Car problem OT

Sorry to be back again. Thanks for all the help with computer ( working after a fashion now) and with the lamp shade fixing.

I have a car which I bought in March. I had one of those diamond brite scratch coatings ( or whatever ) put on it. I didn't realize at the time but in the splurge it says that because of this the car has to be washed with special stuff ( I was given a pack).

I don't like washing cars and have always taken mine to a little man who washes , waxes and valets it for me whilst I go shopping round the mall. But with this coating I am afraid I cant do that . Result one frightfully dirty car.

Is it really so that this scotchbirte/ diamond brite stuff means it has to be cleaned with special products? Will it spoil it if I go and get this man to clean the car - wash., wax and valet with whatever he uses?

Advice would be welcome. Had I known the car would have to be cleaned by me I would never have spent the money of the cover guard stuff.

Reply to
sweetheart
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Don't worry about it STWNFI has a car with Diamond Brite that has always been washed with whatever is at hand, by machine or by a bunch of illegals in an old filling station etc. 5 years on and it still looks pretty good. She currently uses this "Showroom shine" magic stuff in a trigger spray. Spray it on, spread it around, polish it of, car looks great and all done with no water!

Oh and I don't consider car problems to be OT, having it washed by someone else now, that is a bit OTT :-)

Just a thought, you could give the special stuff to your little man in the mall carpark to use occasionally.

Mike

Reply to
MuddyMike

If you are going to make use of the special treatment that you have spent your money on, then you need to do what it says in the instructions. I was persuaded, in a moment of weakness, to buy it, and can report that it worked tolerably well.

The snag is that it is incompatible with wax, and one you have introduced it, in either the shampoo, or by actual waxing, then the treatment can be considered lost.

So, you really have two options, use the special products, or regard the money as wasted and use your usual man.

Chris

Reply to
Chris J Dixon

When we bought a new car last year, the salesman tried very hard to flog this to us. "Special discounts", pre-delivery treatment etc etc

However, he seemed unable to explain why they were selling inferior cars, since they clearly *needed* this treatment.

We didn't buy it, and the car looks great.

When ABS was an extra. I used to love to get salesmen to explain how they could sell "unsafe" cars, since they claimed ABS was a "safety feature". Although (bless their cotton socks) some did try to call it a "comfort feature" ...

Reply to
Jethro

These coatings are one up from a con. Most people forget they've even had it applied by the time they come to wash it for the first time.

Reply to
Scott M

They make a *lot* of money on it. You can DIY far cheaper.

MBQ

Reply to
Man at B&Q

In message , sweetheart wrote

Whatever you do don't take it out in the rain or the snake oil will wash off.

Reply to
Alan

Just a test to see if this creates yet another new subject line.

Mike

Reply to
MuddyMike

Or do as I did and ask the little man (ours is in Tesco) to just use soapy water and tell him why. He didn't seem in the least surprised so it must happen a lot.

Reply to
Tinkerer

You bought a _new_ car??

The only new one I ever bought was for my wife. She still has it, it's still shiny, and that's ten years on. Mine's almost the same age, and even more shiny.

The secret? Occasional wax, and don't leave it out in the weather too much. They're both garaged at home, and I have a covered car park at work.

Well, usually garaged. Mines out at the moment as it's all wet, and I don't want to make my tools go all rusty!

Andy

Reply to
Andy Champ

Yes, I bought a new car. Not an expensive one as cars go, only a Mazda. I work a long way from home, there are no busses, I can work odd hours and I need reliable transport and hassle free driving ( OH wont or cant do anything if it goes wrong, so I would be stranded.)

I bet its the latter. Unfortunately I do not have a garage. I asked OH for one ( to take down two rubbish sheds and put up one of those quick errect types even but he wont. I asked for a car port. They advised against that here. So car is out in all weathers.

Thanks for the tips. I do need my car washed. It will have to go this weekend. I also need it vaccuumed out too ( live in country lots of leaves).

Reply to
sweetheart

In message , sweetheart wrote

Is this the new car syndrome at work? For the first few months get it washed and vacuumed every week. After the novelty has worn off wash it when it gets too dirty or every 6 months, whichever comes sooner. As for vacuuming the interiors its only done just before an MOT, partially for the BS value and partially because you feel a bit embarrassed about all the crap in your car.

Modern paints, and the way they are applied, are a lot better than the paints of the past. The 10 year old car sitting in my driveway, and sat out in all weathers, can still be buffed up to a nice shine with no sign of rust. Being lazy, my car was is done at the local car wash and spinning brushes. Obviously it has the odd stone chip and scratch but that wouldn't have been prevented by using a garage or some wonder product that costs a fortune to maintain.

Reply to
Alan

STWNFI

????

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

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Reply to
Andy Burns

No I have always had my car - whatever age, washed and valeted every month. I just cant stand doing it myself.

Reply to
sweetheart

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

More to do with wax treatment to the inside of the body.

If it's been through a car wash, it will be covered in tiny scratches.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" wrote

Do they still use "wax" rust treatments? Isn't it more likely to be epoxy paints to seal the bare metal surfaces and ensuring that the metal remains clean during manufacture.

But the point is that on a car where the paint has been abused by the weather and spinning brushes for the past 10 years it doesn't look shoddy or lacklustre. Perhaps people spend too much, on wonder products for the car that do little to improve what the original manufacturer has provided in the way of paint. Often these products are applied so the dealer can charge £100s for cleaning the car prior to delivery to its first owner.

Reply to
Alan

Paints these days are all water based. However, it's cheaper to flood cavities with wax than attempt to do the same with paint.

If all you want is paint which looks clean from a distance a car wash is fine. But not if you examine the paint closely.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Galvanising or similar helps too - I first noticed this when a large paint scratch didn't turn rusty.

Reply to
Clive George

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