*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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Mekrel said:
The initial one I bought was second hand, and it ended up kind of breaking where it would run the pump every few seconds when not in use to almost prime itself. When I first bought it, I would do this, but only every few minutes. Since buying a brand new one, the machine doesn't try and prime itself except from first setup so I can only assume the initial second hand one was on its way out anyway.

It's a chunky unit though, you can place the green base unit into the black bucket but it requires unscrewing the M22 hose to do so. The hose is very hard to screw onto the output though, and it's a complaint I've read about these where people have ruined the threads on the output because of how difficult the hose is to remove.
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Thanks for your reply

to be honest i think what i will do is leave it with the bucket ontop as is and when i go out to clean the car i can shove stuff in the bucket like a jerry can of water out to the car which is parked over the road that requires a little walk to get to

if you were thinking of taking the base completely apart, i wont be doing that anyway lol
do you use the MJCC foam cannon with it ? what parts do i need ?
 
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Gilbert89 said:
Couple of years ago I bought a Vax - Spotwash which has served me well, easy to use and easy to clean, what stood out to me is the self cleaning hose function compared to the rest.

Honestly, not sure if there is something better specifically for car interior jobs but this does the job for me and was fairly inexpensive.

It would be nice to have a longer hose (Not that it is specifically too short) but in some scenario’s I did need to lift the machine directly into the car.

It’s mind blowing how much dirt can be drawn out of fabrics which to the eye look relatively clean.

Below is what I managed to achieve with my car mats which before were light, brown and dirty even after a good vacuum the dark black colour was not restored until extracting the embedded dirt (Apologies for no before pictures)

Once I ran out of the Vax Solution I picked up some cheap Carpet101 from The Range etc or use Auto Finesse Verso which is far more economical than most manufactures overpriced cleaning liquids.




Stubby Gun - Direct Hoses (I was previously recommended on here) Stock a Short Trigger Gun with fittings for most familiar brands of pressure washes.

I think if felt reasonable quality considering it’s fairly inexpensive, I nipped down yesterday for a hose and noticed it on display.
www.directhoses.net

Nilfisk 'C' 'D' & 'E' series Quick fit Short Trigger with Quick fit No

Nilfisk 'C' , 'D' & 'E' series Quick fit Gun & Quick fit nozzles. 4000 psi Industrial grade trigger gun with brass valve supplied with 1 x 15 degree Yellow Nozzle 1 x 25 degree Green Nozzle 1 x 40 degree White Nozzle Also in the kit a snow foam lance adapter to convert Brass body foam lance...
www.directhoses.net
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What are the advantages of using a short gun like from direct hoses as oppose to using the karcher originals which can be twisted for low and high pressure?
 
photoshop said:
What are the advantages of using a short gun like from direct hoses as oppose to using the karcher originals which can be twisted for low and high pressure?
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I’ve noticed mainly manoeuvrability, especially as me and next door have a double drive but nothing separates us and I’m close to the house, so with the longer gun I find myself back against the wall or next doors car.

I can get into the wheel arches etc much more easily, the short gun comes with varying degrees of spray patterns (More accurate spray for door shuts, more direct for wheels vs paintwork etc) and the quick release is great, also the spring on my Karcher Gun failed so that was mainly why I switched.

Edit: But they aren’t essential, I wouldn’t rush out and upgrade to one if there is other gear you still need/want but a very nice luxury IMO (Having only used it once so far) :)
 
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Gilbert89 said:
Couple of years ago I bought a Vax - Spotwash which has served me well, easy to use and easy to clean, what stood out to me is the self cleaning hose function compared to the rest.

Honestly, not sure if there is something better specifically for car interior jobs but this does the job for me and was fairly inexpensive.

It would be nice to have a longer hose (Not that it is specifically too short) but in some scenario’s I did need to lift the machine directly into the car.

It’s mind blowing how much dirt can be drawn out of fabrics which to the eye look relatively clean.

Below is what I managed to achieve with my car mats which before were light, brown and dirty even after a good vacuum the dark black colour was not restored until extracting the embedded dirt (Apologies for no before pictures)

Once I ran out of the Vax Solution I picked up some cheap Carpet101 from The Range etc or use Auto Finesse Verso which is far more economical than most manufactures overpriced cleaning liquids.




Stubby Gun - Direct Hoses (I was previously recommended on here) Stock a Short Trigger Gun with fittings for most familiar brands of pressure washes.

It felt reasonable quality, I nipped down yesterday for a hose and noticed it on display.

www.directhoses.net

Nilfisk 'C' 'D' & 'E' series Quick fit Short Trigger with Quick fit No

Nilfisk 'C' , 'D' & 'E' series Quick fit Gun & Quick fit nozzles. 4000 psi Industrial grade trigger gun with brass valve supplied with 1 x 15 degree Yellow Nozzle 1 x 25 degree Green Nozzle 1 x 40 degree White Nozzle Also in the kit a snow foam lance adapter to convert Brass body foam lance...
www.directhoses.net
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Nice, I've just bought a Bissell Spot Clean for this same reason, using it for the first time today! My mats need a proper clean. I keep getting a dirty right heel.:mad:
 
V_R said:
Nice, I've just bought a Bissell Spot Clean for this same reason, using it for the first time today! My mats need a proper clean. I keep getting a dirty right heel.:mad:
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I remember the first day I got mine, I was wet vacuuming everything I could get my hands on.

Be sure to post a good “Before” and “After” :D

The seats on GTI/GTD’s really benefit from a wet vacuum. I did mine in stages and once fully dry the difference was really obvious, white stripes vs dull cream stripes.
 
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V_R said:
Awesome, I can see it being a long day! :D

What solution do you recommend then, the AF stuff you mentioned?
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I already had AF Verso - Works perfectly fine and leaves behind a fresh neutral fragrance although I wouldn’t use it at too high of a concentrate as it can get a little foamy which isn’t ideal for Carpet Machines (Using it at an appropriate ratio as instructed produced little to no foam and was absolutely fine, so user error really)

What I would say is 1001 Carpet Machine Solution from The Range/Amazon at £2-3 works perfectly fine and is a dedicated carpet cleaner. Worth picking a bottle up and giving it a go. Since running out I do use AF Verso as I have 5L and it’s fine to use in Carpet Machines but they both do a fine job.

If you are planning on a full interior clean, wiping plastics etc I would leave them until after all your wet vacuuming is done since you will get some overspray.
 
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V_R said:
The next thing on the list is a blower for drying the car.
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Same, I can’t decide whether to go for a full fat version or just the handheld and see how effective it is.

BLO AIR-RS Car Dryer at £170​

BLO AIR-S Hand-Held Car Dryer £94​


Thoughts are it’s a good investment saving time, effort and reducing contact and like a pressure washer should last years.

It’s my birthday in August I’ll see how generous people are feeling :cry:
 
ShiWarrior said:
they are corded though, cordless is what you want, like a leaf blower
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True - But they are designed specifically to dry vehicles.

They produce warm air which I imagine will help reduce drying time dramatically.

I’ll do some research on the best options, cordless would be nice though as you mention.

I don’t mind a cable for something with plenty of power though, 5M hose and on wheels the full fatter version will be plenty for my toy car :D
 
ShiWarrior said:
Thanks for your reply

to be honest i think what i will do is leave it with the bucket ontop as is and when i go out to clean the car i can shove stuff in the bucket like a jerry can of water out to the car which is parked over the road that requires a little walk to get to

if you were thinking of taking the base completely apart, i wont be doing that anyway lol
do you use the MJCC foam cannon with it ? what parts do i need ?
Click to expand...

I believe it's the Nilfisk Kew Alto fitting to fit the standard Greenworks lance. I changed the hose and gun on mine to use 1/4 quick disconnect
 
Managed to get a decent interior clean and a maintenance wash on the E43. The catering trolley is a game changer to getting going quickly as I can just wheel all of the gear out.

I really need to spend a bit of time cleaning the wheels thoroughly but that's just a time thing.

What's stressful is how poor the black paint is on the bonnet and bumper w.r.t to swirls and general hazing. Once the little one is down, I might hit it with some Ultra Deep Shine to make me feel better.

mamdGsv.jpeg


I've ran out of AG Leather Cleaner and Cream but I've inherited some Mercedes own brand stuff which seems ok.

Any recommendations for interior cleaner? I've no dashboard or interior plastics stuff at all.

Also, any recommendation for when I'm at a loose end on an evening? Like, could I tackle a panel at a time and clay, polish and protect? Anyone have a recommendation on gear to do it effectively? It's mainly the bonnet and roof that looks a total mess when the sun hits it.
 
Just gave mine a quick clean, it was fairly effortless as it was what most none car people would consider “Already Clean” to begin with.

Absolutely loving my Stubby Gun and 10M Flexible Hose Setup after struggling with a 4M Hose and a dodgy Karcher Lance for such a long time, Pressure Washer stays at the back gate and I can completely circle my car.

I finished the car off with Autobrite - Refresh (Cermaic Topper/Stand-alone Sealant) I paid £12 as RRP seems steep at £24 for 500ML.

Application was fine but required a good buff with a clean microfibre since Refresh appears to “flash” after being spread around.

Paintwork feels lovely, smooth and slick whilst the paint appears far more reflective and mirror like, but so do plenty of other spray on sealants.

I’m not wishing the nice weather away but will be interesting to see it’s water behaviour and durability, mind durability isn’t a huge concern for me as I regularly wash and like to apply different products anyway but especially on lower doors as most products seem to give up there.




 
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@dLockers

Rule No1. Wash in the complete shade.

It's a task and a half to do a good wash on a car. I tend to attack the wheels and interior on the day previous to washing the car. Wheels take a while on mine.

On the day of the car wash I also give the engine bay a wipe down. Spray wax too.
 
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I washed my black car in the sun today... oh dear. I should know better.

Koch Chemie FSE came to the rescue but it was a bit of a disaster.
 
Yeah unfortunately I don't have the luxury of time/control of the sun. It made little difference to the aforementioned issues tho :D

Lucky it is covered in road dust now so the swirls are too hard to see now. Perfect!
 
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