As you may have gathered from yesterdays post about the artillery fungus, I view washing and cleaning the cars as a necessary evil which I tend to avoid if I can justify doing something more interesting.
When I do wash them though I like to be very thorough, even using a toothbrush on the nooks and crannies to get the green mold out. I do use a two bucket wash system with dirt traps to stop grit being retained in the wash mitt and I've tended to use a proper car wash/shampoo which includes wax but I know, although this does a good job of washing the car it does little to offer ongoing protection to the paintwork.
After my surprise find of the mold/fungus growing on the cars yesterday and feeling very pleased that I seem to have got it moved before it got a deep hold on the paint - Panda still to do - and how nice and shiny the Ibiza is now looking, I spent last night googling about how best to protect the paint finish from future attack. Well, my goodness, what a "deep" subject! some people strongly advising not to use shampoo containing wax because it throws up a barrier to waxes in particular so they won't bond properly to the paint and will fail to protect after a very short time. Some advising you should use a panel wipe after washing and before applying a top coat of wax or polish - Bilt Hamber cleanser fluid seems to be a favourite (around £15 for a small bottle) Then there seems to be an argument as to whether to use a "polish" or a "wax". I really don't know if I'm coming or going now!
So. Anybody like to "induct" me into the mysteries of polishing cars and suggest some products and procedures which won't cost too much or be too time consuming to perform? I'm happy to spend best part of a day if needed though.
When I do wash them though I like to be very thorough, even using a toothbrush on the nooks and crannies to get the green mold out. I do use a two bucket wash system with dirt traps to stop grit being retained in the wash mitt and I've tended to use a proper car wash/shampoo which includes wax but I know, although this does a good job of washing the car it does little to offer ongoing protection to the paintwork.
After my surprise find of the mold/fungus growing on the cars yesterday and feeling very pleased that I seem to have got it moved before it got a deep hold on the paint - Panda still to do - and how nice and shiny the Ibiza is now looking, I spent last night googling about how best to protect the paint finish from future attack. Well, my goodness, what a "deep" subject! some people strongly advising not to use shampoo containing wax because it throws up a barrier to waxes in particular so they won't bond properly to the paint and will fail to protect after a very short time. Some advising you should use a panel wipe after washing and before applying a top coat of wax or polish - Bilt Hamber cleanser fluid seems to be a favourite (around £15 for a small bottle) Then there seems to be an argument as to whether to use a "polish" or a "wax". I really don't know if I'm coming or going now!
So. Anybody like to "induct" me into the mysteries of polishing cars and suggest some products and procedures which won't cost too much or be too time consuming to perform? I'm happy to spend best part of a day if needed though.