Cleaning car

Where's the rest of the story?

 

Yeh, the question is, were you cited for it?

 

So they pulled you over for not wearing your seat belt. Makes sense.

 

Now that makes even more sense. I can see how they can be too trigger-happy to pull someone over for having no front plate especially if they can't see it's from out of state. It was lame of them to make excuses rather than let you go.

 

Careful how you wash the car if you are bucket washing it. If not careful, you can add a lot of micro scratching to the finish by wiping with a slightly dirty sponge.

Can't go wrong with two 5 gallon buckets and grit gards in each never hurts.

Measure out your soap and water for good mix. Other bucket is to rinse the wash mitt / sponge often. I like using a very light colored wash mitt or sponge so you can see if any dirt on it. Dirtiest part of car usually the lower panels.

For drying, I use a car drying towel to get bulk of water off an area. I find it worth it to set the towel down and spritz a little spray wax, then finish area with same cloth you would remove wax and buff with. When finished, the car will look awesome plus you've added some wax back on.

I clay as needed before a wax. Only as needed. If it's smooth and clay glides, that section doesn't needed claying. If clay is picking stuff up, that section needs it. Seems horizontal areas need claying most as stuff falls from above.

I like Meg's 2.0 Tech Wax spread on thin. I'm about due.

 

I'm seeing some stains on the interior of the door, probably from keeping spare change inside the door handles. I'm worried about trying to wash the "fabric" (more like flocking) on the inside of the doors, but since it's a light color it really shows the stains. Any suggestions?

 

I made a mount fo my Navman with a strip of polished stainless steel. I cut off and screwed on the plastic mounting bracket that came with the unit. I used black, gasket grade silicon sealant (sets faster)to stick it down. The sealant just rubs off when I remove it.

The adhesion is strong enough to resist regular attachment and removal of the Nav unit.

 

The Corvette guys love Zaino products, but I'm too lazy for all those steps. The lazy Corvette owners use REJEX. It's a one step liquid that is very easy to apply and leaves a great shine. But the nicest benefit is you can put it on the exterior plastic and it doesn't leave a white paste. I use nothing but REJEX on all my cars.

REJEX - Thumbs up! - Corvette Forum

 

For the cloth seats, I recommend DuraGloss upholstery cleaner. I bought a used Taurus that had been smoked in. Previous owner had a small child as well. After an afternoon and 1 1/2 cans of DuraGloss, it smelled perfect (which is to say not at all), and I removed all kinds of black gunk from the seats and carpet.

I am not a big fan of interior treatments like fabric protector and dashboard dressing due to the outgassing of VOCs in a tight space where my children and I spend a fair amount of time. I just clean with water or add a smidgen of white vinegar if needed.

 

I use most of the Griot's products, with the exception of their wax. I use P21S - it goes on easily and unlike most waxes, you don't let it dry completely. Very easy to wipe off. The Griot polishes are water based, so after I use the buffer to put on, I just wash the car with soap and water to remove. Their buffer is one of the best on the market - it vibrates and spins slowly. There is no way you can burn/spiral your paint no matter how hard you press. One thing to note about the claybar (which Griot has great prices on) if you drop it - throw it away. It will pick up sand and dirt that you don't want to rub into your paint.
Car Care, Detail Supplies, Garage Organization, Car Accessories - Griot's Garage 800-345-5789