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

[ShiWarrior]

Car has got quite a bit of green grime building up in nooks and crannies... Should have done at least a small mid-winter wash!

What's the best way to sort it out? Before a proper wash, during, or give it a general wash then spot check any problem areas? I've got BH Auto Wash, Surfex HD, and some very cheap spray n shine type stuff I've never tried. No pressure washer so it's buckets only sadly.

I had green stuff where the windows are where it meets the door at the bottom, for that just use surfex hd onto a brush to get in there

On paintwork though? I'm not sure
Do you do a pre wash at all?

I do rinseless wash, if I need to do heavy cleaning I use surfex hd as a pre wash

 

[LuckyBenski]

I had green stuff where the windows are where it meets the door at the bottom, for that just use surfex hd onto a brush to get in there

On paintwork though? I'm not sure
Do you do a pre wash at all?

I do rinseless wash, if I need to do heavy cleaning I use surfex hd as a pre wash

No pre wash at the moment. TBH I've always been minimal and lazy with washing the car, but recently got the BH stuff and intend to make more of an effort. Just need a good deep clean to get things started! Right now it will be a 2 bucket wash with perhaps a pump sprayer prewash. What dilution do you use for the Surfex HD?

 

[kona786]

No pre wash at the moment. TBH I've always been minimal and lazy with washing the car, but recently got the BH stuff and intend to make more of an effort. Just need a good deep clean to get things started! Right now it will be a 2 bucket wash with perhaps a pump sprayer prewash. What dilution do you use for the Surfex HD?

If it were me I'd just wash the car first. Do 2x or 3x the normal car wash concentration. And then go round with a spray bottle and brush with surfex hd @10% into the algae areas before rinsing it all off. May need a quick second wash too.

 

[ShiWarrior]

Pre wash with surfex hd, neat or 1:10 in a spray bottle
Wait 2 mins
Wash car
No hose? Then add drying aid or in my case turtle wax waterless wash and wax which adds protection and dries same time

 

[jpaul]

I had green stuff where the windows are where it meets the door at the bottom, for that just use surfex hd onto a brush to get in there

to get rid of that algae/grime , I've usually wound window down and using blunt 'tea' knife push a piece of soapy cloth along gap to get dirt, that build up, out, then use some gummi-fledge similarly applied once dry
(e: the dirt that collects from rolling window up&down)

meguiars tyre gel stuff and stuff with silicone genereally isn't really good for plastics, internal plastics usually then feels oily, too;
visited a 2nd hand car dealer last weekend god knows what they had used for tyre dressing , or sensatec/bmw seats, as slippery as hell.

 

[MrRockliffe]

When does a hobby become an obsession?


Cleaned my car yesterday, then proceeded to give it a coat of Fusso.





Haven’t driven it in a few days and had a real itch for going out for a blast. I did just that and OH MY GOD THE BUGS.





So of course I washed it again this morning and re applied Fusso

 

[kona786]

It's definitely can turn into an obsession so easily. Them bugs were intense. Car looks sweet.

 

[uber soldat]

Any tips on the best way to remove green mossy type build up that somehow gets on the inside sill of the boot and is only visible when you open it?

 

[LuckyBenski]

Any tips on the best way to remove green mossy type build up that somehow gets on the inside sill of the boot and is only visible when you open it?

Get in there with some APC and a cleaning brush - I like the ones that look like an artists paintbrush i.e. round bristles, square end. Wipe with a dampish cloth after.

 

[uber soldat]

Get in there with some APC and a cleaning brush - I like the ones that look like an artists paintbrush i.e. round bristles, square end. Wipe with a dampish cloth after.

Thanks man, I'll give that a try.

 

[Janesy B]

I’d argue not using it is bad, especially if you use a tyre cleaner to remove that brown stuff you get on them.

That’s the UV coating and conditioner. If you don’t replace that, your tyres will perish more quickly.

Tyres have their own anti ozonant, that's the brown stuff that comes out when you clean them, solvent based dressings have been found to leech it out and cause premature cracking. Now I just give tyres a quick brush down and use a water based dressing. I've thrown the gel in the bin, it's nasty stuff tbh.

 

[shifty_uk]

Used a supermarket jet wash to get some bird **** off my XE, momentary lapse in concentrated and the hose pipe dragged along the back of the car

I'm waiting to get this booked into the local detailers who can work wonders but guts telling me this is too deep and no amount of machine polishing will get it out - Any thoughts?

 

[ShiWarrior]

You did that or was it not self operated?

 

[.Griff.]

You did that or was it not self operated?

I read it as the OP did it themself when not paying attention for a second.

 

[shifty_uk]

You did that or was it not self operated?

I did it, always think I'm smart avoiding hand car washes incase of swirls... You wouldn't think a hose rubbing against your paint work could cause such damage... Never again.

 

[Firegod]

Hey, I've been looking at the Bilt Hamber products and I'd like to try their Touch-Less snow foam as it says it has corrosion inhibitors. Which sounds like a nice thing to have! But the whole process of finding out how much to use seems complicated and I just wondered would I do any damage if I just mixed in like an inch of product into my snow foam bottle. Does it have to be so precise? Or is there anyone who uses it can give a general rule of thumb i.e. 200ml in a 1l bottle.

 

[.Griff.]

I did it, always think I'm smart avoiding hand car washes incase of swirls... You wouldn't think a hose rubbing against your paint work could cause such damage... Never again.

To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if the rubber hose was ingrained with grit.

 

[kai]

Been a big fan of chemical guy products for years. I run out of the butter wet wax so decided to pick up some products from Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Pro range. I was a little sceptical but overall was extremely impressed; with their 'flex' wax.

Does anyone have any recommedations for wheel brushes; as you can see the alloy's are a nightmare to clean. On the surface is easy but albeit impossible to reach and get in any small areas'.

 

[GravyMonster]

Hey, I've been looking at the Bilt Hamber products and I'd like to try their Touch-Less snow foam as it says it has corrosion inhibitors. Which sounds like a nice thing to have! But the whole process of finding out how much to use seems complicated and I just wondered would I do any damage if I just mixed in like an inch of product into my snow foam bottle. Does it have to be so precise? Or is there anyone who uses it can give a general rule of thumb i.e. 200ml in a 1l bottle.

I'm sure there's evangelists who'll tell you you need to work out out PIR to 3 decimal places. Personally, IDGAF. Life's too short for that one. Just chuck BH auto foam in a bottle and spray it on the car. If you've got a lance that allows you to adjust the water/soap ratio, set it so that it's thick enough to cling to the car for a few minutes. If it's winter and the car's covered in salt, use more. If it's summer and the car's just a bit dusty, use less.

Job done.

 

[GravyMonster]

Does anyone have any recommedations for wheel brushes; as you can see the alloy's are a nightmare to clean. On the surface is easy but albeit impossible to reach and get in any small areas'.

I use a large Megs brush for faces and barrels, medium wheel woolie to fit behind the callipers and in tighter spokes, then a small detailing brush to get in to the lugs.

One thing I would say is to absolutely avoid using the 'twisted wire' type of wheel brushes. When, not if, the plastic tip comes off, then it's bare metal underneath which will scratch the **** out of your wheels. I had to had mine refurbed some years back when it happened to me. Never again.