patrick_y
[PuristSPro Moderator]
33617
Which Purist has the cleanest car? How do you keep it that way?
How do you keep the car clean? If you're a do-it-yourselfer, what products do you use?
I have a thing against machine washing the car, and I also don't entrust the car to the car wash boys at the office. Running the car to the dealer for a detail takes too much time and I'm not especially impressed with the results. So I've resorted to doing it myself.
Over the years, I've used multiple products to clean and wax the car.
I first started with Zymol brand products; the expensive and luxurious choice. The cleaning solution was very effective and prepared the paintwork very effectively. I found the wax gave the most brilliant shine of all the products that I have used both in the past and even currently. However, I stopped using Zymol products because I found the wax time-consuming to apply, among the most difficult and time-consuming to remove, and created lots of white powder and had a relatively short lifespan. I would definitely use this for a concours competition, but not for the daily driver.
I then tried Meguiars brand; the domestic choice. The cleaning fluid is heavily scented. There are a plethora of different products available. The wax is easy to apply and easy to remove, very little powder. The car looked very good and was well protected, but other products seem to make the paint look glossier and the lifespan of the shine only seemed to be a few weeks.
I eventually returned to Zymol products, until I discovered Einszett or 1-Z, a German manufacturer of partially synthetic waxes. The "Einszett Perls Shampoo" cleaning fluid is a detergent-free solution that changes the Ph-balance of the water to act as more of a lubricant for dirt and grime removal. It doesn't cut through grease, but it is perfect for well-maintained and frequently washed vehicles. The wax is partially synthetic and is easy to apply and remove with little powdering, and more importantly the Einszett wax seems to have an increased lifespan. The car looks very glossy, but there can be a little bit of a hazy residue on hoods that seem to disappear quickly.
I've been using Einszett products for nearly five years and I have to say I'm very pleased with the results.
Please share what you use along with your comments.
Which Purist has the cleanest car? How do you keep it that way?
How do you keep the car clean? If you're a do-it-yourselfer, what products do you use? I have a thing against machine washing the car, and I also don't entrust the car to the car wash boys at the office. Running the car to the dealer for a detail takes to...
Not me. Definitely not. ;)...
Not me. Definitely not. ;) De : automotive watchprosite <[Email address suppressed for privacy]> À : [Email address suppressed for privacy] Envoyé le : Mercredi 4 avril 2012 9h29 Objet : {5237523} AutoForum response Which Purist has the cleanest car? How ...
Your car could be clean if...
Your car always has a fine layer of rubbery dust on it, from all the tire burnouts at Place Vendome...
Carwash
Car-wash is the best way to keep your car 95 % clean, no more scratches due to a new generation of brushes. I thnik it is the best way to clean your car when it is very very dirty. I take each one of my vehicles to the carwash every two months, i think Vl...
New brushes you say?
Thank you for your input Filip! Please remind Vlad to wash his car more often... So, the Clio is the pampered car. Washed every week. I know the feeling about the wheels... Speaking about brake-dust, I just wanted to mention, I really like the Brembos on ...
BREMBO
Speaking about Brembo, they are fitted on most Italian bikes and on Renaultsport cars ... on the little Clio they're just superb, the feeling is right, very sharp and yet so controllable, very powerful and it appears it's difficult to experience fading (u...
So why are Brembo's so good...?
Would they be a worthwhile upgrade to any regular car, or just for fast sports cars..? They always look good Andy.
What makes them special...
It's the feel, it's the performance, and it's the increased braking capacity. Brembos have one of the most rigid brake calipers on the market. The rigid structure helps with the pedal feel. They have a "Fixed" design which offers superior pedal feel over ...
Thanks for that very comprehensive reply....
that makes a lot of sense and explains why they are so good. They also look amazing..!! Thanks, Andy.
It's the big honkin' disc and pad!...
The larger the pad and disc, the better braking (plus all the stuff Patrick said ) Better cooling design too
Makes perfect sense ...
.... a bit like bike brakes .... which have seriously evolved also these past years ... I remember having floating disks on my Bimota, now floating disks are long time gone, radial brakes are the business now which i think Brembo came as first with . Bim
Don't know the technical aspects ..
... but i guess they're just built with smaller tolerances and better materials ... . Fitting them to any regular car is a bit too much as new brakes and calipers are always very expensive. There are a lot of other brands like AP that offer brake-kits but...
True...
to be fair it stops on a sixpence anyway so brakes are the least of any problems - the Brembo's just look so good..!! Red calipers would look so good on a black car Me.
Andy you would do very well with EBC greenstuff pads
there's no need to change the discs if they are good, but get a set of EBC's. greenstuff for under 200 bhp and redstuff for over 200 bhp. they give of very little brake dust, use a compound that enables better braking in both the wet and dry without any f...
Cheers Dude...
at the moment she stops on a sixpence so like you say the brakes are already good for a BMW but when they are due for a change I'll bear this in mind...it could be a while yet though..!! Speak soon big boy, Me.
I'm afraid...
..that when it comes to cleaning cars, I tend to take after the late Alan Clark MP...
I'm afraid...
I'm afraid my knowledge of English history is limited. All I know is that Alan Clark was a very Conservative British politician. Did he say something about washing cars are not worth doing?
He was...
...infamous for driving desirable cars (SS100s, DS23 Decapotable, Silver Ghost, 6.5 Bentley, etc etc) and not washing them (nor did he maintain them very well, something I don't agree with...) Personally, I only wash the car when it really needs it. Bucke...
Ahhh, your philosophy is to not get it dirty in the first place!
A good philosophy to live by too.
Not really.
I'm not much of a clean-freak. It gets put away dirty most of the time. In fact it usually only gets washed when a bird has crapped on it road grime doesn't worry me. The dust cover just means the top can stay down and the interior doesn't fill with dust....
Washed once a year, if necessary or not. [nt]
This message has been edited by DonCorson on 2012-04-04 04:05:09
Truly depends on the car's paint and where you live...
...Been very happy with Meguire's products. I usually have my buddies at car wash wash my car, then I'll detail it, though I get lazy from time to time. A good car wash can do a fine job, and the newer equipment is far better on a car's finish than what t...
I keep on saying...
I keep on saying, the next car will be silver. But for some reason, I still doubt that I will follow through with that. Do you wear a silver leather motorcycle jacket? It's just that black is so universal, I still have difficulty thinking that I will driv...
in the past i havent been very good, but thats all changed
when i owned a proper big 4x4 i only ever gave it a jet wash when the mud under the wheel arches stopped the wheels turning, but since i've owned the subaru i've had it washed every month at one of the many hand wash centres run by very hard working easte...
Thanks for responding G!
Looking forward to hearing your impressions about that 50 Pound car wash. Didn't know Big Daddy spent two days detailing his car. I want to see pictures of that!
LOL...50 quids...!!!
Not sure what they did to my car before picking it up but it was immaculate and they must have done some serious polishing to the paintwork as it was like new. I've moved on to Turtle Speed Wax as you can do the whole car in 10 mins and last long enough t...
i keep it clean
Vroom... weekly carwashes @ anything that's touchless. the paint is too bright to have anything touch it, i'm afraid of the swirlmarks so it only goes through touchless....
Can't say how good that is...
I can't say how good that effort was because I don't know how bad it was to begin with.
I've tried many products
very expensive and pedestrian. To my eyes, the 'cheap' stuff like Meguiars works as well as anything else. It's all about you washing the car meticulously and waxing regularly and with attention to detail. If you do this, your garden variety wax products ...
I agree with most of what you wrote. The technique is often as important as
the product. That said, there are huge differences in ease of application, and certain products in certain product lines are easier, last longer, and result more consistently in "glass like smoothness and shine and beading" than others. I know the Peterse...
When I had my M5, I kept it pretty clean and hand waxed many times too
I used Meguiars for everything - Deep Crystal Car Wash, Ultimate Polish, and Deep Crystal System Carnauba Wax. I remember the first time I hand waxed car the car, I put 2 coats of Polish and 3 coats of Carnauba Wax. I spread the work over 5 days while I k...
nice look Anthony. i...
nice look Anthony. i had mine valeted and polished on tuesday, but after they demonstrated the benefits of a clay bar i booked them to come back tomorrow to clay bar the whole car, polish it with an electric mop and wax it with top quality trade products....
Intense!
Five day wax job! That's intense! But the results never looked better! Thank you for the expertise and the pictures!
I Use Mostly "Prima" Products ...
...with my favorite being "Hydro". After you wash your car, before you dry it, spray it with Hydro. Then dry it. The towel glides over the car (rather than sticking to it) and is given a light coat of wax. Dean....
Wax as you dry...
An interesting and efficient way to wax your car! Thanks for sharing! Great pic of the car.
my car is finally finished with its spa treatment
yesterday morning i had the finishing touches to my spa treatment. the difference is amazing. before hand it felt rough with impurities embedded in the pores of the paint, but afterwards it feels smooth as silk or as smooth as a salesmans chat up line. th...
I used to have a guy come to my house
and wash my cars once every other week and detail twice a year. He used P21S products. Some how he decided to get out of auto detailing business. So I now have to bring my cars to a local detail shop for wash and detail. This guy uses Prima Car Care produ...
Very clean cars!
Very clean cars. Are the photos of the cars showing the treatment of Prima products or P21S?
I think it's more due to the supreme factory paint job.
Those Bentley paint jobs are second to none. The black color also helps to bring out the shine. But it was a pain in the xxx to maintain. I vowed never to get another dark colored car again.
Ahh, true indeed...
Probably starting off with a better product in the first place. Black is never easy. I will say though, I find the black on the Mercedes-Benz with the ceramic clear-coat to resist fine scratches more-so. However, I do think that under certain lighting con...
Turtle products :-)
Not that I do it myself so often, but when I did I mainly used Turtle products Best Hans
Were you satisfied with Turtle Wax?
Haven't ever tried Turtle Wax products, but have definitely heard of them. Were you satisfied with the Turtle Wax products?
Yes I was..
... Especially when comparing also on price.. I have tried also much more expensive products, but not giving much better effect. I mainly use shampoo, wax, wheel cleaner spray, cockpit cleaner, seat cleaner and polisher Best Hans
Unorthodox
Probably the most unorthodox of the bunch on this one - but then I do only have a black edition A3! I wash with (cold) water applied by a sponge with a bit of autoglam shampoo just to get all the dirt off, then use some nanowax spray and sham it off using...
Not unorthodox...
This post is to find out which PuristS has the cleanest car, and what they use to keep it that clean. Thank you for sharing with us your experience!