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

[FlyLike]

Hi AutoLavish crew.

I see that you guys use a leaf blower to dry off cars, is any leaf blower safe? Do you use a filter somehow?

[81z28]

Thanks for the compliment on my car Marc. I always keep my daily drivers very nice, but its a given that it starts with a wash, Foam Gun and then two bucket method.

Thankyou for the advice, I will look into the water system and the shag style micro-fiber.

[Marc@AutoLavish]

Hi AutoLavish crew.
I see that you guys use a leaf blower to dry off cars, is any leaf blower safe? Do you use a filter somehow?

Hello there
Very much so - leaf blowers come in handy in two ways:
1. It limits how much you have to physically touch the car. Less touching = less chance to induce swirls. No matter what, you'll create them over time, so the idea is to greatly prolong how your paint holds up.
2. All the residual water that likes to hide in mirrors, trim, and moldings can safely be removed nearly entirely - so less chance of drip marks that are annoying. This also helps tape stick prior to polishing, makes sure dripping water doesn't affect polishing (more consistent finish), and helps in the same way prior to final waxing / sealing.

Our blower is ONLY used on cars. Not around the house. We feel that's important - stuff for the car is only used for the car and nothing else. There's no type of additional filter other than the build in system. If you get one (electric ones aren't very expensive), just make sure you'll be dedicating it to your vehicle.

Thanks for the compliment on my car Marc. I always keep my daily drivers very nice, but its a given that it starts with a wash, Foam Gun and then two bucket method.
Thankyou for the advice, I will look into the water system and the shag style micro-fiber.

Good to hear! Not only is she a beauty - she'll be a beauty for years to come when you take proper care of her.
The water de-ionizing system is pricey and the resin bags don't last all too long (and are expensive as well), so the popular method is to only use it for the final rinsing to flush residue away.
Shag-style microfibers have come into great popularity in the last couple of years. If you order some, make sure to give them several thorough washing first as they lint really bad initially. There are other brands / manufacturers, but the Eurow's are very good and cost effective.

Hope this helps you guys!

[Quick86]

Bump!

What do you recommend for chrome wheels? I've got chrome Pony R's on my 84 GT now and am trying to find the best for cleaning them and protecting them from grime and brake dust...

Whats your recommendations???

[Marc@AutoLavish]

Bump!

What do you recommend for chrome wheels? I've got chrome Pony R's on my 84 GT now and am trying to find the best for cleaning them and protecting them from grime and brake dust...
Whats your recommendations???

Thanks for the great question: I have a feeling quite a few members here will benefit from it.

Chrome is a very soft metal that can easily be beat up if not cared for correctly. I'm sure we've all seen what happens to chrome wheels after only a few years of neglect; they look more dull, have heavy pitting, and lose their brilliance.

I'll divide my answer into two categories and you'll need to decide which you fit in. In both cases, you'll need to invest in some proper products and tools:
1. Wheel Cleaner ($15-100) (list on bottom)
2. Quality brushes ($20-60) (list on bottom)
3. Protection ($10-30) (list on bottom)

I wish I could tell you that you can do it all without spending a dime, but that's just not realistic or true. Do yourself a favor and spend the money up front to keep them "like new" forever.

Basic: for those that want clean wheels on the vehicle they enjoy driving
To keep your chrome wheels looking good, you'll need to clean them properly. ONLY clean your wheels when they're completely cooled off.
Using a safe but effective wheel cleaner (list on bottom), spray your wheels, spray your brushes, and then use the brushes on the wheels. Once done, thoroughly rinse the surface with water. To keep them looking better for longer, you may choose to add a layer of protection to their surface. Most products will have a limited life on your wheels because of the heat that is absorbed from braking, so don't expect to get more than 1-3 weeks.
Also keep in mind that any cleaner that can help rid the wheel of brake dust will certainly strip off your wax/sealant on your wheels. For this reason, some people like to do a thorough cleaning one week (wheel cleaner, brushes, wax) and the next week they just rinse, or clean with car wash soap and their brushes. Whatever works best for you.

Advanced & Show Car Care on chrome wheels: for those that want their wheels to look perfect
If you have a show car, chances are you don't do a lot of hard driving with her. You'll want to only use the stuff as to not cause any scratching of the surface, and you'll want to keep your wheels waxed for maximum dust and brake dust repelling. If you're like me and enjoy driving your car a lot but want your vehicle to look perfect, you'll also want to make sure to follow the additional information here.
You need to make sure to have all the tools you'll need in both cases; one type of brush isn't going to be enough. At least three different quality brushes are needed in 95% of cases (sometimes just two, sometimes 4 or 5 depending on wheel style).
Work one wheel at a time as you're going to spend 3-7 minutes per wheel. Get a pattern going and keep it: I like to start with wheel faces, then lugs/center caps/calipers, and finally inside the wheels and behind the spokes. When done, thoroughly rinse the wheel, inspect to make sure you got everything, and move onto the next one.


Wheel Cleaners I'd recommend:
P21S Wheel Cleaner Gel
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner
Autoglym Custom Wheel Cleaner
Chemical Guy's Diablo Gel Wheel Cleaner
Chemical Guy's Sticky Gel Wheel Cleaner

None are cheap, but all are effective. For less than the price of a tire, you can have enough quality wheel cleaner to last you 1-3 years.

Brushes options:
E-Z Detail Brush (behind spokes and the inside of wheels)
E-Z Detail Brush Mini (behind tighter spokes or inside of tighter wheels)
Swissvax, Zymol, or other boar's hair wheel brush for lug nuts and calipers
Large sized boar's hair brush for wheel faces.


Waxes/sealants:
Wheel Wax
Migliore Wheel Seal wax
Optimum Opti-Seal
....any other product you have that's a wax or sealant.


I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions!

[Billydroveit]

Now that you've covered Chrome wheels, can you cover restoring the shine of polished aluminum? Alot of us have weld wheels or the like of a polished non clear coated finish that get some dulling and minor pitting over a season or two of neglect. What can we do to restore/maintain the looks of our uncoated wheels? Also i see you list alot of products not on the common parts store shelfs...how bout a list where some of these finer products can be located preferably local. I know when i get the bug to clean, i don't have time to order if i ran out, and i'm terrable at getting ahead of the game.

[Marc@AutoLavish]

Now that you've covered Chrome wheels, can you cover restoring the shine of polished aluminum? Alot of us have weld wheels or the like of a polished non clear coated finish that get some dulling and minor pitting over a season or two of neglect. What can we do to restore/maintain the looks of our uncoated wheels? Also i see you list alot of products not on the common parts store shelfs...how bout a list where some of these finer products can be located preferably local. I know when i get the bug to clean, i don't have time to order if i ran out, and i'm terrable at getting ahead of the game.

GREAT question and I have the perfect article already made on this very subject. I'll post it in the coming days (posting some of our "how-to" articles in the Pub with one having just been put up a minute ago: http://www.motownmuscle.com/forums/s...st-Your-Car-To!), but I'll send you the link before hand for an immediate response in your PMs.

You are right about over the counter products and some of the ones I list not being readily available. This is always an issue with enthusiasts, but there's no easy answer I'm afraid. I wish there was, but there's just nowhere local to purchase a lot of these items. Just like buying other specialty items for your car: many have to be ordered. The good thing is that I've used A LOT of products and can help narrow down selections based off individual needs. The bad news is that good stuff doesn't come cheap.

[Topless_Pony_00]

What type of pressure washer do you use and with what attachment? I would assume just a run of the mill 1500 - 2000 psi with a detergent kit?

[Marc@AutoLavish]

What type of pressure washer do you use and with what attachment? I would assume just a run of the mill 1500 - 2000 psi with a detergent kit?

Another topic we've written a larger article about. I'll post this one soon to, but will PM you in the mean-time.
Basically, the type you want depends on your needs and person opinion. No need for a gas unit unless it'll be for around the house and such as well. Electric units are usually much weaker, but are plenty strong for car washing. While electric motors go out eventually (common failing point), our personal feeling is its cheaper for us to buy a refurb'd Karcher unit once a year ($$80-120), than the type of electric unit that'll last us 10 years ($800-1200).
Our current Karcher PW is rated at 1600 PSI and we have a foam cannon attachment ($120ish) that gives us the dense foam you see in our pics. The detergent dispensers that come with units are generally useless for detailing, so they're pretty irrelevant unless you have another use for them.

[Quick86]

Speaking of - PM sent.