Valeting / Detailing / two bucket wronguns

[Matt]

There seems to be a fair bit of interest in 'proper' car cleaning floating around here so I thought after giving the silver Swift it's first proper clean that I'd make a thread for those of us that are into it. Tell me, how do you clean your shite? Do you break out the clay and polishing machine or just stick some dish soap in a bucket with some water and use a sponge?

 

I picked up a used DAS6 DA polisher on Ebay the other day, need to order some pads and polish but I'm looking forward to giving it a bash. My dads Clio needs it really bad. Here's some before and afters of the silver Swift. Still got the interior to do but it only needs vacuum really.

 

[Timewaster]

I used to be into all that bufty stuff when I was young and single.

 

I used to blag Polish samples from reps at work and thought cleaning the car was an acceptable way to spend 8 hours.

 

Fast forward to the present, the daily car gets a bucket of tepid soapy water thrown at it when you can't see where the lights are through the grime and my other car has things growing on it.

 

Are you reading this trigger?

[STUNO]

Doubled its value already !

[Tamworthbay]

I once suggested someone on the mx5nutz forum was a bit ocd for spending an entire weekend doing a car. You would not believe the level of shit I got from that.............

[DVee8]

That is some transformation. Looks well.

 

Bonny little car that.

 

My 2 are hangin if it will ever stop raining i will get them done.

[Matt]

I used to be into all that bufty stuff when I was young and single.

 

I used to blag Polish samples from reps at work and thought cleaning the car was an acceptable way to spend 8 hours.

 

Fast forward to the present, the daily car gets a bucket of tepid soapy water thrown at it when you can't see where the lights are through the grime and my other car has things growing on it.

 

Are you reading this trigger?

 

I'm sure there are much worse ways to spend eight hours! 

 

Doubled its value already !

 

Haha, probably not far off!

 

I once suggested someone on the mx5nutz forum was a bit ocd for spending an entire weekend doing a car. You would not believe the level of shit I got from that.............

 

I'm not surprised. It's more a pride of ownership or a thing or a little days project than being OCD.

 

That is some transformation. Looks well.

 

Bonny little car that.

 

My 2 are hangin if it will ever stop raining i will get them done.

 

It was pretty nasty before. Stubborn stuff that mould. The weather's what's been stopping me too but it was a positivity balmy 10°C this afternoon!

[taxi paul]

My modern is pretty grubby. However my 75 is sparkly clean from a wash and wax the other day..only had a couple of hours spare and could only do one car , so made it the important one.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I once suggested someone on the mx5nutz forum was a bit ocd for spending an entire weekend doing a car. You would not believe the level of shit I got from that.............

 

 

I can, trust me.

 

I have mates who are into concours. When travelling to an event they will stop, go back and go a different route in there is a damp patch on the road, get to event, wheels off, clean the insides etc etc.

 

There is something fundamentally wrong with concours and the freaks that do it.

 

My car gets washed twice a year whether it needs it or not. I dislike car cleaning - that's what Lithuanians are for.

[gordonbennet]

Ours usually get a weekly wash, use some industrial wash and wax for pressure washers from ''Chemiclean'', then a quite brush over with the soft long handled brush, good blast over with the washer, job done, about 10 mins each.

 

I'll give 'em a polish with colourmagic come the spring and that'll do 'em...though they'll get serious underbody washes once the winter salt has gone.

 

On that note aint we been lucky this year, barely any rad salt gone down at all, only the last couple of weeks, the cars have a had a kind winter so far.

 

I'm more obsessive at work, mine gets a blow over most mornings this weather with the steam cleaner assuming it not actually freezing (given up washing it when i leave it cos we've got bone fuckin idle back shifty and night monkeys, of whom only one will ever leave the lorry clean for me), and i'll give my regular tank a deep clean every week if poss, thats about 2 hours solid work on its own, if you don't keep on top the dirt ingrains and it looks shit, food tanker see gotta look right.

[lisbon_road]

Been really impressed with using a pressure washer for cleaning stuff like rubber seals up.

[derskine]

I never wash my cars, they look shit even if I wash them so what's the point...

[Angrydicky]

I never wash my cars, they look shit even if I wash them so what's the point...

To help prevent them rusting away?

[Cheggers]

Cheggers and his exacting car cleaning regime...keeping Kosovans employed since 1983

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Believe it or not I once spent a whole day being taught how to wash a car. It was at the Rolls Royce Chauffeur school in 1984 and basically drummed into me the importance of starting at the top and having 3 buckets, 3 sponges and about 6 leathers. This was long before clay bars and microfibres etc.

The tutor for this part of the week long course was an old guy called Wally, and I can still hear his mantra of "windows and wheels" when I visit Car Giant in Scrubs Lane which now occupy the old Park Royal Rolls Royce factory. He reckoned that if you haven't got time to clean your car that's all passengers notice.

 

These days my local Romanian place only charge £4 for licensed PH and Taxis, so I go pretty much every day, the quality is better than you'd have got for a £40 Valet* 20 years ago.

[outlaw118]

Hmmm... commonly known as Vulgalorising?

 

I have been known to disappear into my garage with toothbrushes, small paintbrushes, a buffer, 4 litres of fizzy pop and 60 fags, and not come out all weekend....best evar weekend was spent with a matt-white Mazda 323F (the one with the pop-up headlights) where I knocked off "real" work at 2 on the Friday, into cleaning mode at 3, wash and leather off, into the garage at 4, then 5 hours doing stuff....then 9-6 on Saturday....then 10-3 on Sunday.

 

Wish I'd taken some before and after shots, but that mofo SHONE!!

[fordperv]

I do love my car to be shiney nice, I always polish by hand and never machine but that's my preference usually spend a day doing it and i do silly things on the inside like strip my interior out to clean it etc the mrs goes mad at me saying I'm a bit ocd

 

I found the simoniz hard wax to be a nice easy hard wax to finish with, i usually polish with Farecla wax top first which is bloody brilliant on black cars it knocks spots off much more expensive stuff

 

 

 

This is mrs fp's dad's dacia duster I did last month, the paint was awful and felt like it had never felt the gentle caress of a polishing cloth, saying that if it wasn't for me it wouldn't have, again this was done with the wax top and simoniz hard wax

 

 

 

I do find polishing very therapeutic

[dave j]

I took my Golf to the local hand car wash last weekend, the car was filthy from commuting through country lanes. Probably treat it again next weekend!

[I_am_Diesel]

I am a bit obsessive about car cleaning. I use 2 buckets, one with a Bilt Hamber Autowash mix and one for rinsing the mitt. Always start at the top and work down. Once the bodywork is done I squeegee off and then use a microfibre cloth to finish off. I then use the last of the water to wash the wheels. Whenever the opportunity arises I polish with a PTFE based polish. The interior is vacuumed and the dash wiped with gloss wipes, windows wiped and seats wiped with Armourall products.

Problem is that this time of year, one trip to work and it's as bad again.

I don't begrudge our Eastern European chums their jobs but my philosophy is 'Why pay someone to do something you can do yourself'.

Mrs Diesel wishes I felt the same about the house.

[Bren]

Like many others I used to be ocd about my cars - now they are lucky to see a sponge.

 

Polishing is an annual event.

 

I have too many other things to do - like getting on with my life.

[Angrydicky]

I must admit I do like my cars clean. I don't leave them more than a week between washes, less if it's winter. If there's road salt/snow/slush on the road then every couple of days I go to the Asda jetwash and rinse out the arches and underside. If old cars are left dirty they deteriorate SO quickly! As I don't have a modern car and have to use the old cars in all weathers, it's even more important. I also wipe down the door/boot/tailgate/bonnet shuts and clean the glass occasionally.

 

I really don't like polishing though!

[dome]

I usually do one big clean/clay/polish/shampoo the interior when I get a car and after that I try and stay on top of it but life gets in the way

[Crusty Sills]

Believe it or not I once spent a whole day being taught how to wash a car. It was at the Rolls Royce Chauffeur school in 1984 and basically drummed into me the importance of starting at the top and having 3 buckets, 3 sponges and about 6 leathers. This was long before clay bars and microfibres etc.

The tutor for this part of the week long course was an old guy called Wally, and I can still hear his mantra of "windows and wheels" when I visit Car Giant in Scrubs Lane which now occupy the old Park Royal Rolls Royce factory. He reckoned that if you haven't got time to clean your car that's all passengers notice.

 

These days my local Romanian place only charge £4 for licensed PH and Taxis, so I go pretty much every day, the quality is better than you'd have got for a £40 Valet* 20 years ago.

I've always maintained that clean wheels will always make a car look clean.

Most people think I'm talking shit when I say it though!

[bub2006]

I pop down to the natural spring In a little village called firestone. Fill washing bowl up and use a long handled brush. Rinse with a watering can and all good to go. I don't spend enough on cars to warrant polishing them too unless they lol nice to start with.

[beko1987]

I used to be a detailer! Now I don't give as much of a shit, and look forward to a rare weekend of car cleaning.

 

I keep the insides clean though

[gordonbennet]

Yep, clean windows and clean wheels, the rest of the car can be minging but it'll pass muster, conversely car can be spotless but if the wheels are shit and the windows minging it'll still be filthy.

[Dave_Q]

I can't wait until my children are big enough to wash the cars for me in exchange for their pocket money.

 

Until then its a bi-annual Kurdish Kar Wash (or supermarket jetwash) and a bi-annual hoovering.

 

Not normally at the same time mind.

[agw9262]

I can't wait until my children are big enough to wash the cars for me in exchange for their pocket money.

Do kids today do that???? God I remember asking just to make 50p - can't see that being the trigger for excitement today tho...

 

 

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[Matt]

I keep the insides clean though

 

 

Yep, clean windows and clean wheels

 

 

YES. My sisters Punto was a disgrace inside until I got my hands on it a couple of weeks ago. Wish I had taken before and after photos. I really don't know how people can sit in such a mess. I'm bit anal about windows and I'd be lost without rain repellent. Wheels can really make or break how a car looks. My mums V50 has big 5-spoke things and just cleaning the brake dust and dirt off of them totally changes how the entire car looks.

[Timewaster]

I can't wait until my children are big enough to wash the cars for me in exchange for their pocket money.

 

 

My eldest (5) always wants to wash the car but she gets bored after 2 panels,drenches me with the hose (intentional??) and then goes back indoors to watch Peppa Pig while I finish the job I didn't want to do in the first place.

[Dave_Q]

Do kids today do that???? God I remember asking just to make 50p - can't see that being the trigger for excitement today tho...

 

 

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I certainly hope so.

 

The biggest one is 7 so not yet big enough to reach the roof, or interested in money to be honest.

 

But when they do start asking for pocket money it won't be given out without some sort of labour and washing cars seems to fit the bill.