Car Care Questions...

MrElussive

MrElussive

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Having a new car, I am obsessed with keeping my car clean, but I have a few questions on what you guys do. First of all, I have to say that I religiously wash my car (auto wash) once a week. My local car wash does a superb job of cleaning the car, and they do it in 5 minutes, so I'm sticking with them. But in between that one week, shit happens...like bird shit! What do you guys do when you find some bird shit on your car? I am told that bird crap is really bad for your car's paint, so whenever I spot some on my car, I use Windex and paper towels and get it out ASAP! But unfortunately, Windex also damages your car's paint, from what I've heard. So after doing a little research, I am going to pickup these Armorall Car Wash Wipes...supposedly, you can wash your whole car with just a wipe (yes, Armorall is defintely a little carried-away with their stupid wipes). Now, I would never wash my car with a stupid little wipe, but I think it will come in handy for that bird crap. What do you guys do? Also, after like one day of driving, lots of noticeable brake dust accumulates on my rims. So I also purchased Black Magic Wheel Wipes. Now these worked very well, in my opinion. I needed 2 wipes to clean each wheel (my wheels are 18"), and used a towel to clean off the remaining crap. So it took 8 wipes to clean the wheels (and one towel, but that didn't get dirty...just used the towel for the finishing touches) and about 15 minutes time, which isn't bad. But each container of the Black Magic Wheel Wipes is only good for 25 wipes; that means after wiping my wheels off three times, in between car washes, I need a whole new bottle/container of the Black Magic Wheel Wipes...that can become expensive and annoying. What do you guys do to clean your BMW rims in between car washes? Oh yeah, and if you're wondering if I'm obsessed with car care, you're right on the money. [fake]
 
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Tom

Tom

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I just don't park anywhere near a tree or cover my car up whenever I park it for more than a couple of hours outdoors.

If I do get some bird droppings on my car, I clean it off with some damp tissue paper and wipe it down really good with McGuiar's detail spray.

I never use any chemical spray to wash my rims, mostly just a dedicated wheel sponge and zipwax.[:)]
 
vlad

vlad

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For those inbetween opps occasions, Tom nailed it. Meguiar's Final Inspection and a high quality microfiber towel. For bird crap you need to get damp paper towels to remove the crap, VERY CAREFULLY! Bird dodo can contain tiny gravel that can scratch your paint. Once you have the crap off, then hit the area with the final inspection spray and the MF towel. Remember, the longer the doodoo is on your car, the more damage it will do to the paint surface.

I've never heard of windex damaging paint, but I suppose it could dull the finish. I do know that it'll remove the wax from your car tho!
 
MrElussive

MrElussive

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Thanks vlad, but brake dust covers look horrible (IMHO). I think I am going to try this Eagle One Wheel & Tire Cleaner. You just spray the windex-like bottle all over your rim and sidewall of your tire, let it sit for 10-15 seconds, and then just wash it all off with a garden hose.
 
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epj3

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MrElussive said:
Thanks vlad, but brake dust covers look horrible (IMHO). I think I am going to try this Eagle One Wheel & Tire Cleaner. You just spray the windex-like bottle all over your rim and sidewall of your tire, let it sit for 10-15 seconds, and then just wash it all off with a garden hose.
Click to expand...
get a tire brush too, sometimes it needs to be scrubbed. The one time our van went almost 2 months w/out the wheels being cleaned, and brake dust got caked onto the wheels. The spray loosend it up enough that it could be removed with some scrubbing.


BTW buy that tire wet stuff if you like it, makes your tires "look clean." just dont get it on the tread...thats bad...
 
cariblue

cariblue

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I tried to find a pic on line somewhere...no luck.

I buy a sponge on a stick in the dollar store. It's a plastic handle with a O on the end that has strips of sponge stuck through. Looks like a starburst and is designed for cleaning glasses, found in kitchen utensil section. It reaches inside the wheel and slides fairly easily between the wheel and caliper.
 
MrElussive

MrElussive

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epj3, I know exactly what you are talking about. Fortunately, the car wash that I go to does all that crap for me. For $7 (which they refer to as "The Works", lol), they first apply this Wheel Cleaner, then they put my car through the car wash. At the end of the car wash, there are a couple of Mexicans waiting there who dry my car with towels and then apply Black Magic Wet Tire Shine or whatever to the wheels with these huge brushes, and they do a real good job. I found out that the Eagle One All Wheel & Tire Cleaner is so powerful that it actually does harm to people's rims...it corrodes the rims or some crap like that, so I am going to hold off on that purchase for a while. Plus, I don't know if I would be in the mood to perform a wheel-cleaning method that requires me to take my car outside (particularly in the winter). Perhaps just wiping the wheels with towels is the best solution so far, as I can do it any time, without having to take my car outside or move it at all.
 
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bobalouie

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#10
MrElussive said:
How about for wheels? I know BMW's accumulate lots of break dust on the wheels and my G35 Coupe is the same way.
Click to expand...
Mr. E.
I use Auto Magic's XP Citrus Wheel Cleaner No. 727. Great stuff. You dilute it 50-50 with water and then spray it on. My car is only 4 months old so the brake dust comes off eaily with no brushing....still have to use a sponge, though, to wipe the dirt off. I do this every saturday morning (I hand wash my car only). Takes about twenty minutes to do the wheels. I also bought black & decker's scrub buster.... does a great job on the wheels and tires.
Wanna guess what the first thing I did when the power came back on?

[:D]
 
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