14th Dec 2015, 14:19
I show my cars and use microfiber cloths, no rags. I use paper towels only on the glass. I like Invisible Glass cleaner. I use absolutely no silicone based products in my car. On my tires, no silicone to accelerate dry rot. I buy most all my products from US Auto Supply in Philadelphia. They have an online site. I drive Corvettes, but the same applies here. I don't spray water ever in the engine compartment. You can do serious electrical damage. I even use all gel batteries vs liquid acid types to leak perhaps into the computer.
Cleaning wheels has to be the least pleasant of all. I do not buy acid based wheel sprays, and putting a high quality cover over the car including separate wheel covers in a garage saves a lot of prep work. Staying out of car washes is not a bad idea with harsh soaps. I know a lot of guys worse than me on cleaning. They have lifts at home and clean the undercarriage. If it's a bad day out, take a driver car vs a car you show.
Good luck!
25th Dec 2015, 11:25
I show my cars like the Mustang guy. You have to be extremely careful or your show car can become a driver quality car quite quickly. Putting the wrong car care products on the wrong areas can damage clear coats and interiors. Even car dressings. Using the wrong type of cloths or ones that pick up grit can scratch paint. Silicones that fog up windows and cause accelerated dry rot. I use a hose only, multiple buckets with clean microfiber cloths, changed often. And done in the shade. I have a nice power washer and don't use it on my cars. I use it on my truck's bedliner, cleaning my Boston Whaler and boat trailer after having it out. And the siding on my house and lawn furniture. It's not used anywhere on my cars either. I actually etched my driveway with pointing the tip at the wrong angle. I am not about to put it on a high end paint job. Or spray battery acid seepage from the battery case across my immaculate chrome and paint job under the hood. I still have the tags from the factory on areas such as the sway bars that I do not want hit with a power washer. I saw a flood victim late model VW that had water destroy the electrical system under the rear seat. Another issue is water getting introduced and trapped under chrome window mouldings, especially the rear window area. I go light with the hose; only enough to rinse off the dust. Then use the microfiber cloths to dry. Then use the pink spray gloss enhancer; Adams is a good one. Leave the pressure washer in your shed.
13th Dec 2015, 17:33
Cars should be "washable" under any set of conditions. I too am upset with Ford. I had a Focus. My friend used the car and smoked in it. I took a pressure washer and tried to clean the inside roof liner, and the seats to get rid of the smoke smell. After it dried, the roof liner started to come down, and the seats have never been the same. Plus, the inside has a musty smell now. FORD/LINCOLN NEVER AGAIN.