Try as I do, I cannot seem to emulate the pristine finish on my black Mini when returned from a service by my local BMW dealer. I use copious amounts of clean water, from a clean plastic bucket, applied with a clean sponge, and removed with a clean chamois. I have even resorted to shampoo additives, but to no avail...still covered with smears!
Your comments please...there must 'a trick of the trade' I am missing out on!
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If you live in a hard water area, black cars will show up the dried water the most.
However as you use a chamois it should not leave much residual water, but saying that I found a newish chamois always left a smear, some sort of residual "oil" in it I think...Must be some way of prepping them for use that I missed?
Try using "Bounty" kitchen towel instead and perhaps filtered water (not really practical).
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Have a look over at detailingworld.com
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"Try using "Bounty" kitchen towel"
Beard and frock optional.
[appreciate this won't mean much to those who have n't seen the long running ads]
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Use the Flash car wash handgun thing, you can wash the car as normal, then spray it down with the streak free finish liquid. It left my black Focus looking lovely when I'd finished with it, maybe not quite as good as a professional valeter would get it, but it was as good as I had time for on a weekend...
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Try rinsing with rain water if you have access to a supply (e.g. water but). Watch out for grit and carp that may have washed into it from the roof.
Or, wash your car in the rain :) (I confess to having done this)
I find the rubber 'blade' thingies work well.
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Do everything you do now but then finish again ( post Chamois ) with a soft tea towel.
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Watch out for grit and carp that may have washed into it from the roof.
Carp eh! Amazing what comes down in the rain these days, must be global warming I guess.
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I find that Halfords synthetic chamois (the expensive one kept in a whit cylindrical case) is much better than natural chamois cos you can wring it dry without ruining it.
I keep it in a separate bucket of clean water and rinse it out half way through drying the car. This keeps it clean.
Mind you when I had a black BMW even it left traces of dirty water. No more black cars.. silver is easier..
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Ask them how they do it and repeat
Carse
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Carp? - to be honest this confused me too, - I put it down to a slip of the 'pen!'
SNIPQUOTE!
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 16/04/2008 at 19:47
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I think cr*p is blocked by the swear filter, hence the change to something a bit fishy :)
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I think cr*p is blocked by the swear filter, hence the change to something a bit fishy :)
I'll prove you wrong - you are talking crap.
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....I'll prove you wrong - you are talking crap....
Swear filter or not, it's not a word I wish to read/write/use.
Could I suggest 'rubbish' as an alternative?
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I've always washed my car, whenever possible, just before it rains as we live in a hard water area. It leaves a perfect streak free finish.
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pop back to the dealers with a few beers for the cleaner...ask what they use and tell them you are so pleased with the job, if you are nice to them they might give/sell you a drop to use at home
maybe the whip round it with some polish ?
Edited by steveo3002 on 16/04/2008 at 18:52
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I got some stuff called Wax it Wet for Christmas, yeah, sad, but the sock drawer is overflowing.
It comes in a half-litre trigger spray and works pretty well, leaves a bit of a shine, and certainly no water marks.
Black is, of course, the worst colour to keep looking well, no matter what you do.
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I use a damp, but well wrung out microfibre cloth (cheap one from tesco) for drying instead of a chamois. Keep wiping and wringing until dry. I use this on two, dark blue cars and the finish is very good, but the cars are well waxed to start with so maybe that helps.
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I use Autoglyms Aqua Wax. It comes with 2 blue microfibre cloths and they're brilliant. Use one to dry car after using drying blade, then second to apply/buff/polish with Aqua wax. Never fails to leave my Mini looking fantastic.
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Well thanks to one of the Br's, i got one of those flash wash guns, and a rake of filters, and it really does work.
Only problem is the genuine flash wash soap is almost impossible to buy, but i bought a gallon of turtle wax orange something or other, looks like orange fairy liquid, only a fiver for a gallon, and it works remarkably well. (if anyone really needs to know, i can go out to the garage and get the proper name).
One vehicle is dark blue, the other ruby (almost dark maroon) red and since i've been using the flash thingy, they seldom need a lick of the leather. So thanks whoever put me right.
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GB,
I use the Flash wash guns, excellent piece of kit. It woks with Autoglym polish as well, nice smear free shine on the Dante red Xantia.
I am having trouble finding the autodry filters, though.
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MJM
I bought a large batch of them off the flea bay. But TBF i haven't looked for a few months now.
Are you saying that you run polish through the flash wash gun?? The mind boggles.
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Wash the car with Johnson's Baby Bath (in a blue bottle) - and rinse with good clean water (might mean you have to move to Scotland to get water as pure as ours!). Finish off drying with a microfibre cloth as Davmal suggests.
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GB,
No, sorry, I've run the Autoglym shampoo through the gun. Ignore the polish bit, it's wrong. Only excuse is we were trying to finish 10l red wine box rather than risk it going off!
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Eventually, yes. I don't know how long it will last, though.
It's a risk which we just don't want to take! :)
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