Cleaning for the show - (Poss / Neg Feedback)

[StevieDavison]

Tints on car are there as i use the car to transport alot of equioptment for a mates band that is very expensive.

Black boot due to car being vandalised

[JR001]

That's a sweet car you've got there and it's looking great! A tidy clean engine is good to see. Well done!

Techniques and products, for other readers' benefit, would be quite informative in future and I for one look forward to seeing more of this car and the improvements you make to it.

I just love those wheels and the tyres look spanking.

Thanks for sharing.

JOHN

[StevieDavison]

I have just written a huge detailed description of my cleaning process and due to the time it took to do so i was logged out of the furum .. I will produce another one in word on another ocasion i just really dont feel lik ewritting for another hour and a half . annoying at the slightest .. wont make that mistake again .

[JR001]

I know that feeling all too well mate, on this forum!

I write to word and also include the IMG tags from photobucket and then it's just a simple case of copying and pasting. Looking forward to it!

JOHN

[Sam]

I've never been logged out

Looking nice, get a black bonnet and paint the roof black too and you could be on to something

What show is this all in aid of then?

[StevieDavison]

I've never been logged out

Looking nice, get a black bonnet and paint the roof black too and you could be on to something

What show is this all in aid of then?

It is in aid of the VW Polo Show at billing aquadrome this weekend .

Ahh the boot is going back to white had the rear window put through and was cheaper to buy a boot and get it sprayed than get a rear heated window.

My car will be nowere near the top of the tier however i do like to keep it neat and tidy.

[StevieDavison]

I know that feeling all too well mate, on this forum!

I write to word and also include the IMG tags from photobucket and then it's just a simple case of copying and pasting. Looking forward to it!

JOHN

Ahh its complete ...

Cleaning the car

Products + Tools

Carplan Car Show and Shine Shampoo – ASDA
Any car shampoo will do but I tend to find this stuff is cheap and comes in plentiful bottles

T-Cut – Hallfords
Good old T-Cut we all use it for those darn difficult bug splatters &Tar ect..

Asda Polish – ASDA £1.65
Its not about the polish its about the application

Carplan Easy on easy off wax – ASDA
Its nice and easy and does the job

Chrome Cooker Cleaner
Does the job on the exhaust tip

Kitchen Worktop Cleaner
Don’t you just hate brake dust

Autoglym Bumper Polish
Does what it says on the tin .. or bottle should I say

Autoglym Glass Polish
Glass Polish obscure looking stuff works really well though

Black in a Flash – ASDA
This stuff is legendary .. well for a couple of days after application

Toothbrush
Hmm now what do I need one of these ?

Rag..
Anything old and warn .. Engine cleaning ..

Towel
Drying and wax/polish removal

Masking Tape
For masking all the trim before bringing out the wax and polish

Bucket , Sponge , Drying Blade , Hosepipe
Nearly forgot the most important there .. whoops .


Right no we have got passed the extensive list of cleaning products I shall explain my step to step guide for car cleaning .


The Initial Clean

Firstly I get the hosepipe out and go around the car removing all of the loose grime that has built up since I last washed my car. I tend to wash the car once or twice a week .This makes it a lot easier to clean and leave’s less work when I give it a proper good clean before shows and meetings. Take care to clean not only the panels of the car but under the wheel arches and the underside of the car trying to remove all silt and salt in the winter especially which will help prolong the car body’s life .

Now is when I will spray some kitchen worktop cleaner on the wheels to help soften some of the brake dust stuck to your wheels.

I will then fill a bucket with an ample amount of car shampoo and hot water. I find the hotter the water the better. There is no need in going overboard on the shampoo however as you wont be able to see were your cleaning through all the suds. I tend to wash starting from the roof working down the car with a large sponge a hard sponge if possible. After sufficiently cleaning all the panels I move onto wiping the wheels down and attempting to clean them as well as possible with the sponge not paying too much attention to detail. Wheel cleaning will come further on in the process.

It is now time to rinse the whole car down with the hose one more time to remove all the suds and dirt you have losend when washing with the sponge. I will then quickly get my blade and dry the roof windows bonnet and side panels. Then grab a clean towel and quickly dry all of the panels to remove any water marks before progressing to the next stage of the process.

Tar / Sap / Baked Fly Removal / Slight Scratching

This process can become rather annoying at times especially with myself having a white car you can see any impurities on the paintwork easily so through cleaning should be done .
I tend to work panel by panel removing every impurity which at times can take up to two hours but if you want a showroom quality you have to knuckle down and get scrubbing .

I use TCUT for this application which seams to work well.

Once removing all the tar with a lint free cloth and TCUT it is time to go around the car and check that you have rubbed all of the TCUT off as I always tend to miss some .. It will leave a green mist on the surface of the paintwork which has a granular feel to it . This will not help at all when polishing your car .

Polishing

I always prepare my car for a polish by masking all of the trim as it saves the job of cleaning it when you are finished .. I normally just use some masking tape which will do the job sufficiently and wont be difficult to remove once the polishing/ waxing process is complete .

I have used many variations of polishes from expensive £40 stuff online from America to £1.65 stuff from Asda which I used on my last few applications. To be honest the change in paintwork is that slight that id go for the cheaper stuff.

I start by working on each individual panel and apply the polish in a non uniform motion and I feel the paintwork . When you start the paintwork will have a slight granular feel to it and your aim is to make it feel as smooth as possible. This is why it is easier to work in 3-4inch patches. Yes it will take a while but once you have finished you will not be disappointed .I rub wax over each panel speratly as if you rub it over the whole car it will tend to stick and bond to the car and become a pain to remove. Take care when doing this and use a lint free cloth to apply the wax rubbing with 2 fingers rather than the parm of your hand. I normally remove the wax with a towel as this speeds the process up . After doing this process to your whole car your paintwork will look extremely shinny and should give you something to be proud of .

This application can take up to 4-5 hours if the paintwork on the car is poor remember keep rubbing until the granular feel changes into a smooth surface . It wont take this long if you polish quarterly I would say 2-3 hours as the paintwork should already be in a good condition.

Now you wonder why did he have a toothbrush in his equipment list? This is for the gaps between trims and door panels all the seems on the car … they tend to fill with polish/ wax so I find a hard toothbrush removes this well.


Waxing

I use Carplan easy on easy off wax as it does what it says on the tin. If you pay attention to detail when polishing to produce the shine the wax mearly protects this shine for a prolonged period. I apply the wax with a sponge in a thin coat and leave to dry to a haze. I tend to work in lines with the panels and the shape of the car to produce less marking. I will also wax each panel individually as if you leave it on for too long it will become difficult to remove . Use the wax sparingly as the more you put on the more difficult it will be to remove. I will also use the toothbrush to remove any wax form the seems in the car.

Once you have completed waxing you can remove the masking tape from any trim / window surrounds

Window Clean

I use AutoGlym Glass Polish when cleaning my windows .. It I s weird textured green liquid that does wonders and creates a superb shine to the windows on your car . I tend to use a set of two lint fee cloths .. 1 to rub on and 1 to rub off .. You will be surprised by the shine this stuff creates . Superb fro removing even the tougthest grime on glass surfaces .

Black Trim / Tyres

On a quarterly basis I use Autoglm Bumper Shine which works very effectively but can be a long tiring process after waxing and polishing your car . It brings the bumpers back to black and will last for a considerably long period of time . This is much like applying a wax however rubbing into the bu,pers with a cloth..

Personally I use Black in a flash most times when I wash my car . This comes in a aerosole can and takes 5 mins to apply if that .. It will bring all trim to a glossy shine and last 3-5 days which is ideal iff you wash your car on a regular occasion ..

Black in a flash also blackens tyre walls very efectivly giving that just out of the showroom look .

Exhaust tip / Chrome Trim

I use a Chrome Cooker cleaner for these to remove all watermarks and give a shinny mirror finnish

EngineBay

Many people use lotts of different products for cleaning these engine bays . I find just a bit of hard work does the job ..
A Bucket of soapy water should be used taking care to sufficiently ring the sponge out before going near anything mechanical .
I tend to strip the engine down slightly removing the airbox the washer reservoir and some piping to make life easier getting into tricky areas ..
I will firstly wipe down with a damp soapy sponge once or twice to remove most grime. I then use a Rag to remove almost all of the dirt from around the bay. I sufficiently dry the bay with a fresh towel to bring it to a gloss finish. I would advise waxing before a sale of the car as a clean engine bay shows you have a well running car .

Whilst the parts are removed form the engine I normally laquer the engine in a clear engine laquer or a colour coded one the the vehicle . I tend to think that dark colours look better however as they are easier to clean . Some people pain tthere rocker covers but I am not a fan of this .


Now its time to put it back together and sit back and look at the job you have just complete .

Believe you me if you have done it right your hands will be sore and you will want to go to sleep but your car will be immaculate and you will have something to be proud of

That’s my guide to cleaning your car … Extensive yes but needed if you want that showroom appearance even in a car that is 15-20 years old. I can park my L reg VW against a brand new car and see a much better paint quality .. Its down to hard work and grafting .. Its worth it though it really is .

[RickT]

Ahh its complete ...

Cleaning the car

Products + Tools

Carplan Car Show and Shine Shampoo – ASDA
Any car shampoo will do but I tend to find this stuff is cheap and comes in plentiful bottles

T-Cut – Hallfords
Good old T-Cut we all use it for those darn difficult bug splatters &Tar ect..

Asda Polish – ASDA £1.65
Its not about the polish its about the application

Carplan Easy on easy off wax – ASDA
Its nice and easy and does the job

Chrome Cooker Cleaner
Does the job on the exhaust tip

Kitchen Worktop Cleaner
Don’t you just hate brake dust

Autoglym Bumper Polish
Does what it says on the tin .. or bottle should I say

Autoglym Glass Polish
Glass Polish obscure looking stuff works really well though

Black in a Flash – ASDA
This stuff is legendary .. well for a couple of days after application

Toothbrush
Hmm now what do I need one of these ?

Rag..
Anything old and warn .. Engine cleaning ..

Towel
Drying and wax/polish removal

Masking Tape
For masking all the trim before bringing out the wax and polish

Bucket , Sponge , Drying Blade , Hosepipe
Nearly forgot the most important there .. whoops .


Right no we have got passed the extensive list of cleaning products I shall explain my step to step guide for car cleaning .


The Initial Clean

Firstly I get the hosepipe out and go around the car removing all of the loose grime that has built up since I last washed my car. I tend to wash the car once or twice a week .This makes it a lot easier to clean and leave’s less work when I give it a proper good clean before shows and meetings. Take care to clean not only the panels of the car but under the wheel arches and the underside of the car trying to remove all silt and salt in the winter especially which will help prolong the car body’s life .

Now is when I will spray some kitchen worktop cleaner on the wheels to help soften some of the brake dust stuck to your wheels.

I will then fill a bucket with an ample amount of car shampoo and hot water. I find the hotter the water the better. There is no need in going overboard on the shampoo however as you wont be able to see were your cleaning through all the suds. I tend to wash starting from the roof working down the car with a large sponge a hard sponge if possible. After sufficiently cleaning all the panels I move onto wiping the wheels down and attempting to clean them as well as possible with the sponge not paying too much attention to detail. Wheel cleaning will come further on in the process.

It is now time to rinse the whole car down with the hose one more time to remove all the suds and dirt you have losend when washing with the sponge. I will then quickly get my blade and dry the roof windows bonnet and side panels. Then grab a clean towel and quickly dry all of the panels to remove any water marks before progressing to the next stage of the process.

Tar / Sap / Baked Fly Removal / Slight Scratching

This process can become rather annoying at times especially with myself having a white car you can see any impurities on the paintwork easily so through cleaning should be done .
I tend to work panel by panel removing every impurity which at times can take up to two hours but if you want a showroom quality you have to knuckle down and get scrubbing .

I use TCUT for this application which seams to work well.

Once removing all the tar with a lint free cloth and TCUT it is time to go around the car and check that you have rubbed all of the TCUT off as I always tend to miss some .. It will leave a green mist on the surface of the paintwork which has a granular feel to it . This will not help at all when polishing your car .

Polishing

I always prepare my car for a polish by masking all of the trim as it saves the job of cleaning it when you are finished .. I normally just use some masking tape which will do the job sufficiently and wont be difficult to remove once the polishing/ waxing process is complete .

I have used many variations of polishes from expensive £40 stuff online from America to £1.65 stuff from Asda which I used on my last few applications. To be honest the change in paintwork is that slight that id go for the cheaper stuff.

I start by working on each individual panel and apply the polish in a non uniform motion and I feel the paintwork . When you start the paintwork will have a slight granular feel to it and your aim is to make it feel as smooth as possible. This is why it is easier to work in 3-4inch patches. Yes it will take a while but once you have finished you will not be disappointed .I rub wax over each panel speratly as if you rub it over the whole car it will tend to stick and bond to the car and become a pain to remove. Take care when doing this and use a lint free cloth to apply the wax rubbing with 2 fingers rather than the parm of your hand. I normally remove the wax with a towel as this speeds the process up . After doing this process to your whole car your paintwork will look extremely shinny and should give you something to be proud of .

This application can take up to 4-5 hours if the paintwork on the car is poor remember keep rubbing until the granular feel changes into a smooth surface . It wont take this long if you polish quarterly I would say 2-3 hours as the paintwork should already be in a good condition.

Now you wonder why did he have a toothbrush in his equipment list? This is for the gaps between trims and door panels all the seems on the car … they tend to fill with polish/ wax so I find a hard toothbrush removes this well.


Waxing

I use Carplan easy on easy off wax as it does what it says on the tin. If you pay attention to detail when polishing to produce the shine the wax mearly protects this shine for a prolonged period. I apply the wax with a sponge in a thin coat and leave to dry to a haze. I tend to work in lines with the panels and the shape of the car to produce less marking. I will also wax each panel individually as if you leave it on for too long it will become difficult to remove . Use the wax sparingly as the more you put on the more difficult it will be to remove. I will also use the toothbrush to remove any wax form the seems in the car.

Once you have completed waxing you can remove the masking tape from any trim / window surrounds

Window Clean

I use AutoGlym Glass Polish when cleaning my windows .. It I s weird textured green liquid that does wonders and creates a superb shine to the windows on your car . I tend to use a set of two lint fee cloths .. 1 to rub on and 1 to rub off .. You will be surprised by the shine this stuff creates . Superb fro removing even the tougthest grime on glass surfaces .

Black Trim / Tyres

On a quarterly basis I use Autoglm Bumper Shine which works very effectively but can be a long tiring process after waxing and polishing your car . It brings the bumpers back to black and will last for a considerably long period of time . This is much like applying a wax however rubbing into the bu,pers with a cloth..

Personally I use Black in a flash most times when I wash my car . This comes in a aerosole can and takes 5 mins to apply if that .. It will bring all trim to a glossy shine and last 3-5 days which is ideal iff you wash your car on a regular occasion ..

Black in a flash also blackens tyre walls very efectivly giving that just out of the showroom look .

Exhaust tip / Chrome Trim

I use a Chrome Cooker cleaner for these to remove all watermarks and give a shinny mirror finnish

EngineBay

Many people use lotts of different products for cleaning these engine bays . I find just a bit of hard work does the job ..
A Bucket of soapy water should be used taking care to sufficiently ring the sponge out before going near anything mechanical .
I tend to strip the engine down slightly removing the airbox the washer reservoir and some piping to make life easier getting into tricky areas ..
I will firstly wipe down with a damp soapy sponge once or twice to remove most grime. I then use a Rag to remove almost all of the dirt from around the bay. I sufficiently dry the bay with a fresh towel to bring it to a gloss finish. I would advise waxing before a sale of the car as a clean engine bay shows you have a well running car .

Whilst the parts are removed form the engine I normally laquer the engine in a clear engine laquer or a colour coded one the the vehicle . I tend to think that dark colours look better however as they are easier to clean . Some people pain tthere rocker covers but I am not a fan of this .


Now its time to put it back together and sit back and look at the job you have just complete .

Believe you me if you have done it right your hands will be sore and you will want to go to sleep but your car will be immaculate and you will have something to be proud of

That’s my guide to cleaning your car … Extensive yes but needed if you want that showroom appearance even in a car that is 15-20 years old. I can park my L reg VW against a brand new car and see a much better paint quality .. Its down to hard work and grafting .. Its worth it though it really is .

Great report!

RickT