[Jean Smith]

Most of the members here owns a car but let me ask you one thing, what are the unusual things you use in order to clean your car?

 

[Streamline]

Unusual things.. I stole some of my girlfriends makeup brushes to clean it.. They work great for the vents and little creases and around switches

She wasn't too pleased about it..

 

[Predator]

Mr. Clean magic eraser is actually prety magical when it comes to things off of vinyl and leather. But you have to condition the leather afterwards. Great for those plastic door handles that gets grubby over time.

 

[Streamline]

Gotta be careful with that magic eraser though, it's real easy to strip the color off the leather with it and there's no coming back from that.

 

[NewLester de Rocin]

Stainless Steel Cleaner for stovetops.
It comes in a spray can, and it's meant for cleaning the odd stains that won't come off of your steal stove, around the burners, from all the heat and the cooking. It's meant for Stainless Steel, aluminum, chrome and general metals....

But a little daub of this on a paper towel lifts the rust marks from your custom metal license plates, black stains from your tailpipe tips, and perfectly restores your Jaguar metal tread plates from ALL the scuffs from your shoes and those dull water spots you get when it's raining and you open your car door.

Vaseline petroleum jelly.
Even the most expensive Jaguar has some hard plastic trim somewhere around the interior. When you get a scuff or abrasion on this plastic, it's doom. Nothing erases it... but a little touch of vaseline does something to the plastic (maybe because they are both petroleum-based materials)---you can't see the abrasion anymore. The effect is also permanent---use it once, and you're finished.

Tri-Nova Marine Protectant.
This stuff is not meant for cars. It's for boats on the water every day, where the salt air, water, and abuse beat on your vinyl and plastic trim every day.
Comes in a black spray-bottle. You have to re-apply after 4 weeks or so.
Wipe this stuff on all your exterior and interior plastic surfaces. It not only protects the original textured surface of the plastic---but it also has this interesting smell that's, well... kind of pleasant to the girls. So especially use it INSIDE the car. Has interesting results on my girl... the rest of you are on your own.

 

[Streamline]

You have me quite interested in using this tri-nova marine protectant... works on the females you say...

Tide-to-go for some interior stains. Heard of a lot of people utilizing it.

 

[NewLester de Rocin]

You have me quite interested in using this tri-nova marine protectant... works on the females you say...

I started using the Tri Nova in November here in Eastern US. Weather was still good, so in a new car you could definitely smell a scent on this stuff. To me (and I assume any man), it's a slightly sweet smell, not like orange or any candy or fruit scent, but definitely pleasant mixed with the smell of new leather seats right beside the plastic trims.

But she thinks it's MORE than just pleasant. Now that it's winter, and kind of harder to smell scents like this in the car, she keeps smiling and asking "put some on this part... put some on the dashboard... "
The stuff is not expensive to re-order, but... yikes I'm down to 1/3 of a bottle already!

Now I know what made those actors driving the cigarette boats in Miami Vice get so cool. They sprayed their boats with TriNova.

 

[Edge]

Miami Vice was a darn good TV show.. heard that Testarossa sold for $1.75 million!

Another tip for cleaning:

Using steel wool to clean stubborn over spray on windows if you don't have a good clean razor.

 

[Streamline]

I would be slightly worried about using steel wool, I definitely find it does work amazingly, but you get those hairline scratches everywhere.

Razor method, I love it. Just make sure you have enough lubricant down on there and you keep it at the proper angle and go straight at all times.

 

[Jean Smith]

I didn't expect these things to pop-out but thank you so much guys for these great tips

 

[Paris]

Have nano coating on my XE.

 

[Jean Smith]

Have nano coating on my XE.

Well, that's good thing for you!

 

[Kingpin]

How long is that coating meant to last, a life time?

 

[Streamline]

I guess lifetime of the average ownership duration for the car. 7-8 years or something like that is what a lot of other people state. Really strong bond, tight molecules, etc. There's a deep science behind it all

 

[Kingpin]

I guess lifetime of the average ownership duration for the car. 7-8 years or something like that is what a lot of other people state. Really strong bond, tight molecules, etc. There's a deep science behind it all

Adding to that I bet some chemical out there can remove it so when it comes to these lifetime claims we really have to delve into the disclaimer and what they actually mean.

Still, we're better off than the other owners that don't do an once of what we're doing here.

 

[Streamline]

For sure, I've heard with products like Opti-coat, for example, to remove it, you'd have to cut and polish the paint again. Just goes to show it really isn't that difficult.

But that is very true. I still can't understand how there are still people that go out there and go through touch-car washes. Erks me everytime I see it.

 

[Jean Smith]

But that is very true. I still can't understand how there are still people that go out there and go through touch-car washes. Erks me everytime I see it.

Yes, I think it will be better if it was properly maintained.

 

[Edge]

Most definitely. Going through those will result in some serious scratching and marring which dulls the heck out of your paint. You could have a brand new vehicle with paint that looks like it was 8 years old... Horrendous.

 

[NewLester de Rocin]

But that is very true. I still can't understand how there are still people that go out there and go through touch-car washes. Erks me everytime I see it.

....I think it's down to people's perception of "your car".

I live in NY where a majority of people don't seem to think of a car the same way they think of the expensive watch on their wrist, the cool shoes they bought, or expensive leather couch in their living room.

Somehow they convince themselves that "it's going to get roughed up on the streets anyway, so why pamper it with hand-washing every time, why always put it back in the driveway, why be so choosy about finding a public parking space, why leave so much space between you and the other car when you parallel park?"
...But those same people will scream if you smear some ketchup on their leather sofa, or scuff their shoe.

All those personal things are "expensive", and the car is 9-times more expensive, so I scream rape if someone scars my bumper with their car!
...Many New Yorkers think of me as unrealistic. People really don't view a car as a valuable private possession or private property.
I know that sounds weird to say. It's funny, and I still haven't figured out a theory to explain it.

 

[Streamline]

I know exactly what you're talking about. Even where I am in Ontario, I have friends that feel the same way as you explained. They value a watch they've bought for $500 more than their cars that they've paid an excess of $40k for. It blows my mind and I'll never understand it. But I guess it's just personal preferences and their priorities. I guess that's why we're car enthusiasts and we're on these forums and they aren't ?