pug406gtx wrote:Really you would not believe the amount of damage those aqua blades do to the clearcoat of your car you will end up with micro scratch marks all over the car similar to swirl marks which are caused by poor washing techinque personally I use the microfibre drying towels so much safer
What's a good washing technique? can you explain how to avoid the swirl marks?
Cars in my care:
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
What's a good washing technique? can you explain how to avoid the swirl marks?
Well first of all if any of you are still using sponges bin them invest in 1 or better 2 microfibre washmitts and use 2 buckets 1 with your soapy water and 1 with fresh water. ( the soapy water is for cleaning the car and the fresh water is for cleaning the washmitt before soaping it up again. If using 2 seperate wash mitts keep 1 and do the top half of the car first then use the othe washmitt to do the bottom half of the car after making sure you clean the mitts regularly in the fresh water.
For any good tips or products for cleaning th ecar check out http://www.detailingworld.co.uk some really good advice on there
If you use a water blade you must ensure that the car is perfectly clean otherwise the spoken fab contact area will collect micro grit and act like a scoring pad, I wouldn't touch one, but that's my choice. A chamois leather is much better since it doesn't have such a close contact area and works by capillary action, you also keep turning the leather and washing it out. I have used many different leathers over the years, most are crap and don't absorb the water effectively. However, the Autoglym version works perfectly every time. I use clean and warm (steam rising) water to rinse the leather out into. The Autoglym leathers are quite expensive when compared with Halfrauds own brand, but my father had an Autoglym leather which must of lasted over 20 years before it fell apart, I think that's good value! I also find using Autoglym's bodywork conditioner help enormously with drying the car, the water just doesn't stick to the car, instead just runs off, the car hardly needs drying, fab stuff
I was using an Autoglym 'Aqua dry' chamois and you guys are now making me wonder if this blade thing is a good idea I suppose it's like anything else - it's good, BUT......
[whispers] to be honest I did see some 'straight' swirls on the bonnet consistent with the type of blade use I had done but I kinda thought hey, at least there not swirly round marks [/whispers]
Cars in my care:
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
pug406gtx wrote:For any good tips or products for cleaning th ecar check out http://www.detailingworld.co.uk some really good advice on there
WTF? It's a forum of raving lunatics who spend DAYS cleaning their cars instead of driving them! I can appreciate the professionals on there, but still. Who'd pay for someone to spend a week cleaning your car if it's fresh from the factory? What are they going to do, put it in a big perspex box and load it on the back of a lorry?
Having said that though I've been wondering for a while what my '6 would look like with a proper polish job... Sod spending hours on the wheel arches though
<steve_earwig> I think this forum is more about keeping our cars going with minimal outlay than giving our cars more reason to go bang
mjb wrote:WTF? It's a forum of raving lunatics who spend DAYS cleaning their cars instead of driving them!
Even I was a bit amazed at that site - they must have *loads* of free time
Did you see that guy with the Renault Megane 225 he's had it 2 years fom new, never driven in the wet, covers it up in the garage, and it's only done 3000 miles I think he was wandering if it needed 'clay baring' yet
Cars in my care:
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
Hey now come on I spend around 2 days doing my wifes 2000 W plate Fiat Bravo but it dose always look good at they end shame it ends up getting dirty again lol Those 2 days include basically a full valet then followed by claybarring, washing again paint cleanser, paint sealant, gloss enhancer and waxing normally do this every 3 months but wash it every week even if it is raining and wax it maybe every fortnightweathr dependant, it keeps me happy cant wait to pick up my 406 get that polished up properly
I wash mine every few weeks with a bucket (of turtle wax stuff from tesco - doesn't streak) and sponge, then literally just lob a bucket of cold water over it.
By the morning it's picked up loads of crap from the air/wind/etc but at least I can see out the windows for the next day and I've shifted a load of salty crap. Occasionally I'll take it down to Sainsbury's for a £5.50 wash+dry in the carwash which makes it a bit shiny and includes a good scrub of the wheels.
Inside glasswork gets the turtle wax glass cleaner treatment using kitchen roll (bounty!) every couple of months
One day I'll take the wheels off and clean them. Wet brake dust dripping out all over the alloys doesn't look great does it
<steve_earwig> I think this forum is more about keeping our cars going with minimal outlay than giving our cars more reason to go bang
There was a time many years ago when I would give my car a complete wash and wax every 3 days, but then I bought a house and got married. It's surprising how other things take priority when this happens! I last waxed my car in September, although it gets hand washed at least once every month or 2,000 miles whichever comes sooner. I would never put a car through a car wash no matter how dirty it was, they just scratch the paint like a scoring pad, and don't really do a great job then.
I seem to be (hand, is there anything else?) washing my car every week, that's the last time I ever buy a black car... I washed it on Monday, which I'm glad about because yesterday, when I woke up, there was 3 inches of snow on it (man, I gotta build me a car port* here!!) so I wasn't too worried about sliding it off with a broom.
(*not as easy as it sounds, it'll have to cope with a possible 1 meter of snow and hail the size of golf balls)
I like to wash my car every week but ONLY if there is a window of oportunity i.e. the weather's ok and there's nothing else going on indoors with the Mrs and tea pot lids.
I'm a bit of a speed washer and can have it done and dusted in about 25 mins all dry and hoovered. If I miss one week then I will do it the next etc but I never leave it more than 3 weeks. My car is quite dark for a Red colour and shows up the dirt in no time.
Stevie - are you living in a weather-related time warp over there? I remember you saying the other week it was 16degC there and yet its snowing now
Cars in my care:
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
I use (when I wax the car that is) the clear liquid wax (I think made by Turtle wax), it's brilliant, just slop it on all over including black plastic bits, wait for it to dry then dry it off. Although, I found many years ago, if you wait for the wax to dry and then wash it off with warm water and a sponge, there is no hard polishing, the water just beads and runs off almost dry to a perfect shine!
Welton wrote:Stevie - are you living in a weather-related time warp over there? I remember you saying the other week it was 16degC there and yet its snowing now
Yeah, I know, it's nuts: last weekend I was up a ladder painting the wood on my roof & waiving the lawnmower about wearing just a t-shirt. It did it last year too, I remember sending my bro an email saying how strange the flowers looked growing through the snow. I'm told the wisdom is not to bother doing anything with the ground 'til after Easter. But then last April the ground was so hard I couldn't get the tiller through it, so it looks like I'm going to be very busy real soon.
Well we have been warned to batten down the hatches this Easter weekend as the mother of all cold fronts comes in from the North
Some of my neighbours were mowing their lawns a couple of weeks ago (end Feb-early March) I think that's too early. That reminds me - I might to do another lawn mower service thread like last years
Actually, the old mower was becoming a bit fuckered last season with various 'modifications' to keep it running and it has since sat out completely exposed to the elements all over the winter The engine's alright but the mower body is more Iron Oxide and holes than bodywork
Cars in my care:
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
How do you service a lawn mower? The manual for mine says change the oil every 8 hours of us, if I did that I would need to do a full service every second week in the summer!!
[/whispers]
I think he was wandering if it needed 'clay baring' yet 
get that polished up properly 
