Team-BHP - A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide

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Originally Posted by sudipta (Post 2756631)

Some pictures taken today. I was not able to capture the close paint details. Let me know if there is a specific way that I need to take the pictures.

Can we see a picture with the camera close to a panel eg. put the camera atop the bonnet & take a picture of the paint sheen on the bonnet.
I would also like to see the paint for any swirl marks. Flash a light on the paint or better take it out in daylight and let the sun flash the paint to check the reflectance.

Hi guys, how do you clean/wash your Jopasu duster? I've had mine for about a month now, and I use it every morning to dust my car. I think the duster is saturated with dust now.

Also, does anyone know what has happened to Carpolish.in? They are not reachable via phone, and their website has nothing to offer. It has been this way for over a week. I couldn't find anything on their Ebay store either. Need a refill of Optimum Opti Clean, and its about a hundred and twenty costlier on EBay from another seller.

I was also thinking of getting a Quixx Scratch Remover -- I've heard its good. Has anyone here used it?

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Originally Posted by darthvader (Post 2758379)

Hi guys, how do you clean/wash your Jopasu duster? I've had mine for about a month now, and I use it every morning to dust my car. I think the duster is saturated with dust now.

Prepare a bucket full of water + mild detergent mix. Leave the duster in it overnight. Squeeze the threads softly to remove water. Dry in shade. Once it's dry, shake to separate the threads in case they are stuck to each other. Done.

Cheers,
Vikram

Quote:

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb (Post 2758431)

I use half a small spoonful of whatever is handy - Nirma, Surf, Sunsilk shampoo etc - in 1 bucket of water. :) But Ezee should be good too. Only thing to keep in mind is that the water + detergent mix shouldn't be too concentrated.

Cheers,
Vikram

Don't use fabric softeners like Ezee on MF cloths. Use any of the mild detergents like hand wash soap or amway sa8 etc.

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Originally Posted by icecoolsam (Post 2758645)

Don't use fabric softeners like Ezee on MF cloths. Use any of the mild detergents like hand wash soap or amway sa8 etc.

Ezee was recommended by Sanjay (of Bringing Best, where I got the Eurow MF from). It seems to have worked well on the two occasions that I did wash MF with. Why do you disagree?

By the way, I did try hand wash soap (though not Amway SA8), and it did not work. Kanpur dirt is very stubborn :)

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Ezee was recommended by Sanjay (of Bringing Best, where I got the Eurow MF from). It seems to have worked well on the two occasions that I did wash MF with. Why do you disagree?

If it contains fabric softener*, then that would be because manufacturers of microfibre cloths warn, often on the packet, that fabric softener destroys the effectiveness.

Otherwise, as I posted recently, don't treat microfibre as delicate, it isn't. This is not silk or wool, it is a tough synthetic fibre.

I just chuck my mf cloths in the pile, and they get washed by the maid. I guess she uses Pril, or some other solid washing soap. This goes for the household cloths as well as the car cloths.

This from the e-cloths site:

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You can wash as low as 30 degrees C, but most e-cloths can be machine washed at 90°C or boil washed. There are exceptions and all cloths have washing instructions on the label, except for certain lightweight cloths where the cloth’s smear-free performance would be affected by the addition of a stitched edge and label.
For all cloths:

A thorough rinse is often enough for day-to-day use.
To ensure e-cloths perform at their best, we recommend machine washing, using a small amount of washing powder.
Tumble or hang dry.
DO NOT use bleach or conditioner. Bleach breaks down the fibres and conditioners will block them.
Colour may run - initial washes must be separate at 60c.

Notes:
If fabric conditioner is used by mistake, rewash with a little detergent.
As cloths age, some staining will not come out. Some types of dirt contain a pigment which stains any cloth. If the cloth has been washed properly, it will actually be clean. Repeated washes will gradually reduce marks.
Whilst a standard bleach will damage tea towels and cloths, you can use a natural bleach, such as Ecover.

Hey, even I didn't know you can boil them!

E-cloths make very expensive microfibre stuff. Whilst I suspect that all microfibre care would be much the same, if your cloth has a wash label that says anything different, then please take its word for it, not mine! :)

*it does, I checked their site.

Using normal detergents like Surf, Ariel etc is a sure shot way of destroying your microfiber towels. The powder in them destroy the threads and the weaves over time.

What i recommend from experience is using a proper liquid detergent to wash your MF's. A good brand is Amway SA8.

If you have stubborn stains, like brake dust, grease etc , soak them overnight in a higher concentrated solution. Lightly rub them together with water added the next day and exclusively wash well. Do not wash along with cotton as fibres from cotton will get stuck in the MF fibres and when you are wiping the glass etc, they will get deposited.

Quote:

Originally Posted by darthvader (Post 2758379)

Hi guys, how do you clean/wash your Jopasu duster? I've had mine for about a month now, and I use it every morning to dust my car. I think the duster is saturated with dust now.

I used this and results are satisfactory as per my expectations. Just another option -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ml#post2568851

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Originally Posted by darthvader (Post 2758797)

Kanpur dirt is very stubborn :)

Most of India have this same problem. Please share, what is so unique about Kanpur dirt. :)

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Originally Posted by torquecurve (Post 2759225)

...EZee AFAIK does not have fabric softener, rather it is a very mild soap.

It is on the Godrej/Ezee site. Honest!

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Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit (Post 2759240)

Using normal detergents like Surf, Ariel etc is a sure shot way of destroying your microfiber towels. The powder in them destroy the threads and the weaves over time.

Do they destroy your clothes? Do they put something abrasive in the Indian formulations? I know this (and so might you, of course, if you have lived abroad): the stuff sold under same brand names in UK is vastly better at getting clothes clean than the stuff sold here, so nothing would surprise me.

PS... just read this on that same Ezee site, so, according to those guys, it might be Soda doing the damage.

Yes, it could be the soda in it along with some abrasives. That must be doing the damage.

I have tried washing MF's using the normal detergents and then using Amway SA8. The normal detergents turned the MFs unusable within 15 washes. (rough and thin) There is simply nothing like SA 8. Some of my MFs have been through 150 + washes and still are alive and well, though not being used on paint but on glass, tires, interior etc.

I have found almost all the brands to be equally bad - Surf, Ariel, Henkel etc.

I am looking for some expert advice on how often should the car be washed during monsoon rains . I have been following the jopasu plus ONR routine so far but the recent rains in Bangalore has left my White Vento completely muddy. I washed the car using two bucket method yesterday and it took almost close to 45 minutes for a complete wash and dry with MF. Now I am back to square one today and the car is in same state and no energy left to even look at it.

Is it ok to let the car take all the abuse and then wash it just once a week even if it rains daily ?

Please let me know some innovative ways if there are any which can save some time spent on keeping the car in good shape for next couple of months .

I think I would be forced to hire a car cleaner unless there is some shorter way out.