*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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Used the 3M Headlamp restoration kit to clean up the lenses. There were a lot of small scratches and one large chip. It took out all the small ones and the large one is much less obvious now (it needs filling in a bit to finish it off).

Takes a while to do but the result is great and a bargain for £10.

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http://www.3mdirect.co.uk/p-2639-3m-headlight-restoration-kit.aspx
 
For years I've used Gliptone Conditioner on my Leather seats but recently run out, prior to getting some more I consulted the oracle of detailing world on any new leather products. The general opinion being leather in modern cars is sealed so conditioners do absolutely nothing, in fact they are detrimental if anything.
With my car being a 2004 the seats looked their age and a bit shiny. Applying conditioning type creams doesn't actually shift any dirt and getting in and out simply buffs the cream up.
I used a nail brush and a mild solution of apc and worked it in then wiped off with a white cloth, the cloth turned black, I then used warm water to wipe over.
My seats look 100% better, matt again and in much better condition.

I'll probably buy Dr Leather wipes which gets good reports when I order some more detailing gear.

Also for anyone looking for a cheap Mitt for doing the arches / alloys or even the full car, Asda are selling them for £1 and a drying cloth 80cm x 60cm at £3, both work well.

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Phew - had a busy day doing a 'proper' clean ... first decent day we've had in a while (at the weekend anyhoo) so managed to get more than half a bucket of shampoo on before it started raining :)

Car looking fairly dirty, the ST doesn't get much daily use so even after a few weeks its still only mildy filthy!
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Although I do have a pressure washer it is a cheapo one I got free off a friend so it doesn't have any way of attaching an additive bottle :( So for snow foam I go for the cheap approach!
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Although it doesn't foam as much it does stick on the car and gets the heaviest grime off to at least help swirling :)
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Wheels before any cleaning has taken place ... tbh they need a total refurb after general corrosion, previous owner damage and the Mrs. has been at them!
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Great daily washing stuff! If I could only use one cleaning product it'd be Gold Class :)
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... and a fresh mitt, heh.
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One of the reasons I need to give it a proper clean - the wax is definitely looking like it needs a top up. This was the front wing however the lower front doors were totally sheeting and not beading at all! Probably around 9 months since its last wax however!
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Quick blast of wheel cleaner, its a cheapo one but the wheels are so far gone I don't really feel the need to spend a huge amount of time on them ... they look terrible all year round!
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Quick foam and clean
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Looking better ... still kerbed to death tho!
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Clay time!
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... with some lube :)
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Before
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During
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After - not too bad tbh, it smoothed the paintwork well but other than the usual places the paintwork wasn't too dirty.
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Halfway there :)
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As I said this car doesn't do huge milage and never goes to Tesco and the like it doesn't get too scratched however it does pick up some odds and ends - didn't machine polish the whole thing but needed just to tart up a few areas
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Scratches away :)
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Gave the glass a quick polish as well with some Halfords own brand glass cutting compound, and then a quick wipe with Autoglym Fast Glass :)
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Nice and long lasting - or hilariously shiny ... not both!
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Bonnet after a little 'correction' - it has a few stone chips but nothing like some of the examples I've seen!
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Aaand just time for a quick bit of wax ...
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Finished :)

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TBH after the final wax it could have done with another wash just to lift all of the dust but my arms were aching! lol
 
Just finished a thorough cleaning session on mine.


  1. Snow foam
  2. Rinse
  3. Wash (Zymol shampoo)
  4. Tar spots removed with Autosmart Tardis (amazing product, first time I've had a chance to use it properly)
  5. Rinse
  6. Clayed
  7. Rinse
  8. Waxed - Dodo Juice Diamond White (My favourite wax - smells great, so easy to apply and buff off, and lasts a good while)
  9. Windows cleaned and sealed with Carlack (except the windscreen - sod using that stuff on the windscreen, makes the wipers virtually useless. Yes I know you're not supposed to use them but in practice it never quite works like that :) )
  10. Tyres sprayed with tyre foam - silly idea really but it makes them look good for a short while :p
  11. Applied 303 Aerospace Protectant to the external black trim
  12. Cleaned interior with Poorboys Natural Look Dressing - the best thing since sliced bread
  13. Conditioned leather with Gliptone Leather Conditioner
  14. Cleaned exhaust tips with silver polish
I think that's everything!


First time I've used snow foam and wow it makes cleaning so much easier! Once you rinse it off it removes a lot of muck and the sponge wash afterward is a lot more effortless and less stressful.

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Gave mine a quick clean today for the first time since early December. Quite happy with how shiny it still looks as it has only been washed with a Morrisons Jetwash for pre-wash and Britemax Cleanmax shampoo using a Noodle Mitt and 2BM.

Going to invest in a Das6 Pro DA sometime in the next few weeks in preparation for the weather becoming better and the days being longer. As soon as winter is officially behind us and we get a good weekend I'm going all in with a full clay, tar-x, iron-x, swirl correction, polish and wax.

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If all i want do is make applying polish/wax on my car an easier task. Would a standard polisher such as the halfords 240v one, make my life any easier?
 
vygec said:
If all i want do is make applying polish/wax on my car an easier task. Would a standard polisher such as the halfords 240v one, make my life any easier?
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I wouldn't bother, if you want to apply wax easier just use a liquid one like collinite 845 or for an even easier life use a sealant like carpro reload. And polishes aren't applied they have to be worked to have an effect which the halfords machine won't do.
 
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