[procrj]

Has anyone tried using distilled vinegar for cleaning alloys? Its a pain to clean out brake dust with water and while searching for solutions, I did see many posts on other auto forums about using distilled vinegar to clean brake dust from car alloys. Is this recommended for long term use?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by procrj

Has anyone tried using distilled vinegar for cleaning alloys? Its a pain to clean out brake dust with water and while searching for solutions, I did see many posts on other auto forums about using distilled vinegar to clean brake dust from car alloys. Is this recommended for long term use?

There are plenty of wheel cleaning solutions for e.g. https://www.amazon.in/Meguiars-G14324-Aluminum-Wheel-Cleaner/dp/B00QKI46UG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1503719403&sr=8-2&keywords=meguiars+wheel+cleaning

Give them a try. Makes the job much easier than using soap and water. Do not use vinegar as it is acidic.

[wishnipon]

I am confused between 3M interior foam cleaner and an all purpose cleaner for interior cleaning. While using a foam cleaner is more fun and easy, all detailing guides suggest an all purpose cleaner for thorough cleaning of the interior trim. Which one would be better?

[mithun]

I'm having hard water stains in my glasses. Used 3M glass cleaner, but in vain.

Is it safe to use vinegar + water mix to remove that stains?

[RajeVenu]

Originally Posted by mithun

I'm having hard water stains in my glasses. Used 3M glass cleaner, but in vain.

Is it safe to use vinegar + water mix to remove that stains?

Yes you can use it without any issues. I have been using 50% mix of white vinegar on my XUV for some time now very effective. I ensure it doesn’t touch the paint ( put a few drops on a cloth and wipe where stains are present) and use a wet cloth immediately afterwards to wipe off.

[Thilak29]

I've been exploring Wash and wax type of shampoos, is this effective ? Any recommendations fellow bhpians ?

[self_driven]

Hi members,
I have a 1.5 year old blue Yamaha R15 which has been through a very few DIY wash-wax sessions apart from a two or three washes at the service centre.

Off late, I have started to notice swirl marks on most areas (tank, fairing, visor and tail) and small scratches on the tank probably caused due to my jacket chain rubbing on it at times. These swirl marks were always there but with time, have started to show up pretty badly even under sunlight. If needed, I can upload photos of the paint condition. I am planning for a thorough detailing session at home and need to get detailing materials first.

As of now, I have a bottle of waterless wash and tyre shiner with me. Need to know if I need a rubbing compound, wax (paste or liquid?) or both to remove swirl marks, minor scratches and bring back some gloss. I am mostly concerned about plastic parts (90% of painted parts are plastic) and haven't used wax on them ever (use a very ineffective polish though).

PS. Want to keep the work short and crisp by limiting the number of things that go into this job. For a non-detailer guy like me, a warm gloss left by a wax treatment after wash is very close to "perfect".

[typlo]

Just purchased a Jopasu Duster from Amazon. This blew my mind. All these years and I've been cleaning the exteriors wrong. This product is amazing and takes 1/10th of the time it would otherwise take to clean the dry dust off for daily drives when using a cloth. Drastically reduces the need to wash the car too! No swirl marks either.

Still have an issue though: My windscreen/windows are fine in the day but hazy by the night with some glare too. I tried cleaning the outside but realised that the car wash guys applied polish on the inside of the windscreen/windows by accident/incompetence. Will take a bottle of window cleaner and report the results. Haven't had successful results with water and microfiber cloth.

EDIT: I found a similar post in another thread. HERE! (A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide)

[sharktale]

Probably is a re-post query, my apologies :

Both my cars, Skoda Octavia and Grand i10 need a good cleaner & conditioner for the seats.
The seats are leather in the Skoda, and leatherette (i believe, glorified fabric) in the Grand i10.

I have read multiple product reviews on this forum and otherwise. I would request you'll to advise on a reasonable priced cleaner which can clean the grime, and then later I'd move on to more expensive cleaners for routine maintenance.

can the 3M Interior Cleaner be applied on both leather and fabric surfaces?

[bhavik.1991]

I park my car in covered area. Should I use a car cover to protect it from dust?

A friend told me that car covers invite rats due to darker environment,would love to hear your thoughts/experience.

[boniver]

Originally Posted by bhavik.1991

I park my car in covered area. Should I use a car cover to protect it from dust?

A friend told me that car covers invite rats due to darker environment,would love to hear your thoughts/experience.

Let me answer this, since I'm kind of in a similar situation as you are. I've been parking at my current spot since November '18. I have the habit of checking the engine bay pretty often, and never came across any hint of a rat's entry into it.

Now, I don't have covered parking like you do. I park on the streets, and cleaning the car every time I take it out was becoming quite a task. Hence, in February 2019 I purchased a cover, and put it on the car. In the first week or March, I noticed food in the engine bay. A quick inspection revealed that a rat, or maybe multiple rats have been coming into the the the engine bay. The rats were killed using food laced with rat poison, the engine bay was cleaned, and for about two months, everything was fine. One day at the beginning of this month, I decided to put on the cover again, since I had planned to not take the car out that entire week. I looked into the engine bay last week, and again noticed food and rat poop.

So in my experience, yes, the car cover seems to have brought the rats to my car. This might just be a coincidence though.


Related threads:

1.

2 (Rat-proof Fencing as a solution for the rodent menace?).

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by typlo

Just purchased a Jopasu Duster from Amazon. This blew my mind. All these years and I've been cleaning the exteriors wrong. This product is amazing and takes 1/10th of the time it would otherwise take to clean the dry dust off for daily drives when using a cloth. Drastically reduces the need to wash the car too! No swirl marks either.

Still have an issue though: My windscreen/windows are fine in the day but hazy by the night with some glare too. I tried cleaning the outside but realised that the car wash guys applied polish on the inside of the windscreen/windows by accident/incompetence. Will take a bottle of window cleaner and report the results. Haven't had successful results with water and microfiber cloth.

EDIT: I found a similar post in another thread. HERE! (A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide)

The guy who cleans my car indeed also used a Jopasu duster and he was the one who recommended me the same. However for exterior he also uses Colin for cleaning by mixing it with water and diluting it. The cleaning happens in my office parking lot where water is scarce. But I do admit that there are to some extent swirl marks that are visible when you stand close but otherwise the Colin clean brings a good amount of shine in cars. My car is of course 12 years oldz but looks good even now.

[bhavik.1991]

Originally Posted by boniver

So in my experience, yes, the car cover seems to have brought the rats to my car. This might just be a coincidence though.


Related threads:

1.

2 (Rat-proof Fencing as a solution for the rodent menace?).

Thank you very much sharing. It can't be just a coincidence twice.
Will avoid the car cover as there is no comparison between the potential damage that can be done by rats and dust. Even if chances are slim, it must be avoided.

[Axe77]

oh man. how did i miss this thread. just what the doctor ordered. I like keeping my car clean and well maintained but I'm definitely in the KISS not the OCD camp. Will try to implement as many of these points as possible.

One big advantage is blessed to have covered dedicated parking spot at home and office free from any stagnant water or droppings issues.

[pcpranav]

I have a open parking, and sometimes dont use my car. I have instructed the watchman not to wash my car, as he used those dirty clothes creating many swirl marks, which looks very bad - I have black car !! Now, on the roof, there lot of bird dropping marks, which are not getting removed even after so many routine washings. Some small marks on bonnet area too. The paint surely has got some damage because of those bird poop.

One of the popular workshop guy told that even with detailed polishing, these marks may not go completely!!

any DIY I could try to remove those marks ? or any other pointer - polishing ? I surely dont want to spend big money. Please assist, thanks.

Hopefully, once the marks are removed to big extent, I have a thought of covering the roof and bonnet with some VFM vinyl wrap - easy of cleaning & less worry of paint damage. Inputs welcome.

thanks in advance.