Car Washing

impmann

munckee said:

impmann said:

strtdv said:

Rinse loose dirt off, then a 2 bucket clean using a wash mitt (ideally lambswool) and some Autoglym shampoo, then dry.

I use Dodo Juice rain repellent on the glass, and twice a year the car gets a "proper" clean which involves washing, removing the old wax (fairy liquid works well for this), levelling the paint (I use a mitt rather than a clay bar), washing again, drying, waxing (and polishing any marks), then sealing the wax. I also use a wheel cleaner on the wheels to remove brake dust and then put a wheel sealant on the wheels, as well as treating the plastics.
The whole process takes about 10 hours but keeps the car looking good and easier to clean the rest of the year (and makes bird dropping etching less of a problem).

Fairy liquid?

FFS... don't let that stuff anywhere near good paint. That stuff kills the top layer of paint.

The more you *polish* the more paint you remove. Polish is an abrasive and removes a minute amount of the top layer *safely*. However, break through the lacquer and you'll know all about it.

Therefore, avoid *polishing* all the time (that includes clay bars and the like - they should only be used infrequently), use a proper wax (I prefer proper Carnuba wax - and back in the day, when I was a motoring journalist, I tested lots of different ones... don't be bullshit into thinking that expensive = somehow better at the domestic end of the market) and then you'll not need to wash the car so often.

That said, these days, I really don't give a shit about the look of my everyday car - life's too short - and so it looks like crap most of the time, until my wife gets fed up with it and takes it to the local Eastern European hand car wash...

Who use fairy liquid!

My local one doesn't... :-)

But I take your point - and that was the point of the slightly tounge in cheek last paragraph...

Chris777

I have always cleaned my own cars, heard too many horror stories of car washes ripping off ariels mirrors etc, so last year I relented and started taking it to one of the eastern european car washers, what a mistake that was, after around 5 successful visits when i came back i noticed that paint was missing off the nearside sill right where the guy washing it with an industrial grade jet washer paused to text on his phone, annoyed wasnt the word, so I bought some showroom shine and now do it myself, my garage is a distance from the house so i cannot get water to the car to jet wash arches etc, lesson learned the hard way, everytime I see the missing paint spots I have a grr to myself.

Nunogilberto

I’m a car fan, and I’ll admit that a clean car looks nice. It’s also certainly nicer to travel in a car with a clean interior that isn’t feet deep in Pepsi cans and dust etc.

However, I can’t be arsed with all the hassle. Mine gets washed maybe 3 times a year, hoovered slightly more. Fuck detailing.

edbolivar

I don’t have the time or inclination to do it myself, but have used a car detailing specialist several times and always very pleased with the result.
In fact just bought a new car a month ago and took it to http://allthatgleams.co.uk/ for the works and the results were far better than expected.
you can see the before and after photos on their Facebook page, and it was a big difference.

paulnb57

My Fanny Magnet last got washed in July.......2016, with Fairy Liquid (Gotta have soft hands!!)........it is now minging, photo was five years ago when I brought it home after rebuilding it form a rusy chassised heap.....

http://i.imgur.com/sT0o2N1.jpg

RaymondLin

3 hours later.

Sporky

I have the car washed just before selling it. 

jonnyburgo

Never. Like ironing its a total waste of time. Bloke near me is always washing and polishing his cars, all he ever seems to do. He also has plastic grass lawns front and back, says it all really, that's suburban slow death right there.