@Highlander
Looking good.
I'm going to have to do Orla tomorrow, it's been two months and she's starting to look dirty.

@glemon I definitely will now and then fingernail a little dot of who-knows-what off if I notice it resisted the normal washing. Picking one dot off while soapy probably does less damage to the paint than driving to work on a rainy day, so I don't worry too much about it.

@TheModernLeper
Good lad.

@TheModernLeper
Something portable like this would also be nice.
a8ccdf2a-27a9-4fae-bbb9-8f12f4e061a7-image.png
But I wouldn't be needing one to lift more than three or four feet in the air, but I would want to get right around the car to do sills but also be able to open all door and not smacking one off the post.
I guess something like this would do.
Portable, compact, four point, all round access, etc...
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@beefchips doggo is one of the many that lives on our street who roams. There’s 2 that are completely tan that match much better.

@MM54 HUGE congrats to the project! I was the original owner of her and I'm slack-jawed by what you accomplished. If you would have asked me in June 2001 when she rolled off the truck at the dealer that I'd be seeing at least part of her still on the road in 2022, I would have been rolling with laughter.

I just showed the owners at Kinetic Motorworks in NH (who did all the work on her for many years) these pics and they're amazed too.

Wishing many more smile-inducing miles - glad to see part of her lives on.

@Svend It sure is! This will be the second time I'm bringing the blue one back after driving it hard and putting it away messed up. This time, I'm in a better place, so there won't be a third time. 🙂

@ibRAD -- Not only was the Fiero a rather small car, but the last couple generations of Mustang have reached the dimensions of the 1973 model (and are a good bit heavier).

@facw Fishing rod and work stuff. It's great when I have to deliver copper or PEX tubing to a job site (they come in 10ft lengths) because I don't have to swap out for one of the work trucks which I hate driving.

@Dr-Zoidberg
The camera isn't picking it up, but it's a fine flake metallic silver.
If I recall the options were metallic dark grey/gunmetal, metallic silver and gloss black.

@atfsgeoff
No worries. Looking back, maybe quick folding the dirty shirt in the rear foot well and gluing the end of the tissue box back down was a tad OTT. Lol.

@WhoIsTheLeader said in Cloudy Headlights:

I'm sure @svend 's Gtechniq stuff is better but that requires shipping across an ocean.

Gtechniq do have a sizeable presence in North America with their coatings held to a high regard.

@DipodomysDeserti
There are other manufacturers of similar coatings.
Contact your local detailer or detailing shop for durability, price, etc...

@TheModernLeper
I like white cars, it can be a mission to get a good glossy look from white and a nice shine.
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@adamftw
When ever someone asks me how to clean a car and I spend a couple of days cleaning cars with them, it's one of the three things I tell people to do,
Feel, does the car feel rough to the touch, can you feel any lumps (could be tar, which you may not see on a black or dark car),
Hear, when you gently run your finger tips or back of your fingers along the car, can you hear a rasping or scratching noise,
Look, can you sea the dirt, any scuffs or scrapes, ghosts of a long gone bird bomb, etc...?

@svend I've found the Turtlewax brand trim restorer is about 1,000,0000 times more effective than any other stuff commonly found in stores. I put some on a microfiber and usually carefully spread it around the window trim since that stuff takes such a heavy hit from the sun.

@svend Thanks, I need to run by the store later today anyway, I’ll see what I can find.

@ITA97 Got some Friday luck with it too...I just ran around the office finding supplies to pack it up with finally got it all boxed up and taped the label on. Then gave a quick thought about how much I didn't want to take it to the post office. Turned around and there was the mailman!

@svend I think I'd be perfectly happy with one as a DD. Wouldn't be able to carry large things in it though, but I'd be fine with that tradeoff! 😛

@415s30
Thanks.

@beefchips said in I'm off to bed, good night:

H3L4 that’s twelve freedom units

H3l4 is
Height 6.7metres, 22',
Length 2.78metres, 9.12'
Width 2.06metres without mirrors (2.47metres with mirrors)

@WhoIsTheLeader
Ye', we simply don't tax 'winnings' or have vehicle registration tax.

@svend that blue chrome looks pretty close

@SamV8
Really? That's one of only a couple or so I know how to type on my phone.
I don't like the world, we evolved away from hieroglyphics to actual words, now we're going backwards. 😞

@e90m3
It's a lovely colour when clean in the sun, otherwise, in low light and lightly dirty, it can look flat and miserable.

@facw
The only interior thing I did was the glass.
He was going to drop the car off at 4:30am before going away with his uncle but there was no parking. So was going to drop it off at 4:30-5pm when he got back but it was after 6:15pm when I got the car so the interior hadn't been messed up but rear interior glass had been leant up against.
Ye', I most often swap out the generic washer cap with the Skoda one.
I could of spent more time doing the engine bay to be honest. But he was happy how it turned out anyway.
Ye', I could of easily spent another few hours going over the interior seat stains again.
EDIT 2: they came back early to put a load of drinks in the boot, no, not alcohol. But three cases of orange Tango, then a case each of Berry Peach, Blackcurrant and an Apple Tango, one case of diet Coke and two of regular Coke and one of Redbull. Seems fizzy drinks are a bit more expensive in Germany, even with our 'sugar tax' of high sugar fizzy drinks.

@Jb-boin
Ye', single DIN with Car Play, he's using an adaptor to convert the Car Play into an FM frequency but it sounds awful.
Thanks for the info.
It's all alien to me as I'd just go somewhere and say, 'I want such and such, what can you do!?'.

@BadMotorscooter
It's a lovely car.
It's the only car I've cleaned where I haven't met the owner as often, in that I've cleaned it three times, met the owner once.
It's a lovely car that gets looked after but also used.
The owner uses it to pull a rather large (by European standards) caravan.
Which is the name of the game.

Looks awesome! Every sports/sporty car in the world should come with 4 way power lumbar. My 17 GTI had 4 way power lumbar and I miss it dearly. Best driving seats I've ever sat in.

@flatisflat
As it happens the Focuses shown above would all have been made in Germany....

@svend

That's awesome.

Better-than-new car smell!

@Jarrett
Nice. They are good solid snow foam lances.
In the U.S. Adams and Chemical Guys do some great products.
Top tip, with the quick release heads, always make sure the collar is situated correctly before pulling the trigger on the lance and maybe pointing the lance away from the car (or anything breakable) the first time you pull the trigger after placing a new head on, just in case it isn't and shoots off and dents your car or smashes a window.

@StreetsofPerth
Cheers mate.

@pip-bip
Ye', the garage is giving them a new grille as there is some defects in it and four new tyres.
By all accounts when my colleague went to see it, it was filthy, probably having just taken it in and the previous owner was being cheap with the car.

@StreetsofPerth
Lol. I get quite a few like that.
Though the picture tell it all, it was only when standing over the top of it that I could see how bad it was, but didn't take long of much effect to clean.
IMG_20220402_1413383.jpg IMG_20220402_1636525.jpg

@facw
It's a great colour. When dirty you get the jist of the colour, but when clean and glossy it really comes alive.

@Someoneatacura
No, it makes quite a difference.
It's a waterborne migratory and contact corrosion inhibitor ideal for ferrous metals.
While it doesn't eliminate surface rust on brake discs, it greatly reduces it and bonds with the substraight and not simply sit on top and worn away after the first use of the brakes.

@WBizarre said in Claybar pink crap:

There was a ton of it on the front and hood, some on the roof, less on the sides.

I had the same thing. Could have been pink but I see it as gray (color blind so it could be either). @svend clued me in to fallout remover. It's a very mild acid that attacks the particles without hurting paint. You do have to scrub it a bit, but it turned my light gray (or possibly pink) roof, hood and trunk back to white.

You'll want to follow up with wax.

@LooseonExit

The typical course of action for any paint protection application is to deep clean, strip, and then apply your LSP (last step product).

If you're just topping after a weekly/bi weekly/whatever time frame wash then you don't need to strip, but you should choose products that will perform under those circumstances, that are designed to work with the base protection product. This is extremely important for ceramic coatings, but it still bodes true for regular waxes and sealants.

For example, if you have a ceramic coating on the car, other ceramic based spray coatings/detailers typically perform better on a coating vs a wax or sealant. This isn't a hard rule, but if you want to get the best results for your time invested, its the best course of action. You also need to pay attention to the performance/attributes of the base product. for exmaple (again) is Sonax Polymer Net Shield. It is an extremely hydrophobic spray sealant, and their accompanying Brilliant Shine Detailer is designed it top it and restore/maintain that same hydrophobic performance. The 2 go hand in hand and make up a good base and topper team so to speak.

Sometimes mixing and matching and off label use will yield good results, but I've seen it mostly do the opposite, especially when mixing based chemistry components like ceramic with polymer or wax.

In my experience any mild pure polish followed by a panel wipe/degrease (you can make your own using 99% isopropyl alcohol mix 5:1 with water - 5 parts water, 1 part IPA) will give you a bare base ready to accept any product on top. If you're working with ceramic products, Mothers makes a primer polish called CMX 3 n 1 Polish and coat. It will remove minor swirls and leave behind a base layer that allows ceramic products to bond (I've tested it with various ceramic sprays and high solids ceramic coatings and it worked great).

@dogisbadob Yeah I suspect alien technology, it's crazy how good it is. My 1983 W123 is just fine, I put sheepskin seat covers in it when I bought it so we will see how long MB Tex stay all good. It may outlive me.

@svend I need to get a pro to work on the Mercedes, it was resprayed at some point and it needs to be buffed out.

@e90m3
That car is originally from the Lancashire area and likely one of the bigger cities. The car's are about 13 years old and cheap with some liking the added look of an ornament rather than a badge and make slight changes without making the car look ridiculous (some go all out and butcher the poor things).

@ttyymmnn
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@e90m3
It seems to be a common consensus for A3 owners to love their cars.
2015 ?TDi
b4977af3-7ad8-4cca-9aa9-585bf688222b-image.png
2014 1.6TDi
5215edae-d52b-4c6c-bd36-8866c825baa8-image.png
2008 1.9TDi
26f7f7e6-a880-4cfb-96be-ae72ef6d7b09-image.png
2007 1.9TDi
5e60d0c2-8369-42cc-9f93-b99e5b560b7e-image.png

@svend excellent, thank you! I have filtered shop air availiable and a large assortment of Adams cleaning supplies (brushes and interior scrubbing mit). I'll try out your techniques on my recently acquired cadillac. The leather is filthy.

@svend ye, the new DS4 is attractive despite the C-pillar being a truly horrid piece of design

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the DS7 is a past tense Audi Q5 copy; the DS9 looks good, but too Chinese in proportion and not Citroen enough. I guess it isn't one anymore.

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@Cé-hé-sin didn't they make a big fuss about how i-DTEC was supposed to be VTEC-for-diesels just before all of Europe forgot about Honda and stopped buying them?

@Armith-Vala
It was a thing on Mk1 and 1.5 and I think I recall.
And early Ford Transit Connects and Mk6-8 Ford Transitsand Ford Transit Customs.
ford_transit_connect_hood_key_hole_extrication.jpg
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@flatisflat
If you want to try anything else, PM me and I'll see what I can send across.

@Chariotoflove
I'm doing okay. Lol. The stupid thing is, it's been beautiful weather, sunny, clear skies, etc... these last three days and no cars to do, the last few weeks, cold, wet, windy, cold/wet, cold/windy, etc... everyone has wanted their car done.
Doh.

@svend Fair enough if it's a first car.

@svend said in I suppose I should have an early night. My February in car cleaning.:

just takes patience.

That key ingredient is in short supply all too often.

@distraxi It was a B6 Passat with the six-speed (I assume) wet clutch and the 147kW 2.0TFSI. I don't think the car had been very well cared for by the PO and had probably been driven like a regular torque converter auto, so I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't in its best health.

I have since driven a Caddy with the seven-speed and it was much better. I also test drove an A4 with an S-Tronic and it was smooth as silk.

@drvantraveler
Unfortunately the three pedals are dying out, not because people are favouring autos, but because most hybrids and virtually all electric cars available here in the U.K. are autos.

@chariotoflove
I know of a guy on a detailing forum. His girlfriend asked him if he could do her friend's car as it was messy.
According to the write up, he spent all day doing the rear seats and front passenger seat and footwell.
It was filthy and mould underneath.
The car's owner had a very young daughter who for months had a chesty cough but the doctors couldn't understand why. None the less. Shortly after the guy cleaned the mould up, the daughter's cough stopped.
That was a few years ago, so I always try to leave the car in the safest fashion for the lil'one.
Now every car gets an anti bacterial wipe down.

@nauraushaun
Ahhhhhh, that's so sweet.
She missed her daddy.

@old-busted-hotness
What other hose could you mean, you pervert!?

@urambo-tauro
I wasn't too happy with this car.
It wasn't bad, but had been abused with shoes and heels scratching all the sills, plastics inside of the sill area and lower edge of the door cards.