Car Wash, What do you recommend?

[Guest HOTXR6]

I have used McGuires for a couple of years now and swear by the stuff. Yes it's imported and far more expensive but no Australian product comes near it for quality, shine and ease of use. Be careful when using the tyre gloss as it you use too much it splashes up the side of the car and leaves an ugly marks. Good luck.

[Guest maverick]

MOTHERS AND MEGUAIRS ARE ON PAR.HAVE BEEN USING AND SELLING FOR YEARS.HAD IMMACULATE EF FALCON FOR 7 YEARS.USING MEGUAIRS GOLD CLASS PRODUCTS...THE PHANTOM HAS BEEN EVEN MORE SPOILT......

[scott52]

at the risk of being vilified, I use a bucket of water with a splash of kerosene in it - I kid you not! - and it's not because I'm a sandgroper. my wife and daughter think I'm weird. I read about it in a book on panel repairs and how to best look after the paintwork. using any sort of detergent causes the water to get right into the cracks and crevices because the detergent breaks the surface tension of the water.

any way, this morning on the ABC radio show "Bricks and Roses" (one of those home and garden shows) they had an industrial chemist taking talkback on home maintainence isssues. imagine my surprise when a listener rang in and asked what was the best product for car washing- you guessed it, he said a "dollop" of kerosene in a bucket of water. he went on to explain the surface tension issue and the protective film etc. fortunately my wife heard it and was man enough to apologise! she never would have believed me otherwise.

as kero is a light oil it leaves a minute protective film over the paintwork. it's not as pleasant to apply because there is no lather, but it does remove the road crime and tar rather well. the trace of kero is not enough to ruin your light coloured trouser/skirt if you lean against the car so don't worry. my method is to hose off the car, wash it with the kero/water mixture using a conventional car washing sponge, then dry of with a couple of old towells. the paintwork polishes up well and I've found it doesn't collect the dust as quickly.

the market for the expensive car cleaning chemicals is huge and the products overpriced I believe, so give the kero a go.

as the Dilmah man said - "Try it you'll like it!"

cheers, scott

[daninme]

yeh I get mine done at rock and roll car wash in fairfield heights they are expensive but they do a good job ($40)

[Guest Laser the Amazer]

my mum sells the enjo cleaning stuff

I use meguiars gold class shampoo and conditioner to wash mine

I was told the meguiars soft wash gel is better 4 metallic paint

I have been using meguiars car wash and polish 4 about 3yrs now and I have always found it to be really good

robert

[HellionXR6T]

Typical, yet another thing they haven't given me!!!! I never received a bottle of specialised shampoo!!! Bl**dy FORD!!!!!!!!

Shampoo, they (BBF) recommended to use the Meguiars "Gold Class" or "Soft wash" Shampoo or good `ol Johnsons & Johnsons Baby Shampoo. As long as it has no harsh chemicals and has a neutral pH level, your MING protection should be fine.

Fingers Crossed.

[Cam]

Ive been using BMW shampoo and Polish.

The shampoo is just ordinbary (no complaints but not spectacular).

The polish on the other hand gets top marks. It leaves an excellent finish and I have had a few profissional car detailsers use the polish (they did the polishing but I requrested they use my polish) and in both cases they raved about the polish saying it was better then anything they had used before.

[MISSXR]

Paint protection is excellent. U never have to polish your car. And the Bugs come off easier. I have also noticed that the colour on my car is still 100%.

[Ninka]

IMO the trick is to rub the paintwork as little as possible, especially when there is a risk of any dirt causing small scratches. I use an Alto high pressure washer, first I spray the wheels with Eagle wheel cleaner, then the whole car lightly with water, let it sit for a few minutes, and then clean the wheels really thoroughly with the pressure washer. After this I clean off all the bugs with high pressure (they are now quite soft) followed by a spray application (using the Alto spray applicator) of either Eagle, Meguiars or NuWash (I think), I let it sit for about 3-5 minutes and then hose the entire car with the high pressure jet.

The only rubbing I do is to remove tar or other stubborn dirt, and when using the chamois to dry her off, and I have NO SCRATCHES.

The value of owning a high pressure washer (no I do not work for a high-pressure washer company) also extends to the amount of water used, as it is very economical, and only use 7-9 litres per minute. Further advantage is that tyres and wheel arches can be cleaned properly, and when the engine bay needs cleaning, it is perfect for that also!

[Guest cul08r]

Hmmm, where to start. I use Macguires Wet Look and Polish, Mothers car wash, and kerosene every couple of washes on my rex, and only last weekend had a comment on how good it looks.

I NEVER use carlovers or similar on a car that I LOVE. It is not the best way to care for your car. You see, the water at a carlovers is recycled, and to get the crap out of it from the last bloke thru they use a lot of chemicals to neutralise the ph level. Also, salinity is quite high in the treated water, so it's like washing your car with diluted sea water. And who would wash their pride and joy with a broom?

Also, be careful with high pressure jet washers, as they can cause paint to peel off etc. The best thing you can do is hand wash, as long as the car is not MUDDY.