Cleaning your SM

[Macdemon]

I'm going to use Greased Lightning Showroom Shine to clean my SM.

Just got 3 1Litre bottles from Ideal World for £29.98

What does everyone else use??

Edited 30 July, 2010 by Macdemon

[Duane Dibley]

I'm going to use Greased Lightning Showroom Shire to clean my SM.

Just got 3 1Litre bottles from Ideal World for £29.98

What does everyone else use??

Is that a spelling mistake Mac? Should the r be an n or a t?

[davecarter]

I use a range of Autoglym products mostly with a £60 tub of Swissvax Sapphire Carnauba wax for that extra special shine and finish.

[freewheeler]

i have used showroom shine for a couple of years and i like it,it does what it says,clean and shine in one go,its a waterless cleaning system carnauba wax,but the best carnauba wax is in a paste form ,quick,easy on and off,clean all your car,trim,glass etc,[but not the windscreen]something to do with glare of oncoming headlights!!.good stuff.i used it on my yeti and i did it in 15 mins,no need to wash your car[unless you have been off road ] leaves no scratches.try it ,you will be impressed.

mike.

[Macdemon]

Is that a spelling mistake Mac? Should the r be an n or a t?

An 'n'. This has been amended. SILLY typo errors

Oh, and thanks Mike :yes:

Edited 30 July, 2010 by Macdemon

[redandwhitepauly]

How are folks cleaning their alloy wheels ???

[Macdemon]

How are folks cleaning their alloy wheels ???

The Showroom Shine I mentioned can do them BRILLIANTLY. :yes:

Check out Ideal World this weekend, they are sure to be showing it.

On Freeview its channel 22 not sure about Sky or Virgin Media.

[Trevorminor]

I'm going to use Greased Lightning Showroom Shine to clean my SM.

Just got 3 1Litre bottles from Ideal World for £29.98

What does everyone else use??

Definitely not anything like this awful product. Anything where you simply grind the paintwork with the dirt that has accumulated is totally bad news if you care about keeping the paintwork in good order. I simply cannot believe that paintwork is not scratched by this 'waterfree' method. I liken it to trying to run an angine that is emptied of oil.

Instead I use plenty of warm water with a touch of autoglym or similar shampoo - definitely no washing up liquid. Gently sponge starting with the roof and working downwards.Then rinse of with plenty of filtered rainwater or RO water (tropical fish keepers use it) using a separate sponge.

To clean the alloys, I use hotter water again,with perhaps a higher concentration of shampoo and this I apply with a kitchen sponge with one side designed for teflon pans. Use the sponge bit for the general wash but turn over for tar spots etc. Again rinse with plain water.

I have used these methods for years on prizewinning classic cars as well as my daily driver and it works with little effort for great results.

When the Yeti was new, I applied Autoglym Lifeshine bought for £10 from Ebay. This is the first time I have tried this but the results look pretty good.

[4 wheel driver]

How are folks cleaning their alloy wheels ???

Hi,

I use Mer Wheel Wax on my alloys. Cost £9.99 at Halfords, I think.

Read about it in Auto Express magazine.

Easy to apply And really effective at stopping brake dust and general crud sticking, seems to last for a while too.

Cheers

[Macdemon]

Definitely not anything like this awful product. Anything where you simply grind the paintwork with the dirt that has accumulated is totally bad news if you care about keeping the paintwork in good order. I simply cannot believe that paintwork is not scratched by this 'waterfree' method. I liken it to trying to run an angine that is emptied of oil.

Instead I use plenty of warm water with a touch of autoglym or similar shampoo - definitely no washing up liquid. Gently sponge starting with the roof and working downwards.Then rinse of with plenty of filtered rainwater or RO water (tropical fish keepers use it) using a separate sponge.

To clean the alloys, I use hotter water again,with perhaps a higher concentration of shampoo and this I apply with a kitchen sponge with one side designed for teflon pans. Use the sponge bit for the general wash but turn over for tar spots etc. Again rinse with plain water.

I have used these methods for years on prizewinning classic cars as well as my daily driver and it works with little effort for great results.

When the Yeti was new, I applied Autoglym Lifeshine bought for £10 from Ebay. This is the first time I have tried this but the results look pretty good.

Showroom Shine doesn't scratch you paintwork due to the surfactants that it contains, it simply encases grit and dust in a thin lubricant, thats why the trade use it!!!

[Trevorminor]

Showroom Shine doesn't scratch you paintwork due to the surfactants that it contains, it simply encases grit and dust in a thin lubricant, thats why the trade use it!!!

The 'Trade' don't use it. Or at least those who can be bothered to valet cars properly don't.

If you speak to any paintwork specialist, they will tell you to run a mile from these products.

I have seen these ads and can see how people could be bamboozled by all of the tech speak. The fact is that using say a third of a litre of this product on a car the size of a Yeti will lead to a very concentrated gunge of product and dirt that will act like a grinding paste on paintwork.

I don't know why people would use the product to save time either as you have to go over the car three times to apply, remove and then polish. My method takes 20 minutes and results in virtually no risk of scratching the paintwork.

[lee67]

i use tesco's own...car wash, alloy cleaner,glass cleaner, tyre and bumper dressing...all at £1...works ok....as for polishing i use the dealers favourite...MR SHEEN, been using it on motorbikes for 26 yrs..try it u might be surprised

[Macdemon]

I don't know why people would use the product to save time either as you have to go over the car three times to apply, remove and then polish. My method takes 20 minutes and results in virtually no risk of scratching the paintwork.

Don't know WHERE you got this stupid idea from??

You spay on, wipe off and using a 2nd cloth, buff to a high shine, and the trade DO use it, I have asked several local dealers and TWO use it.

Have YOU ever used it Trevor?? Thought now

[Trevorminor]

Don't know WHERE you got this stupid idea from??

You spay on, wipe off and using a 2nd cloth, buff to a high shine, and the trade DO use it, I have asked several local dealers and TWO use it.

Have YOU ever used it Trevor?? Thought now

So using straightforward water and elbow grease is a 'stupid' idea?

You asked for opinions from others based on the fact that you had not used it. If you disagree with my ideas then with respect, don't simply call them stupid. Ok so one of the passes over the car is to spray it but you then still have to go over it twice with a cloth.

It is quite easy to conclude that I have never used waterless cleaning systems. I would never try it as the experiment cannot be reversed. If the experiment goes wrong and once the damage is done, then it could need a respray to resolve.

Who are the 'local' dealers? I'd be surprised if they represented any respectable car brand. Fortunately my Skoda dealer have a tap with plenty of water, employ a chap who agrees with the way I do things and as they are the only people who are ever likely to wash or have washed my Skodas then I'm quite happy to stay 'stupid'.

[Llanigraham]

Having spent 10 years in the trade as a sales rep for Kent Industries, who produced workshop consumables and valetting products, I think I might know a little bit about them!!

Showroom Shine and it's similar named products was developed as a quick and easy way to keep cars IN showrooms looking bright and polished. It was designed to remove light dust and finger marks without the use of water. NOTHING MORE!! It was not designed to cope with heavy dirt.

The only way to clean a car properly is the use of lots of water to "wash" dirt off, and then suitable polishes and sealants.

[Trevorminor]

If anyone is intent on experimenting with the paint finish on their Yeti - here is a cheaper solution.

http://www.eazywash.co.uk/

[Macdemon]

THERE ARE THREE ELEMENTS CONTAINED WITHIN SHOWROOM SHINE...

1. Detergent (for dissolving road tar, bugs, tree sap, bird muck etc..)

2. Surfactants (which coat dust & fine grit in a lubricant and prevents scratching paintwork)

3. Carnauba wax (giving your vehicle a 'protective coating' )

Read about it on the Greased Lightning website.

http://www.greasedlightning.co.uk/index.php

Edited 31 July, 2010 by Macdemon

[carisbrook]

I must admit i wouldn't touch showroom shine with anyones barge pole as i wouldn't use a sponge either.

A sponge will just leave any grit on the surface then you are just add ing to the "spiders web" effect that builds up by using a sponge.

Try this

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/dodo-juice-supernatural-wash-mitt-aka-the-wookies-fist-.php?osCsid=d089cee7d80858762c665133609536a9

it traps the grit deep in the pile ready to be swilled using the two bucket method of washing.

I wouldn't worry about the trade as all there interested in is "Is it clean" get it out,method.

If you want really good tips from "professionals" detailers look here.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/index.php

I can't believe how its changed my way of washing a car.

[Trevorminor]

THERE ARE THREE ELEMENTS CONTAINED WITHIN SHOWROOM SHINE...

1. Detergent (for dissolving road tar, bugs, tree sap, bird muck etc..)

2. Surfactants (which coat dust & fine grit in a lubricant and prevents scratching paintwork)

3. Carnauba wax (giving your vehicle a 'protective coating' )

Read about it on the Greased Lightning website.

http://www.greasedlightning.co.uk/index.php

So does the stuff from:

http://www.eazywash.co.uk/.

Still won't touch it though!

The only bit that is any good is the carnauba wax that you can buy in a tin at Halfords for about a fiver. Now I have used that after properly washing my car and it does give good results.

[Macdemon]

Well I'm going to treat my SM to a good coat of this as it works well as a protectant AND polish.

[davecarter]

I have to agree with Trevorminor here. I just wouldn't consider a "waterless" solution for cleaning my car. If I'm going to do the full job on my pride and joy, the steps are as follows;

1.) Douse the car with water.

2.) Wash from the top down with Autoglym shampoo. (I have two sponges, one for the upper bodywork, one for wheels and lower plastic bits/side steps, etc.)

3.) Rinse and wipe down with leather (a good quality one!)

At this stage, I'll leave the car for a an hour to dry thoroughly and do something else.

4.) Treat individual body panels with meguiars Speed detailer and buff to a nice finish.

5.) Finish off the car with Swissvax Sapphire carnauba wax applied to each panel then polished up with a Meguiars G220 polisher.

Generally takes the best part of a day to do this but the car has a showroom finish at the end.

[The Plumber]

Been following this thread with interest, not my forte detailing but having picked up some tips from Briskoda. Have always hosed the car down before starting including in the wheel arches and for over a year now I've been using two buckets and different wash mitt's/pads for the upper and lower areas. I'm pretty convinced that one the cars look cleaner and there's less brilo pad effect since I started on this approach.

To demonstrate I took a photo today of the buckets while giving my lad's car a wash down (typical teenager leaves it long enough so I end up sorting it out ) to demonstrate the difference.

As you can see there is a visible difference with the rinse bucket and that's after washing down the roof, windscreen and bonnet.

Wash mitt is a Turtle Wax product from Halfords.

Tend to use Auto-Glym products on the Monster as I had the Lifeshine applied by the dealer. With the other cars for a quick buff up I use a spray bottle product from again Turtle wax.

Regards,

TP