A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide

[mithun]

Is it a wise option to use scratch removers like Formula 1 Scratch Out to remove scratches and haze ?

And will the final result be better than the rubbing compounds available in the market OR is these scratch removers a mere eyewash ?

[moralfibre]

Hi Rudra,

Thats an excellent article for car care.

Just a few additions

Tyres should be scrubbed with detergent (at least once a week). Apply tyre shine after that if you wish. To remove shine and have that matte-black finish, wait for half an hour and wipe it with a dry cloth or cotton waste. If you like your tyres to shine, leave it as is after applying.

Additionally do not use shoe polish or any other sorts of chemicals which are not specific to tyre polish. You may probably damage the construction of your tyre rubber. Use ONLY tyre polishes to shine the rubber. Someone on the forum tried Hit cockroach spray to make tyres shine. While this may show visibly pleasant effects on your tyres they may end up ruining your tyres.

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

The Professional Car Care Centre, 19, Shreejee Indl Estate,
Shubash Road, Jogeshwari (E), Mumbai-60
Tel: 28323162, 55703781, 9821095545
The Professional Car Care Centre This is the place for Turtle Wax product range

The new address is:
D-19, Shivdarshan Co-op. Soc., S.V. P. Nagar, Mhada,
Off Four Bunglows, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053
Tel: 022-20634684 / 26365094 / 26365095

Regards,
Kiran

[goldsun]

Very nice article.

I am the one of the lot who does care for the car aesthetics. Even my wife tried to convince me few times to defer the daily wiping. But for me, taking the car out without wiping is like "going out wearing dirty dresses".

[Rudra Sen]

moralfibre, thanks lot. I've changed that.

mithun, it works if scratches are small. I think by saying haze you mean swirl marks. Proper treatment is to take the car to a professional car care center as mentioned above or if you have 3M service available there.

[mithun]

I think that cleaning and applying tyre polish is a waste of time & money since tyres will look dirty after less than one KM. The only tyre care needed is to make sure that the tyre is free from sharp objects, deformities and also make it a habit to check the tyre pressure every 10 days atleast.

The only use of tyre polish is that it will make tyres look gorgeous !!!

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by mithun

The only use of tyre polish is that it will make tyres look gorgeous !!!

I thought the tyre polishes have some ingredients which help keeping the rubber in good shape.

[Vid6639]

yes it prevents the rubber from drying and cracking. the contact patch generally always is in contact with the road whereas the sidewall will always be gathering dust and drying up.

tyre polish keeps the tyre moist types.

[navdeep]

Nice writeup but ..

Tyre polish still seems debatable : Why and which ?

[Raajiv]

Originally Posted by vid6639

yes it prevents the rubber from drying and cracking. the contact patch generally always is in contact with the road whereas the sidewall will always be gathering dust and drying up.

tyre polish keeps the tyre moist types.

vid,

IMHO moist makes it more prone to dust right?So some more time in cleaning the tyres.

[Vid6639]

nope it usually doesnt look oily at all. If you buy a decent brand like armorall youll notice that it doesnt shine the tyres. It gives a deeper black finish to it and doesnt allow any dust to settle on it. not only that even water just flows off the sidewall.

I put armorall once a month and theres no dust accumulation at all. I just wipe the tyres with a cloth while washing once a week and its back to shiny black. The heat actually dries up the tyres and over time cracks will develop. this prevents that.

[speed0mania]

are spray and gel wax polishes as good as normal wax?? they certainly seem easier to use!!

[GTO]

are spray and gel wax polishes as good as normal wax?? they certainly seem easier to use!!

I have not found these to be as effective as regular wax. Also, their effects seem to last shorter.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by navdeep

Nice writeup but ..

Tyre polish still seems debatable : Why and which ?

Am using STP SON OF A GUN.Just spray the foam on the tyre sidewall and watch the shine appear after sometime.

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by GTO

I have not found these to be as effective as regular wax. Also, their effects seem to last shorter.

100% agreement. Guys, don't take short cut route. Use regular wax only.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by speed0mania

are spray and gel wax polishes as good as normal wax?? they certainly seem easier to use!!

I use a gel polish on and off just because i have a few bottles of them apart from regular wax polish. Just to finish them off , i am using them currently and i agree the shine aint comparable to good old wax polish