Car care / cleaning

kiddums

I thought since money is generally tight with most people these days it would be a good idea to have a discussion / tips topic on here for cleaning your own car.

So
What products do you use?
What techniques do you use?
Do you have any money saving tips?
How long do you usually take from start to finish to do it?
How often do you do it?

I'll leave the amount of deatil you want to use up to yourself. The more you use the more helpfull it will be to others.

Personally
What products do you use?
I use triplewax, colour restorer, universal glass cleaner, microfiber cloths, a sponge & a bottle of elbow grease.

What techniques do you use?
I rinse the car first, then I give it a good wash, usually going over it twice.
I then dry it with one of the microfiber cloths.
I give it a good coat of colour restore and buff off with a microfiber cloth.
I usually give it 2 coats of triplewax to finish off, buffed with a microfiber cloth.

Do you have any money saving tips?
I was told recently that cheap hair shampoo is as good as car shampoo so I'm currently testing that out. I am open to correction on it tho.

How long do you usually take from start to finish to do it?
I like to take my time so about 2 hours for the outside.

How often do you do it?
Not often enough, every 4-6 weeks.

MetzgerMeister

What products do you use?

Weekly: Turtle Wax Wheel clean, meguiars hyper wash, turtle wax Wax it Wet, turtle wax window clean, turtle wax black in a flash.

Monthly: Wheel clean, hyperwash, meguiar's paint cleaner (ever 6 months), polish, gold class wax + DA buffer, glass cleaner, black in a flash.

What techniques do you use?

Top to bottom, lambs wool mitt/brush, a panel at a time, hose off with pressure washer. Then I take the car for a drive to get water out of crevices, hand-dry/wax with microfiber cloth using circular motions. Also, it's very important to wax a car in the shade and make sure the surface is cool beforehand.

Do you have any money saving tips?

Don't use hair shampoo/washing-up liquid as these strip the wax from your car. Both are designed to get rid of grease so you're wasting time and money when it comes to waxing the car.

You're much better off to use a dedicated car shampoo that won't strip wax.

How long do you usually take from start to finish to do it?

Weekly - 2.5 hours, 6 monthly - 5 -6 hours

How often do you do it?

Weekly and every 6 months.

bmstuff

+1 on lamb's wool, this is the best to lift residues from your car's body.
Stay away from sponges, brushes, wiper blades for the body.

If you want to save money, aka many car care products are actually redundant/Marketing BS...get yourself a big can of All Cleaner Purpose -APC (5l or so). These are strong products, industrial grade, that are used by restaurants etc and can be used to clean the outside and the inside of your car.

It will remove all contaminants out of your car, including wax etc, but there in our weather here, there is no such wax that will stay on for months and make your car shinny as long too.

A few people sell APC. Like detailer.ie etc. Sometimes you can find some in normal shops too, but it is rare.
Can be used in kitchen/bathroom too, very effective. It usually comes with lemon/orange extracts too, as they are very good on grease.

You rarely see APC in shops, as they are more effective that general cleaners that sell for x10 more money.

HTH

kiddums

einheisserschre wrote: »

Don't use hair shampoo/washing-up liquid as these strip the wax from your car. Both are designed to get rid of grease so you're wasting time and money when it comes to waxing the car.

:eek:I was told that for washing up liquid. I'll get something from halfords while they have that 3 for 2 offer on so. Thanks. Will the cheapo 2euro a bottle stuff be ok?
My cars nothing special but I'd like to learn all I can with it so I know for when I get something good.

I also need some black in a flash and some of that turtlewax stuff with the chipstick.

MetzgerMeister

bmstuff wrote: »

It will remove all contaminants out of your car, including wax etc, but there in our weather here, there is no such wax that will stay on for months and make your car shinny as long too.

So you want the OP to use this stuff and get rid of wax protection altogether just because of "our weather" If anything, wax will protect the paintwork from the elements long enough to last until the next time the OP waxes his/her car.

MetzgerMeister

kiddums wrote: »

:eek:I was told that for washing up liquid. I'll get something from halfords while they have that 3 for 2 offer on so. Thanks. Will the cheapo 2euro a bottle stuff be ok?
My cars nothing special but I'd like to learn all I can with it so I know for when I get something good.

I also need some black in a flash and some of that turtlewax stuff with the chipstick.

The only thing that should be used on a car is dedicated car shampoo, end of

For €2 a bottle, I doubt it'd be great. Read the label first and if you see "does not strip wax", then it should be OK. It also depens on the concentration as to whether or not it will strip wax. If the label doesn't mention anything about that then chances are it will strip it.

The turtlewax stuff with the chipstick is complete rubbish. It smells horrible, destroys whatever you use to apply it along with the cloth you use to buff it off. I wouldn't recommend it for use on a scrap car!

bmstuff

kiddums wrote: »

:eek:I was told that for washing up liquid. I'll get s...

My wife cleans her car with the kitchen washing fluid, that drives me nuts knowing all the products I have, but her car is always much cleaner than mine lol. Dish washing fluid is diluted APC really...

kiddums

bmstuff wrote: »

It will remove all contaminants out of your car, including wax etc, but there in our weather here, there is no such wax that will stay on for months and make your car shinny as long too.

I'm not sure if this is a serious recomendation or a joke. I'm going to assume its a joke.
I know the wax won't last as long as I leave it between washes, but it's still better than nothing at all.

einheisserschre wrote: »

So you want the OP to use this stuff and get rid of wax protection altogether just because of "our weather" If anything, wax will protect the paintwork from the elements long enough to last until the next time the OP waxes his/her car.

I'm just not in the habbit of washing the car myself. I used the drive thru wash before. I just thought it would be cheaper for me to invest in a bucket and some products and do it myself.
I need to get out to it more often. I'm aiming for every week.
AFAIK wax should last that long.

bmstuff

einheisserschre wrote: »

So you want the OP to use this stuff and get rid of wax protection altogether just because of "our weather" If anything, wax will protect the paintwork from the elements long enough to last until the next time the OP waxes his/her car.

A good wax will stay on for a month top in normal conditions. Correct me if I am wrong.

So personally I do not see the need of buying a dedicated car shampoo that will "not strip wax". To me it only means this must is an average car shampoo.

OP only washes his car every 4-6 weeks, which means if he uses the car on a regular basis and is not parked in a closed parking, must be in a pretty dirty state. No point of half washing it then, if this is done at this frequency, you better off giving her a serious wash job.

APC is the best you can find and is used by detailers all over the place. There is a reason for that.

My 2 cents

kiddums

einheisserschre wrote: »

The only thing that should be used on a car is dedicated car shampoo, end of

For €2 a bottle, I doubt it'd be great. Read the label first and if you see "does not strip wax", then it should be OK. It also depens on the concentration as to whether or not it will strip wax. If the label doesn't mention anything about that then chances are it will strip it.

The turtlewax stuff with the chipstick is complete rubbish. It smells horrible, destroys whatever you use to apply it along with the cloth you use to buff it off. I wouldn't recommend it for use on a scrap car!

I'll head in and look at some bottles so. I know some poeple use autoglym shampoo so I'll start with it, or the hyperwash stuff you use.
Thanks for the advice.

Oh, I was thinking it would be good for the scratches and stuff on my car.
Fair enough, I'll avoid that so.
Any recomendations on what to use for light/medium scratches + stone chips?

MetzgerMeister

kiddums wrote: »

I'm just not in the habbit of washing the car myself. I used the drive thru wash before. I just thought it would be cheaper for me to invest in a bucket and some products and do it myself.
I need to get out to it more often. I'm aiming for every week.
AFAIK wax should last that long.

You'll be surprised with the satisfaction you get out of doing it yourself! The best thing, IMHO for you to do is this:

Get Meguiar's paint cleaner, polish & gold class wax and a DA buffer.

Wash your car well top to bottom.

Use the above products once.

After that, if you use a non-strip shampoo, you can use Turtle Wax "Wax it Wet" once a week to keep the wax protection topped up.

Compton

kiddums wrote: »

I'll head in and look at some bottles so. I know some poeple use autoglym shampoo so I'll start with it, or the hyperwash stuff you use.
Thanks for the advice.

Oh, I was thinking it would be good for the scratches and stuff on my car.
Fair enough, I'll avoid that so.
Any recomendations on what to use for light/medium scratches + stone chips?

you need a machine polisher to get rid of swirl marks.

sentient_6

I really only spend time on my car's interior at the moment. Good hoover, scrub everywhere with AG interior shampoo, clean & treat the leather, & clean the glass.

Id like to start washing & waxing the exterior myself but at the moment i dont see the point until i get it washed, clay barred, machine polished, & waxed professionally first. It's got a pretty bad dose of swirls & scratches at the moment from me washing it at a local garage before i knew any better.

kiddums

einheisserschre wrote: »

You'll be surprised with the satisfaction you get out of doing it yourself! The best thing, IMHO for you to do is this:

Get Meguiar's paint cleaner, polish & gold class wax and a DA buffer.

Wash your car well top to bottom.

Use the above products once.

After that, if you use a non-strip shampoo, you can use Turtle Wax "Wax it Wet" once a week to keep the wax protection topped up.

I do enjoy the feeling once I've done it myself, I just haven't had much time to do it recently.

I'm not sure what a DA buffer is.:o
Are these the products your on about?
Paint cleaner
Polish
Wax
Shampoo
wax it wet

Would this be any good to replace the shampoo and wax above?

Sorry for all the questions, I'd just rather not waste any more money on the wrong products for the job.

Stainless_Steel

What products do you use?

Cleaning: Autoglym body shampoo, Meguiars paint cleaner, Meguairs clay bar

Polish: Autoglym super resin polish

Wax: Meguiars carnuba wax

Wheels: Autoglym clean wheels, Autoglym instant tyre dressing

Glass: Autoglym fast glass

Plastics (engine bay and interior): Autoglym vinyl and rubber care

What techniques do you use?

2 buckets, one with shampoo and one with rinsing water. Wash mitt (sponges cause scratches!).

Then the paint cleaner, followed by clay bar every few months (I make love to the paintwork to know if its needed).

Polish if required, wax for the shine.

Do you have any money saving tips?

Don't wash your car!!

How long do you usually take from start to finish to do it?

Weekly - 2 hours

Every 2/3 months - 8-10 hours (god I love them days!)

How often do you do it?

Every week mostly! Miss the odd week here and there but even then I still manage to give it a wipe down with Meguairs quik detailer.

vectra

bmstuff wrote: »

A good wax will stay on for a month top in normal conditions. Correct me if I am wrong.

So personally I do not see the need of buying a dedicated car shampoo that will "not strip wax". To me it only means this must is an average car shampoo.

Can you tell us what wax'es you have tried this experiment with?

I can get way longer than that out of my wax.

Also
The APC you suggest,
It is available in almost any grocery store
Lidl
Tesco > Daisy APC > Brilliant
BUT
I use these diluted in warm water for the interior of my car.
I would only include a drop in my car wash (Fairy Liquid for this job) if..and ONLY IF.. I wanted to strip any remaining wax off my car.

Other than that I use a dedicated car wash to preserve the wax on it.

veetwin

Do people use chamois leather anymore? Is there a fear of scratching?

pbarr

Does anyone know of a good wax/shampoo for getting rid of minor scratches.

MetzgerMeister

pbarr wrote: »

Does anyone know of a good wax/shampoo for getting rid of minor scratches.

There's no shampoo or wax in the world that will get rid of scratches. How bad are they? If they're small, you could use TurtleWax SafeCut and a cloth. If not, you'll need a dual action buffer and paint cleaner or abrasive polish.

pbarr

Ah they are only very slight caused by handwash not by be but by the guys that do it with sponges and squeegees well it has to be because the car is only 2 months old and thats the only way its been washed since I got it. I thought using a tiny bit of tcut on the scratch would work but was advised not to because it dulls the paint. The car is black so if it did it would probably be noticable.I'll try the Turtle wax safecut it probably wouldn't be as sharp as the t cut.

Hal1

Are halfrauds still doing 3 for 2 on cleaning stuff?

vectra

pbarr wrote: »

Ah they are only very slight caused by handwash not by be but by the guys that do it with sponges and squeegees well it has to be because the car is only 2 months old and thats the only way its been washed since I got it. I thought using a tiny bit of tcut on the scratch would work but was advised not to because it dulls the paint. The car is black so if it did it would probably be noticable.I'll try the Turtle wax safecut it probably wouldn't be as sharp as the t cut.

Get it machine polished properly.
The car is too new to be messing with

whowantstwoknow

Hi all,

Cant afford a valet as such so would like to know of tips of getting the inside looking new again? The plastic trims look old and worn. How best to give the cloth trims a wash? Any other tips? I've cleaned the inside before but can never seem to get it like the pictures shown by the valet companies... :rolleyes:


Thanks
W.

sean1141

i usually wash my car with a lambs wool mitt and two buckets. one full off clean water and one with warm water and car shampoo. autoglym shampoo is good. wash the glass first then rinse off. then the roof, bonnet, front wings, back quarter pannels, top half of the doors bumpers then bottom half of the doors rincing between each one. wheels last.
if im going to clay or wax the car i would put in a few drops of fairy liquid. one all pannels washed rince from top to bottom.

remove any tar spots with holts tar remover gel then a quick wash again
dry the car using a large soft towel.
if im using a clay bar i will give it a quick wash down when finished
if im going to hand polish i use autoglym super resin polish or if im using the da polisher i use menzenra polishes.
for wax im using chemical guys pete's 53 black pearl for a wet look finish. its not the most long lasting but i love the results. have also heard good reviews on auto glym hd wax

i use chemical guys wheel guard wax to seal my alloys.

sean1141

pbarr wrote: »

Ah they are only very slight caused by handwash not by be but by the guys that do it with sponges and squeegees well it has to be because the car is only 2 months old and thats the only way its been washed since I got it. I thought using a tiny bit of tcut on the scratch would work but was advised not to because it dulls the paint. The car is black so if it did it would probably be noticable.I'll try the Turtle wax safecut it probably wouldn't be as sharp as the t cut.

this is ment to be very good to remove light swirll marks http://www.cleancar.ie/Chemical_Guys_-_P40_Polish.html
i havent used it myself. it is ment to give good results even when applied by hand. followed by a good wax it will a good result. way cheaper then getting someone to detail the car unlesss its very bad.

try wash it yourself and keep away from the guys that use sponges and squeegees!!

pbarr

sean1141 wrote: »

try wash it yourself and keep away from the guys that use sponges and squeegees!!

I will be from now on!

vectra

sean1141 wrote: »

this is ment to be very good to remove light swirll marks http://www.cleancar.ie/Chemical_Guys_-_P40_Polish.html
i havent used it myself. it is ment to give good results even when applied by hand. followed by a good wax it will a good result. way cheaper then getting someone to detail the car unlesss its very bad.

try wash it yourself and keep away from the guys that use sponges and squeegees!!

That is exactly what I use.
Great stuff to be honest.

Seperate

sean1141 wrote: »

this is ment to be very good to remove light swirll marks http://www.cleancar.ie/Chemical_Guys_-_P40_Polish.html
i havent used it myself. it is ment to give good results even when applied by hand. followed by a good wax it will a good result. way cheaper then getting someone to detail the car unlesss its very bad.

try wash it yourself and keep away from the guys that use sponges and squeegees!!

Cheaper here - http://www.detailer.ie/store/index.php/paint-cleaners-glazes/chemical-guys-p40-polish.html

It's a good product, but you're going to struggle to remove any scratches or swirl marks by using only your hands.

faigs

Anyone know a good shampoo or method for cleaning car seats?

sean1141

Seperate wrote: »

Cheaper here - http://www.detailer.ie/store/index.php/paint-cleaners-glazes/chemical-guys-p40-polish.html

It's a good product, but you're going to struggle to remove any scratches or swirl marks by using only your hands.

cheaper if you walk in and collect but it works out cheaper from cleancar.ie if you get it posted

of course its not going to come out as well done by hand as with a machine polisher!

sentient_6

faigs wrote: »

Anyone know a good shampoo or method for cleaning car seats?

If they are cloth id start with a good hoover, scrub then with AG interior shampoo & a nailbrush & wipe away with a well wrung microfibre cloth. If there really really bad a wet vac might be order.

Spotless

Interior:
80% or more of soiling is dry dirt so start by first clearing out dust and crud from all the vents and cracks around the console and gear-stick area.
Then Vacuum thoroughly.
Next take a couple of clean towels and a trigger-spray bottle of something like FAB cleaner from cleancar.ie. Spray onto one towel, wipe the surface well and then dry off with a separate clean towel. Turn the towels frequently. Start with the headliner, then seats, then carpet.
If you have bad stains, pre-treat those with a stain remover or a stronger FAB solution. Remember to clean the steering wheel and the control stems as these get covered in gunk from your hands.

Exterior:
Wash the car, loads of running water, a couple of buckets, car shampoo and a few Microfibre towels. Try remove as much heavy dirt as possible with the pressure washer if you have one. Start at the top, use the mitt gently in straight lines.
Keep dunking the mitt in a rinse bucket before getting fresh shampoo mix. Rinse down well and then repeat the wash.
Use a separate brush, sponge or mitt on the wheels. No real need for a wheel cleaner unless you drive through seriously bad muck or have brakes that give off loads of dust.

APC is All-Purpose-Cleaner. It really means that its good on all types of dirt, but isn't necessarily good for all types of surface, so use it very diluted. Cheaper ones have lots of salts and strong surfactants that clean a driveway nicely, but can chemically damage the paint on a car.

Dish-Washing Liquid is very close to being car shampoo but again, has added salts for stripping fats and oils so it will clear protection off the paint. Only use it if you are prepared to apply a sealant.

Wax does last only a few weeks on a car in Irish weather.

Hope that helps.

Rickwellwood

Hi all - Looking for best way to clean and freshen up light brown leather seats I recently fitted into my 1994 Mazda 626 - Leather seats were taken out of a 1994 Mazda Xedos 6 V6 SE - seats are in good condition no rips, cracks or tears and have given my 626 a new lease of life along with its new NCT for 2 years - am so happy that I've been able to keep this Mazda 626 car alive as it has kept me and my family alive after very near fatal head on collision a few years ago...... long story - I felt i owed the car to spruce it up ... sorry for going on a bit......

The leather seats replaced knackered old original factory cloth seats that I couldnt live with anymore - the leather seats have plenty of crease lines which I'd like to clean up but theres loads of life left in them - thanks for suggestions folks

pbarr

Has anybody used this: http://www.jmldirect.com/Mantis%C2%AE-Instant-Shine-PM4201/

I read a couple of good reviews but would be interested to hear from somebody who has been there done that.

-Corkie-

pbarr wrote: »

Has anybody used this: http://www.jmldirect.com/Mantis%C2%AE-Instant-Shine-PM4201/

I read a couple of good reviews but would be interested to hear from somebody who has been there done that.

I seen that advertised allrite. Anything from JML I have purchased in the past was sh1te. Thats not to say that is though..:)

Hal1

I doubt you'd get away with just using that stuff on a micro fibre. Due to the crap weather and the state of the roads after driving. There would be a build up of grime on the lower half of each door and bumpers. Give the car the 2 wash bucket treatment and then have a go with that stuff.

If your really looking for some good results have a go at claying. I was very impressed after the first time I clayed my car. Picked up a monza claying kit with lube off ebay for buttons.

whyulittle

So this is how you clay!

Having seen it mentioned here all the time, and even seen what was used, I could never figure out how it was "applied".

And so this is also how you pronounce Meguiars!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfEfLGL59GI

Seperate

whyulittle wrote: »

So this is how you clay!

Have a look at the full process;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r45M9oyJam0

Delancey

Is a clay bar re-usable or is it a single use only product ?

Hal1

It depends on how much contaminents are removed after first use. The idea is to keep kneeding and turning so you have a clean part to use. Once it's beyond use on the car body, you can use it on your wheels.

Compton

what clay do people use? and what lubricant?

Hal1

Dodo juice born slippy or autglym rapid detailer.

Kevvv

Anybody got any tips on removing dog hairs from my interior

E39MSport

Kevvv wrote: »

Anybody got any tips on removing dog hairs from my interior

Stop licking the dog

vectra

Kevvv wrote: »

Anybody got any tips on removing dog hairs from my interior

Rubber glove apparently is good

MrDerp

Kevvv wrote: »

Anybody got any tips on removing dog hairs from my interior

Baby wipes. Pick up a packet of cheap ones from Lidl. Great for the back seat (and for indoor dog beds). The hair wants to be on the baby wipe more than it wants to be stuck to your seats.

Handy to have some in the car for incidental spills* up the front too.

* by your missus, of course. Obviously you have enough respect for your car not to eat and drink in the car without a care in the world

Mr Benevolent

I generally wait until it rains and drive very fast, works every time.

C4Kid

Yesterday I used Autoglym Super Resin Polish over a different non-abrasive polish and it worked a treat considering it was done by hand. I can only imagine what effect it would have if I had a dual action polisher.

The swirl marks etc as others have said have been reduced slightly but need to be machine polished out .

readmylips

MANTIS, from JML...works a treat....car is super shiny and hasnt seen a drop of water in months...EVERYONE thinks i wash it everyday !! takes 10 mins tops...granted it doesnt remove tar..i know that, but believe me, i have a super shiny red car with minimum effort ! Does the glass too !
BTW, what wud ye experts recommend for tar removal on a non met red?

E39MSport

^^ No expert - but clay bar feels like the right thing for tar removal on non metallic.

p.s. does it have a clearcoat?

readmylips

i have no idea what a clearcoat is !!! thanks anyway