Which Polish ? Cutting Treatment!

[TangoDeltaSierra3]

Right i guess now i have a newer car i must treat it better - but as i run my hand across the paint it feels a bit rough in places but looks shiny etc... what should i do 1st ? will polish just sort it ? or cut it ? what stuff is recommended ? and i'm not spending shedloads lol, its only a car.

[Andy]

Use fairy washing up liquid or something similar to strip the paint of all the grime, buildup and bad layers. (Just in a bucket with water as if it was car shampoo)

Then start from scratch with a fresh coating of Presta wax or something similar.

I done that to mine and it came up mint!!!

[Wobbly Dave]

Meguiars do a paint cleaning soap which you can use, to get all the crap off. T-cut it, wash it and then polish. Or you could get it mechanically mopped.

[Andy]

The meguiars cleaning soap is just a fairy liquid based cleaner though its only to cut through the grime and remove all the toxins in the paint which has built up over the years.

[TangoDeltaSierra3]

I was always told Fairy Liquid type stuff was bad for car paint - think i'll let this run a bit - i seen the Meguires stuff in Halfords but never knew anyone who tried it yet.

[Wobbly Dave]

The whole point is you only use it once a year to get back to the bear paint. It is not for regular use. In the same way you wouldnt T-cut your car every weekend

[the_boy]

You want one of them claybar jobbies you do :B_steerin

I think Meguiars do a version.....

Thik these guys do it
http://www.seriousperformance.co.uk/sp/products/polish_wax.php

[Andy]

I was always told Fairy Liquid type stuff was bad for car paint - think i'll let this run a bit - i seen the Meguires stuff in Halfords but never knew anyone who tried it yet.

It is bad for your paint if you used it every week instead of a proper car shampoo.

However, as Dave says used once in a while it strips the paint back to its original state.

Think of all the crap that builds up on the paint over the years, all the fumes, dust, grime, ££££e, etc etc..... All of this isn't removed with car shampoo.

[TangoDeltaSierra3]

Thanking you all for the advice - now wheres my bucket.

[Andy]

Thanking you all for the advice - now wheres my bucket.

No problem.... Trust me it works :D

[TangoDeltaSierra3]

I forgot to ask - any tips on Leather / Trim care too ?

[Wobbly Dave]

I use Simoniz Cockpit shine - it sprays on as an aerosol and you just wipe it like you would Mr Sheen. It comes in different fragrances and makes plastic/trim and leather nice and shiny. If you use some on the outer edge of the drivers seat - it means you slide in nice and easy!
I also use "Groom" which is a foam upholstery cleaner for stubborn stains. (oo err)

[Andy]

slide it in baby :P ;)

[gezR]

I'd recomend the Meguires 3 stage system. It really is spot on. Personally I wouldn't let Fairy/T-cut anywhere near one of my cars. To get really excellent results, start with the Quick Clay detailer over any areas of paint which feel rough to the touch. This smoothes the paint ready for step one. This is a gentle "clear coat scrub" as they describe it. It gets rid of all the sap/road grime/swirl marks etc. Next step is the polish-your car will look awesome even after this. The last step is the wax coat. Don't get the step 3 wax, the Gold Class or NXT is much, much better. Step back and admire. To finish off, I use Autoglym Bumper Care on all the exterior plastics. This gives a nice, satin finish (I hate shinny plastic). And don't forget to wet the tyres!

Each bottle costs around a £10(plus Meguires Terry Cotton buffing clothes are worth the money too), and it will take the best part of a day to do it right, but its worth it. Stage 1&2 only really need to be done every 5-6mths, just keep topping up the wax coat every month and using Gold Class shampoo every week will keep it tip-top.

Interior wise I use Autoglym Leather Cleaner and Autoglym Leather Care Cream (the clearer is like a soap and removes grime, the cream is a treatment to keep the leather soft and crack free-once every few months). Plastics-agian I hate shinny dash syndrome so I use Autoglym Vinyl and Trim care which leaves a nice satin finish, plus it smells of lemon. If you have alcantarra, then I find Autoglym Shapoo Interior Cleaner works fine on this in moderate amounts (it comes in a aerosol). Once all this is done then a quick Vac round every week will keep on top of things.

The results on my old car:

http://gallery130750.fotopic.net/p13656044.html

http://gallery130750.fotopic.net/p18080967.html

[MattB]

I've used Autoglym Resin Polish for a couple of years now.
Seems to do the trick :biggrin:

[M44K TS]

I use the Autoglym leather cleaner and care cream aswell, fantastic stuff and an odly nice smell aswell.

as for the dash, just a quick once over with a dry cloth to get rid of dust, i hate shiney 'minicab' dashboards that are full of the silicon crap. I used to use some strawberry scented dash cleaner from the pound shop, didn't leave the dash greasy and had a lovely smell, add to that a strawberry foot air freshner and you've got a cockpit you just want to lick (oo err)

Any advice on cleaning mats though, my car has the beige carpet which is spotless but the Volvo overmats are full of stains, can anyone reccomend a decent cleaner/shampoo to get them beige again instead of dark brown?

[TangoDeltaSierra3]

I use the Autoglym leather cleaner and care cream aswell, fantastic stuff and an odly nice smell aswell.

as for the dash, just a quick once over with a dry cloth to get rid of dust, i hate shiney 'minicab' dashboards that are full of the silicon crap. I used to use some strawberry scented dash cleaner from the pound shop, didn't leave the dash greasy and had a lovely smell, add to that a strawberry foot air freshner and you've got a cockpit you just want to lick (oo err)

Any advice on cleaning mats though, my car has the beige carpet which is spotless but the Volvo overmats are full of stains, can anyone reccomend a decent cleaner/shampoo to get them beige again instead of dark brown?What about those mini steam cleaner thingys - i read they good for engines too etc..

[M44K TS]

Oh and i also use the Autoglym super resin polish aswell, gives a nice deep shine and is relatively easy to apply. I used to swear by Turtlewax colour magic on the mini, took a few weekends for the stuf to work, but once it had a polish every 3 days or so, it used to take no more than 5 - 10 mins to completely wah, dry and polish the car, mind you the guy that sprayed the roof white ready for the union jack had a right job cutting back a years worth of wax.

[M44K TS]

I've got a steam cleaner, i tried cleaning the seats in the mini, didn't really work too well, i'll give it a go though. Would a vax be any good for the job? My nan has one that i could steal i'm sure

[M44K TS]

The results on my old car:

http://gallery130750.fotopic.net/p13656044.html

http://gallery130750.fotopic.net/p18080967.html

Wow, that really is impressive. Must have took you ages to get it to that standard. Good job fella

[rs_andy]

Oh and i also use the Autoglym super resin polish aswell, gives a nice deep shine and is relatively easy to apply.

have you seen autoglym now do a polish special for dark coloured cars to give extra deep shine or something?, bought some for mums 440 but not had chance to try it cos of the weather.

[mikej]

Autoglym for everything ! years in the trade taught me not to bother wasteing my money on other rubbish for interior use interior cleaner,super resin and extra gloss etc for exterior,bumper care good for all exterior plastics ,traffic film remover (trf) for degreasing bodywork prior to wax and afterwards their own shampoo with conditioner etc used all for years and no complaints i buy the stuff in 25 and 5 ltr drums etc from my local autoglym distributer as it can be a little steep if you shop at halfords etc.The interior cleaner is the best for cleaning seats and plastics ,dash etc but strangely enough works well under the bonnet at removing all the oil and wax.Can also recommend their own brand of cutting compounds both for hand and mop use.
No i dont work for them honest ! :)

[Paul ABZ]

The best stuff I've found for bringing the life back into the 850 bumpers and doors grey plastic is from Barton Chemicals http://www.bartonchemicals.co.uk/cartruck.htm and called Engine and Plastic Treatment. It comes in 5L cans and this should last about 3 years for the average enthusiast. It's also good for in the engine bay as it's easily sprayed on (with a suitable spray gun) and the excess wiped off. Also nice finish on tyres, not too glossy. It's a bit like WD40 in appearance, but purple in colour.

As an interesting point, this is the fluid used by some Volvo dealers in Scotland, and works really well on the plassy bits of the V70XC. It's much easier and faster to apply than the Autoglym stuff.

Got a nice sweet smell as well. Not available for sale online at the moment, but they are gearing up their website ASAP. Used to be around £20 a can.

[watteee]

i use colour magic,swear by it,it doesnt contain any silicones so no "greasy" look on dark colour cars,just remember to wear plastic or those rubber surgical gloves or your hands will end the same colour as your car. :B_blite: