non Autopians

A

AndyC

New member
OK, have tried a search for this but can't find anything.



My brother and Dad have just ordered new cars - brother going for an 11 month old Vauxhall Astra in metallic blue and Dad's buying his first brand new car ever - a silver Astra (dealer was smiling as they both did the deal within an hour of each other!



Now, neither of them will ever be Autopian - brother says he's too busy with his 2 kids, work etc etc (his previous car was in a real mess) and my Dad - well, you can't teach an old dog....



I already have 2 cars to work on full time plus possibly a 3rd if bonus comes in April...I can't add 2 more to this list so what can I do to help my family? I've agreed to do some initial work on both cars (ie clay, polish, seal etc.) and am going to try & persuade them both to get some good cleaning products (wash mitts, WW drying towels etc) but can see myself cleaning both cars fairly regularly.



Any tips or hints? I told my Dad not to bother with the Diamond Brite treatment ("never polish your car again" - yeah, right) but maybe I should have done?



Any thoughts?
 
I should add that I don't really want to take on 2 more cars - I want to know what I can do to convert 2 non Autopians.



Is this even possible?
 
Andy,I would detail my own car, then offer to have you Dad/bro come round a couple of weeks after they have got there 'new' cars make sure they have to see your superb example and have a 'Detail Day' one weekend,show them the right way to do everything while they are keen on keeping the new cars clean and the cars are still in good nick from the dealers presale detail,just make sure if they do nothing else they at least wash the car regularly.



Buy them or get the other halves to buy them a car cleaning kit in the January sales ( Halfords )

Maybe if your feeling generous you could donate some of the products youve upgraded from that you still have lying around?
 
Believe me they know what I'm like and I'd already thought about getting them to spend a few quid as follows.



Sheepskin washmitt x 2 £10.00

Sonax gloss shampoo £4.00

Megs APC + free as I'll mix them some up

WW drying towel £15-ish from Pakshak



Remembering that I'm going to do some basic prep for them I've left waxes etc out as I can always loan them mine with applicator pads/MF's etc until they get their own.



Plus brother's b'day is February & Dad's is May so I could always get them some stuff then.
 
Over the Christmas holiday my entire family was staying with me and they all drove in with dirty cars. I was able to wash them all but I know that's as clean as they'll be until I am able to wash them again.



What I try to do with family cars is use the most durable sealant I have, knowing they will not wax and polish their cars but instead wait for me to do it. Beyond that I encourage them to wash their cars as frequently as possible or at least take them to the best automatic car wash in town and let them do it.



For example, my youngest brother just purchased a new minivan (Honda Odyssey). I didn't get the chance to apply a sealant or do much beyond a wash but he said it was the cleanest it had been since he bought it. He freely admitted he hates washing cars. That's fine, they're his cars.



I guess all you can do is encourage them to take care of their cars as best they can. Hopefully they'll use the stuff you buy for them. Even if you get your hands on their cars a few times per year, their cars will look better than most on the road. Two details per year is more than the vast majority of cars get in a lifetime.
 
This is good feedback and maybe I've been a bit unfair on my family. Both of them wash their cars regularly (I'd say 1-3 times a month) but I know my Dad hasn't changed his sponge or dry towel for like 10 years so I cringe when I think what that's doing to his paint.



I think getting them the right equipment is the best way to start but I can only do so much.



My plan for my dad's car was to get a couple of coats of EX on there - it'll need clay and maybe a mild polish (VMW?) and the only other thing I planned was to use maybe 303 fabric protector on the interior to at least stay ahead of the dirt etc.



Brother's car needs proper inspection as it's 11 months old before I decide what to do but I'm thinking roughly same procedure except maybe using a stronger polish (#9 or DACP by PC if swirls apparent).
 
You need to get them a one-step product that is easy to use and lasts a long time. Klasse AIO should fit that bill nicely. It is easy to use, gives great results and offers wonderful protection.



You can make a nice kit for them consisting of a lambwool mittt, some MF towels and some good glass cleaner like Stoner's Invisible Glass (if it's over there).
 
A 1-step product is what I would recomend.Klassev AIO would be great ,since your from G.B.Autoglym would be great . Anything from Meguiars ,Mothers and Eagle 1.
 
Yup. I would definitely suggest something that lasts and protects a long time without much effort going into the application process. I don't know what products you have access to in the UK, but Klasse seems like a good option for them. If you can get Meguiar's products then perhaps this new NXT product would work out. I don't know how long its going to take for that to reach the UK though. Maybe #20 would be a good option too. Just look for something that has good durability. If they don't have the time to care for their cars then appearance may not be that important to them.
 
Good news guys. Saw my dad last night and asked if he'd be prepared to let me buy a bunch of cleaning products for him up to £XXX. He's fine with this and will listen and watch me when I prep his new car.



It just feels a bit weird teaching my dad how to clean a car - when me & my brother were little we were only ever allowed to clean the wheels of the numerous Volvos he owned (I'm talking 144/244 series here so this is close to 22 years back).



My initial shopping list is as follows.



Sonax Gloss shampoo

Sheepskin mitt x2 plus chenile wash pad

New bucket (so he can use the 2 bucket method - hopefully...)

WW drying towel

QD

Supply of MF's



I'm leaving waxes & polishes etc as he's already asked that I do any of this work for him as needed and I plan to put some EX or Autoglym on next weekend to give car some protection til the Spring.



Would anyone add anything to the shopping list - fairly basic I know but I'm loathed to go too mad plus he's only wanting to spend like £25 (roughly $40)
 
The first thing that needs to be done is for you to remember that these are their cars, not yours, and they are going to care for them as they see fit. Give them that room and peace.



If you're really determined to get them going on "proper" car care, give them some off the good stuff. Claying sounds absurd, until you try it. Same with some of the acrylic car waxes and such. It's not until it's in your own hands and you work it that it becomes real.



You must use their benchmarks. If it's a half hour with a can of Turtlewax, that's what you've got to beat or at least meet. Five hours of washing and claying and polishing are going to be unacceptable to them. But if you can take a good product like Klasse and make the car look like this :bounce in the same time, they may be willing to give it a try themselves in the future. Since these are new cars, a quick wash and application of SG may do the job.



Otherwise, accept their oxidation and scratches and dirty car.
 
AndyC- Glad to see you're considering AutoGlym :xyxthumbs Their Super Resin Polish, either by itself or with a wax topper, is probably my favorite "other people's cars" product. It seems to fill minor marring better than AIO (which sometimes accentuates it instead) and it cleans almost as well.



Only thing I'd add to your list is a separate bucket and supplies for cleaning wheels. If only so he isn't tempted to use his GOOD stuff on them and then trash the vehicle's paint by rubbing in wheel dirt.
 
UPDATE



My Dad's not touched his car since 2 January so I can have a clear run at it this weekend.



Brother decided to wash his, using his new sponge, bucket & cheap shampoo and lo & behold "Andy, I've got a load of scratches and there's dried wax from the dealer....."



Didn't act smug as he wants to learn what he needs to do to keep car looking sharp and he won't use poor cleaning materials again in a hurry.
 
Oh well, that's the school of hard knocks. :)



For non-Autopian people's cars, it's sometimes tricky to recommend things to them. It's helpful, but sometimes difficult, to try and accurately gauge how much work they are willing to do to do things "right". You always want to say "do this, and this, and this... and this too..." but at some point you have to be realistic and just try your best to cover the most critical areas like washing and proper media (towels, applicators, etc). At least that way they will have less self-induced swirling because they're using the wrong tools.



Anything after that and saying "keep it waxed" is just gravy. :)
 
I also recommend keeping it simple, indeed, it's their car..



However, I'd just try to get the basics in, how to wash the car (all the usual stuff, use nothing but car wash soap, top to bottom, rinse well, etc.), educate them at what causes scratches and what strips off wax and tell them you'll personally kill them if they use a carwash :)



If they want to go further and buff up once in a while, supply them with a nice wax with mild polishing and teach them how to use it properly (i.e.: how to not do damage).



Then just do a full detail for them once or twice a year when you get really upset with the looks of their cars (we're crazy, aren't we? :)).



I've got a friend who makes an absolute mess out of his cars, but fortunately when he got his '96 M3 he was smart enough to ask me for some advice.

I just learned him to wash properly and once in while he lends me his car(s) for the weekend and I detail it as a 'thank you'.



Because he washes the right way, it's easy to restore it's full glory, even when it was a total mess before I took it. That's also the nice side about this approach - you get a real feeling of accomplishment when detailing the car of such a 'swine' :)



Just learn them how not to do damage and take it from there.



- Rick
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top