Washing in Winter

[Prestige Polish]

i bet most mainstream car shows have never even heard of the word 'detail'. detailing is still fairly uncommon, unless your an enthusiast. shows like fifth gear are generally watched by people that like cars, not paint enthusiasts...so to try and keep it simple they incorporated the most common cleaning practices that joe public use...i.i car wash, and the local polish hand car wash

In this case I would agree with you as 'Detailing' is very much new to the UK and slowly spreading BUT...

The test was conducted by a rather well known detailer who is a master at his work and should have maybe tried to encourage 5th Gear a little to do a 4th test. Maybe he did I don't know what he tried but the fact is they went to the effort of correcting the paint at least then show the viewers that this can be looked after and it's not just a waisted effort.

Lee.

 

[warren_cox]

It takes day's to perfect and last months you mean.

You're not joking. I'm one of the 'a-holes' the dealer conned into paying £300 for Autoglym lifeshine. Lifeshine my arse.

If our finances are looking shiny I may well be in touch with you in March/April for a no.2 (no, not a shite) after the worst of the winter has cleared up. I'm feeling particularly idle, have too much work on and the car is looking very sorry for itself.

 

[scarface]

i think im favouring a quick blast through a carwash. go for a proper wash when it warms up a bit.

Did clean the car on one icy morn couple of weeks ago and nearly broke my leg slipping over!

 

[Prestige Polish]

It happens all to often. I too have been taken in with Fabricguard on my new suit last year even tho I have 303 Fabricguard that I know to do an excellent job and as usual the factory fabricguard they applied was.....well......non existent would best describe.

I even phoned up the manufacturer and told them they had not treated my suit and they must have forgot I had paid for it so could they pick it up and protect it. They asked me to look underneath the suit and if it had a sticker on it with the fabricguard logo then it had been done.

Had the sticker with the date protected and the initials of the person who sprayed it. What a let down. In the shop it was amazing, he poured coffe on it and it wouldn't soak up.

The sorry looking cars are the best ones.

 

[Prestige Polish]

i think im favouring a quick blast through a carwash. go for a proper wash when it warms up a bit.

Did clean the car on one icy morn couple of weeks ago and nearly broke my leg slipping over!

I would rather break a leg than go through one of them things myself.

 

[JamJay]

I have just washed my car for the 3rd time this week and i'll do the same for every week the damn road salt lays around. It's not so bad in the day when the ground is dry but as soon as moisture in the air falls to the ground at night, the roads sre a massive slush pit. I always wanted a black LCR but driving my Ovni jobby in this weather for 30mins does the job for me.

By the way, can someone clarify what the 2 bucket method is in case I am doing it wrong?

 

[Prestige Polish]

By the way, can someone clarify what the 2 bucket method is in case I am doing it wrong?

2 Bucket method is simply to use 2 buckets. One will be your rinse bucket and the other will be your wash bucket. You dip the washmitt into the wash bucket, wash a panel, rinse the dirt out in the rinse bucket, dip into the wash bucket again for clean water to wash another panel and so on.

You should fill the wash bucket full with hot water and plenty of good sudds and the rinse bucket should be half full with warm water.

It just saved cross contamination that can/will damage your paint.

This should be the outcome:-

Lee.

 

[JamJay]

Damn it, no pics come up at work but I had the right idea, just without 2 buckets. I have been using a hose to rinse the sponge between panels.

Thanks for the info, i'll check the pic at home

 

[olaf]

You are using a sponge?! Gone wrong already

 

[SSimpson3]

You're not joking. I'm one of the 'a-holes' the dealer conned into paying £300 for Autoglym lifeshine. Lifeshine my arse.

If our finances are looking shiny I may well be in touch with you in March/April for a no.2 (no, not a shite) after the worst of the winter has cleared up. I'm feeling particularly idle, have too much work on and the car is looking very sorry for itself.

I only paid £120 to have the lifeshine put on my car by a valet company they siad it should last 5-10 years but after 1 1/2 years it is not doing the same job as when applied.

 

[JamJay]

You are using a sponge?! Gone wrong already

It's a microfibre washmit thingy lol

 

[Prestige Polish]

I only paid £120 to have the lifeshine put on my car by a valet company they siad it should last 5-10 years but after 1 1/2 years it is not doing the same job as when applied.

It lasted that long?

 

[SSimpson3]

It lasted that long?

was that a good or bad thing???

 

[warren_cox]

was that a good or bad thing???

I've had a few of these treatments on cars (dealers always ave different ones). I had Diamondbrite from SMC Windsor on my Leon, Supagard from Coventry Listers on the Ibiza, and Autoglym on the S3 from Newbury Audi.

The only area I've seen a tangiable improvement is on fabric interiors. Any spills tend not to affect fabric seats as much as if they were 'nude'!

I've had a front bumper / bonnet respray blend so the front is devoid of any treatment.

Don't know what they think they can do to it which is supposed to be so permanent it lasts for 5-10yrs. I wouldn't have it again.

 

[Ibiza Dan]

I know
These treatments are a load of There is no way any polish or wax could last 5-10years if you actually used the car.

 

[Mat]

wash mine when I can during the winter. no need to wrap up warm IMO. As soon as you start scrubbing, you soon build up a bit of a sweat and some body heat

only problem can be claying and getting cold hands. But TBH, if you "protected" the car before the winter, you should just need to "wash" it and leave the clay until spring if it needs it again.

 

[scarface]

You are using a sponge?! Gone wrong already

whats wrong with using a sponge?

 

[Carr20vt]

whats wrong with using a sponge?

Traps and drags dirt/particles/grit across the surafec of the paintwork.

 

[GREY 225]

I use a standard pressure washer to remove all the dirt/grit first,then a good wash with wash & wax also use pressure washer under car to remove any salt from chassis/suspension and calipers.Dont like leaving salt on for too long,at the minute with the cold nights and the amount of salt they are throwing on roads you sometimes wonder if its worth it,but road salt is so corrosive.I sometimes just wash it down with pressure washer,doesnt look really clean but it does wash the salt off.

 

[CupraR210.DJM]

I washed mine again on Saturday Morning, just a quick wash with Meguairs **** Class shampoo, dried with Sonus drying towels and buffed with Meguairs Quick Detailer. Looked good for all of about 4 hours until i had to go out to Hatfield during the evening and by the time i got home it looked dirtier than it did before i washed it because of the amount of Sh*te on the road atm. Going to have to wash it again on my next day off (wednesday)