Detailing...

[isleaiw]

Originally Posted by bobby2000

Got to agree with you on the power, but I'm sure you also see my point. My car came in @ just over the 48k, I'm retired so have plenty of time on my hands for cleaning, although I'm not really into it that much.

Absolutely - drive first and appearance second!

I should have time to clean my own car but never seem to have, and having invested so much in it thought I would try and help it stay looking decent for longer....

[Whippy]

As someone already posted "it's enough to rub it down twice a year with a greasy sock filled with sand" or something.

[Bernard F]

I thought that with today's paint and finishes on our cars all that is required is soap and water, preferably applied by someone else. That is all my car will be getting whatever the car cost.

[isleaiw]

Originally Posted by Bernard F

I thought that with today's paint and finishes on our cars all that is required is soap and water, preferably applied by someone else. That is all my car will be getting whatever the car cost.

Today's paint is softer than ever, and a wash bu someone else (often using water containing grit from lots of other dirty cars before you) is probably worse for the paint than no wash at all...

and overly acidic wheel cleaners those places use risk the finish of your alloys.

Historically its all my car has had but a black mini i owned until last summer showed me how much damage is done to the paint by that approach...

I'll try something different this time and see how it goes.

[njpollard]

The paint protection should stop dirt sticking to the car, so it's worth it if you wash the car yourself and want to save half an hour every weekend. It also keeps it looking like a new car for much longer.

If you're someone who prefers to pay the local car wash, then there's probably not much point.

Paint correction requires specialist polishing equipment and modern ceramic coatings are best applied by experts, so it's not necessarily something you can do yourself.

[Bernard F]

Originally Posted by isleaiw

Today's paint is softer than ever, and a wash bu someone else (often using water containing grit from lots of other dirty cars before you) is probably worse for the paint than no wash at all...

and overly acidic wheel cleaners those places use risk the finish of your alloys.

Historically its all my car has had but a black mini i owned until last summer showed me how much damage is done to the paint by that approach...

I'll try something different this time and see how it goes.

I take your point seriously but our local Waitrose car cleaners do use fresh water although I cannot vouch for what goes in to it or the sprays. However three years cleaning of my previous XC60 and it still looked almost new to me when PX'd. It had been garaged every night however which must have helped.

[isleaiw]

Originally Posted by Bernard F

I take your point seriously but our local Waitrose car cleaners do use fresh water although I cannot vouch for what goes in to it or the sprays. However three years cleaning of my previous XC60 and it still looked almost new to me when PX'd. It had been garaged every night however which must have helped.

You are very lucky to be able to get an XC60 in a garage, we have a double garage but with two single doors and we cant get an SUV comfortably through the door aperture....

[AB-UK]

We also have a double garage with two side-by-side single doors.
The doorway is 7' wide, which I thought was the standard width.
I park a Mk1 XC90 inside each night
I can still get a Mk2 XC90 through the doorway (carefully), but then I can't get out of the car because my garage isn't wide enough inside

[bobby2000]

Originally Posted by AB-UK

We also have a double garage with two side-by-side single doors.
The doorway is 7' wide, which I thought was the standard width.
I park a Mk1 XC90 inside each night
I can still get a Mk2 XC90 through the doorway (carefully), but then I can't get out of the car because my garage isn't wide enough inside

I also have a double garage with double doors, I've had the up and over doors replaced with roller doors, this means the door frames can be removed giving you about 4" of extra width.
I keep my Peugeot in one half and the other half is filled with work benches general tools and garden equipment etc.
I still would not choose to put my daily driver away every day because in my opinion the worst thing you can do is put a wet car away in a garage.
Far better to let the air dry your car out.
My Peugeot is usually only used on dry days, so is always dry when put away. It also has the benefit of a dehumidifier.

[isleaiw]

Originally Posted by AB-UK

We also have a double garage with two side-by-side single doors.
The doorway is 7' wide, which I thought was the standard width.
I park a Mk1 XC90 inside each night
I can still get a Mk2 XC90 through the doorway (carefully), but then I can't get out of the car because my garage isn't wide enough inside

I was trying to put an F pace in backwards - mirrors wouldn't fit and if I folded them I couldn't see the wall on passenger side. Needed cameras!

I have now filled it with crap and block paved part of garden for two extra parking spaces. Sorted....