*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

[LiE]

Really fancy trying another Gyeon product - torn between WetCoat and CanCoat.

CanCoat looks really good. WetCoat is also good if you don’t have time.

With CanCoat do you need to do a lot of prep for the paint ?

 

[Shadowness]

From a quick read, a good decon paint prep is recommended. Not sure if a quick going over with Gyeon prep would be enough?

 

[Raymond Lin]

I find Meguair's ceramic spray much better than Wetcoat. The nozzle on the wetcoat creates this really fine mist that goes nowhere, you lose half of it to the air.

 

[iamdjdz]

I've got a really strong smell of old in my Volvo 850 that I'd like to get rid of and am looking for advice.

The seats are half fabric half vinyl and the roof lining has got some mould in, doesn't look mechanically caused more time sitting without ventilation I imagine. Eg there's some mould patches on the sun visors and round the roof, not much but the telltale black spots are there.

What way should I go about cleaning this and getting rid of the smell?

 

[LiE]

Get the the APC out and a wet vac on all fabrics/carpets.

 

[Cookeh]

I've got a really strong smell of old in my Volvo 850 that I'd like to get rid of and am looking for advice.

The seats are half fabric half vinyl and the roof lining has got some mould in, doesn't look mechanically caused more time sitting without ventilation I imagine. Eg there's some mould patches on the sun visors and round the roof, not much but the telltale black spots are there.

What way should I go about cleaning this and getting rid of the smell?

APC is good for stains but won't treat smells. You'll need an enzyme-based interior cleaner like AutoSmart BioBrisk. Works best if you have a wet vac to extract afterwards, but you can still get reasonable results just by drying with microfibres. Sun visors and roof trim areas can just be hit with APC like LiE suggested.

Once carpets and headlining are clean you can then use an aircon bomb (I like Bilt Hamber, but they're all much of a muchness generally) - making sure to change your airfilter afterwards (if you have one, optional extra on the 850s!).

You have a sunroof too if I recall correctly, definitely worth checking the sunroof drains and the main seal around it. Big leak-causer in the 850s which will then lead to damp issues.

 

[grudas]

anyone have a bit of "moist/humid" smell coming out of their AC when they start the car?

every time I start my lexus it smells a bit mucky for 1-3 seconds and disappears.. like there's some water or moisture somewhere.

I have tried AC cleaners etc but they dont seem to help for long.. 2-3 weeks and it's back.

filters etc have all been changed.

 

[Cookeh]

A/C drain partially blocked? So your system isn't fully drying/draining after each use?

 

[Raymond Lin]

Actually my AC might need a re-gas or something, it’s not as cold as I expect or like, compare to my Yaris I am having to turn it 2c lower (18c vs 20c) to get the same comfort.

The thing is that it’s been like this ever since I bought it and setting it at 18c I am comfortable but I feel it’s not as it’s optimal.

Where should I get it done? Would kwik Fit do a competent job?

 

[Cookeh]

Take it to an A/C specialist. Most of the time they're the same price as the high-street companies. Local specialists around me charge £50 for full removal, UV leak test, and refil - and that's at home. If you take it to them its a tenner cheaper.

 

[Muska]

@mrk how are you making those GIFS, is it on your phone?

Lovely M3, I had a coupe in the same colour.

 

[grudas]

A/C drain partially blocked? So your system isn't fully drying/draining after each use?

I've done some googling and it looks like it's bacteria in the system.. so needs anti bacterial treatment or some suggested high heat blast to kill it

 

[jpaul]

APC is good for stains but won't treat smells. You'll need an enzyme-based interior cleaner like AutoSmart BioBrisk. Works best if you have a wet vac to extract afterwards

it is a liquid, isn't it , not a foam/spray-can foaming cleaner, that you can work with a toothbrush, so w/o a wet vac its going to be pretty saturated.
I use a product from abelauto - but was looking at Ambersil auto groom as a replacement.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Take it to an A/C specialist. Most of the time they're the same price as the high-street companies. Local specialists around me charge £50 for full removal, UV leak test, and refil - and that's at home. If you take it to them its a tenner cheaper.

A/C specialists? Didn't know they existed.

 

[Cookeh]

Google exists

 

[BananaDunka]

How often do you have the AC on? If it's left on 24/7 with climate control left to a set temp to its own devices then there shouldn't be a chance for the system to build up bacteria/moisture over time when the car is running normally through heat of the engine etc. A future ref I guess once it is all cleaned out and fresh again. Never turn off AC.

@mrk how are you making those GIFS, is it on your phone?

Lovely M3, I had a coupe in the same colour.

I recorded on my phone yep then just trimmed the video in photoshop into smaller gifs

 

[jpaul]

Never turn off AC.

I thought the solution was the opposite ! when it's off the warmer air allows evaporation/drying of the conduits, which otherwise is the root of the bacteria problem;
so like, not stopping your car dead after using a turbo, should turn off the A/C before arriving at desitination.

I don't use A/C regularly but turn it on every couple of weeks, since ciruclating the oils to the lube the seals is good for its lifespan.

 

[BananaDunka]

Never had the issue on my cars with climate control with AC left on 24/7. In fact most manufacturers recommend always leaving it on for this very reason. Just adjust temp using the hvac. The AC pump is variable so will activate as and when needed based on climate settings, outside temp, sun etc.

 

[Cookeh]

Whilst ambling around Halfords, as you do, I came across this product on sale for £3.50 and thought it would be useful for dealing with bird-poop on the go. At the price, what could go wrong? I was rather impressed, so have written a short review on it:

Product: Turtle Wax Wash & Wax Waterless Cleaning

Price: £8 RRP (£5.60 on 13/07/2019; £3.50 @ Sheffield Queens Road Halfords on 05/07/2018)

Volume: 750mL

About:

Turtle Wax hybrid products fuse traditional car care ingredients with the very latest technology for astonishing results and new ways to shine. Turtle Wax Hybrid Wash & Wax Waterless Cleaning washes and waxes without water. Our 1-Step formula allows you to wash exteriors without a bucket anytime and even in direct sunlight. Hybrid polymer technology encapsulates dirt and grime for a scratch-free clean. The water repellent formula will help water and rain roll off to keep the exterior clean. Fused with proprietary waxes for a shiny, protective finish with no spots or streaking.

Test areas:

The bonnet and rear boot were used as the test panels, in conjunction with the door shuts (which honestly hadn't been touched in 4 weeks... I know, I know, dreadful! ). Unfortunately, I have no before of the boot or bonnet - it was only after seeing the results from those areas that I decided to review the product. They were light to moderately dusty after 300 miles in dry sunny weather.

Turtlewax WWW Test 1
Turtlewax WWW Test 2
Turtlewax WWW Test 3

Review:

The bottle that this comes in has a fantastic spray nozzle, which delivers a very fine and widespread mist. The product itself also only needs to be applied sparingly - which is aided by the nozzle. I was able to do shut up to the jam in a single spray and found this to be plenty sufficient to properly lubricate the surface:

Turtlewax WWW spray

Once applied this product is very slick, and even my relatively cheapy microfibres glide across the surface well. At no point did I feel like the product was grabbing or that there was any friction on the paint. This gave me quite a lot of confidence and I would actually be happy to use this on quite heavily soiled areas should the need arise.

I found it cleaned well, as can be seen in the following pictures. I used one 'side' of a cloth per shut and worked the product in one single direction. Using this method I was able to obtain a clean surface, with only slight residual product being left over that was then worked over again with a clean 'side' of the towel in the same direction.

Turtlewax WWW clean 1
Turtlewax WWW clean 2
Turtlewax WWW clean 3

I found that the Wash & Wax left a reasonably nice finish, feeling slick to the touch and with a reasonable amount of gloss/reflection. I wouldn't say it matches the gloss of a dedicated last step product, not by a significant margin - but it is impressive nonetheless in my opinion:

Turtlewax WWW boot
Turtlewax WWW bonnet

As for the cons of the product, I did notice that when overapplied (such as when I first applied it on the bonnet, using 8-10 sprays for the panel, plus one to prime the mf cloth) it becomes much harder to buff off. It is still easy to work during the first wipe-stage, gliding nicely and not grabbing, but the residual product is very smeary and requires a lot more effort to buff off. I actually ended up using two fresh microfibres to remove all the excess. For reference, I only used 2 sprays (+ priming the mf cloth) on the boot and had no issues with smearing.

Conclusion:

When applied sparingly - which is all the product seems to need - it is a rather impressive item for the money. It is very cost-effective as a result - I used less than 1/20th of the bottle to do all four shuts/jambs and both bonnet and boot. I would imagine it is possible to get 15 or so full car washes out of the product if used on a lightly dirty car - i.e. the sort of dust a car accumulate every 4-7 days or so in this warm and dry weather.

It is easy to work with, glides very nicely and does not grab, leaving a smooth finish with respectively good levels of gloss. I am very impressed by it, especially given its cost, and it will have a permanent place in my boot.

I do, however, acknowledge that products like ONR when properly diluted will work out to be as cost-effective, if not actually more so - but it would be interesting to compare the two... perhaps I'll have to buy some ONR! :driver:

 

[jpaul]

..
in retrospect am now thinking an electric toothbrush ? would be ideal to apply protection cream in a few seat creases.

Started trying to fix pressure washer - low flow - just need to figure out how to remove the left pressure relief valve

completed (Karcher k7] pressure washer maintenance and re-build ... seems, maybe the problem was the dirty/sticking by-pass valve on the left, which I could have accessed without the tear-down - LAL

electric toothrbush for applying leather cleaning products worked too.

As for the cons of the product

aren't you a bit afraid that any grit, that would be carried off in water might scratch the paintwork ? I often (today) get birds-muck off with plain-water+cloth, and could imagine just leaving a bottle in the car.