A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide

CrAzY dRiVeR · 3rd July 2007, 14:15

Thread is amazing!

Can anyone recommend any good product to clean leather seats?

Rudra Sen · 3rd July 2007, 14:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Can anyone recommend any good product to clean leather seats?

You get lot of makes in the market. Our home grown WAXPOL has also come up one. And it's good.

ported_head · 3rd July 2007, 14:22

Do those liquids that claim to de-mist/de-fog the glass during rains, do any good?

benbsb29 · 3rd July 2007, 14:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by swathyd

After monsoon there are stains on my adventure s' running board and doors, it has got black spots. I have tried all kinds of washing but all in vain. My cars colour is silver frost.

My car's been facing the same problem. Despite all my firm cleaning with a wet cloth during washing, they dont seem to go away.

I guess getting it washed at a service centre is the only way out.

abhilash_iv · 3rd July 2007, 14:54

At service centers they use diesel to remove those black tar stains. I have successfully used kerosene to remove those.
But I am afraid that doing so, will reduce the natural shining of the paint, and you may need to wax it after cleaning using diesel/kerosene.

Rudra Sen · 3rd July 2007, 15:01

Those small black spots are road tar and can be removed safely with kerosene. After using kerosene, wash that part with water and car shampoo. Get SONAX car shampoo from any popular auto acc shop.

swathyd · 3rd July 2007, 16:36

Thak you rudraji and fellow bhpians.

Akshay1234 · 3rd July 2007, 20:14

lovely article rudra. thanks alot.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 4th July 2007, 08:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

You get lot of makes in the market. Our home grown WAXPOL has also come up one. And it's good.

Thanks a lot sir.
Although i have two more questions.

I use Amway silicon glaze Auto polish on the car, and has been satisfied with it. But haven't seen any others using it.

Is it good enough?

Also, i used to use Amway car wash and that also was highly satisfactory. Now my bottle is almost over. Should i go in for Sonax instead?

saildrive · 4th July 2007, 15:23

Hi guys

I have noticed a couple of spots under my bonnet (XETA) which have caught rust. Anyway that can be avoided from increasing.

Also the wiper's rings and some hinges have got spots of rust on them. Would like to spot and cover them completely.

During the recent downpour in Mumbai (Saturday), the water seeped in through my car door and the carpet had soaked a lot of water....it literally took me 4 hours to squeeze & dry technique to clear the same. However on Monday morning I still saw the carpet oozing out some more water ..... the same happened on Tuesday.

What I have done thereafter is kept loads of newspapers and got them to soak the water from the carpet.... I think it will take me another couple of days to sort the carpet out.

What I need to know is:
1) What should be the immediate action after the carpet is soaked in water? What hazards could the car have post a downpour like this?
2) I have got to know that there willbe bad odour in the car from now on...what is the best way to avoid it?

AUTO_CRAZY · 5th July 2007, 21:07

How much ever you clean the floor carpet the water and the smell is very difficult to remove off. You can remove the carpet and dry it in shade , if you dry it in sun the carpet will change shape and become like papad!. And the odor is one big task. Most important is that the water between the carpet and the vehicle floor should be removed other wise it will lead to rusting . So if you are OK to spend a little bit more , you can change your floor carpet.

ported_head · 5th July 2007, 22:27

@saildrive: Go to Car Spa at Inorbit Mall parking lot in Goregaon. They will dry and clean your carpets, whilst still in the car, and charge you 300 bucks. It will take 1.5 hours though, so please plan your visit.

vivekiny2k · 9th July 2007, 19:08

should a new car immediately undergo a wax treatment?

are there any other things that can be considered? ( I was offered valuguard car protection for 700 odd dollars).

archat68 · 9th July 2007, 20:38

I also have a problem of wet carpet due to heavy rains in Kolkata. What I did is :
took a Scotch Brite sponge mop (the one used for cleaning kitchen slabs etc) - its very absorbent. squeezed out as much water as i can. removed the plastic moldings inside the car near the door that holds the carpet in place. lifted the carpets as much as possible. soaked the water underneath. then got my vacuum cleaner fitted inside the car in such way that it blows the hot air towards the wet areas. the outlet air of the vacuum cleaner is quite hot. run the vacuum cleaner whole day long with a gap of 15minutes after every 1 hour. my car is almost dry now thanks to the sunlight and my vacuum cleaner.
however if you have a wet/dry type vacuum cleaner - you can suck the water out with minimum effort - then you can fix a table fan inside the car while keeping the car in the sun. this will certainly help.

Ported_head wrote:
"@saildrive: Go to Car Spa at Inorbit Mall parking lot in Goregaon. They will dry and clean your carpets, whilst still in the car, and charge you 300 bucks. It will take 1.5 hours though, so please plan your visit."

Anyways is there any such facility in kolkata? Anybody knows? Also how much should it cost to replace all the door gaskets of a Zen?

_______
Arup

vivekiny2k · 13th July 2007, 23:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

should a new car immediately undergo a wax treatment?

are there any other things that can be considered? ( I was offered valuguard car protection for 700 odd dollars).

anyone???

i don't think new cars have any protective films on them. i have to get is as soon as i can, if required.

luckily i fall in extremely lucky types

. my other car is pathetic though (black).

3rd July 2007, 14:15	#76
CrAzY dRiVeR Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bangalore / TVM Posts: 18,043 Thanked: 79,124 Times View My Garage	Thread is amazing! Can anyone recommend any good product to clean leather seats?
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 14:22	#78
ported_head Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 2,381 Thanked: 21 Times	Do those liquids that claim to de-mist/de-fog the glass during rains, do any good?
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 14:54	#80
abhilash_iv BHPian Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kochi Posts: 222 Thanked: 19 Times View My Garage	At service centers they use diesel to remove those black tar stains. I have successfully used kerosene to remove those. But I am afraid that doing so, will reduce the natural shining of the paint, and you may need to wax it after cleaning using diesel/kerosene.
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 15:01	#81
Rudra Sen Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11,762 Thanked: 6,883 Times View My Garage	Those small black spots are road tar and can be removed safely with kerosene. After using kerosene, wash that part with water and car shampoo. Get SONAX car shampoo from any popular auto acc shop.
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 16:36	#82
swathyd BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: thiruvananthapuram Posts: 774 Thanked: 26 Times	Thak you rudraji and fellow bhpians.
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 20:14	#83
Akshay1234 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10,327 Thanked: 12,919 Times	lovely article rudra. thanks alot.
	() Thanks

4th July 2007, 15:23	#85
saildrive BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 185 Thanked: 57 Times	Hi guys I have noticed a couple of spots under my bonnet (XETA) which have caught rust. Anyway that can be avoided from increasing. Also the wiper's rings and some hinges have got spots of rust on them. Would like to spot and cover them completely. During the recent downpour in Mumbai (Saturday), the water seeped in through my car door and the carpet had soaked a lot of water....it literally took me 4 hours to squeeze & dry technique to clear the same. However on Monday morning I still saw the carpet oozing out some more water ..... the same happened on Tuesday. What I have done thereafter is kept loads of newspapers and got them to soak the water from the carpet.... I think it will take me another couple of days to sort the carpet out. What I need to know is: 1) What should be the immediate action after the carpet is soaked in water? What hazards could the car have post a downpour like this? 2) I have got to know that there willbe bad odour in the car from now on...what is the best way to avoid it?
	() Thanks

5th July 2007, 21:07	#86
AUTO_CRAZY BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 86 Thanked: 6 Times	How much ever you clean the floor carpet the water and the smell is very difficult to remove off. You can remove the carpet and dry it in shade , if you dry it in sun the carpet will change shape and become like papad!. And the odor is one big task. Most important is that the water between the carpet and the vehicle floor should be removed other wise it will lead to rusting . So if you are OK to spend a little bit more , you can change your floor carpet.
	() Thanks

5th July 2007, 22:27	#87
ported_head Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 2,381 Thanked: 21 Times	@saildrive: Go to Car Spa at Inorbit Mall parking lot in Goregaon. They will dry and clean your carpets, whilst still in the car, and charge you 300 bucks. It will take 1.5 hours though, so please plan your visit.
	() Thanks

9th July 2007, 19:08	#88
vivekiny2k Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: cincinnati, jabalpur,chennai Posts: 1,264 Thanked: 212 Times View My Garage	should a new car immediately undergo a wax treatment? are there any other things that can be considered? ( I was offered valuguard car protection for 700 odd dollars).
	() Thanks

9th July 2007, 20:38	#89
archat68 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Kolkata Posts: 905 Thanked: 642 Times	I also have a problem of wet carpet due to heavy rains in Kolkata. What I did is : took a Scotch Brite sponge mop (the one used for cleaning kitchen slabs etc) - its very absorbent. squeezed out as much water as i can. removed the plastic moldings inside the car near the door that holds the carpet in place. lifted the carpets as much as possible. soaked the water underneath. then got my vacuum cleaner fitted inside the car in such way that it blows the hot air towards the wet areas. the outlet air of the vacuum cleaner is quite hot. run the vacuum cleaner whole day long with a gap of 15minutes after every 1 hour. my car is almost dry now thanks to the sunlight and my vacuum cleaner. however if you have a wet/dry type vacuum cleaner - you can suck the water out with minimum effort - then you can fix a table fan inside the car while keeping the car in the sun. this will certainly help. Ported_head wrote: "@saildrive: Go to Car Spa at Inorbit Mall parking lot in Goregaon. They will dry and clean your carpets, whilst still in the car, and charge you 300 bucks. It will take 1.5 hours though, so please plan your visit." Anyways is there any such facility in kolkata? Anybody knows? Also how much should it cost to replace all the door gaskets of a Zen? _______ Arup
	() Thanks