*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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Chucklevision said:
Tree sap should come off with just warm soapy water, and the fact it’s black makes it sound like it’s tar. Any chance of a pic?
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if it is cedar/pine tree sap - its usually clear/amber and you need a solvent - its sticky as hell and soap and water won't move it.
- car got covered in drops after inadvertantly parked under a pruned tree in France -
used a pure turpentine (Abel brand spray in France), for tar its something different and need a petroleum based solvent (petrol would do that)
 
timmeh said:
A clay bar should have worked. It's worked for me on tar and other stubborn stuff. Did you spray a good coating of detail spray and give it some elbow grease?

Got a pic of the tar/tree sap?
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Hi,

Apologies for delay, see below :)
view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qPbhNrle68EfFN7aCDx2C3KVdsquGl20/view?usp=sharing
1qPbhNrle68EfFN7aCDx2C3KVdsquGl20
 
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Product Review: Simoniz Tar, Sap & Glue Remover (500ml) - £3.49 RRP, £2 in Tesco sale.

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Saw this whilst being dragged around Tesco the other week and for £2 I could hardly say no. Whilst doing my wheel arches this afternoon I was left with what I thought was a staggering amount of tar deposits:

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I promptly decided that this was probably the best opportunity I had to test it.

Application is simple, as its an aerosol; I sprayed it on the tar from 15cm or so and left to soften the tar for about a minute, before wiping off with a microfibre cloth. You can see in the second picture that it really does break the tar down, and the third picture is the difference on the rears after one application. I did a total of two applications front and rear.

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I found myself having to apply 2-3 coats to get to a level I was happy with, but given the ease of application this still only equated to 5 mins per arch and minimal effort. I also made sure to rinse off the leftover residue, but this is probably down to me being a bit OTT with the application due to the sheer amount of tar present.

Front:
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Rear:
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Rating: 4*

This product is exceptionally cheap, though I did find myself using up approx half of the can in this one session so it's longevity is not the greatest. As for effectiveness I am certainly impressed; the tar on my car was well and truly bonded and baked on, potentially decades old in places and yet offered little resistance. I did not notice any discoloration of the plastics and it seemed to have no negative effect on the paint I tried it on, wiping off easily.

It also seems to be fairly 'tame' - as it did not attack the factory coating, seam sealant or what appears to be an aftermarket stonechip paint, despite getting covered by a substantial amount of overspray.

It seems like this product may currently be in the process of being replaced by "Simoniz Insect & Tar Remover" - which may explain the sale at Tesco, but it still appears to be available from a range of online stockists and motor factors.

If you happen across this in Tesco and its on sale, I would certainly recommend it - I know I'll be grabbing anymore that I see!
 
Would guess quick detailer should work, sorts out normal watermarks on paint OK - never had anything with carbon fibre though so just guessing!
 
Housey said:
Anyone got any pointers on how to get water stains off carbon fibre?
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Depending on how bad they are, soak a microfibre in white vinegar and keep passing it over until it shifts, dont scrub it, just let the vinegar dissolve the spot away.

If after 3-4 mins they dont shift, you might need a proper decontamination jobby.
 
Guys what IronX type product is the strongest? I've got some hella metal on my wheels from using those dumb CL brake pads. I've used purple rain 2.0 and it kind of works but the stubborn bits remain. Agitating doesn't seem to do anything but if you keep spraying loads on it does dissolve away. I've used the whole bottle and still have plenty to go though, is there a (much) stronger version of this product available?
 
Clarkey said:
Guys what IronX type product is the strongest? I've got some hella metal on my wheels from using those dumb CL brake pads. I've used purple rain 2.0 and it kind of works but the stubborn bits remain. Agitating doesn't seem to do anything but if you keep spraying loads on it does dissolve away. I've used the whole bottle and still have plenty to go though, is there a (much) stronger version of this product available?
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Thioglycolic acid. Thats the active ingredient that turns the red color. If you know someone who can get it to you. The off the shelf products are usually massively diluted.
 
Clarkey said:
Guys what IronX type product is the strongest? I've got some hella metal on my wheels from using those dumb CL brake pads. I've used purple rain 2.0 and it kind of works but the stubborn bits remain. Agitating doesn't seem to do anything but if you keep spraying loads on it does dissolve away. I've used the whole bottle and still have plenty to go though, is there a (much) stronger version of this product available?
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CSP Gel

https://www.cspdetailing.com/product/reactive-iron-gel-500ml/
 
Bit of vinegar in the wash process can be useful to get rid of wax/polish residue. Its also worth noting that they will get dirty over time and they wont always become perfectly clean - which is good as it gives you 'good' towels, 'ok' towels, and 'bad' towels which you can use for different things. Good for paint, ok for wheels, bad for engine bay etc.
 
Got to use the RaceGlaze filter on the weekend. Living in London the water is always leaving deposits. I washed as usual and did a quick final rinse with filter connected to Pressure washer and then just left the car to dry and not a single mark. Very impressive :)
 
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