Ok i work nights and i’m very bored so here i go. Please remember when reading this that all i use is Autoglym products.
THIS INFORMATION IS TO BE USED AS A GUIDE AND I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSABLE FOR ANY PROBLEMS, CREATED BY PERFORMING THE FOLLOWING.
***Before you start ***
The underlying principle of successful car valeting is that we are trying to retrieve the original finish that was on the car when new.
We are not trying to disguise a poor finish with gimmicks that create the illusion of cleanliness. If the surface has been damaged by miss-use or the ravages of time then there are some ways in which the cosmetic effects of this damage can be minimised and the appearance enhanced.
Firstly, a word of caution. Do not be tempted to use household products on your car. They are designed for very different purposes and can cause harm and even danger when used on cars. Glass cleaners designed for household use, for instance, often contain elements that will cause smearing and consequent impairment of visibility. Washing-up liquids are also potentially harmful as they contain high levels of salt and heavy concentrations of detergent that will quickly remove wax polishes that have been so painstakingly applied the week before!
Neither do i recommend rotary brush attachments for your hose as they can scratch badly. An adjustable nozzle is a must, however.
Care of your sponge and leather is also important. Keep both rinsed out between washes and, if you drop either on the ground, stop and thoroughly wash in water (not in the bucket you are using) to remove any grit.
Finally, do not be tempted to use a broom to remove snow from your car as, again you will certainly scratch the paintwork.
The Engine Bay
Lets start with the messiest job. On a car that has covered a high mileage there can be a lot of road grime and oil deposits around.
Always work on a cold engine, for two reasons.
A hot engine will dry the detergent very quickly before it can do its job. More importantly, spraying water on to a hot engine can create condensation inside electrical components, which may affect running and, in extreme cases, cause electrical arcing.
THINK BEFORE YOU SPRAY
Modern engine bays are generally impervious to water but there are certain models and components that can be prone to problems. i.e. cars with deeply recessed plugholes or ignition components sited in areas liable to trap quantities of water. Also, older cars tend to need more care owing to poorer design and deterioration of the insulating materials.
Start of by wrapping components you are worried about in cling film. This includes car alarms, other aftermarket items, distributor caps and pancake air filters.
Application of Engine Cleaner should be thorough but not excessive. The idea is to coat every surface but not end up with the liquid running over the floor. Approach the engine bay from both sides in turn. Use a long handled brush to agitate the detergent in every area you can reach. Once the engine cleaner has been applied and agitated, hose off from the bottom working upwards.
The underside of the bonnet can also be treated. Older cars may have under bonnet felt that is brittle and crumbling. Either leave this or treat very gently using a low-pressure hose.
Mop up water collection in plugholes with kitchen roll, then apply Vinyl & Rubber Care in alight spray over the whole area. The engine bay will dry out with a sheen that makes hoses look new and paintwork clean.
Wheels and Tyres
Mud is the first enemy to attack. If your car is very muddy, hose off the worst of it before using any detergents. This will keep waste to a minimum.
Use Engine Cleaner around the arches and along the sills. This will remove dirt and road grime.
Shift stubborn mud under the arches with a piece of wood or a purpose-made spatula. Do not use anything metal or sharp, which may scratch the paint surface. Also, take care that there is no jagged metal to cut your hands when feeling under the arches.
Working on cold wheels only, spray Clean Wheels on to one wheel at a time, making sure you cover every part of the rim. Agitate with a Hi-Tech Wheel Brush and, before the fluid has a chance to dry, hose off thoroughly.
Remove any tar spots with Intensive Tar Remover.
Clean Wheels will not remove corrosion that has attacked wheels under the clear lacquer finish. Damage of this nature requires specialist attention.
With the wheel and tyre still wet, Instant Tyre Dressing can be sprayed over the whole surface and allowed to dry to a sheen.
Interior
All kinds of dust, fumes, smoke and dirt build up inside a car interior so that every single surface is affected. Periodically it needs a thorough clean. The object is to remove all the pollutants and reveal the original surfaces, not to cover them in something almost as bad. This way, the car will look like new again.
START WITH SOME SUCTION
To give your cleaning preparations a chance of working, the first job is to vacuum every part of the interior to remove surface dust, even if it looks clean. This includes carpets, seats, dashboard, headlining and rear shelf. Use a fairly stiff brush to bring the dust to the surface on cloth seats and carpets and a small, soft paintbrush for every little detail of the dashboard and other hard-to-get-at places.
A powerful suction cleaner with a small chisel-shaped nozzle is best but be careful that the tip does not damage plastic surfaces.
Remember, be a thorough as possible because any dust that you do not remove will be redistributed around the car during use. This particularly applies to seats and carpets. With the vacuuming completed and before starting the main cleaning, check for any bad oil or grease stains, chewing gum deposits and shoe scuff marks on lower door panels and treat these with Intensive Tar Remover. By using a cloth loaded with the fluid, most of these marks should just dissolve out.
THEN IT GETS WET
Having prepared the interior and removed dust and debris we are ready to shampoo all the surfaces. First, the headlining should be cleaned.
Sit in the back seat and, starting at the rear, do one quarter of the area at a time, overlapping by a couple of inches.
Spray the Car Interior Shampoo evenly and lightly over the first part of the headlining. Use a coarse damp sponge to gently ease the cleaning fluid across the whole area. Finally, wipe down with a clean wrung-out cloth. Bad soiling may need two applications.
When you do the front section and there is a sunroof, open the roof a couple of inches and clean the front edge. There will also be line of dirt here. Close the roof and finish off.
Before leaving the back seat, clean the back of the front seats, the back shelf and the side panels.
Next, the dashboard, door trims and centre console should be sprayed with shampoo, worked with a sponge and then wiped with a clean damp cloth to remove any residue. Pay special attention around the steering wheel and controls as dirt can build up in these areas.
Use a small paintbrush to get into every little crevice and heater vent, making sure every surface is thoroughly wetted. Take care around the dials not to use too much spray just in case it affects the electrics.
The carpets and cloth seats can be cleaned in the same way but using a brush instead of a sponge.
Badly soiled removable mats should be cleaned and then hosed while out of the car. Hang them to dry before replacing.
If you car has leather seats, they should still be cleaned first with Car Interior Shampoo using a sponge (never a brush as it may scratch) and then, once dry, Leather Care Cream can be worked into the surface to feed the leather and produce a soft sheen finish.
Scratched or badly scuffed interior surfaces may benefit from treatment using Vinyl & Rubber Care. Apply sparingly.
Body Wash
Before a sponge touches the bodywork, you must reduce the risk of scratching. The layer of mud and grit that has stuck to the body, particularly the lower regions, is highly abrasive and the act of rubbing with a sponge can cause serious long-term damage to the paintwork.
Spend time with a hose, using its most powerful jet, starting at sill level and working upwards to the roof. Concentrate on shifting as much mud as possible, firing the jet into all the crevices that defeat your sponge. End up thoroughly soaking the car by ‘raining’ the hose all over it using the sprinkler setting.
Now you can sponge the car with tepid (not hot) water and Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner.
Use long sweeping strokes and overlap so as not to miss any areas. Do not let the sponge get dry, frequently re-load it and keep plenty of water flowing at all times. Use a soft brush in all the crevices, around the bumpers etc.
Work down the car and try not to let the bodywork dry out before you rinse as this will cause streaking. Sponge no more than half the car before rinsing with the hose, starting from the bottom and moving upwards - and then back down again.
Remove surplus water with an Autoglym Hydra Flexi Blade (wipe the blade clean before you use it) and then us an Aqua Dry synthetic leather to remove the rest of the water.
Dry the door and boot shuts and prepare to polish the bodywork.
Polishing
I’m hoping that you should all have a nice clean car by now. But is it shiney. You may find that your paint is a bit dull owing to a number of possible reasons. General traffic film and oxidisation of the paint will affect the lustre, while constant bombardment by grit, dust and maybe carwash brushes will leave tiny scratches in the paintwork which also have the effect of dulling the shine.
By polishing the paintwork with super Resin Polish, the unwanted deposits are removed and replaced by a hard polymer surface, which fills the tiny imperfections making it shine like new.
If the paintwork has deteriorated too far or serious oxidisation has take place, it may be that Paint Renovator will be needed. This is mildly abrasive and only to be used if absolutely necessary as it will gradually remove the paint surface.
Before the polishing commences, treat the lower panels with Intensive Tar Remover Spray on panels and leave for a few minutes before wiping or hosing off. You can also use this to remove tree sap on the horizontal surfaces.
Once prepared, the polishing can commence. Load the dry Perfect Polishing Cloth with polish and smear on to the paintwork. Divide the panels up into manageable sections and work the cloth in circles before finally laying off in straight lines. This will ensure complete coverage and avoid patchy build-up.
Continue on to the next section, overlapping the first until you have completed the whole car. You do not need to rub hard but make sure you are thorough.
You should now have the whole car polished and ready for buffing to a shine. Super Resin Polish is particularly easy to remove, needing only a gentle action, however, it is best to polish a car in warm dry weather, avoiding both damp and very hot conditions. This will give the best and easiest results.
But, before you buff, we can attend to all the other areas while this layer of polish protects the paint.
This is the point to go round the whole car with Vinyl & Rubber Care(inside surface) and Bumper Care or Bumper Black (outside surfaces), cleaning all plastic bumpers and grilles and windscreen wiper arms (not blades).
Next, the windows. Generally, Fast Glass is any easy and quick route to a sparkling finish but when windows have been neglected, Car Glass Polish can be used. This is a cream and should be applied vigorously with a dry cloth. When dry, it buffs off easily leaving no residue or smearing.
Finishing Touches
You should now have a gleaming machine that bears little resemblance to the grubby car you had a few hours ago.
Before you finally put it away in the garage you would be wise to finish off.
Start the engine and make sure that there is no misfiring due to water ingress or condensation under the bonnet. Take if for a short drive to get rid of any water laying in crevices and cracks - these can be cleaned up with a leather on your return.
Spend a few minutes with a vacuum cleaner removing all traces of lint from polishing cloths inside the car.
Wipe all the door edges and make sure there is not residue from the polish in cracks, window rubbers, badges or grilles.
If you wish to maintain your polished finish for the maximum amount of time, a final treatment with Extra Gloss Protection will provide an extra tough barrier with a durable deep gloss.
Autofresh can be applied either now or during use to keep unpleasant odours at bay…
REMEMBER POWER AND EXTRA’S DON’T MEAN A THING IF YOUR CAR LOOKS CRAP.
Dave (I’m now back off to count the rabbit’s)