The following tips contain a quick (going out with parents) and
showroom (car needs to look perfect) guide to
cleaning your
car.
TIP:
Don't
clean the car on a hot sunny day - wait for the evening
otherwise you will have smears all over the body work as the water
dries.
Step 1:
Rinse
& wet the car (with standard tap water)- DO NOT USE A SPONGE because it
will pick up grit and you'll be rubbing the grit around and it'll
act like sandpaper. A high pressure hose is best for this but a hosepipe
with a strong jet will help. Once you have removed the loose grit and the
car is wet the rest of the dirt will start to loosen as the water gets into
it. (To allow time for the water to start dissolving the dirt it's a
good time to clean out the inside of the car.)
Step 2:
inside of the car: Pick up
crisp packets, sweet wrappers and those car park stickers. Remove removable
mats and vacuum them then move on to the rest of the interior with the
hoover. Wipe down the dashboard, console and all other plastic with a damp
(not wet) cloth. (for soiled areas use a mild detergent but wipe off
thoroughly). Avoid using products with Silicone in as they leave a greasy
residue & over spray onto the pedals can be lethal. Do not polish the
dashboard because this can cause glare on sunny days. Carpet &
upholstery stains can be easily removed with CAR PLAN interior valet (this
is the only product I have found that could remove dark engine grease
stains on a light grey interior.) Finally wipe over the sills, boot (USA
Trunk) seams (the internal bits you only see when the door is open with a
damp sponge.)
Step 3:
Back to the outside - the car should still be wet - hose over one more
time ready for the pre wash. Use a very soft sponge or soft wool mitt, and
very gently wipe over the entire car the aim is to remove all grit
particles. (Do not scrub tar or mud deposits at this stage) Start at the
top of the car and work round it in circles like peeling an orange making
the sills and bumpers the last thing you touch overall - these are
generally the dirtiest and most gritty items.
Step 4: Pre wash. Using a bucket
of clean (for perfection use filtered) water and a car pre wash product -
choose something that does not foam up or cause lots of bubbles. (Autoglym
car shampoo is very good and conditions the water to avoid streaks.)
Don't use a shampoo with built in polish this would effectively seal
the dirt and stains under a thin layer of wax and makes the
cleaning job 100
times harder and makes the windows go hazy every time you use your wipers.
Use a tar and bug remover spray to soften the really stubborn
stains.
Step 5:
Main
Wash. Again with a quality car shampoo. Time to use a slightly harder
sponge or cotton cleaning pad. Like last time work in circles using the
orange peel method. A scrub pad can be used for really tough stains but
only on areas of paint work hardened like the sills and lower front bumper.
You want to avoid creating those wheel mark scratches caused mainly by bad
cleaning methods or automatic car washes.
Step 6:
Wheels and tyres - clean
off with a brush first, then use a hard sponge or scrub pad. Do not use
anything you'll use to clean the wheels on your bodywork next time or
it will be full of grit and scratch your paintwork. Brake dust is hard to
remove and you'll usually require a chemical brake dust and alloy wheel
cleaner. These usually need brushing on leaving for a while then sponging
off. As fairly nasty chemicals are used in most of these products wear
gloves and avoid contact with your skin.
Step 7:
Rinse off. Time for some
fresh clean water. A watering can filled with water (again for perfection
filtered) is the easiest method of rinsing off the car.
TIP:
Work on
one panel at a time starting with the roof, next for UK people do the
bonnet (but if your in the USA do the hood)! Also use two buckets - one
with clean water for rinsing to avoind grit contamination.
Step 8: Dry the car off using a Chamois leather. They need to
be slightly damp to work best and you are buffing the water into small
droplets, a mist then a haze then the water is gone. Most people expect the
Chamois to work like a towel and soak up the water but it works more like a
wiper blade - creating a thin film of water and letting it evaporate
itself. Patience is the key.
Step
9:
Glass - using a glass cleaning product go over the
windows inside and out in a circular motion. DON'T USE HOUSE GLASS
CLEANER - make sure its a proper automotive glass cleaner. This is also the
time to fix the stone chips (You'll have to wait for the paint to dry
before moving on to the polishing stage.) We are doing an article on stone
chip removal so check back soon!
Tip:
The best cloth to use on glass is
a piece of Hessian which has been hot washed to remove the colour and
shrunk. (Window cleaners swear by it.) It's handy to keep in the car
for cold morning when the windows mist up. We also recommend the use of
microfibre cloths for paintwork, chrome and other areas this leaves a
streak free finish.
Step 10:
The polish. Generally you rub it on (in straight lines not circles)
to a light haze then buff off. An electronic buffer can really cut the
polishing time but be careful. IE: If you used an electric buffer to clean
your face it would be quick but hurt. Car paintwork is also delicate and
pressure should not be applied and only soft cloths should be used. Use one
cloth to apply the polish, another to buff it off and then with a really
soft cloth buff up the polish to a showroom finish. Two mist & buff off
coats are far better than gobbing on as much polish as you can (the extra
is just rubbed off and less shiny residue is left behind.)
The quick method. Jet wash the car down and rub it over. Add
your polish to a litre of water and rub it into the paintwork only -
don't do the windows. Jet wash to rinse off. Then with a fine sponge
rub the car all over with clean water. Squirt your windscreen washer and
set your wipers to fast. Go for a drive to dry the car off. Buff off the
damp polish residue with a chamois leather and &shiny within 15
minutes.
So what products do we
recommend?
Autoglym - This is a very extensive range of
car cleaning products and in our opinion is very good value for money. The
Autoglym range is available from most good car part shops - see our shop
link page for details. Meguiars Tech wax gives a superb finish on slightly
scratched paint and is really easy to apply.
Interior Cleaner - Car plan interior valet - in our test was
the best budget buy mass market product available and did just seem to
dissolve the dirt. We recommend using a stiff brush because the included
plastic brush is a little to harsh. This is available from your local car
store. For the perfectionists - try Zymol Fabrique an intensive cleansing
cleaner to give your car a spa day & beauty
makeover.