How do you wash yours?

How do you wash yours?

Author
Discussion

Pedestrian

Original Poster:

1,244 posts

273 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
Dish the dirt..

I dont want to scratch her.

shpub

8,507 posts

279 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
With water collected from a tiny spring deep in the Lancashire Lake district so that the car can feel in tune with its birth place and relax knowing that it is enveloped in the life giving waters of its mother land....


Failing that, a bucket of water from the tap... Or the rain water tank in the garden if I can't be bothered to go round the back to the outside tap.

Steve

Pedestrian

Original Poster:

1,244 posts

273 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
Soap?

IPAddis

2,479 posts

291 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
Rinse off with water first.

The use a clean sponge. Use seperate one for bottom of nosecone, doors, rear end and wheels.

Light scratches (the kind put in by washing) are easily removed by polishing.

beano1197

20,854 posts

282 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
If you saw mine today, you'd ask "Do you wash yours?"!

How about.......

Wet it gently first!!!

I use MER; so water with a capful - clean sponge, gentle action! Any tar spots or other marks can get a neat treatment.

Some will tell you not to use washing up liquid (contains salt, therefore defeats the object of trying to wash salt off in winter)

Use pressure sparingly! (Carefully on alloys and lower body only in my case)

Path cleaner is a good substitute for the proprietary alloy cleaners - but I wash whatever off with plenty of water and elbow grease.

Good quality Chamoix (not the whole animal note - if you rub too hard you'll get smeary blood stains......) My chammies last about two cleans until they disintegrate; and I don't know why!!!

If I am going to polish I use MER on the wet car instead of drying first.

I know that some people hate MER, so feel free to ignore that bit.

Windows get diluted vinegar applied with newspaper (Saturday Times), dried with newspaper (Sunday Times) and an application of Rain-Ex!

Then I get the camera out, cos' it won't look like that for another 12 months.............

Time for a




jna

87 posts

279 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
Rinse it first, then use autoglym car shampoo with two different sponges / buckets one for body and one for wheels / sills. Dry with autoglym synthetic shamois, polish with autoglym high gloss polish, tyres finished with autoglym tire gloss and finally polish the exhaust with yes you guessed it autoglym metal polish.

and then put it away because its usually raining by this point !!!!!

DIGGA

41,336 posts

290 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
Rinse with the hose, car shampoo any my special (only for the TVR!!) sponge, shammy, and then a polish if I'm not getting black looks from indoors.

I have been using all the Autoglym stuff - car shampoo, wax polish and polishing cloths - although the durability of said polish isn't great. I do seem to remember that somewhere on PH (and now you've reminded me I'm off to look for it!) other, more lasting polishes were recommended.

Alex200mph

510 posts

272 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
washing a car is rather like making love to a beautiful women...... you just.....

GasBlaster

27,428 posts

286 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
Make sure you use both sorts of Autoglym polish - the creamy liquid sort and then..... the thin petrolly sort. its luvverly.

DIGGA

41,336 posts

290 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
GasBlaster - what's the thin stuff called then? Does it seal the finsh of the creamy polish stuff?

- I'm off to Halfords for a recce as soon as I can get away from my desk.

davidd

6,528 posts

291 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
Why do you use 2 sponges etc, why not wash the nice bits first, then when they are clean use the sponge on the sills, wheels etc? As long as you give the sponge a good clean after it will not scratch.

I pi55ed myself the day I saw a mates son (about 5) who was helping him wash his numptibox drop the spong into the gravel then pick it up and start rubbing away at the paintwork. I did try to stop him honest.

Also there is a tale of a certain corporate carpark in the Thames Valley where they employed a chap to wash the execs cars, used a scouring pad to get the stubbon marks off! Urban ,myth maybe.


>> Edited by davidd on Thursday 9th May 17:56

GasBlaster

27,428 posts

286 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
Digga - I've just run down to the garage to have a look at the label (how good am I??) It's called 'extra gloss protection'!

I see you are in Cannock - I am next door in Lichfield, why don't we have a blat sometime?

Cheers

simpo one

87,086 posts

272 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
The real Achilles heel is the rear screen - I'm extra careful with that; it scratches if you look at it. The special plastic polish (Renovo) is not magic, I found.

simont

2,136 posts

280 months

Thursday 9th May 2002
quotequote all
Digga,

Go for it! The extra gloss protection gives an awesome finish

Simon

DIGGA

41,336 posts

290 months

Friday 10th May 2002
quotequote all
quote:

I see you are in Cannock - I am next door in Lichfield, why don't we have a blat sometime?
Cheers



GasBlaster, Would be good to meet another local Griff! I'm co RO of the TVRCC Staffs area (until someone more able volunteers to run it!) so why not come along to the meet at Stone for strarters?
From June it will be 1st Wed of each month, but next meet is Wed 22 May. Meet around 7:30 at the Walton Inn, on Northbound side of A34, in Stone. E-mail me thro' my PH contact if you want more info.

P.S. Got the 'extra gloss' stuff last night, so will be giving it a try shortly.

trefor

14,661 posts

290 months

Friday 10th May 2002
quotequote all
You know, this is the kind of question you see on the TT Owners club maillist

Lots of water, a nice fat sponge, some car 'shampoo' and a bit of non-corrosive alloy wheel cleaner and it's a good-un.

ohidunno

506 posts

279 months

Friday 10th May 2002
quotequote all
Can anyone recommend something good at removing tree sap?

manek

2,977 posts

291 months

Friday 10th May 2002
quotequote all
Chainsaw?

pedestrian

Original Poster:

1,244 posts

273 months

Friday 10th May 2002
quotequote all
Very funny!

Just bought some AutoGlum stuff.. we'll see.

I'll also bottle some lancashire water when I visit my cottage tomorrow

marie newman

5 posts

270 months

Monday 13th May 2002
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A man does mine - and finishes off with his favourite lemon polish!