Yes I'm with you guys on this one. I've found in the past that suprisingly a hand wash actually gets the car cleaner than a pressure wash. With the pressure wash you often find that there are patches that don't get cleaned properly.
Agreed Lots and Lots of warm soapy water. Wet the car and do section by section (starting at the top) and rinsing well before moving to next section. Each car has a few section where dirt swirls around and collects, a wet mitt and a little elbow grease get the dirt that a car wash or pressure wash can't. I have read that a kitchen detergent works well but I use a designated automobile wash solution.
In the winter I do cheat and go to a touch less car wash, sand and salt do get into the undercarriage and a car wash does help. I usually hand clean my windows and mirrors afterward. The lines of the B seem to flow smoothly and washing it takes less time than other cars I have owned.
I was hoping Derek might visit the coast and pay for his stay by applying a little Mother's Paste Wax.... Lots of people out here with a spare room and dirty cars.
Bill
Was Sunny in Surrey but predicting SNOW this weekend!!!!!
Remember what water pressure can do. Many high tech factories use water pressure to cut thick metals , leaving very sharp cuts for exact measurements.
At a distance a high pressure washer might not do any damage. But if you see a mark or stain, you get a little closer to remove the dirt or mark, and it works.
You can't see it but the paint is being damaged and the wax is surely gone ...but it looks clean.
Bill, thanks for the invite and I will take you up on it in the future.
Cheers, Derek
And Anthony and other Albertans are putting their snows back on.
We've still got a ton of snow but we also have 20 C for a couple of days. WOW!!
Last edited by Derek Lecours : 04-18-2008 at 07:21 AM.
ok.. I am planning to paint the caliper. Here's some questions.
Will painting the caliper void the warranty?
What brand is good? I heard good things about G2 and Dupli. I can buy Dupli at Canadian Tire. G2 is no where to be found in Canada.
I think silver is the common color. It matches well with B's alloy wheel. I am thinking painting it to match body color though.
I need step by step instruction of jacking the B up and removing the wheel. Any "Mechanic" here pls help. Can I hand brush it without removing the wheel?
Keith, I know you paint yours on your previous B. Do you have any pics?
Hi jtcb,
What jacking tools are you going to use to securely lift the B?
Remove the wheel to paint the caliper.
Buy the proper caliper paint to avoid warranty problems. (heat is generated)
Painting by spray or brush is fine.
No paint on the wrong places.(rubber and fittings and electrical connections)
Masking could take a lot of time. To do it right takes patience and time.
Caliper must be perfectly clean and your work will show better if it's painted fire engine red.(some high end brakes are red)
Remember, all of your work will get very dirty in no time because brake dust is somewhat corrosive.
Good Luck!!
Last edited by Derek Lecours : 04-19-2008 at 03:27 PM.
ok.. I am planning to paint the caliper. Here's some questions.
Will painting the caliper void the warranty?
What brand is good? I heard good things about G2 and Dupli.
I think everyone goes through a 'boy racer' stage in their lives (I'm not that old though) that you try to install/mod every possible thing on your car. I remember the biggest thing a few years ago in caliper paint was a brand called FOLIA TEC. In the spirit of imitating the color of the Brembo brakes on most Ferraris everyone was painting their calipers fire engine red.
Don't know if Folia Tec is available in Canada though. I picked up a whole kit when I was living in the UK.
Best to jack the car, pull the wheel, give both brakes and wheels a good cleaning - with the brakes getting a healthy dose of a spray-on brake cleaner. If you are truly anal, you can pull the calipers right off the car, and either spray paint or use a brush. To be careful in not painting the actual disks, it would be best to mask the areas that should not be painted. To get best results, apply the paint in three or four stages. In each of the painting stage, apply a thin coat of paint, allow to fully dry. (BE PATIENT!!!) Repeat the process. I remember taking the whole weekend to paint the calipers of my old Toyota Matrix. Had the car on jack stands all weekend. Started the project on a Friday night, and completed everything by Sunday afternoon. It pays to have a case or two of Stella since you do a lot of waiting.
I wish I still had that much time to tool around my cars.
Martman ,
I do so agree with you!!! I'd love to detail my B like that.
But in the real world, I have to drive 2 k on a dirty and silty road before hitting pavement.
I hope jtcb realizes the work involved if doing it right. Doing it wrong will just be a waste of time.
I hope jtcb has the proper tools to safely remove the wheels and calipers and the torque wrench and info to properly re-install it all.
I find that even with the plain city driving that I do, because of family commitments, and a few other priorities, I just do not want to spend that much time prepping, and detailing my cars. Our B200 is a daily driver. To me, as long as the car is reasonably clean, and I am able to maintain the internals of the car (checking fluids, air pressure, etc) and I know that the investment I made pays off (higher re-sale value, or the car lasting as long as possible with minimal maintenance costs) I'll be happy. Heck, I'm ecstatic as it is when i am able to speand about 2 - 3 hours on a Saturday or Sunday washing, waxing the car. However, I do have an appreciation when I see cars prepped and detailed since I've 'been there, done that.'
All the best, jtcb if you were to take on this project. Just make sure you have someone knowledgeable to assist you as Derek had suggested.
Lots of people out here with a spare room and dirty cars.
(heat is generated)
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