Cleaning a black chimp...

[ChimeraWolf]

Can anyone recommend a good cleaner? I always have a major hassle buffing out the swirls on the bonnet!

What about wax? Can you use normal wax on the paint work...like Turtle Wax or something? And do you go for the metallic type or the normal.

Mine's a moonraker black by the way.

- ChimaeraWolf
- P56 SAH - Black Chimaera 4.0


>>> Edited by ChimeraWolf on Monday 19th November 18:50

[philshort]

The stuff you get at markets in the light blue bottles (sorry, the name escapes me at the moment) is pretty good - I have a dark blue Chimaera and this stuff buffs up fairly easily without leaving swirls.

They always put some on a Mini bonnet and then set fire to it for some reason on the market stalls.

Halfords now stock it if that helps.

[philshort]

Mer, thats the stuff!

I apply it when the car is still wet, saves the chammy! It can be a bitch if you leave it too long, so I do the car in smallish sections, buffing before it has completely dried. Used this way it does the job, no residues or polish marks.

Next time don't buy a black car - they are always difficult to clean!

[SwanJack]

If you dont want to give your motor a good waxing everytime you clean it, after cleaning with shampoo and rinsing, chuck a capfull or two of Mer in a bucket of clean water, chuck this over the car and leave to dry. A very light haze is left which can be buffed up really easily. A 'semi waxing' sort of thing I guess.

[steveab]

Autoglym stuff is great. I've just switched to it finally (being an old bucket of soapy water type - ooer).

The difference is amazing, esp. if you live in a hard water area. Try the 'Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner' (car one not the hair one . Then a good polish with the 'Super Resin Polish'.

The later seems to have some properties that stop bird crap sticking.

Their alloy wheel cleaner is great also.

I'd like to point out that I don't work for AutoGlym...... :teacher

Enjoy

Steve

[.mark]

Mine is Starmist Blue and I too found Mer a pile of pants, no matter how I applied, but it is fantastic for glass!
My favoured product at the moment is Turtle Wax Extreme, both wash and polish. Brilliant finish even if you just wash the car and let it dry without using a chamois. And I live in a hard water area.

[gervaised]

i use colour magic, which is a nightmare to use if you've driven the car beforehand, especially on the hot bonnet. this is probably the case with most waxes though.
otherwise it's really good, and even masks any (very) slight damage to the paintwork.

[philshort]

Problem I've had with the Colour Wax type products is no matter how well you polish up, a week later you get residues appearing in every nook and cranny. OK if you polish every weekend I suppose, but I like to drive sometimes!

[foggy]

Has anyone tried using RainX on glass? Is it any good?

Colin

[olly]

I use Turtle Wax Extreme, and the last time I polished the car was well over a month ago. The car usually gets washed 2/3 times a week (gets driven 300+ miles a week), and the water is still beading nicely..... I've got a bottle of Rainx, but not actually used it yet though.

[Plotloss]

Not tried Rain-X myself but I do wonder if its safe to use on the back screen as if its as good as the adverts say it would be quite handy.

Matt

[AdamB]

You really can't beat Zymol. Ted tested it a few months back but missed the most important part. Because its a proper wax (Candle wax consistancy) it stays stuck to the car. Once you've built up a few layers (2 or 3 polishes) the car can go weeks / months without a polish and as soon as you take a rag to it you get those lovely deep polish marks. As for people complaining about the price, one pack will probably last for 200 polishes.

[.mark]

RainX top stuff, I apply it once every week or two (don't use it on the side windows as I use Mer, just as good but a bit dodgy under wiper blades!). I'm also going to invest in some RainX washer additive and they also do some anti-mist stuff for the inside windows.
I don't put anything on the back window as I haven't had a need yet.

[philshort]

RainX is top stuff, I've used it since my biking days a decade ago.

It works so well I often don't bother with my wipers at all, the rain clears quicker without.

Can't recommend the stuff highly enough.

[foggy]

So RainX on the whole is good. I will be giving it a try. It doesn't matter too much about the rear screen as I have only got a lowly Astra at the moment, but if I don't dream of owning a Tiv, hows that dream ever gonna come true (to quote the words of a famous tune).

Cheers folks.

Colin

Edited by foggy on Tuesday 20th November 14:20

[rbfisher]

I take mine to the local carwash and put it through a hot wax wash program with wheel wash for £5. Looks great and doesn't leak.

Cheers,

Richard Fisher

[Preston1990]

Rb - Hope you remember to remove the roof first so it doesn't get damaged. lol

[zertec]

Zymol
Expensive to buy initially but superb.
I considered taking it on (as a distributor) but needed all the spare Zertec cash for product development.
If you are serious about the finish, this is the stuff.

Clive Reed
Zertec Limited
[e-mail]
www.zertec.co.uk

[Pigemeister]

do people polish there own cars then........... damn site easier to get it valeted once a month

[.mark]

Can't beat doing it yourself, that way you get to see the blemishes/scratches nice and early.