My current cars are none too pretty, but the B I bought new in '81 still has
the original paint, and it is deep and glossy. It's on its 4th owner, I see
him and the car frequently at car shows...he usually takes home a prize.
The point is, that for the 1st ten years of this cars life it was only
washed with Dawn (dish soap, not girlfriend), and never waxed! I used only
Meguires #5 (IIRC, it's been a long time and the products have changed their
#s) polishing compound. Never once did I wax it. I probably polished it
once a month (not in winter) and washed it weekly. The car was driven
regularly, if not daily, except winter.
I'm not suggesting that that is what one should do today, but it seemed to
work on this car.
I hope to get the A painted this winter, so I'll have begin to consider
paint care again...
Safety Fast!
Gordie Bird
62 MGA
67 BGT
>
> > Mer is quite popular in the UK, especially with the concourse
> > brigade it
> > seems, but I find it leaves white powdery traces in the
> > crevices of my less
> > than concourse but rust-free black-tulip roadster, and these
> > only seem to
> > appear over time several hours or days after polishing, so I
>
> This tends to be a problem with most waxes. It's something that most of
> the polymer sealants don't do, making life much easier.
>
> > the cloth. Turtle Wax does take a little off onto the cloth,
> > although I
> > have been using it two or three times a year for 12 years or
> > so and haven't
> > worn through yet, but is much easier to apply and polish off
> > and gives a
> > good deep shine. Washing is more important than polishing in
>
> If you're getting color on the cloth, it means that either your paint is
> chalking, or that the wax you're using has an abrasive.
>
> > the brush on the body, then rinsing off with the hose then
> > leathering off.
>
> There's no reason to use a leather chamois these days. Microfiber
> towels will soak up much more water, and are less likely to cause any
> scratching.
>
> > I never use a sponge and bucket as the sponge traps tiny particles to
> > scratch over your paint. I also never use a car shampoo and
> > especially not
> > washing-up liquid which can dull the surface, as they also
> > take off any
> > remaining polish. After thoroughly drying and before
>
> Nothing wrong with most car shampoos, nor with using a bucket, as it's a
> good way to get any grit released from the wash mitt. Definitely never
> use a sponge. The cotton chenielle mits are great, as they hold a lot
> of water, and any grit tends to be pulled up by the fibers. Ideally,
> you'll only make a single front-to-back pass before dunking in the
> bucket again.
>
> While in general, dishwashing detergent is a big no-no, Dawn liquid is
> excellent at getting the car to a good starting point. It will strip
> wax very well, but is alkaline and won't cause any damage to the paint.
> You obviously only want to do this when you're planning a full detail.
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