*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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RoyMi6 said:
Hey guys,

Thought I better get on board with this car cleaning malarkey so looking for a bit of advice on first bunch of purchases.

No hose pipe access (I stay in a top floor flat) so looking to use a watering can to rinse the car first before going about the car with the two bucket method.

So looking at getting:

10 litre Watering Can
2 x Stanley 14 / 3 Gallon Bucket
Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash and Conditioner
Wolf’s Chemicals Nano Wheel Cleaner
Spray bottle for wheel cleaner
Wheel Brush
Meguiars Lambs Wool Wash Mitt
AutoGlym Aqua Dry Chamois
Couple of microfibre cloths

This is literally everything I will have to clean my car so am I missing anything?

Looking for more week to week cleaning rather than month by month detailing so leaving out the clay bars, wax, treatments for the soft top etc at the moment.

Had the car since Sept 2011 and it's maybe had a hose over it twice so looking to take better care of it :)
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I would try to apply a coat of wax on it once every 3 months or so, you don't need a hose for that. Basically after the 2 buckets you would towel dry and apply the wax and then buff off.

For the washing, you can take your car to a jet wash (not a car wash) and get rid of the top layer grit. When you get home, use 2 buckets and wash with an All in 1 solution like Auto Finese Tripple, it seems to be the best of both worlds. Then apply something like 476 or FK1000 wax on it which are very durable. You can even use the FK1000 on the wheels too as a sealant (saves you buying 2 different products), many people do, I tried it recently and it is much better than the AG spray can wheels sealant stuff, 10x better.

Any holes in my Logic people? :D
 
I think maybe the one thing I'll add to my list is going to be "Meguiar's Deep Crystal Step 3 Carnauba Wax".

Suppose there's not much point in going to all that effort to clean the car if you're not going to take steps to protect your work :)

Cheers guys!
 
So a bit of an update on the Rain-X, I think something went a bit wrong somewhere.....


(Sound needed to hear the full effect)



Had a minor panic thinking it had completely buggered my wipers, but waited for the rain to pass and made my way home safely. Gave the screen and wipers a quick wash and re-applied the Rain-X, quick test and all seemed good. Turns out dad missed out telling me the important tip thats on the bottle (he applied it the first time for me) saying that in only minor rain (showers/road spray) always add moisture through the washer jets, doh!


Panic over :D
 
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That's just the rainx product being wiped away by the wipers.

I don't know why people waste money buying such a product, it doesn't last long at all in this country and if you have good quality wipers then they will remove any rainx after a few drives in British rain.

I know this as I've tried various brands of this kind of product and threw them all in the bin after the first few drives using them.

Using them on side windows also causes streaks to appear if you open those windows after it's rained as the rubber/microfibre glass edging strips rub along the rainx products.
 
Ray - The wipers are juddering severely, similar to wipers that are completely shot.


mrk - Think I'll see how this application fares and possibly stop using it (just let it wash off) but it does appear to work very well on my Dads car....

Was the experience that bad on the side windows? Was considering using it on there to stop build up causing poor vision, but if it can make them all streaky not sure if its worth the effort in applying it.
 
Depends on what kind of window seals/strips are on your car I guess. My glass is always in clean condition so whatever is on the surface gets wiped off by the strips or the wipers. I now just use a damp cloth to clean them and dry with newspaper.

You read that right. Newspaper cleans glass better than a MF cloth and window cleaner.
 
Anyone know a good (gentle) glue and tar remover? The one I use actually removes the paint from my wheels :|
 
PiKe said:
Anyone know a good (gentle) glue and tar remover? The one I use actually removes the paint from my wheels :|
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Tardis is good, REALLY good but will also strip away the tar on your driveway...if your driveway is covered with tarmac. No problem if you have a brick or paved driveway though.

Otherwise - this is supposed to be quite good.

I'd go for the AF product personally as I have a tarmac covered drive.
 
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And if you have a lot of tar down the side, there's no quick way is there, you have to tackle each spot individually?
 
I use valet pro citrus tar remover which doesn't seem too harsh, you have to rub somewhat vigorously for spots to come off, does a good job though.
 
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