Is it me or does anyone else clean the inside of the fuel flap like an idiot, take rubbers off and clean the inside of light lenses etc?

Im dreading cleaning the engine bay for the first time..
Do i need someone to give me a sharp slap around the face?


Whats are your general cleaning habits and what products do you use?

 

Nothing wrong with being anal cleaning cars it's how you get the best results

I did my mates s1 a few years back and we had all the lights,bumpers wipers grill etc all removed so it's not just you

 

Go to detailing world forum and blow your load in cleanliness, I'm very finick, but I don't have enough time to do a job that I would like to do, my usually habits are a rinse then snow foam with some ph neutral foam, two bucket method and some quick detailer as I usually haven't got the time to polish and wax properly.

I like the poor boys stuff, use a few AG products and meguires just because the latter is easy to get hold of, I had a dirty petrol filler cap on my s4 and it bugged the hell out of me until it got done, I also hate that dirty crud build up you get at the edges of the lights, thankfully a blast from the pressure washer is good at getting it out most the time.

With engines I've found neat surfex HD or a cheaper alternative is the Screwfix heavy duty degreaser liberally sprayed everywhere, agitate if possible heavy soiled areas and leave for 5 minutes to soak and then wash off with a garden house attachments on a light spray then check main parts are free from moistures like plugs and alternator, I prefer to do it on a luke warm engine as it helps the degreaser and helps the drying off.

 

Life's too short

 

I like a clean car but there is some perverts about.

 

I'm really anal, can't you tell?

 

How do you rinse before the snow foam? I found that if I steam clean the car first then the foam doesn't cling as well (My foam has a mix of water in the lance)

So, I snow foam first, then pressure wash off, then 2 bucket method, wheel cleaner, pressure wash off then waffle and drying towels.

Yes, I do sometimes remove rubbers and lights etc but not that often.

ALSO, I have found that GT85 is brilliant for cleaning under the bonnet, it brings rubbers up well and is a waterproofing and anti rust agent.

 

you're supposed to wash them?

 

I like to give a really good clean, don't have snow foam but I'd like too, Generally don't take parts off but will be as thorough as possible, making sure to get in the door jams and behind the fuel filler, and making sure I go right under the sill and in the arches of the car too, love experimenting with different polishes, clays and waxes to see what works well. Don't have the budget for the really fancy stuff (have you seen how expensive polish can be??), so I guess on a scale of 1 to 10 I'd be about 7?

 

I'm the complete opposite. I hate cleaning cars for a passion, especially my own. The Cossie gets done by the local polish or Romanians or whoever they are and once in a blue moon I'll clean it myself and polish it. When I first got it every weekend I would spend cleaning it with my mate who had a nice mk4 xr3i, we used to spend all weekend cleaning. Got bored of that and just wanted to drive the thing.

 

I love cleaning and detailing cars, I've been doing it professionally now for the past 8 years. My personal cars are never quite done/ready/clean enough... Also, in my eyes I feel like everyone is judging my cars especially when the walk in to my unit and they are sitting there. Sometimes I think life would be easier before I knew what I knew and was just happy with a quick hose and sponge special.

 

Oh I know what your saying Jason. Been there done that. Had my own place for a while and my own cars were always hinging with dirt,never enough hours in the day

 

Use to be anal but nowadays (wife and kids) I don't have the time to waste a day cleaning a car!

 

Wessa You have seen how I like to keep my car. I have always loved cleaning my cars and motorbikes. To me its not a chore and its not that hard once you have got it up to a good standard. I use good old fashioned Solvol Autosol paste for the chrome, alloy and stainless steel parts and autoglym polish and autoglym show and shine spray for the under bonnet paintwork.
You will be suprised once you start how much of an improvement it will make.

 

TBH mate, i use the same products except the show and shine spray.
Yours is worth the effort though and your efforts are evident.


Im glad its just not me that goes nuts. Its kinda therapeutic too.
Im also so thankful i have a big double garage now too.
Keep up the godo work fella's.

 

Before the kids I'd spend an entire weekend cleaning the cossie, used to lay under the 500 for 8 hours or so cleaning the underside, even my daily were cleaned meticulously every weekend, now I'm lucky if I get chance to fart without being heard, 5 kids and all their activities makes it impossible.
Cossies off the road but will find time somehow when it's running to clean it myself, won't even drive it unless it's spotless, everything else apart from my bikes gets done mostly down the local hand wash place but after watching one of the guys drop his chamois while wiping down the new Audi in front of me then carry on using it has put me off, I drove out and did it myself.

 

In the 21 years I have owned my Saff it has never been through a car wash or been at a hand wash place. I like to clean it myself to my standard and I guess that is why it still looks good and always gets a lot of admirers at shows.

 

If it's really dirty I'll rinse the bulky dirt off to give the snow foam less to deal with, I don't use much water if any in the lance and it'll just be a bit of hot water to aid the foam, if it's got a good coat of polish on the paint and it's still fairly clean iv noticed it'll struggle to stick to the paint but most the time it's been fine.

I use the AG rubber and plastic gel, the green goop stuff, I find it top notch for tired plastic and I also use it as a tyre dressing if I can be arsed as I hate that black tar shit that gets put on, the AG stuff makes the tyre look like new without being all shiney and covered in crap.

 

I will give the AG stuff a look, thanks for the tip.

I have been using less water in the snow foam lance recently and it does give a nicer, thicker foam with better cling.

I managed to pick up a water softener from a huge property that was nearly new, this is dedicated to my hot and cold outside water supply plus the steam cleaner, it seems to work well.

 

Not as much as I used to be, just don't get time nowadays somehow

 

Anyone use wax after a polish?

 

Yes, it seals the car, keeps the shine and depth of colour and makes it easier to clean next time.

 

I also use a da with cut, fine and super fine 3m pads and matching compound on a dull car or to take out holograms, swirls or even wet sand, g60, then workmup through the compounds. I have got 6000 and 3000 polishing heads so you can go 2000 wet n dry with soap and work right up to super fine before polish, clay bar then wax.

 

Wow.. Im surethat would be a big difference in finish compared to a hand polish with a tub of Autoglym right


Whats the golden rule when using a orbital polisher/buffer?
Obviously im a novice at this kinda thing

 

A random orbit is much softer and easier to use than a rotary polisher, I have both but reserve the rotary for metal polishing only, it is too easy to burn right through the paint

 

I think if my paintwork was up to scratch I'd spend a lot more time and effort on it but the paints so bad it just gets washed at the mo. When it gets painted I'll prob be proper anal with the polish

 

I've been cleaning cars since I was 14 and took it up 'professionaly' (no1 sees it as a trade but it bloody well is) when I was about 18 and did it constantly for 15 yrs and had my own very successful detailing shop (divorce finished that) and what you need to do is get yourself some zymol. I've been telling folks for years and everyone that tries it sticks with it. None of this polish then wax! That's twice the work. Use zymol 'wax' and use there wash and wax and you can get away with 1 coat every 3-6 months in between normal washing whether it be weekly of every few days. Google it

If your real OTT then they sell some 11k 'polish'

http://www.zymol.com/royale.aspx

It's went down in price

 

No idea about cleaning cars or in my case a van any more.

Anal sounds interesting though 😂

 

Same here matey. I just wanna learn how to use my machine polisher.

 

Could someone give me some links to what polishiny pads and polish to use for a machine polihlsher (not a da) i will be using it to remove scratches and swirl marks.

 

Just go to ultimate finish website and look up the size for your rotary (be very careful with a rotary as you can burn right through very easily) I would use less cut compound and pad with a rotary.

I highly recommend the 3m ones and the top of the bottle is colour coded to the pad i.e. blue bottle means to use blue backing pad.

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/S...rchTerm=3m+pad

 

Im scared of burning through the paint with my machine.

 

That is why I would go with a DA, much more gentle.

 

I do use the Zymol, very good stuff

 

I haven't got the money to buy a da lol.

 

Certainly don't need a rotary on cossie paint, mine is like butter.

A lot of folk don't want waxes on their cars anymore, it's all about the coatings. Personally, I still like a good wax now and again but I can't ensure anywhere near the same durability and the increased hardness can really help protect the paint. Nanolex is my coating of choice and I've been using their products for years.

 

Car washes are the work of the devil. 99% of all your BMW,Audi,vw dealers have them for service washes. They even recycle the water and the brushes never get changed. Wouldn't put my washing machine through it. Tho we did lock the vehicle progresser through it naked in a parts cage on his 40th

 

Wouldn't bother with it on white or silver as you don't see the full benefit. I've posted a few pics on here over the years of dark coloured cars so will go a see what I can find. My ex Mrs had the shiniest Astra you ever seen

The fuckers deleted my old photobucket account

Found these in an old thread






Do that for my bro in law and he made a tidy profit on it



Bought the vr6 cheap as chips of a mate. Quick clean and a coat of zymol and this was how it looked. Will try and find the before pic on his FB. Looked like an absolute shed! You can just see her disastra in the background

This was the money pit I bought for my ex wife. 380bh and all the right bits including £4K at the time split rims. God I hated that car but but this was a wash and a coat of zymol. Never even took the tar off it that's how much I liked it




When it comes to your car it's got to look good

 

John... the poor cooont haha.

I might look into that zymol. I always think my cars look well when i use the auto glym hd wax.

 

I have always used Autoglym polish on mine Glenn and considering the paintwork is original from 1990 it still looks pretty good IMO.