[SAS]

Originally Posted by fine69

I don't have a foam applicator, would Turtle Wax's applicator do? I think that's made out of foam too. When you say I apply it and buff off once its dry, do I just put it or do I rub it against the paint also for sometime?

Your turtle wax foam applicator would work. Also any clean soft 100% cotton cloth would also work as well would a microfibre towel. You need to rub the polish onto the paint for a few minutes and "massage" the polish into the paint. Then let it dry for 15 minutes.

Then remove the polish from the paint with a clean microfibre towel or cotton cloth.

[fine69]

Polished my white swift today with Sonax Car Polish followed by 2 coats of Collinite 845. The end result was not out of the world to be honest and whatever little swirls existed were there even after the complete job but the paint now has a wet look to it and definitely shinier than before.

Best part was when I trying to put on the car cover. It was only a little windy and the cover was just sliding all over the paint surface. I managed to put it on somehow and knew what was in store when I pulled out the 2nd cover, the cover underneath slid like anything. It took me good 10 mins to put on both the covers and usually I secure it only at the front and back but this time I had to secure the sides also as I knew that it wouldn't hold on to the surface and would come off on either of the sides.

Sonax polish is good and mildly abrasive also as I could see the bumpers come out white from their usual creamish/yellowish self.

I applied the polish after dampening a small microfiber and followed similar approach for collinite also. The microfiber turned a little grey when I was polishing the roof, door, bonnet & boot but turned black when I started polishing the bumpers. The glaze was somewhat equivalent to Amway's Silicone Glaze but this polish cleans the surface also unlike Amway's.

I'd recommend this polish for people on budget.

What all I used -
1. Wash mitt
2. 2 small microfibers
3. 4 big microfibers
4. Amway's Car Shampoo
5. Sonax Car Polish
6. Collinite 845

Good part about collinite 845 is that its extremely easy to apply and putting a thin layer is also easier when compared to other waxes.

Total time taken - 4 hours (includes interior cleaning, washing, polishing, waxing)

EDIT: For people who plan on using collinite 845, please keep in mind that it provides good insulation to your car and doesn't come off that quick even after shampooing. So give your car a good claying/polishing/compound treatment, apply 2 coats of collinite 845 and next time onwards you'd only need to shampoo your car and just top it up with collinite 845 again. However, ensure that the shampoo content isn't high and is diluted than usual. Stains/spots would come off easily even with diluted shampoo unlike how it doesn't come off easily when directly on paint surface.

[rambo1o1]

Hey guys i dont know if this is the right place to post my query but i couldn't find an appropriate thread.
I want to know what to use to remove tar marks(i guess its tar?) on my car? Their small black colour spots, difficult to remove . Leaves a stain if the body is wet and you use your nail or something hard to remove it.I have been told to use turpentine by a road side mechanic but need your help!
I use regular formula 1 car shampoo when washing, doesn't remove any spots!

Mods please shift to appropriate thread if needed.

Thanks!

[sriturl]

Originally Posted by rambo1o1

Hey guys i dont know if this is the right place to post my query but i couldn't find an appropriate thread.
I want to know what to use to remove tar marks(i guess its tar?) on my car? Their small black colour spots, difficult to remove . Leaves a stain if the body is wet and you use your nail or something hard to remove it.I have been told to use turpentine by a road side mechanic but need your help!
I use regular formula 1 car shampoo when washing, doesn't remove any spots!

Mods please shift to appropriate thread if needed.

Thanks!

It should be tar. You can clean with a little bit of diesel, followed by shampoo. I tried, and works fine.
Make sure that you are not using diesel on plastic parts where there is no paint.(like unpainted parts of bumper)

[basky]

Originally Posted by rambo1o1

I want to know what to use to remove tar marks on my car? Their small black colour spots, difficult to remove . Leaves a stain if the body is wet and you use your nail or something hard to remove it. I have been told to use turpentine by a road side mechanic.
I use regular formula 1 car shampoo when washing, doesn't remove any spots!

Tar Spots are one of the principal enemies of paintwork. The others are bird droppings, tree sap and diesel particulate. There are tar spot removers in the market. SWARTWAX has a Degreaser which is very effective. But good old diesel applied with clean white cotton waste will remove it with some gentle rubbing. Make sure that all this is done in the shade.

Follow up with a good shampoo wash to rid the car of all residue of paint dust, tar and the diesel. If you choose Diesel, this is not a two bucket job - you will need water. At this stage, your car will be fully prepared with the paint clean but totally unprotected.

Dry the car and follow through with a full detail - clay, polish, seal & wax at the minimum. If you are not prepared for that, just use a wax to finish off for the basic protection.
Use the best products you can afford and available in your town. Best of luck

[rambo1o1]

Thanks nirmaljusdoit. I think i will go with the clay bar method. It seems safe and quite easy to do. Dont like the idea about using solvents like diesel,tinner on the car but have seen my friends use it on their brand new cars without any use of wax or paint sealant ect but has no side effects!

[nirmaljusdoit]

Originally Posted by rambo1o1

Hey guys i dont know if this is the right place to post my query but i couldn't find an appropriate thread.
I want to know what to use to remove tar marks(i guess its tar?) on my car? Their small black colour spots, difficult to remove . Leaves a stain if the body is wet and you use your nail or something hard to remove it.I have been told to use turpentine by a road side mechanic but need your help!
I use regular formula 1 car shampoo when washing, doesn't remove any spots!

Mods please shift to appropriate thread if needed.

Thanks!

These are quite normal in the course of driving & are pretty easy to remove. Remember - use the least aggressive method to get the job done.

A clay bar is the safest way to remove bonded surface contaminants like tar, brake dust, etc. Google it, you will get more details on how detailing clay works & how you can get one in India. I suggest you buy a kit which contains a clay bar, clay lube & a proper micro fiber cloth. Its really easy & the safest way to make your surface clean !

What is your level of desired finish post that, you can clay the entire body & protect it with a good quality wax like Collinite 845. Your car will need it due to the fact that you stay in Goa

Formula 1 is an average product, and what you will achieve will be average too. Get some better shampoo brands like Meguiars, Mothers, Sonax, Optimum etc.

Do not use diesel/petrol/kerosene/thinner/degreasers on paint directly. Without proper guidance, there is a chance of causing marring which will need an additional step of compounding/polishing to remove !

[S_U_N]

@rambo: I will make it easy for you. Just get this CALIFORNIA GOLD CLAY BAR SYSTEM

That should remove all your tar spots. Another option is to get tar/ bug remover product. These products contain kerosene along with some other chemicals. It sort of helps loosen up the tar to a certain extent if you allow the solution to remain for a few minutes.
That combined with clay should help.

I have observed, that diluted shampoo + water is a cheap and decent alternative to lubricant. It is equally effective in the claying process and I might keep using diluted shampoo now on.

Last evening I was trying to get tar off my alloys and realized that a screw-driver is the fastest (though slightly risky) way to get rid of tar. So a combination of screwdriver, tar remover and clay kit, toothbrush along with soapy water and many cloth pieces was used. It took a couple of hours for four alloys.

Remember the alloys are five years and 1 lac kilometers old. There are scratches which may require a different solution.
Front Right

Rear Right

Front Left

Rear Left


Applied a coat of Collinite, though that did not seem to add any more luster. Let's see how easy it would be to clean them again in the future.

[k_ajay]

Has anyone recently checked the website bringingbest.com? I was just checking their website to see any updates on their 'coming soon' products page, and I found this new link.

BB Gold Rewards

A rewards program that looks beneficial to folks who order often from BB.com. Nice, I think it's a first initiative for any online car care retailer in India.. What's cool is that the free gift based on reward points collected, also ships for free.

The products on their 'coming soon' page look interesting. Also they now have a product called Forever Black, which I've read in international auto car care forums, as a well established product.

Disclaimer: this is not an ad for BB.com. I'm just sharing what I just noticed on the website.

[basky]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Last evening I was trying to get tar off my alloys and realized that a screw-driver is the fastest (though slightly risky) way to get rid of tar.

What next?

Clay is fine but it is tough going. We dont have small tar spots. The lower parts of cars are often splattered with low melting point, low quality tar we have on our roads. Trust me - your clay will be ruined fast. Get rid of the tar with the best solvent available and then clay and finish it. Best possible way forward.

[S_U_N]

In my case the quantity of tar on alloys was too much for a clay bar to work over it. The alloys were never cleaned since I got the car. The screwdriver method did not introduce any visible scratches and could easily dislodge the tar. After that it was easy for the clay bar to pick up the remaining bits.
I would not use a a screwdriver on paint though since paint can easily get scratched

[basky]

Wheels & Arches

Getting the Wheels and arches clean is a painful process but if you have the tools, it becomes easier. The overall effect of a good cleaning is simply dramatic.



A useful tool is the Hydraulic lift, Garage Jack, trolley jack or whatever other name it is referred to at different places. A bottle jack should do. If nothing else is available, use a scissor jack.



My hydraulic trolley jack is quite large and it is difficult to take it under a low slung car. A large block of solid rubber is used at the lift point to prevent any damage to the 'running board'



The most useful workhorse is the jack stand. It has many regional names but it does its job well - keeps the car off the ground without the wheels.



The wheel spanner comes next. The car should have one. Just make sure that you upgrade it if you choose to change your wheels to alloys. The advantage of using T Bars and lock on box spanners is that you can get extension pieces which effectively makes sure that the bar does not damage the alloy wheels.



Too often, the wheel nuts are over-tight and jammed. The easiest way out is a long pipe to increase the leverage slowly and gently till the nut is released. Once free, use WD40 or equivalent to keep it free. NEVER, Never use the pipe to icrease leverage to tighten the wheel nut.



How to lift safely using a jack and a block of rubber. Please do not use this technique unless you have a large lifting surface on the jack.



With the car off the ground and the weight transferred to the Jack stand, remove the wheels. This sequence of putting the jack stand in place before removing the wheel is the safe way.



I have 2 pressure washers and I prefer the Karcher as it is more versatile.



With all four wheels off the ground, access is very good to do a very effective cleaning job.



A comparison: Before and After



The outer and inside of a wheel prior to the wash.

The wheel being washed. No tar remains as it was all removed with a Degreaser and gentle rubbing with an old Microfiber.

Washing down is labour intensive and it helps if there is a good regular supply of snacks and iced tea.

This is just how I do it. If you do it differently, just as well. There are no real hard and fast Gospel on cleaning your car. The important thing is that you enjoy it and pray that your family shows enough consideration in not dirtying at the first opportunity.



The tyres before.



Scrubbed clean.

[nitrous]

Once free, use WD40 or equivalent to keep it free.

You do not wanna do that. wheel fasteners shouldn't be too lubricated. I'm sure you know why.

Plus, basky, Its not too clear from the pics, but have you jacked the car up on its anti roll bar with the jackstands??

[basky]

Originally Posted by nitrous

You do not wanna do that. wheel fasteners shouldn't be too lubricated. I'm sure you know why.

Our road conditions here are quite different and threads fill up with very adherent muck including brake dust. Spray WD40 on it and blast off everything with the pressure washer. Only a clean surface remains. No trace of the solvent remains.

Originally Posted by nitrous

Plus, basky, Its not too clear from the pics, but have you jacked the car up on its anti roll bar with the jackstands??

Ans:No

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by basky

Wheels & Arches

Getting the Wheels and arches clean is a painful process but if you have the tools, it becomes easier. The overall effect of a good cleaning is simply dramatic.

Well you just made my day. Even I have a Vento TDi Highline pearl black. I'm also planning to clean the wheel and arches like you have done on all 4, coming Sunday.

The thing is I would be doing one at a time using the jack provided by VW to lift the tyre, remove it and clean the wheel well and put the tyre back again.
Did you get it done from some car washing shop or have you done it yourself?
Did you even wash the engine bay? Did you even remove the under hood cover which is provided in TDi?

What are your suggestion as I would be doing it all by myself? Any special agent used for agitating the brake dust to clean the alloys?
Thanks in advance,
El.