Even the hottest car on the street looks rough
when it is dirty. Here are some top cleaning tips from
www.torquecars.com
members gathered from hundreds of Bucket & Sponge sessions and with
tips from showrooms and car exhibitors.
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.
Many of the tips on these pages were gleaned from members in
our very friendly forum. Please join our forum to benefit from the latest
tips and suggestions on car cleaning, car care and all other aspects of car
ownership.