Car care and other automotive topics Options

[Andy Capp]

Yep, looks good!

It come out two days ago!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nissan-Qashqai-Pet...+NISSAN+QASHQAI

[spartacus]

What about a thread on cookery tips.... or one for the allotment holders and garden owners?...



I must admit I did have a gander at motormad's link to the pictures of his Golf and that was one impressively shining car. Must look up where I can buy some of that Collinite N 476S gloop. It looks the dog's nuts. I take it that the buffing up process to get that sort of shine was done using a polishing pad attached to a power tool rather than elbow grease?

[spartacus]

Use an APC on the wheel arches, door shuts etc
.............
Apply the LSP as appropriate
......

I'm being dim, but what's an APC (other than Armoured Personnel Carrier) and LSP... and what do you mean by 'snow foam'? Is that a product name?

[Exhausted]

Automotive-related...

If someone wanted a personalised registration number, or one which meant something to them but appeared fairly standard (J389 KLV, for example), you can contact the DVLA. If it has never been issued then they'll include it in a future auction (with a reserve price of around £130 for that example probably) and they'll also inform you when it's available so you can bid.

I only found out about this recently and am now in the process of buying one which means something to me. I appreciate many don't see the point of 'personalised' plates but I thought it was worth sharing all the same.

I've got a couple of Audi RS6 number plates which I acquired a couple of years ago. Probably sell them on some time. If you buy an RS6, give me a call and I might sell you one.

I pop my car into the local wash boys and get it done for a fiver. Looks alright to me when it's done, trouble is the dents do stand out a bit afterwards and the self tappers holding the bumper on are starting to rust. The new Yokohama tyres though are spot on, reassuringly expensive.

[Turin Machine]

APC-all purpose cleaner.
Snow foam is a kind of heavy duty pre wash treatment. Sometimes erroneously described as 'touchless washing'. Designed to pre wet and loosen dirt prior to being lanced off.

[motormad]

What about a thread on cookery tips.... or one for the allotment holders and garden owners?...



I must admit I did have a gander at motormad's link to the pictures of his Golf and that was one impressively shining car. Must look up where I can buy some of that Collinite N 476S gloop. It looks the dog's nuts. I take it that the buffing up process to get that sort of shine was done using a polishing pad attached to a power tool rather than elbow grease?

The wax does nothing for the overall shine of the vehicle to be honest.
Maybe the final 2 or 3% however it won't take a car with poor paintwork and turn it into one with good paintwork. The shine and quality of the reflections and what not is in the polishing of the paint.

The polish is applied using a machine polisher (I use a DAS6 pro on a variety of pads and polishes to get the amount of "cut" I require - basically how aggressive to go. paint is a finite resource and polishing in effects removes some of the paint. you measure the paint with a depth gauge to get an idea how of much paint there is and measure how much you're taking off as you work)
You can get the result by hand but it will take literally hours per panel - It's not fun.

Snowfoam is basically a foam that looks like snow and provides some cleaning. Some are "show foams" I call them , as they look pretty but don't clean much. You apply them with a snow foam lance and a pressure washer. I use Bilt Hamber Autofoam which is a good cleaner and also safe to existing layers of wax.

I've got a couple of Audi RS6 number plates which I acquired a couple of years ago. Probably sell them on some time. If you buy an RS6, give me a call and I might sell you one.

I pop my car into the local wash boys and get it done for a fiver. Looks alright to me when it's done, trouble is the dents do stand out a bit afterwards and the self tappers holding the bumper on are starting to rust. The new Yokohama tyres though are spot on, reassuringly expensive.

The local car wash boys are the ones who put all the fine swirl marks and scratches on it especially over time.
I would never use them, ever.

LSP is "last step product" basically the wax or sealant you apply to the vehicles paintwork (the last step).
APC is all purpose cleaner. (not to be used regularly)

[Turin Machine]

Any one know a good wheel refurb outfit??

[Exhausted]

The local car wash boys are the ones who put all the fine swirl marks and scratches on it especially over time.
I would never use them, ever.

That might be true but to see a swirl, one needs the paint to be shiny to begin with. Non metallic solid colour doesn't show the marks and when I park up, I don't have to worry about finding two spaces to park in (like Vbird) and that my worst nightmare would be that someone has bumped their door on mine. Having a shiny car must be the stuff that nightmares are made of.

[motormad]

You can still spot swirls on a non-metalic colour, be it white, red, blue, orange, or rainbow.
Having a clean car to me shows pride of ownership. While I appreciate not all people have pride in their cars I would not buy a car that had not been looked after to at least some degree.

People should be more careful & respectful. I took my Mum into town today, she whacked my door into a rock on her garden when she got into my car - I flipped at her. It's just about paying attention to what it is you're actually doing!

Any one know a good wheel refurb outfit??

My Alloys in Basingstoke
Silver Wheels in Ringwood (near Bournemouth). I have used both multiple times. I personally prefer Silver Wheels Ltd, as I find the chap there much nicer to deal with, have a good relationship with him.

Neither are the cheapest but then again, you pay for the results.

[Andy Capp]

People should be more careful & respectful. I took my Mum into town today, she whacked my door into a rock on her garden when she got into my car - I flipped at her. It's just about paying attention to what it is you're actually doing!

Perhaps it is also incumbent on proud car owners to be more careful where they park too?

[user23]

Perhaps it is also incumbent on proud car owners to be more careful where they park too?

It's only a car.

[Andy Capp]

It's only a car.

A car isn't always just a car. The point I was making is that while one can blame others for not taking care, it is also the responsibility to make sure, where practical, that one minimises the chances of others doing damage too.

[motormad]

Andy is right.

As usual User23 is wrong.

[Claude]

Any one know a good wheel refurb outfit??

Another option to throw into the mix - City Powder Coating in Birmingham.

I've got a couple of sets of wheels that need refurbing and I've heard good results from them, although they are quite difficult to get hold of on the phone by all accounts. I plan to turn up with 8 wheels, drop them off then collect them a week/fornight later.

I totally agree with what MM said - you get what you pay for - but £20 a corner is just too cheap to ignore. I'll definitely be making a visit in the next few weeks/months.

[motormad]

I would like to inspect a finish from them before I would even go near it. If you think about the process of power coating, and the overheads of running the business, costs of the paint, storage, upkeep of machinery, staff, I can't see how they can charge £20 a wheel.

Their website is crap as well and the £20 a wheel was apparently a winter special deal!

My friend has his wheels refurbished at a local company and it was good for about 6-8 months and then the powdercoat became pitted and went from an off-white to a odd yellow-ish thing.

[Turin Machine]

Thanks MM, yeah looking for a decent job to restore back to new condition, gonna need grinding and filling I'm afraid. I'mm give them a look. Ta.

[motormad]

I'm going to Silver Wheels on Saturday to drop my winter wheels off for refurbishment.
As I have a good relationship with Marcus there I could probably get quite a hefty discount on any additional work.

If you wanted to speak to Marcus there - mbeck@silverwheelsltd.co.uk - or call him - 01202 896651 - (or let me know what size wheel you have and what finish you want I can ask him for you) then I drop them down for you if you wanted.

https://www.facebook.com/SilverWheelsLtd?ref=ts&fref=ts

[Claude]

I would like to inspect a finish from them before I would even go near it. If you think about the process of power coating, and the overheads of running the business, costs of the paint, storage, upkeep of machinery, staff, I can't see how they can charge £20 a wheel.

Their website is crap as well and the £20 a wheel was apparently a winter special deal!

My friend has his wheels refurbished at a local company and it was good for about 6-8 months and then the powdercoat became pitted and went from an off-white to a odd yellow-ish thing.

Like I said, I've heard positive comments from people who have used their services, some 18+ months ago, but like you, I just don't see how they can do a decent job at that price. Unsurprisingly that 'special' price has been in play for nearly 2 years now!

One of my sets is for trackdays and will be shod in 'wets' so hopefully they won't see to many miles use each year, and the other set I may move straight on depending on the finish. In either case, if it's no good it's not the end of the world but I'll let you know so you can take a look.

I'll drop Marcus a call when my 'show' wheels need refurbing, cheers for the recommendation.

[motormad]

What do you drive yourself Claude?
I think trackday wheels need to be a bit beaten up, gives that #racekor feel I would be interested indeed to find out how they go!

And no worires.

[Claude]

What do you drive yourself Claude?

A Renault Sport Clio - it's a superb handling car, but very French - everything rattles.