Ask AutoLavish! Answers to your car care questions...
- Thread starter Marc@AutoLavish
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Marc@AutoLavish
Club Sponsor
Hello there
Very much so - leaf blowers come in handy in two ways:
1. It limits how much you have to physically touch the car. Less touching = less chance to induce swirls. No matter what, you'll create them over time, so the idea is to greatly prolong how your paint holds up.
2. All the residual water that likes to hide in mirrors, trim, and moldings can safely be removed nearly entirely - so less chance of drip marks that are annoying. This also helps tape stick prior to polishing, makes sure dripping water doesn't affect polishing (more consistent finish), and helps in the same way prior to final waxing / sealing.
Our blower is ONLY used on cars. Not around the house. We feel that's important - stuff for the car is only used for the car and nothing else. There's no type of additional filter other than the build in system. If you get one (electric ones aren't very expensive), just make sure you'll be dedicating it to your vehicle.
Good to hear! Not only is she a beauty - she'll be a beauty for years to come when you take proper care of her.
The water de-ionizing system is pricey and the resin bags don't last all too long (and are expensive as well), so the popular method is to only use it for the final rinsing to flush residue away.
Shag-style microfibers have come into great popularity in the last couple of years. If you order some, make sure to give them several thorough washing first as they lint really bad initially. There are other brands / manufacturers, but the Eurow's are very good and cost effective.
Hope this helps you guys!
Marc@AutoLavish
Club Sponsor
Thanks for the great question: I have a feeling quite a few members here will benefit from it.
Chrome is a very soft metal that can easily be beat up if not cared for correctly. I'm sure we've all seen what happens to chrome wheels after only a few years of neglect; they look more dull, have heavy pitting, and lose their brilliance.
I'll divide my answer into two categories and you'll need to decide which you fit in. In both cases, you'll need to invest in some proper products and tools:
1. Wheel Cleaner ($15-100) (list on bottom)
2. Quality brushes ($20-60) (list on bottom)
3. Protection ($10-30) (list on bottom)
I wish I could tell you that you can do it all without spending a dime, but that's just not realistic or true. Do yourself a favor and spend the money up front to keep them "like new" forever.
Basic: for those that want clean wheels on the vehicle they enjoy driving
To keep your chrome wheels looking good, you'll need to clean them properly. ONLY clean your wheels when they're completely cooled off.
Using a safe but effective wheel cleaner (list on bottom), spray your wheels, spray your brushes, and then use the brushes on the wheels. Once done, thoroughly rinse the surface with water. To keep them looking better for longer, you may choose to add a layer of protection to their surface. Most products will have a limited life on your wheels because of the heat that is absorbed from braking, so don't expect to get more than 1-3 weeks.
Also keep in mind that any cleaner that can help rid the wheel of brake dust will certainly strip off your wax/sealant on your wheels. For this reason, some people like to do a thorough cleaning one week (wheel cleaner, brushes, wax) and the next week they just rinse, or clean with car wash soap and their brushes. Whatever works best for you.
Advanced & Show Car Care on chrome wheels: for those that want their wheels to look perfect
If you have a show car, chances are you don't do a lot of hard driving with her. You'll want to only use the stuff as to not cause any scratching of the surface, and you'll want to keep your wheels waxed for maximum dust and brake dust repelling. If you're like me and enjoy driving your car a lot but want your vehicle to look perfect, you'll also want to make sure to follow the additional information here.
You need to make sure to have all the tools you'll need in both cases; one type of brush isn't going to be enough. At least three different quality brushes are needed in 95% of cases (sometimes just two, sometimes 4 or 5 depending on wheel style).
Work one wheel at a time as you're going to spend 3-7 minutes per wheel. Get a pattern going and keep it: I like to start with wheel faces, then lugs/center caps/calipers, and finally inside the wheels and behind the spokes. When done, thoroughly rinse the wheel, inspect to make sure you got everything, and move onto the next one.
Wheel Cleaners I'd recommend:
P21S Wheel Cleaner Gel
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner
Autoglym Custom Wheel Cleaner
Chemical Guy's Diablo Gel Wheel Cleaner
Chemical Guy's Sticky Gel Wheel Cleaner
None are cheap, but all are effective. For less than the price of a tire, you can have enough quality wheel cleaner to last you 1-3 years.
Brushes options:
E-Z Detail Brush (behind spokes and the inside of wheels)
E-Z Detail Brush Mini (behind tighter spokes or inside of tighter wheels)
Swissvax, Zymol, or other boar's hair wheel brush for lug nuts and calipers
Large sized boar's hair brush for wheel faces.
Waxes/sealants:
Wheel Wax
Migliore Wheel Seal wax
Optimum Opti-Seal
....any other product you have that's a wax or sealant.
I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions!
Billydroveit
Club Member
Now that you've covered Chrome wheels, can you cover restoring the shine of polished aluminum? Alot of us have weld wheels or the like of a polished non clear coated finish that get some dulling and minor pitting over a season or two of neglect. What can we do to restore/maintain the looks of our uncoated wheels? Also i see you list alot of products not on the common parts store shelfs...how bout a list where some of these finer products can be located preferably local. I know when i get the bug to clean, i don't have time to order if i ran out, and i'm terrable at getting ahead of the game.
Marc@AutoLavish
Club Sponsor
GREAT question and I have the perfect article already made on this very subject. I'll post it in the coming days (posting some of our "how-to" articles in the Pub with one having just been put up a minute ago: http://www.motownmuscle.com/forums/...e-Series-Be-Careful-Who-You-Trust-Your-Car-To!), but I'll send you the link before hand for an immediate response in your PMs.
You are right about over the counter products and some of the ones I list not being readily available. This is always an issue with enthusiasts, but there's no easy answer I'm afraid. I wish there was, but there's just nowhere local to purchase a lot of these items. Just like buying other specialty items for your car: many have to be ordered. The good thing is that I've used A LOT of products and can help narrow down selections based off individual needs. The bad news is that good stuff doesn't come cheap.
Topless_Pony_00
Club Member
What type of pressure washer do you use and with what attachment? I would assume just a run of the mill 1500 - 2000 psi with a detergent kit?
Marc@AutoLavish
Club Sponsor
Another topic we've written a larger article about. I'll post this one soon to, but will PM you in the mean-time.
Basically, the type you want depends on your needs and person opinion. No need for a gas unit unless it'll be for around the house and such as well. Electric units are usually much weaker, but are plenty strong for car washing. While electric motors go out eventually (common failing point), our personal feeling is its cheaper for us to buy a refurb'd Karcher unit once a year ($$80-120), than the type of electric unit that'll last us 10 years ($800-1200).
Our current Karcher PW is rated at 1600 PSI and we have a foam cannon attachment ($120ish) that gives us the dense foam you see in our pics. The detergent dispensers that come with units are generally useless for detailing, so they're pretty irrelevant unless you have another use for them.
Marc@AutoLavish
Club Sponsor
And replied 
Looks like I really need to post the Pressure Washer article...
Looks like I really need to post the Pressure Washer article...
Marc@AutoLavish
Club Sponsor
Congrat's! About time indeed. If you need any other supplies recommendations, let me know.
Golden
Club Member
Time for new ones in the spring.
Marc@AutoLavish
Club Sponsor
Gotta have 'em!
Marc@AutoLavish
Club Sponsor
I'd recommend trying something easy to use that lasts awhile - 303 Aerospace Protectant applied with a foam or microfiber applicator pad. It'll go on real thin and even, will last a good while, and will help protect against UV rays.
For your use, I'd recommend a LM kit. You'll stay on top of things enough that you won't need the amazing ability of Leatherique Oil (which takes a good while to use correctly). LM Soft Cleaner and Protection Cream and you'll be good to go. Some people like LM Vital more than others. I'm not a huge fan myself, but it may be worth the one extra step to you. In all cases, the small bottles will be more than enough and will last you a good while.
If you plan on working on someone else's car that has some real build up and winkles in the leather, you may want to look into a bottle of the Leatherique Oil.
joestang
Club Member
1.) I have a 2100psi 2.0 gpm gas powered pressure washer.
I would like to use a foam cannon to throw down the soap, but is this washer too strong? It doesnt have any adjustment for psi/flow that I know of.
Also, how is something like this ? Does it foam enough to make it worthwhile? I'd prefer a non-powered foam gun because the pressure washer is pretty damn loud and would be annoying to listen to every time I wash the car.
2.) When using the foam cannon do you just use a water bucket for rinsing the wash mitt since the soap is on the car?
I would like to use a foam cannon to throw down the soap, but is this washer too strong? It doesnt have any adjustment for psi/flow that I know of.
Also, how is something like this ? Does it foam enough to make it worthwhile? I'd prefer a non-powered foam gun because the pressure washer is pretty damn loud and would be annoying to listen to every time I wash the car.
2.) When using the foam cannon do you just use a water bucket for rinsing the wash mitt since the soap is on the car?
