I seem to be unable to clean my car to a decent standard. The car is black, and people always tell me this is a bad colour to get and keep clean, but I've had it valeted a couple of times and they have no problem getting it clean.
My main problem seems to be water marks.
Here's the method I use:
1. Bucket of hot water with car shampoo in + 1 big sponge.
2. Clean car from top down, wheels last.
3. Throw 2 buckets of cold water over the car to rinse off shampoo.
4. Use synthetic chamois to wipe down all surfaces
5. Stand back and notice all the watery wipe marks.
6. Get annoyed, go inside, have beer, don't care.
I don't have a hose that I can use, so if anyone can give some advice as to how I can improve my car washing ability, it would be greatly accepted.
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I live in a hard water area and have found that the best way is to wash the car thoroughly using Simonez wax-free car shampoo (also prevents windscreen smearing when using the wipers) a short time before it rains...:-)
As a result the vehicle is rinsed by the rain rather than hard water and, when the weather improves, dries to a completely spot/streak free finish which attracts lots of comment about its "shine".
My neighbours used to think I was mad - now most of them follow the same routine.
Only problem that can arise is a long rain-free period....:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Only problem that can arise is a long rain-free period....:-)
Wot, in Pommieland? ;-)
Oz (as was)
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Tried microfibre cloth? I'd use it instead of the leather to get the car bone dry and avoid the watermarks. It'll remove any smears too.
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I've just read your microfibre cloth thread... seems like it's quite a hit with all the gang! Guess I'll have to try and find an ALDI's then!
I would polish the car, but frankly am just too lazy... but if I do decide to, what's the best stuff to use, and what kind of applicator / polisher should I use?
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I would polish the car, but frankly am just too lazy... but if I do decide to, what's the best stuff to use, and what kind of applicator / polisher should I use?
I dunno, I suffer from the same lack of motivation :^D.
Turtle Wax Top Coat Sealer is awesome stuff though, I don't have any wax but still used it - on my Fiesta that paint looked almost like you could dive into it, lovely and deep.
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I reckon the valeters probably get it nice using one of the following methods:-
a) Polish it after they've finished to remove the marks
b) Use some sort of rinse aid in the waiter that makes it run off easier without leaving drips.
c) Use a better leather to dry off with, also using it slowly across the paintwork and wringing it after every wipe helps.
The valeters where I used to wrok only used real leathers for every job, don't know if it made much of a difference or not, their work was usually pretty half hearted at the best of times.
Blue
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I don't have a hose that I can use,
What about a portable one that you clip on the side of a bucket and it syphons the water as you move the hose around.
Called washmatic.
snipurl.com/ezgf
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Try rinsing with water out of a watering can rather than a bucket. Its a lot more easy to thoroughly wash off the shampoo that way. I use one of those blades for drying the majority and a synthetic chamois for the detailing. My car is silver though I used this method to clean my girlfriends black Pegeout 206 and it looked great afterwards!.
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I wouldn't worry too much about the water marks, although a decent polish won't go amiss. If your car is anything like my dark green metallic one, within 2 days it will look dirty again.
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I am in the fortunate position of having a hose and I split the car into 4 sections and hose, wash and hose down before moving on to the next.
Would maybe suggest you do similar, rinsing as you go along. That way the water and soap won't have as long time to dry into the paintwork. Also, might be an idea to use lukewarm water rather than hot, it won't evaporate off the bodywork as quickly.
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My C5 is black and yes- it's not an easy beast to get and keep clean.I must confess that I don't wash it as often as I should but here's the routine when I do and it does leave a nice finish.
1 Wet the car thoroughy using a garden spray on the end of a hose.
2. Wash with a soft brush on the end of the hose with water running through.
3. Wash with a bucket of hot water and sponge + Turtle wax wash and wax.
4. Spray again with the hose to clear all suds.
5. Dry down to midline with a good chamois and bucket of clean water.
6. Dry lower regions with an older synthetic chamois.
7. Clean alloys with Wonder Wheels - spray to clear residue and dry with an old cloth. (I also use this on black plastic sill covers - it's good for taking off that mucky residue that always reappears as the sills dry!)
8 Clean glass with Autoglym Glass polish.
About twice a year - wax with Autoglym resin polish - buff up - then wax with Autoglym gloss polish (thin watery stuff that puts a hard shell on the surface.) They say it's best to leave it without buffing for as long as possible to achieve best results but I don't have enough patience!
I between 'major polishing sessions' the occasional use of the gloss stuff keeps the finish.
Black is very difficult to keep - but very rewarding when clean there's nothing to beat a lovely shiny black motor!
Oh - and touching up chips etc is a doddle - just a bucket of tar and a 4" brush!
Graeme
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www.meguiars.co.uk lots hints n tips in there.
VB
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8 steps to wash a black C5? I'd lose the will to live.
To wash a silver-grey Audi:
1 Wash all over with a hose-fed brush - I could use shampoo but never do. If no hose, use bucket and sponge and refill as needed.
2 Go and have a rest.
3 Get asked if I've done the Honda as well....
It never needs polishing: it still 'beads' in rain after 14 months, as did the previous Golf for all of its 2.5 years with me.
Light colours make life much easier, as well as feeling cooler in summer.
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>8 steps to wash a black C5? I'd lose the will to live.
There are probably about 8 steps to washing my black Xantia:
1. Buy it
2. Drive it 12k miles in 4 months (where we are at the moment!)
3. Look at it and decide it's not *THAT* dirty yet
4. Drive it another 12k miles
5. Look at it again, and decide it's nearly winter so no point in washing it now
6. Spend time I could have spent washing the car doing something nicer eg drinking beer.
7. Consider, after 30,000 miles and not being able to get in without getting filty it *MIGHT* be time to point the hose at it.
8. Sell it and buy one someone else has already washed.
Easy, see?
Each to their own of course - I understand some of you have a strange aflicition that means you feel compelled to a) spend vast wadges of cash on overpriced new cars and b) wash them more than once overy 30,000 miles.
No problems with left over water marks on my car!
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RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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I know 8 steps sounds like a right old performance, but I really don't do it very often. When I do, my conscience irks so much I feel honour bound to 'do it right'!
Oddly enough, I do believe you can wash a car TOO often - especially black. Seldom, but gentle-and-thorough-when-you-do is not a bad idea. Rubbing away at a car every weekend just inevitably leaves a build up of micro scratches. That's the reason too why I do lots of spraying and soaking to shift the grit before actually rubbing at it with a sponge.
Think I might try an Autoglym synthetic chamois, though.......
Who said it was an obsession!
Graeme
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What you need to do after that is wipe it over (dry it) with another cloth such as a microfibre one. It works for me! Polishing may help but I don't think it's needed to get rid of water marks. If you want a nice looking car give it a polish with something like the turtle wax twice a year though.
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For 'chamois' leathers, there's only one that meets my standard: The synthetic Autoglym product.
Wash car with Halfords 'Advanced' car wash which helps water bead beautifully, rinse straight away, and then dry with the aforementioned water magnet! Yes, it really does behave like a water magnet.
Top Product; no streaks on any cars I've owned, dark or light, hard water or not. No special techniques or tricks needed.
For the roof though, to save time, I use a Turtlewax water blade. Woosh. Done. No scratches. I don't use it on the bonnet though because the V70 has too many complex curves that make it fiddly.
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I'm surprised nobody has made a hair dryer for cars! I have one of those orange Flymo GardenVac thingies and when set to blow it's pretty vicious. I've not tried it on the car but it might be interesting.....
Andy
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Good thing it's raining today, or else I'd be going home at lunch to buff up my car!
I've seen those blade things before, was a little sceptical about them, but may give it a go. Is Autoglym that expensive looking white bottle stuff?
Has anyone used that new gun gadget (made by Flash?) yet? Maybe that's what I need.
Cheers for all the tips.
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Those baldes are great on light colurs, but I should warn you that they can be iffy on black cars, if there is even the tiniest bit of grit or dust on them then they can make a noticeable mark, and over time this builds up.
Our valeters used to use the Autoglymn blade, but they wouldn't use it on black cars, they just used a leather on them.
I'm lucky, my 3 series is white and it doesn't show scratches at all, I can use the blade on the bonnet without fear, and the dog has even jumped up onto it whilst I'm washing it (he wants to get at the water from the hose) and there's not a mark on it. Not that I encourage him to do that though!
Still gets the usual Super resin and Extra Gloss Protection every so often though and always looks good.
Blue
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My wife has a Black MINI and it's an absolute nightmare to keep clean, nothing works and whatever I do it always has water marks all over it, I always leather it dry etc but it's no use!
Only by polishing the car can I get it to look really clean and I don't want to do that every week, also I use wonderwheels on the alloys and there is always black brake dust remaining on the wheels no matter how hard I scrub.
What is really annoying is when the car goes into the dealer for service it comes back absolutely immaculate, even the wheels, I assume the valeters use some trade only stuff because I'm guessing they can't spend more that 15/20 mins per car.
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I've got a black car, and it was a nightmare until I fitted a water softner to the house.
Much easier now.
WipeOut
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Anyone used the 'Flash' car wash system? £20 from Halfords at the moment. I've heard some good reports of them.
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Bung it through the car wash.
V
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that new gun gadget (made by Flash?)>>
Bought my mate one for his birthday - absolutely besotted with it, apart from the fact the hose came off first time he used it and got thoroughly soaked.
Hut says it keeps his Mondeo in super shine order with the minimum of effort.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Bung it through the car wash.
Dead right. It's only a car, for heaven's sake.
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the flash system is ok, but a bit awkward to hold. i use a bucket and sponge now, but use the flash rinser. works a treat. no streaks at all.
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Having had some dark coloured cars and living in a hard water area that leaves scale I have developed a two part plan for perfect care free car cleaning
1/Buy a sliver car so scale marks dont show
2/Extract 5 pounds from pocket once a month, deposit with child who cleans car
there - easy and simple
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I usually wash my car two to three times a week - rinse it off, wash with sponge+shampoo, rinse it off again, then clean the alloys.
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Wash your car 3 times a week???? Why?
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why not every day then? or twice a day?
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Doesn't get dirty enough in the space of half a day :p
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Car wash, two to three times a year and still comes up well.
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Car wash, once a month (or two if I forget). Wait for a rainy day so the dirt is nice and soaked and pay my fiver.
Then, once in a while, if I did the above at the weekend and the weather's cleared up, I run it over with Autoglym super high gloss.
Looks lovely.
V
PS. ref "three times a week". Either you have a lot of time on your hands or you need your bumps feeling.
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BLACK CARS
Autoglym have recently introduced Ultra Deep Shine, which they say produces particularly good results with dark colours. I would have tried it on my Golf VR6 by now had the local sources of supply not sold out.
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PS. ref "three times a week". Either you have a lot of time on your hands
It's called 'being a student' ;)
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What's a student doing with a car that's worth cleaning?
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What's a student doing with a car that's worth cleaning?
Must be a medical student on a bursary?
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Being careful with his money? It's only an ex-fleet Mondeo.
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Yep, I remember when my Fiesta used to get washed twice a week at least, as soon as I could see a layer of brick dust on it in the sun.
Then I got a job :-(
And now I've quit it, I think I'll return to the old ways for a while :-)
Blue
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The reason why I clean mine frequently is mostly becuase living near a China Clay facility, it is often covered in a nice sprinkling of annoying white dust.
Plus, it only takes half an hour, and giving the car a wash whilst listening to the afternoon shows on Radio 2 in the sun is, shock horror, actually quite enjoyable.
I guess 3 may have been a slight exageration, but twice is certainly not uncommon.
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Student? Mondeo?, Student? cleans car?, Student? Radio 2?, whats this a plot for a harry potter novel?
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Black car?
My black BMW with cross spoke alloys was a pig to clean without drip marks. Then I used two buckets - on with clean water for the chamois only - and used Halfords synthetic large chamois which I washed out and rinsed about 3 times trying the cra.
Sold the BMW 5 years ago: the chamois is still going strong.
Waxing? Whassat?
madf
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My car's a convertible, and we don't have any 'convertible friendly' car washes around, and even if we did, I still wouldn't take it there.
Also let the little oik next door do his worst on it... even more streaky than my attempts... no more £3 car washes from here thank you very much.
Sounds like the answer is a decent chamois, and doing the car in sections. Or just let the valeters at work do it.
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just let the valeters at work do it.
Thats my method - drive to work, throw keys at a valeter, cross his palm with a bacon roll and pick up a nice clean car later on that day.
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- drive to work, throw keys at avaleter, cross his palm with a bacon roll and pick up a nice clean car later on that day.
Come the revolution comrade fishface, yours will be the first head rolling in the basket..... ;)
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The perks of working in a dealership....
I wish a) that there were bacon rolls available at work... and b) I could pay with them bacon...
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Plus, it only takes half an hour, and giving the car a wash whilst listening to the afternoon shows on Radio 2
Listening to the afternoon radio! Why aren't you sweating over your books or your essays at that hour? Why, in my day . . . harrumph!
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"Listening to the afternoon radio! Why aren't you sweating over your books or your essays at that hour? Why, in my day . . . harrumph!"
In my day (about 5 years ago (sob)) we'd be in the student bar enjoying cheap lager!
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Exactly. No sense of priorities, kids these days.
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