all over. Scrubbed up well for sure.

 

[LuckyBenski]

Generally

But not my one, it's a good cleaner, not degreaser

DIY Detail All Clean All-Purpose Cleaner (2 Sizes)

DIY Detail All Clean is a citrus-based all-purpose car cleaner that utilizes polymers and emulsifiers to break down grease and contaminants with minimal scrubbing. All Clean makes detailing easier by combining the most effective degreasing traits into one strategically built cleaner. This...

diydetail.co.uk

utilizes polymers and emulsifiers to break down grease and contaminants with minimal scrubbing.

All Clean makes detailing easier by combining the most effective degreasing traits into one strategically built cleaner

 

[MrRockliffe]

Some birds dumped on my car yesterday, gave it a clean today scrubbed with a brush and normal shampoo stuff however the roof remains stained

Any tips or products to sort this?

Ta!

I wouldn’t be able to tell without looking in person, but there’s a chance the acid has eaten at the fabric dye and so may need re doing.


Have you tried with a strong fabric cleaner? Or just bodywork shampoo?

 

[kinger8938]

I wouldn’t be able to tell without looking in person, but there’s a chance the acid has eaten at the fabric dye and so may need re doing.


Have you tried with a strong fabric cleaner? Or just bodywork shampoo?

Hi, thanks

So far just car wash shampoo as I gave It a quick clean yesterday then noticed when dry it was still there.

I do have an Autoglym soft top cleaning kit so I guess I could try that!

Typical I didn't leave it there long but clearly too late

 

[MrRockliffe]

Hi, thanks

So far just car wash shampoo as I gave It a quick clean yesterday then noticed when dry it was still there.

I do have an Autoglym soft top cleaning kit so I guess I could try that!

Typical I didn't leave it there long but clearly too late

Give it a go, let the solution dwell a little and soak it well.

Hopefully it’ll be okay. A restorer kit isn’t too costly though

 

[kinger8938]

Give it a go, let the solution dwell a little and soak it well.

Hopefully it’ll be okay. A restorer kit isn’t too costly though

Just googled the kit that I have and apparently it's not for Vinyl soft tops, which apparently mine (S2000) is.

So probably be a waste to try that out someone gave It to me when they sold their convertible and I never used it.

 

[MrRockliffe]

Just googled the kit that I have and apparently it's not for Vinyl soft tops, which apparently mine (S2000) is.

So probably be a waste to try that out someone gave It to me when they sold their convertible and I never used it.

Interesting, I don’t think I’ve come across one which isn’t vinyl

 

[Mekrel]

FYI - Auto Wheel IS a wheel cleaner, it's not just a fall out remover. It has surfactants in it and is what sets it apart from BH Korrosol.

If an alkaline wheel cleaner with fall out remover doesn't clean your wheels, it's likely they have really baked on contamination that only an acidic wheel cleaner will shift. You have to be careful with strong acidic wheel cleaners though and they're not safe on certain finishes.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Interesting, I don’t think I’ve come across one which isn’t vinyl

Mohair.

 

[Armageus]

Some potentially good/cheap products at Lidl this week:

Car Care

www.lidl.co.uk

Insect remover, Tar remover, and wheel cleaners at £3.99 or 2 for £6 got to be worth a go.

Also microfibre cloths, polishing pads, and even a rotary polisher.

 

[kinger8938]

Interesting, I don’t think I’ve come across one which isn’t vinyl

Yeah I assumed it would be fine but they state

*Our Soft Top Clean & Protect Complete Kit is suitable for use on mohair, double duck, fabric and canvas fabric hoods. If you've got a vinyl roof, wash with any Autoglym shampoo and protect with Bumper & Trim Gel.

 

[benneh]

Some potentially good/cheap products at Lidl this week:

Car Care

www.lidl.co.uk

Insect remover, Tar remover, and wheel cleaners at £3.99 or 2 for £6 got to be worth a go.

Also microfibre cloths, polishing pads, and even a rotary polisher.

Avoid the screw extractor set. Very brittle bits! (grr).

 

[MrRockliffe]

Yeah I assumed it would be fine but they state

*Our Soft Top Clean & Protect Complete Kit is suitable for use on mohair, double duck, fabric and canvas fabric hoods. If you've got a vinyl roof, wash with any Autoglym shampoo and protect with Bumper & Trim Gel.

How strange! Wouldn’t have thought to check that

But thinking about it I think mine was canvas, so so I was mixing the two up

 

[LuckyBenski]

How strange! Wouldn’t have thought to check that

But thinking about it I think mine was canvas, so so I was mixing the two up

I've done a bunch of reading today because of this question, and what I've learned is:

Terminology is really misleading in soft tops across the board. I've seen Mohair used as a label for the texture of the fabric. I've seen canvas used the same way. I've seen vinyl tops described as many other things, but really it was only talking about the pattern, or the stitching or similar.

It seemed like most soft tops are vinyl, but I'm sure some must be real canvas. Original Jaguar soft tops like the E type seem to be made from mohair, while several artificial soft tops for other cars say "Mohair©".

 

[MrRockliffe]

I've done a bunch of reading today because of this question, and what I've learned is:

Terminology is really misleading in soft tops across the board. I've seen Mohair used as a label for the texture of the fabric. I've seen canvas used the same way. I've seen vinyl tops described as many other things, but really it was only talking about the pattern, or the stitching or similar.

It seemed like most soft tops are vinyl, but I'm sure some must be real canvas. Original Jaguar soft tops like the E type seem to be made from mohair, while several artificial soft tops for other cars say "Mohair©".

Not confusing at all