This Weeks Tip !!

[BrianS]

Why waxing at home is best.

The best way to get a good reflective shine from your car is to multi-layer the wax. I'm sure you've all seen the different grades of wax you get with the different manufacturers. And some of you may have even tried enough of these to decide which is best for you and your car. I've tried a good few and although its a shame, it seems that the more expensive the product, the better the finish.

But if you have time on your side (instead of money), over a week or two its a great idea to put on some extra applications of wax. You should allow the wax to sit for about a day and then start with the second layer. (Make sure there is no new dirt after settling on it.)

You will start to notice that old car will soon look new again. If you apply the wax one layer immediately after the other, you are really making just one thick coat. Multiple thin layers will give a deeper reflection and this is the finish that I would rather shave my face in (if I had to!)

You can only give this level of attention to your car and if you were to pay for this service it would be quite expensive. Apart from the beauty aspect, it gives a higher level of protection against the great outdoors and all the pollution it has to offer. This is why waxing at home is best.

Take Care Out There.

Brian

[BeCos]

So you are talking about "Waxing" as oppossed to "Polishing" yeah?

So it's the product that really matters here ? What I mean is sometimes if I've just washed chamoised and polished my car then the next day, maybe it's rained on it or something, I will give it a quick polish again before using it. But you reckon if I waxed it instead it would be better?

I am familiar with most of the products out there, and I know the difference between wax and polish, but as my car is virtually always clean it is really easy for me to polish it lightly a few times a week, or at least certain areas of it!

What "Waxes" would YOU recommend?

[BrianS]

Hi BeCos,

You’ve brought up a couple of issues here. I think I’ve said it before on the forum that I won’t recommend a particular product here. Firstly, it’s a public forum and we all have a responsibility as to what we put up here. Another reason is, I’m always looking for something better myself. If you want to tell me what you use, I’ll respond and say that I’ve tried it either with positive or negative result or maybe that I haven’t tried it. The way I see it, a Forum is for opinions and advice - not recommendations.

The problem with the terms wax and polish is that manufacturers use the terms interchangeably. In UK it can be polish and the US its wax and even then there’s no consistency. The problem with car care shops here is that they stock products from both countries and they have the same ingredients and properties but with different names. There’s polish (polymer or otherwise), waxes (natural or otherwise), glaze, pre-wax, paint protectors, conditioners, creams…. It depends on the Manufacturer and this why you can’t just buy a product by its name – you must read what purpose it was designed for.

I used the term “waxing” generically in my post. I’ve always used the KISS philosophy, (keep it simple, stupid :) and to the average person the term “wax” covers it. When you mention polish, people don’t know if it’s the product or the action. What do you see as polishing, BeCos? And since you use a polish, is it an English or an American product? I’ll gladly tell what the difference is to me but I’d be interested in how you see it first.

Take Care Out There,

Brian

[WhipLash]

Not asking for you to recommend any particular products Brian :p, but what car 'shampoo' and car 'wax' do you use yourself? i.e. which ones are Your Personnel choice?

Hope this doesn't sound like I'm twisting the 'recommendation' bit!

[BrianS]

I like the Autoglym range. I've bought a good few bottles of their stuff. Simoniz is a good quality brand for an easy to use product but it doesn't seem to last as long. Its less expensive and I'd do the multi-layering by hand with their wax for a really nice finish.

[Anders]

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[WhipLash]

Thats a good point there Anders! LOL. ;)

I use Simoniz myself, not because I think its better, but 'cuase my wife got me a Simoniz car care kit.

[BrianS]

Like me! I got an Autoglym pack from my Girlfriends Mother for christmas. And I got her nothing!! Good Woman

[WhipLash]

Originally posted by BrianS
Like me! I got an Autoglym pack from my Girlfriends Mother for christmas. And I got her nothing!! Good Woman

Come to think of it, it was from the mother-in-law! ROFLMAO!

[BrianS]

You must give me a glossary of these abreviations! I don't know half of them....

[BeCos]

well I nearly always use Autoglym myself and always have, although I do posses a bottle of Mothers California Gold Wax !!

Polish is usually easier to use and is mainly in liquid form. Wax is like a paste and can be a bitch to get off if you've used too much, or if you were stupid enough to apply it in direct sunlight!!

I cant say I've ever read the contents label though!!

Simoniz car shampoo is pretty good stuff too!

[Justin]

What? wash and polish cars and not only that, do so with many coats? That is why one has children and why boy scouts exist. Are you serious? I have only washed a car once since 1990 and I have no intention of allowing that form of anarchic activity to intervene in my life now. Capitalism as an economic system means that your car can be washed and polished for about £5. There must be some comic that remains to be read or something which is better to do than (cough cough) get wet and worry about whether brake dust came off. I can't see brake dust remnants from the inside of the car as opposite lock is applied to get out of that wrong direction feeling as you are about to enter the hedge or even while tootling down to the shops in second gear just for the fun of it. I saw a bumper sticker once (almost obscured by dust) "a clean car is the sign of a sick mind" and while that may be going too far, there are many many things I would prefer to do than worry about dirt on a car - if you clean it in Ireland it's covered in muck two days' later anyway. The last time I washed my car (last July) was because I wanted to get out of gardening and playing about with hoses with the kids seemed a much more worthwhile activity.

This car cleaning fetish is quite disturbing. I bet you all spend time gardening too. Are there actually brands of car wax and shampoo? what a disturbing thought. Someone brands these products and worries about their image. Hyur hyur.

[Anders]

If you don't do it yourself, it doesn't get done right. For £5 it's not gonna be done right and it's not gonna get waxed. I actually rarely wax my car(s), because by the time I'm done washing three cars I'm kinda done. But on a good day I might give the '7 some extra TLC. Being the oldest of the trio, it is realistically the only one that needs waxing. I also have to say that waxing silver cars tend to not be worth the effort as the end result is very marginally better.

Any SUV/tonka truck owners out there? How the hell do you clean the roof on a high vehicle? There's always this spot on the RAV4 in the centre of the roof that's virtually impossible to reach.

[BrianS]

What is it they say? One man's fish is another man's poisson. I think with some people, we are just treating our cars like our babies until the real ones arrive.. with others we are car fanatics and love a glossy motor that beams in the daylight. Whatever the motive, it doesn't necessarily imply lunacy.

Reconditioning car exteriors/interiors is a hobby to me and although I'm not a freak about about it, I have learned a lot about the subject and try to keep my car looking good. Do you folks remember the first day that you bought your car? When I got mine home and was going indoors, I turned back for another look at it and I just got a good feeling in me. Now I try to keep my car looking good so I can keep that feelgood factor. It must have something to do with balance - I have so much other crap to put up with, like customers, deadlines, projects, supervising my team, I try to balance it up with things that I enjoy. I put any spare time into meeting my family & friends, keeping fit, hitting the town, and keeping my car looking nice (all this while keeping herself happy as well!). Maybe when I have kids, I won't worry so much about how my car looks. I'll be too worried about getting up at 2.30am to change a nappy or cleaning puke that's dribbling down my back!! Brake dust seems insignificant in comparison!! LOL!

Anders, to reach the roof of your Tonka, you could try tying empty paint tins to your feet. That'll give you an extra 6 to 8 inches, and when people see you cleaning your RAV4, think of the respect you'll get!! Or maybe try a stepladder .....?

Hope you all had a good weekend & enjoy the rest of the week.

Brian.

[BeCos]

Well I reckon, Justin, that you and I are the complete oppsoite !

I would was either my car or my wifes if not every night, then certainly every 2nd night !

I wouldn't drive a car that was dirty, and as my car is always reasonably clean it take about 10 minutes to give it a quick was and chamois. The results of this 10 minutes/night make me happy for a lot longer !

There is NO carwash in the world that cleans a car properly, power cleaners included !

I think it's a sin to have a nice car and then not clean it well !

I guess I am addicted to the appearance of clean cars and I'm addicted to the look and feel of a recently polished car !


Call me sad go on .........go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on !!!!

Oh yeah and I have a 16 month old daughter too......but I still have time!

[Junior]

Ben your Sad .. (well he asked to be called sad)

I would be somewhere in between, If I have the time I will clean and shine the car myself , if not I try and bring it to a car wash on a saturday while I go shopping and get it cleaned properly.

[WhipLash]

I see two extremities here!

Both Ben and BrianS derive great enjoyment from keeping their cars gleaming and looking new as much as possible. On the other hand, Justin sees it as being a futile waste of time, and IMHO does have a valid point with wet weather and mucky roads had to endure in this country!

And myself? Well I get the car washed about once a month during the winter. However, during the summer, when we experience those rare good sunny spells, I prefer to get out the bucket and sponge and give the car a good and proper regular cleaning from head to toe (or roof to wheel!). And yes, I do own a pair of black wellies for the job too! :embarass:

[WhipLash]

Well I just couldn't resist. All this talk about clean cars and the summer sun, I just couldn't take any more! :p

So yesterday evening I donned the wellies and washed the Accord and Matiz. I have to say that when ones car is squeaky clean, it really does endow a fell good factor.

So on with the shades, turn up the volume, and bring on the summer sun – we all know what that means now, don’t we! :naughty:

[Junior]

Well at the moment sitting outside my house is an unwashed GTi, it will stay that way until it's completed mechanically wise. Although tonight I have to wash and chammy my Dads car ( I find Blue Coral Gel the best wash product) and I'll probably end up washing and valeting my own lump as well... I'd normally use STP Son of a gun on plastics internally (not to much otherwise they give off a glare and they look like cheap leather) and Autoglym window cleaner stuff for emmm cleaning the windows.