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The Car cleaning section , Please join in

matt j said:
Anyone know what the best way is to remove rain X from a screen?
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A good squirt of Fairy liquid, then a gentle wipe round with a wet cloth. Then rinse the cloth in warm water, go again. Keep going until the Fairy has gone. DO NOT use anything abrasive, especially not a green nylon pad.

Vinegar isn't the answer because Rain X is oil based and you need a surfactant. Vinegar isn't this. It's an acid, great for removing limescale but not oils and greases.
 
stevec67 said:
A good squirt of Fairy liquid, then a gentle wipe round with a wet cloth. Then rinse the cloth in warm water, go again. Keep going until the Fairy has gone. DO NOT use anything abrasive, especially not a green nylon pad.

Vinegar isn't the answer because Rain X is oil based and you need a surfactant. Vinegar isn't this. It's an acid, great for removing limescale but not oils and greases.
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^^^ This

Also the best way to clean & degrease the inside of the windscreen before you apply any 'glass cleaner'...

Fairy liquid is great for stuff like this; also for stripping a panel from wax if you want to reapply etc
 
A colleague once asked, "do you think that not cleaning my car will damage the paint work?"
He had a company car and so had no finance risk at stake, just his conscience.
We never did establish a likely outcome!
 
Roog said:
A colleague once asked, "do you think that not cleaning my car will damage the paint work?"
He had a company car and so had no finance risk at stake, just his conscience.
We never did establish a likely outcome!
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Yes, not cleaning can damage paint work, depending on just what lands on the paintwork.
Both bird lime and iron fallout can very easily totally embed itself through the paint or clear coat, and permanently mar the paint.
This may not become apparent for months, but by then, way too late.
This is our van that had not been touched for months, and someone had been grinding a car wing close to us.
Rather peeved when we saw black dots appearing everywhere.
The entire van was like this, worse still on the bonnet.
The liquid goes on clear, and turns plum when in contact with iron/ferrous materials as it dissolves them.
Those black dots would have turned to pure rust and have been permanently embedded had we not caught in time.
Care to guess what brake disc fallout looks like?
That gets pretty much everywhere as well, and not just from your brakes.
Then we have the fun of tar spots, which we all get when re-surfacing time comes around.


 
Sonority said:
Yes, not cleaning can damage paint work, depending on just what lands on the paintwork.
Both bird lime and iron fallout can very easily totally embed itself through the paint or clear coat, and permanently mar the paint.
This may not become apparent for months, but by then, way too late.
This is our van that had not been touched for months, and someone had been grinding a car wing close to us.
Rather peeved when we saw black dots appearing everywhere.
The entire van was like this, worse still on the bonnet.
The liquid goes on clear, and turns plum when in contact with iron/ferrous materials as it dissolves them.
those black dots would have turned to pure rust and have been permanently embedded had we not caught in time.


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That's how wheel cleaner works. Brake dust contains iron dust that is worn off the cast iron brake discs in normal use, it then sticks to the wheels and oxidises. Wheel cleaner has chemicals that turn it into the purple solution that can be washed off.
With the exception of things like bird lime and chemical contaminants though normal road dirt won't damage paint.
 
Yeah, thats why I commented on brake dust, but another culprit is railway lines (especially in the states)
I agree, general dirt will not harm, until you rub up against it / someone decides to write on it..
 
stevec67 said:
Vinegar isn't the answer because Rain X is oil based and you need a surfactant. Vinegar isn't this. It's an acid, great for removing limescale but not oils and greases.
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RainX is silicone based, which acetic acid will break down.

https://detaildiy.com/how-to-remove-rain-x-completely/

"Rain X can be removed as easily as it is applied. To remove Rain X, use a cleaning agent such as rubbing alcohol, vinegar, or dishwasher soap. Spray a healthy amount of any degreaser onto a microfiber cloth. Simply rub the degreaser in a circular motion on your vehicle’s glass until it’s clean, switching out microfiber cloths if/when necessary. The glass should be clear when all the Rain X is gone."

Besides, acetic acid is a mild degreaser. https://ignitecleaners.com/what-use-as-degreaser/#:~:text=Vinegar is a weak acid,the surfaces you are cleaning.

Although adding a bit of soap to it makes it even better.
 
Full exterior wash this morning after yesterdays interior detail

Wheels washed first with BH Touchless and a wheel detailing brush; rinsed, then BH Touchless applied to the car and left to dwell for 7/8mins

Rinsed, washed with Gtechniq Auto W1 car shampoo, rinsed, AGs Polar Seal applied, rinsed & then towel dried inc all door & tailgate shuts

Wheels also towel dried and then Gyeon Q2 tire gel applied

All new Bosch windscreen wipers fitted, front & back

Done :D











 
Sonority said:
Yes, not cleaning can damage paint work, depending on just what lands on the paintwork.
Both bird lime and iron fallout can very easily totally embed itself through the paint or clear coat, and permanently mar the paint.
This may not become apparent for months, but by then, way too late.
This is our van that had not been touched for months, and someone had been grinding a car wing close to us.
Rather peeved when we saw black dots appearing everywhere.
The entire van was like this, worse still on the bonnet.
The liquid goes on clear, and turns plum when in contact with iron/ferrous materials as it dissolves them.
Those black dots would have turned to pure rust and have been permanently embedded had we not caught in time.
Care to guess what brake disc fallout looks like?
That gets pretty much everywhere as well, and not just from your brakes.
Then we have the fun of tar spots, which we all get when re-surfacing time comes around.


Click to expand...

That's not to dissimilar to my Dad's latest white X3M which he collected a year back...

2 weeks after collecting it I gave it an in-depth wash & details, used Gtechniq's 'General Iron & Fallout Remover' and nigh one very panel looked like that...

When it was shipped it clearly wasn't well protected and it was filthy and scratched (crap job at the dealers to clean it before releasing it to my Dad)

My pal came out and corrected the main issues and then ceramic coated it for him
 
matt j said:
How? Nylon is softer than glass, I've cleaned a screen with wire wool before.
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You would think it would be fine, but it will scratch a screen. My dad did this back when I was a kid, he was trying to remove flies. He did, but scratched the screen and used to curse it in bright sunlight for years afterwards.
You won't believe me, but wire wool leaves glass untouched while nylon damages it. Try it and see.
 
matt j said:
How? Nylon is softer than glass, I've cleaned a screen with wire wool before.
Click to expand...

I used to use a green scratchy pad to clean shower doors and it scratched them.

https://colnevalleywindows.co.uk/wh... most durable,windows and doors looking great.

Scouring pads
It might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at just how many people use scouring pads to clean their windows and doors. Even the toughest, most durable glass can be easily damaged by abrasive surfaces.

For tough marks on windows and doors, consider using the softer side of a washing up sponge instead. This won’t cause any damage yet will leave your windows and doors looking great.
 
hifilover1979 said:
Car glass isn't just glass... It's laminated also and its this that will scratch...
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not sure about that. AIUI the outer surfaces (both sides) are glass, it's the inner (middle) layer that's softer material. I think polycarbonate. This is why a stone chips the outer layer but the middle layer remains intact.
 
1. Windscreens are made using safety glass and safety glass can’t shatter
All modern windscreens are made using laminated glass, also known as safety glass. The common belief is that this can’t shatter. This is very much a myth for the simple reason that flying debris, vandalism or even severe temperature changes can cause a windscreen to chip, crack, or shatter. Laminated glass will however hold together when shattered.

https://www.autoglass.ie/top-5-myth... windscreens are made,chip, crack, or shatter.
 
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