I recently invested a lot of money in a newish car and wanted to give it a clean. I had heard from mates that your standard supermarket car wash can damage paintwork. I was told that the coin type that you wash yourself at petrol stations was the best way forward.
I then proceded to do this at a nearby petrol station and all seemed to have gone well until i noticed the next day that there were light scratches all over the car down to the primer in places (assumedly from the hot soap brush).. I plan to try and t-cut them where it is not down to the primer, but need to know what to do next time!
Hand washing is the obvious choice, but you still have the problem of tiny bits of grit that would scratch paint.. Is a karcher jet washer the only answer?
Help!
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JH
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Use a decent quality car sponge and car shampoo. Wet the car thoroughly with a hose first so the mud is not stuck to the bodywork. Start at the roof and work around the car so the lowest bits get washed last followed by the wheels - or keep a separate sponge for the wheels. By doing this routine you are not dragging grit from the lowest parts of the car over the higher parts. Carefully chamois dry the water spots. Don't forget to hose out the wheel arches & occasionally the underside. Then thoroughly clean the sponge in clean water before squeezing it out and leave it somewhere clean to dry for the next time.
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Perhaps have one spnge for the upper half, and another for the lower half of the car. Another sponge for the wheels.
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going to discussion later........
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Yep, car shampoo and not washing up liquid which contains salt - used to thicken it. I'd suggest using a 'Flexy' car wash brush rather than a sponge though. They don't hold the dirt like a sponge. Don't put it on the hose, just use it in your hand. Spray the car with the hose first, then wash it of with the shampoo using the flexy brush dipped into the bucket at regular intervals, top down as Victorbox suggests.
JS
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Thanks for the advice, i'll keep an eye out for one of those brushes. Only problem i have is that i have no garden hose as yet, so will have to go to parents house!
I prob should have posted this on the discussion section as commented.. sorry administrator people!
Thanks again
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JH
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I assumed you has a hose as you suggested using a Karcher jet washer.
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And get yourself a set of decent waterproofs - if you live in a hard-water area, the best time to clean your car is when it's pouring with rain. You get a free soft-water rinse.
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Start at the roof and work around the car so the lowest bits get washed last followed by the wheels - or keep a separate sponge for the wheels. By doing this routine you are not dragging grit from the lowest parts of the car over the higher parts.
I have always understood that the best way is to start at the lowest parts to avoid streaking. Seems to work for me.
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Hmm - is your car metallic / pearlescent?
Seems most unlikely to me that you'd have scratched right through the paint to the primer. But what can happen is that scratches in the clearcoat show up as white scratches - but they'll polish out.
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I am going to fit a hose to the back of the house in the not too distant future, i just meant for now i'd use someone elses..
The paint is metallic paint and i hope you're right. Would you just use polish then as opposed to t-cut?
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JH
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Buy the Autoglym manual and video:
acod@autoglym.co.uk
www.autoglym.co.uk/frame2.html
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P.S. By the way, I'm quite impressed by their new Ultra Deep Shine polish, which has worked a treat on my metallic-black Golf.
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I never use a sponge or brush, use a lambs wool mit. Less chance of scratching the paintwork.
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Couple of side issues here - maybe the scratches were there all the time and its just once the car is gleaming that it shows? Also depends what angle you look at it - sometimes I can see a lot of fine scratches on my car from a certain angle!
All the above advice is good though regarding washing - main point is to make sure the car is well hosed down, preferably with a power wash, so I think you need to install that hose sooner rather than later!
Also, do not attempt to chamois the car unless you know the car is spotlessly clean as the chamois will just rub it back into the paintwork.
A recent Auto Express did a review of car wash eqpt and waxes, polishes etc. Very surprisingly, IIRC, Autoglym did not win a single award which is quite unusual. They are my preferred choice - I feel you get what you pay for.
Happy Washing!
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"Autoglym did not win a single award"
What did?
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JBJ, I will try and dig out the copy if I still have it, in my little bookcase next to the loo.....
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From Auto express (if this isn't allowed MODs please delete)
It is very hard to look past Turtle Wax in these results. The US manufacturer may produce a massive range, but it really does have a handle on exactly how to make durable polishes.
Accordingly, Turtle Wax takes the top three spots with its Gloss Guard, Platinum and ClearVue, and has no less than six products finishing in our top 10.
Newcomer Rain Dance impresses, and it's a promising debut for the new Original liquid from Simoniz. The top 10 is completed by chain store giant Halfords' Williams F1 wax and the Armor All Protectant.
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More reviews on their website, the above was for polishes, Autoglym actually made the top 5 for shampoos, Halfords own came out top though!
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We're not allowed to do "home" car-washing due to water restrictions, so have to use garage car-washes which re-cycle water (allegedly).
Keep away from the mechanical brushes, and use the hand tools. I use the initial wetting lance, then the soaping brush without it touching the paintwork (the pressure is enough to remove most dirt), and then the rinse and shine lances. Seems to work.
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I've always used my local Morrisons supermarket petrol stations "soft-brush" auto car wash and never had any problems with scratches or anything. I do have to clean the narrow gaps between the spokes on the alloys by hand afterwards though.
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Thanks to everyone for their advice.
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JH
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Car paintwork is scratched by what's trapped in sponges and wash leathers. As can often be see in the tiny circular-ish scratches in the painwork of cars cleaned that way. Adequate water flow under a soft brush, used top down, is the kindest way. Minimum movement of grit across the paintwork, is the idea.
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