Hi,
I used to like car cleaning years ago,but now I find it boring even if I had the time,which I do not.Hence I am completely out of touch with all the car wash/wax products available now.
I have recently bought an Avensis which is a nice colour but I think the previous owner
paid more attention to its service history than its paintwork.If I look closely I can see
quite a lot of scratches and some areas of the paint feel a bit rough.Some signs of swirl
marks also.
Is there a cleaning/waxing/polishing application that is suitable for lazy car owners
like myself or would I be better employing a good valeter?
Thanks for any advice,
Phil.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 03/04/2009 at 11:32
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Hi Phil,
Never, repeat never, use any kind of brush on car paintwork - hence the swirl marks on your Avensis. Sponges or leathers will avoid those millions of fine scratches that look so ugly in bright sunlight.
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The real secret of avoiding swirls, as Stu has pointed out on an earlier thread is to prep the paint before washing. When cleaning my car I spray it with a foam solution that sits for a few miuntes before being pressure washed off.
By the time I've done that I would say about 80-90% of all of the surface muck is gone and I finish off by washing with a woolen wash mit.
For polishing, you need a good surface to start with so Clay Bar the paintwork first, this will remove the rough feeling, then use AutoGlym Super Resin Polish.
I know some people think that AG products are overpriced, but in my experience this is the best all rounder for longevity, giving the paint a nice shine and hiding some minor marks. The AG SRP actually has fillers in it that mask the scratches a little, although like any polishing product you only get out as much effort as you put in so to get a good level of defect coverage you would need to thoroughly apply about 3 coats.
The permanent answer is to have the car machine polished, this will not just cover the swirls but remove them completely, you then top off with a good wax like Collinite 416 which will seal the paintwork for several months before it needs re-applying.
With my last MG I paid someone to machine polish it and then just washed it well from then on in, however, the job wasn't that good so I now have my own machine and do the cars myself.
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Surely tiny amounts of grit and dirt gets trapped in the sponge/leather that creates the swirls, even with rinsing. Saw a car programme that said the process for causing the least amount of swirls on paintwork was the car wash.
Best thing all round is to avoid dark coloured cars.
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It doesn't if you've removed it all with the foam and pressure washer.
Trust me, an auto car wash is never better than a professional hand wash!
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Never repeat never use any kind of brush on car paintwork >>
Depends on the brush and how you look after it. I use a long handled, soft, window brush. It is replaced annually, never touches anything other than the car, and is pressure washed after each use. I give the car a good soaking with car wash before using the brush. I havent scrached a car using this system for decades.
Edited by Old Navy on 03/04/2009 at 12:14
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Autoglym Super Resin Polish gets some votes for removing light swirl marks. If you really want a decent finish it will probably mean a professional with a machine polisher. But for a decent go yourself, the AG SRP does go some way to getting the paintwork looking good. I have a black car, and this must be one of the worst colours for showing marks. Never again (but it does look good when washed and waxed!).
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Hi,
Thanks everbody for your help.It is Carlo blue,quite dark,so it does show the marks up!
Any recomendations for removing stubborn brake dust on the alloys please?
Phil.
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This is the place to look, more than you'll ever need to know about cleaning:
www.detailingworld.co.uk
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...www.detailingworld.co.uk....
Car cleaning for dummies is the OP's thread title, so detailingworld is the last place he should look.
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Rather than look at detailingworld which will confuse you (it takes a LOT of reading to get to grips with all of the products) I would recommend just using an acid product on your alloys to clean them and then seal them with AG SRP or Collinite. Once you've cleaned and polsihed them you will find the dust just drops off them in the future.
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Car washing/cleaning is much easier now that exterior shapes are smoother and have less nooks and crannies. Many's the time I drew blood trying to clean the bodywork around the ends of the steel bumpers on my 1967 Hunter. And I still have the scar from when I caught my shin on the sharp end of one of the bumpers.
Edited by L'escargot on 04/04/2009 at 08:31
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