*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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I used Polar Seal on my car a few weeks back but now it's quite dirty again. Can I simply pressure wash it and dry it? I really don't have the time to do a proper wash again for a while.
 
G-MAN2004 said:
I used Polar Seal on my car a few weeks back but now it's quite dirty again. Can I simply pressure wash it and dry it? I really don't have the time to do a proper wash again for a while.
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I wouldn't dry it without a proper wash unless you want swirls, you can just rinse it off.
 
G-MAN2004 said:
I used Polar Seal on my car a few weeks back but now it's quite dirty again. Can I simply pressure wash it and dry it? I really don't have the time to do a proper wash again for a while.
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Even if the car was ceramic coated, you'd need a contact wash it if it's dirty (you might get away with some snow foams if the dirt is very light). Polar Seal is a rinse off sealant and won't really help much.

You'll need to wash it properly, otherwise you're going to be rubbing dirt into the paint when drying it.
 
The car has stayed surprisingly clean this week. Looking at the forecast and a planned motorway drive on Sunday there’s almost no point in washing it, but then I’d like to get the salt off. Autofoam would probably remove everything on there - I’ll get watermarks if I leave it dry naturally though, so I’ll just do a really quick snow foam then contact wash tomorrow I think.

Oil change on Tuesday and then if it stays dry later in the week I’ll clean and treat the fabric roof.
 
Is C5 the recommended ceramic protection for wheels still? I last used some around 2 years ago and was indifferent from memory, it did a good job.

Next month's to-do job.
 
Anyone got a wrapped car? How are you protecting the vinyl?

Mine will be done soon, and its HEXIS base with a KPFM Overlaminate, quite a thick material when combined.

I want it to last at least 4 years.
 
Washed off the winter look today. Reflex Pro still working it's magic on the paint made it a breeze to get the worst of it off, quick snow foam and warm jet wash had most of the grime off it was nearly clean before I even put a hand on the paint. Quick once over with some P&S Bead Maker just to top up the protection due to all the salt and done.

The eagle eyed amongst you will spot a dent in the A-Pillar..been quoted £120 to have it pulled out by a PDR guy. Does this sound reasonable?
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Cleaned the soft top and protected using the Autoglym set. Going to try the turtle wax equivalent next time that works out a bit cheaper. Didn’t really need a clean other than a seal, but did it anyway. Being wet already after the rain made it easier. Will do the rest tomorrow.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
Cleaned the soft top and protected using the Autoglym set. Going to try the turtle wax equivalent next time that works out a bit cheaper. Didn’t really need a clean other than a seal, but did it anyway. Being wet already after the rain made it easier. Will do the rest tomorrow.
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I thought that once, turns out the turtle wax kit is garbage. Stick to autoglym is my advice.
 
Quick wash between showers today to get all the mud/salt off the car. Hydro2 still doing it's thing.



Might try the Autobrite ceramic magiseal next, until I can get a more durable coating on the car.
 
I swear I spent longer hoovering the fluff off the soft top than cleaning the rest of the car today. No idea where it came from, probably the microfibre cloth I placed on there to dry it yesterday.

Spent a good bit of time polishing the exhaust tips that have come up about as good as they can I think. Engine just needed a quick wipe down.

They greased all of the hinges in the service yesterday, but have left a lump of it in a difficult to reach area behind the bonnet, so I’ll have to blast it out with the steam cleaner at some point.




Mostly happy with the soft top beeding:
 
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V_R said:
That looks very clean, good work! What do you use to clean your engine bay?
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Steam cleaner for the dirtiest bits, works like a charm, especially for the hard to reach areas - I then soak up the little water and loosened grime with a microfibre cloth.

Rapid detailer with a microfibre cloth when the surfaces just need a light clean. A spray over the top with vinyl and rubber care.

I have engine and machine cleaner, but I don’t need to use it with the above methods.
 
Has anyone here removed deep scratches from glass? My passenger side window has several deep scratches that can be felt with a finger nail and that notably catch the light and stand out.

I've seen a few kits with sanding discs and compound which seem to do a decent job at removing them. I already have a DA, compounds and a cordless drill (and a 3M headlight restoration kit somewhere) so don't doubt I could probably manage this without needing to buy anything new.

Cerium Oxide, 60, 120, 200 grit and felt polishing pads seem to be the basics of their kits.

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