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Mojo121

Keeping 'em clean

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Honestly, it's doing my head in. Valet them and two days later they're covered in this saharan scum dust. You can't just wipe it off either so I'm plugging back in the pressure washer and going back over them. Over and over again. 

Any tips? Better products? Something to go over them with which won't leave them watermarked to hell.

Ta!

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just been doing the same thing

im bally wet too

tips?

get an indoor showroom and make all punters wear over shoes:lol:

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Ha I was just having the exact same rant as I cleaned all my stock on Tuesday and yesterday we like two minutes of rain filled sand which completely ruined all my hard work! :blink:

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Back in the day ,we operated on a main thoroughfare competing with 12 other ( each approx 30 car ) open pitches side by side.The pitch rules were the same for all of us.Stock had to washed,leathered off and 'on sale' every day by 10 am.After that,half your stock would be polished daily with Autoglym (it was cheaper then) ,worked in damp weather and made water run off and not leave any marks.Stock always looks best displayed outside don't you think !

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2 hours ago, Mojo121 said:

Honestly, it's doing my head in. Valet them and two days later they're covered in this saharan scum dust. You can't just wipe it off either so I'm plugging back in the pressure washer and going back over them. Over and over again. 

Any tips? Better products? Something to go over them with which won't leave them watermarked to hell.

Ta!

rinse then blade. buy the best quality blade , dont rush, start at top :)

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Thanks for the advice chaps - some good info here as always!

Looks like I need to pull my finger out :lol: They're all looking good for the weekend though!

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I have the same problem

What i do is give them a really good clean and polish up, a coat of selant and a good wax

Then maintenace is just a quick hose off, and a good PH neutral shampoo (no added synthetic wax), then a product called Sonus Quick Detail (usually on offer in Halfrauds for £9) keeps the shine and beads lovely

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Has anybody tried one of those snow foam shampoo's that you apply with a pressure washer?

Would be nice if i could just spray on the foam, rinse off and job done.

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Snow foam tends to be a pre cleaner,to soften and remove dirt, it still needs washing after.

If you ask me, its all Hollywood

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I noticed that the guys that valet cars at auctions use spray cans of 'jollop' direct onto dirty paint then polish off? Smells like furniture polish but I'm hoping its not:D

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2 hours ago, metcars said:

I noticed that the guys that valet cars at auctions use spray cans of 'jollop' direct onto dirty paint then polish off? Smells like furniture polish but I'm hoping its not:D

There's a few of these waterless car cleaning sprays on the market, most of which originated from American shopping channels. They're really bad for the paint because you're basically rubbing dirty paint with a cloth!

CJ's method is the way to go as they are dead easy to prep again as everything just runs straight off when you show it some water...

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17 hours ago, CJ Underhill said:

Snow foam tends to be a pre cleaner,to soften and remove dirt, it still needs washing after.

If you ask me, its all Hollywood

Agreed.  I'm in the process of setting up a valeting/detailing unit and have tried a few of these snow foams in trying to achieve a 'hands free' wash and none of the cut the mustard from that point of view, although they look pretty.

 

I've just had the lad wash a few of mine that looked they had been owned by Lawrence of Arabia. Presuming they have been valeted before, blast them with the pressure washer, then spray with a liquid wax like Tango or a rinse aid, pressure wash again then a drying towel and bobs your uncle, not a sponge in sight.

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15 hours ago, Mikey said:

There's a few of these waterless car cleaning sprays on the market, most of which originated from American shopping channels. They're really bad for the paint because you're basically rubbing dirty paint with a cloth!

CJ's method is the way to go as they are dead easy to prep again as everything just runs straight off when you show it some water...

I suppose the auction houses don't have the time to give every car a 'ready to retail' type valet when cars are lined up to drive in the hall. 

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Guess a lot of it depends on how much polish and what quality is put on during your first clean, if you use a good polish then you should be able to get away with a quick wipe down with a quick detailer or something like autosmart cobolt thats cheap and works well. 

Avoid a harsh shampoo that will strip the car of any polish seen a lot of people do that over the years.

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Black cars are a nightmare, getting tired of black so I am.

Spend hours with the buffer removing scratches, power wash it numerous times between compounds. Towel dry the entire car, polish the life out of it. Wax it and stand back admiring the shine. The following day after some overnight rain there are white streaks running down from the mirrors and door handles. Grrrrrr! :-(

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On 24/06/2017 at 11:15 PM, Scooby who said:

Black cars are a nightmare, getting tired of black so I am.

Spend hours with the buffer removing scratches, power wash it numerous times between compounds. Towel dry the entire car, polish the life out of it. Wax it and stand back admiring the shine. The following day after some overnight rain there are white streaks running down from the mirrors and door handles. Grrrrrr! :-(

You can never get rid of all the dust, i used to have the same problem

Get some blue 3M tape, tape up trims, rubbers, door edges, wipers etc. That stops alot of the dust getting where you dont want it

I also find, depending on your setup. get a good blower for your airline, and use the air to blast the dust off before washing

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On 6/24/2017 at 11:15 PM, Scooby who said:

Black cars are a nightmare, getting tired of black so I am.

Spend hours with the buffer removing scratches, power wash it numerous times between compounds. Towel dry the entire car, polish the life out of it. Wax it and stand back admiring the shine. The following day after some overnight rain there are white streaks running down from the mirrors and door handles. Grrrrrr! :-(

white streaks sounds like a cheap rubber product that is running. 

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5 hours ago, justina3 said:

white streaks sounds like a cheap rubber product that is running. 

or filler dust:P

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Then there's the resident 'web designer' hanging out inside the side mirror. Every morning he has a new website between the mirror and door. For that I use a toothpick and the cordless vacuum. Tickle the web till he comes running out for dinner only to be sucked up by the James Dysons fly catcher.

10 hours ago, tradex said:

Is David's Isopon still about?

One of the casualties of better built cars....well the bodies are better built if you don't buy German:rolleyes:

Still on the go for the avid DIY'er.................remember a pea sized measure of hardener to a golf ball measure of isopon is best

david-s-isopon-p38-easy-sand-polyester-body-filler-511-p.jpg

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