Classic Alfa Forums

I s'pose it's now time to get polishing, a job I really like, but not much.

In preparation for this I needed to replenish my stock of Turtle Wax Ice. Now I know that this is not really the best stuff but I like it as it's quick and easy to use but most of all because it doesn't leave white marks on the black plastics, of which the Alfetta has an abundance. Of course the aforementioned black plastics will need an application of black gloop, that's a lovely job but even worse is the knowledge that having spent hours putting this stuff on and getting covered in the stuff that in about two weeks time you'll just be back pretty much to where you started. Aaargh.

Anyway, to get back to where I sort of was, where was the best place to ( cheapest ) get the Ice from......... Trawled around the internet ( I'm willing to spend hours to save tuppence, you can take the boy out of Barnsley but.. ) Turned out that Halfords was the cheapest by a loong way, result, the nearest shop is only about three miles away. Not wishing to lash out on twenty pence of petrol before I set off on this extravagant journey thought I'd do a stock check on line. Seems that there was no stock in Boston, Spalding or Skegness. Hmm, willing to bet that this promo offer applied to one bottle in one store, probably in Ulan Bator, should have realized that it was too good to be true. Relented and bought it from eBay.

Incidentally whilst wearing me eyes out looking for this stuff I came across what seemed a very good deal at The Range, Mers Ultimate Polish for about £8. Never used any Mers stuff but have heard good things about it but after reading the specs this phrase put me off, " Does leave white deposits on black plastics which can easily be removed with warm water and a toothbrush. "

Can't afford to buy another toothbrush and as the one I have is only ten years old decided against this massive outlay.

I'm in this position too! Got the car back last week from AJM and Alex advised me to clay bar it. This sounds like hard work. I'm going to give it a go but are there any alternatives?

On a similar note this months AROC magazine has an article on giving your car a real shine and sets out about 7 or 8 stages to achieve the ultimate shine. I think if I started today I might be finished by August. So.......does anyone here actually spend 4 or 5 hours polishing the car?

And Nigel......I will get my man to pack you a couple of spare toothbrushes. In the posh South they are consumables not collectables!

I have been know to spend a few hours cleaning a car it took me two weeks of lunch times to clean my wife's saab convertible

Hi chaps
I've used a clay bar wonce ,never again ! I personally use a polishing mop .a lot easier .BUT I know what I'm doing ,you can easily ware through your paint if your not carefull

Didn't think this site was for polishing advise but . Jet wash whole car with truck wash neat on wheels and door shuts and engine bay if it's the first time it's been done then tar and glue lower half clay bar whole car use water to lubricate machine polish any marks or scratches then polish of your choice I like Harley wash it's carnubra based and doesn't leave white marks then there's the glass and interior !!!!

I use Mr Sheen on everything except the windscreen......99p a tin and takes 10 minutes. I do it after each wash.

No, I am not joking......

Oh yeh! I almost forgot.

Which air freshener should I be using?

Veesix75 wrote:I use Mr Sheen on everything except the windscreen......99p a tin and takes 10 minutes. I do it after each wash.

No, I am not joking......

Good choice just worked on a Morris minor last week and the owner left a oilily rag on the wing and was impressed with the shine so now goes over the whole car with a oilily rag

the things i let you guys get away with chatting about

Veesix75 wrote:I use Mr Sheen on everything except the windscreen......99p a tin and takes 10 minutes. I do it after each wash.

No, I am not joking......

I was going to say this , but I thought you lots would think I'm takes the piss, but I was told by one of my brother in laws . This is what he uses but he says it works
Anyway no more talk of polishing from me or I'm banning myself

Ban's ahoy! ha ha!


BUT,


i'm with JB on the clay bar thing, i really don't think there is a substitute for a proper polish mop, and something like Farcela G3 Ultra, G6 Rapid.

Use dry mop and panel for compounding scratches out, or use (just) damp mop and the higher number compounds for a general all over polishing.


If you feel it still wants a glassy glaze on top, then something that dries "cakey", such as Mer, is pretty much as good as any trade offering from farcela, 3M etc, but perhaps doesn't keeps the lustre quite as long.

easy to use, and buffs off the plastic bits easily once you let it dry thoroughly.



speaking of the black plastic bits, if it were me and mine, i would mask it all off, scotchpad the surface, panel wipe, and paint with Plasbak.

its a cracking purpose made high adhesion plastic and vinyl paint, in a nice satin black finish, and suits grained and plain textured surfaces.


so long as you get the piece properly clean, no trace of former polishes and back to black type silicon based treatments, its a doddle, and you cannot get it wrong.






there, a whole outer car detail lesson in one,





i'll get me coat..........

..............and the floodgates ae now open..................

Shrew I knew you were a closet detailer

Ive seen it all now ... :;)

Oh dear, what have I started ? If I had any shame I'd hang my head in it but as I haven't........

What I intended was more of a mild little moan about Halfords marketing strategy but nonetheless it has brought up some interesting comments - to say the least.

Those who know me surely realize that I'm not one for cleaning/polishing cars, or even mesen for that matter, currently thinking about removing the coal and me ferrets from the bath so I can have a quick dip, if I can gird my loins sufficiently to take the shock of semi immersion in the prescribed two inches of lukewarm water or is this no longer permitted and have I got to go metric and use cold water from now on ? The planet has to be saved so we all have to do our bit, or bits, delete whichever you feel is less appropriate.

Remember reading an article in AROC mag about claying back in about 2000, think it may have been Jim Spackman who wrote it. Seem to think it took him and a mate about four days to do the whole thing with clay bar and various other pretreatments, I was worn out just reading about it so my initial idea of " I might give this a go " very quickly evaporated and I settled for a trip down to the local car wash instead !

By yet another strange coincidence ( I'm plagued with coincidences and a few other things these days ) I was thinking about the Mr Sheen idea as well. Does it have to be Mr Sheen as this costs a lot so will the Tesco own brand work just as well or will the different perfume attract the wrong sort of flies ? I don't mind flies so long as they are of the bar variety and have a maximum of two legs and of the right gender. I do use the Tesco stuff on my plastics, by that I mean the guttering and fascias etc, not on me personally as I don't have any, but thankfully I do have a few bits of stainless steel here and there. Oh, and yes, the Tesco stuff works brilliantly on the plastic bits of the house so I can recommend this idea.

I look forward to receiving the new toothbrushes from the affluent south and if you could run to some toothpaste too that would be great, I've run out of both twigs and lime scale.

Very good
I think the pound shop does mr sheen , I'm sure that's where the brother gets it must admit I'm interested to try this

we used to use Mr sheen and similar in the bike showroom, mainly on the superbikes with large area's of plastic bodywork and fairing.

i'd call it the bullshit spray, because it was great at loosening bugs from headlamps and screens, even mild tar spots and chain grease, and does put a certain shine on the bodywork too, but it was very short lived, and generally remains greasy feeling like silicon application, and never completely buffs off, so you are often left chasing smears around for ages!


Its quick, its easy, but its a quick bullshit, and i wouldn't recommend you spray it anywhere near where you might want to paint something in the near future JB.


It'd be like trying to put lacquer on wd40!

petrolhead wrote:
It'd be like trying to put lacquer on wd40!

And the problem is.... ? !

I use this stuff.


http://www.bilthamber.com/wax-and-polishes/auto-balm


Easy to apply.Goes a long way. Lasts a long time. high shine. Can use it on plastics. No residue.


Job jobbed.

lee16v wrote:I use this stuff.


http://www.bilthamber.com/wax-and-polishes/auto-balm


Easy to apply.Goes a long way. Lasts a long time. high shine. Can use it on plastics. No residue.


Job jobbed.

Sounds good and a reasonable price too.

So...what were those polishing tips again?

Looks fine to me !

i think thats one starts with a jetwash followed by some wet n dry!

Johnnyboy has this one covered. At least that's what he tells me!