[Wall-e]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Sometimes I would go out and spray shampoo

Thought of it.but dropped the idea coz had to completely drench in the rain to do that.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Also if possible do get hold of a Karcher Water Filter, as you did be surprised by the dirt it filters out at the end of the wash. As I got my Karcher and related accessories from OZ, I'm not aware whether these be available in India.

Got a water filter for my Bosch, but got it on a visit to UK, as the Bosch people here did not know anything about it.

Whilst we have an RO machine for the kitchen, I have always been concerned about the amount of muck in the water generally. We got a filter installed between the pump and the overhead tank. Nothing fancy, it is not going to take out micro-organisms, but it is going to remove dust and grit, which means the water coming out the taps is much cleaner. Good for us, good for the car

[rsjaurr]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Even I have a water tap 15 feet from my car but attaching a pipe to the tap is a herculean task. Reason being the very high back pressure from Karcher.

You can attach that water carrying pipe to a tap permanently as I have done that...just attach the other end to washer and you are ready to wash your car.Ideally washer should also be attach permanently to this other end of pipe but then we have the risk of someone of 'grabbing' it for free.

Folks looking for basic pressure washer can also look for Bosch aquatak 100 plus washer...I have been using it for about 2 months and Car wash was never so much easier and fun.Infact just aqutak 100 w/o plus is also good buy as this will not have fixed brush which we will never use,roto lance again I never used it so far and 3.5m hose instaed of 5m hose for 100 plus model.I got 100 plus for about 8400 with bill...online its more expensive.

[funkyp]

Had spotted a lot of tar marks on the car during the last week detailing session. ONR or collinite wasn't able to get rid of them. Was suggested using wd40 and decided to try it out.

It works like a charm. Spray on the tar, wait for a few seconds, wipe off with mf cloth. It's that simple!! The marks are all gone. Post using wd40 I went on to clean with ONR wash and waxing session. The car is all shiny now

[Thad E Ginathom]

Just a reminder to pressure-washer guys that those things are powerful enough to do damage. Never use a full-power jet. Always use the low-power alternative, eg a fan jet on full width.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by rsjaurr

You can attach that water carrying pipe to a tap permanently as I have done that...just attach the other end to washer and you are ready to wash your car.Ideally washer should also be attach permanently to this other end of pipe but then we have the risk of someone of 'grabbing' it for free.

Folks looking for basic pressure washer can also look for Bosch aquatak 100 plus washer...I have been using it for about 2 months and Car wash was never so much easier and fun.Infact just aqutak 100 w/o plus is also good buy as this will not have fixed brush which we will never use,roto lance again I never used it so far and 3.5m hose instaed of 5m hose for 100 plus model.I got 100 plus for about 8400 with bill...online its more expensive.

+1

Bosch Aquatak 100 plus is an awesome piece of equipment that is a must for PROPER car wash! I am using 100 plus for the past 4 years and its the most versatile thing i have used .It can clean practically everything.I Dont know why people are saying that Karchar is better compared to Aquatak et al. I have found aquatak extremely reliable too and more VFM than Karcher.I dont understand people buying karchar from abroad when they can get a similar one here ! There are some tips which must be followed to keep the equipment motor in top notch condition.Thats all

Just make sure you have a proper 3/4 inch clip in adapter and your done! I just love my aquatak! Its given me trouble free service for all these years!

[funkyp]

The torrential downpour yesterday brought back the earlier problem I had about cleaning the car. After the rains I had gone down to see the car and was happy to see the water beading all over the car. I had waxed it only on Saturday.

However, today when I took it out, the water had dried off leaving spots on the roof. A quick swipe of the jopasu took away the dust, but the water marks stayed. Is the only option I have now is a car wash or is there a quick fix. Worry being, if it rains regularly, I wouldn't have time to wash the car daily. Can at the most do it once a week.

[arup.misra]

Originally Posted by funkyp

quick swipe of the jopasu took away the dust, but the water marks stayed. Is the only option I have now is a car wash or is there a quick fix. Worry being, if it rains regularly, I wouldn't have time to wash the car daily. Can at the most do it once a week.

After getting a rain bath even after drying avoid using the jopasu duster. I have observed that even though the beading gets rid of most of the water there are always some amount of moisture present which when swiped with jopasu spreads the muck from the duster onto the car surface. I suggest not to swipe with the duster until you've had a chance to wash the car again

[AvonA7]

Originally Posted by funkyp

The torrential downpour yesterday brought back the earlier problem I had about cleaning the car. After the rains I had gone down to see the car and was happy to see the water beading all over the car. I had waxed it only on Saturday.

However, today when I took it out, the water had dried off leaving spots on the roof. A quick swipe of the jopasu took away the dust, but the water marks stayed. Is the only option I have now is a car wash or is there a quick fix. Worry being, if it rains regularly, I wouldn't have time to wash the car daily. Can at the most do it once a week.

Jopasu duster works best when used on dry surface and when the duster is not cleaned with any soap/detergent/car shampoo.

As you already have waxed the car only few days ago, better clean the car or those water marks surface with a wet m/f cloth.

Follow it up with a chamois and/or dry m/f. If waxed properly (I'm sure you have done it), the water marks would go away in a matter of few seconds. After all, that's what the advantage of waxing the car.

Noticed that when the car surface have lots of dirt or a thin layer of dirt and it rains then this issue arises. Though not possible always, at least when possible better to use Jopasu duster once to remove dust before driving when there is a layer of dust on the car. It helps avoid these kind of issues.

[HighOctane]

Originally Posted by funky

today when I took it out, the water had dried off leaving spots on the roof. A quick swipe of the jopasu took away the dust, but the water marks stayed. Is the only option I have now is a car wash or is there a quick fix. Worry being, if it rains regularly, I wouldn't have time to wash the car daily. Can at the most do it once a week.

Get a Spray Can which can hold 1 liter of water. Add 4ml of Optimum no rinse and spray all over the car, then wipe with MF cloth. The water spots will disappear and will retain the shine, all in just 10 minutes.

[ThinkBig]

Just wanted to let fellow bhpians know that my car will complete 2 years after a total scrap down paint job next month. Just felt like sharing with those members who would like to see the look when the painting was just done (1/11/2010) and yesterday (4/10/2012). They can get really inspired like how I am, that some TLC goes a long way. It has gone through 2 monsoons, loads of bird **** (pigeons nesting on the air cons above, open parked hence tree fallout etc.

I am open to discussion with other fellow bhpians on the knowledge of keeping their cars in better than showroom condition. By the way the car was not painted by a dealership but by someone who owned a paint booth.

Nearly 2 years after and the next photo when it came back from the paint booth. I got fed up of the New Warm silver colour of the Honda City after using the car for 6 years and converted it to the Cuperite brown colour nearly matching the 'E' Class Merc. The car is now going to be completing 8 years on the road.

[HighOctane]

Originally Posted by ThinkBig

By the way the car was not painted by a dealership but by someone who owned a paint booth.

Very nice paint job, the finishing looks better than factory finish. Is this photo taken after 2years of repainting ? If so, really well maintained by you even though parked in open space.

Also please share how you maintain with regards to washing, polishing and waxing.

[arup.misra]

Originally Posted by ThinkBig

It has gone through 2 monsoons, loads of bird **** (pigeons nesting on the air cons above, open parked hence tree fallout etc.

Nice shade and good looking alloys too. Why don't you use a cover to keep off the bird droppings?

[ThinkBig]

Originally Posted by HighOctane

Very nice paint job, the finishing looks better than factory finish. Is this photo taken after 2years of repainting ? If so, really well maintained by you even though parked in open space.

Also please share how you maintain with regards to washing, polishing and waxing.

HighOctone, the car was repainted (scrap down painted) on November 1st, 2010. The first photo was taken yesterday i.e. 4.10.2012.

As regards to maintaining the finish, well I do not use the Jopasu Duster but a California duster. Never use a dry cloth to wipe down. I use a 2 bucket wash. Using plush microfibre cloths. One drenched and the other squeezed tightly so that it has capacity to absorb the residual water. As I prefer sealants I can use an alkaline dish washing soap without affecting the gloss. The frequency would depend on my highway driving. If outstation trips are more then I prefer doing an alkaline wash to remove the sticky diesel fumes on the vehicle.

I did try waxing with Collinite products (tried all 3), but stopped because of the dust attraction. I am more in favour of using sealants rather than waxes. The polishes I liked are those which dust less. I find 3M polishes dusting too much. Menzerna products are really good. But generally one has to decide on the machine/pads depending on the hardness of paint. I got my car painted with high gloss clear using Glasurite paint (Audi uses these paints).

Originally Posted by arup.misra

Nice shade and good looking alloys too. Why don't you use a cover to keep off the bird droppings?

Arup, you are quite right. Majority of us do not have a closed garage. I finally had 2 covers made. One a cotton flannel one, and on top of which I put the waterproof one. The alloys are Lenso. They too are treated with a sealant so I can just clean them with water and not any wheel cleaner or acidic product. You will notice that when the car came back the lenso cap covers were missing, I then later on had the wheel covers also painted with the same paint. Gives me a good co-ordinated feel.

Now the only headache I have is cleaning the silver waterproof covers but it is still worth the trouble.

Note from the Team-BHP Support: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the same thread.

[NOTORIOUS]

@ThinkBIg : Dear Sir , The car looks Smashing !!!


Can You List Out The Various Products Used And Different Steps Involved , And is menzerna available locally ???