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Thread: Ask AutoLavish! Answers to your car care questions...

  1. #51
    Club Member YLWFVR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marc@AutoLavish View Post
    I take it the question is about cleaning hard interior surfaces. First off - keep away from dish soap. Using harsh disinfectants isn't needed on your car - no need to sanitize the finish in order to safely eat off the surface.
    In place, try using a light dilution of Woolite (10:1 or if its the Woolite for H.E. washers, try it 15:1) and a soft bristle brush to work away the build-up and wipe fresh with a soft towel (cotton is fine). For dressing / protecting, our favorite product is 1Z Cockpit Premium as it has light cleaning ability, a very light neutral lemon scent, and the PERFECT matte finish. Another good product is something like Meguiar's #40 as it has UV ray protection and a satin finish.
    An additional tip for dressings is to wait 2-5 minutes and wipe the residue to leave less shine. This works for everything from interior products to tires.
    I've been using this stuf for 5 years now, and it works great. It was recommended by Vette Essentials who installed my leather interior.


    http://www.vetteessentials.com/leather/cleaningkit.htm

  2. #52
    Forum Member Overboost's Avatar
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    Is Woolite the way to go for using a shampoo to clean the carpet?

    Also, any sound recommendations for a vacuum that actually can hold its own? The Craftsman shop vac I have doesn't seem to cut it anymore.

  3. #53
    Club Sponsor Marc@AutoLavish's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by YLWFVR View Post
    I've been using this stuf for 5 years now, and it works great. It was recommended by Vette Essentials who installed my leather interior.
    http://www.vetteessentials.com/leather/cleaningkit.htm
    GREAT... no... PERFECT set for maintaining your leather. Leather Master products are top notch. All we have for leather is products made by them or Leatherique.

    Quote Originally Posted by Overboost View Post
    Is Woolite the way to go for using a shampoo to clean the carpet?
    Also, any sound recommendations for a vacuum that actually can hold its own? The Craftsman shop vac I have doesn't seem to cut it anymore.
    It can be be we prefer a light dilution (10:1 or 15:1) of APC. Regardless - make sure you don't over-saturate the fabric as you don't want to leave a bunch of soapy residue behind that will end up attracting dirt faster.
    We have two shop-vacs, a large 6hp one from Home Depot, and a smaller wall-mount Craftsman. Something that really helps is having the extension sets.
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  4. #54
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    So I drove up to Mackinac last weekend and had 1.5 million dead bugs on the front of the car. I hand washed it yesterday, but many of the bugs ~ 750,000 wouldn't come off. Making a 250 mile drive this weekend to Supercar Saturday and would like the front of the car to not be poke-a-dot.
    The only thing I can think of is a high pressure do-it-yourself wash. . . Autolavish, what should I do?

    Nick

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    Forum Member b78cobra's Avatar
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    What is the stuff you use to foam under the hood? is there a lot of scrubing involved also? Under my hood is pretty damn clean, it just gets dusty and the black stuff is hard to make look shiny and new.

  6. #56
    Club Member dirtybird's Avatar
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    Great thread!
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  7. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marc@AutoLavish View Post
    We've all been there before either from long road trips, or driving in the boony's at night. The first step is to make sure you have an adequate layer of your favorite wax/sealant on your car as a sacrificial barrier.
    The real problem with bugs isn't so much their tough exoskeleton, but their acidic nature that can etch your paint. If you get to them soon enough, you should be able to wash them off. If they've really dried and gotten baked on (99% of the time is the case), lightly spray a bug & tar remover product (body solvent, goo-gone, gasoline, alcohol, etc can also work) either directly on to the guts, or onto a spare microfiber towel and gentle wipe away, or flush away with a stream of water from the hose or pressure washer. I'd always recommend using the lightest product first - so if you can wash them off without using chemicals: that's preferred. A bottle of bug and tar remover can easily be found at your local auto parts store and is worth the few dollar investment for something that works extremely quickly and efficiently.
    Make sure to re-wax the affected area as the acid nature of bugs will strip wax, as will any chemical strong enough to remove them.
    Hope this helps and happy driving
    Thank you!

    Nick

  8. #58
    Club Sponsor Marc@AutoLavish's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by b78cobra View Post
    What is the stuff you use to foam under the hood? is there a lot of scrubing involved also? Under my hood is pretty damn clean, it just gets dusty and the black stuff is hard to make look shiny and new.
    We usually foam the engine bay when we're foaming down a car. Additionally, degreaser is usually used under the hood at a 4:1 dilution. Physical agitation is ALWAYS needed - just like wheels. If you're looking for a spray on / rinse off product - it doesn't exist. Some quality brushes do wonders when paired with the correction products / chemicals.
    For dressing, find a product you like. 303 Aerospace Protectant was talked of earlier for interiors / tires. Well guess what: you can use it on your engine bay too if you choose. Any "trim detailer" type of product can be used. Once cleaned and dressed, you might just need light wipe-downs to rid the dust from time to time.

    Quote Originally Posted by dirtybird View Post
    Great thread!
    thanks - some great questions too!

    Quote Originally Posted by white out View Post
    Thank you!

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  9. #59
    Club Member 4 cam tbird's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by white out View Post
    So I drove up to Mackinac last weekend and had 1.5 million dead bugs on the front of the car. I hand washed it yesterday, but many of the bugs ~ 750,000 wouldn't come off. Making a 250 mile drive this weekend to Supercar Saturday and would like the front of the car to not be poke-a-dot.
    The only thing I can think of is a high pressure do-it-yourself wash. . . Autolavish, what should I do?

    Nick
    I go to the quarter car washes and start with the low pressure soap on the bug covered areas and wheels (I use really dusty brake pads). Then flip to high pressure, wash the rest of the car while the low pressure soap soaks. Then I blast the bugs with the high pressure. Usually works pretty good, especially right after waxing and if it hasn't sat out in the sun.
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  10. #60
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    What is the secret of removing specks of road tar? I have tried dang near everything and have had no prevail ?

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