am i allowed to post in here now as i no longer own a fiesta, but still use the dodo juice products and find the advice given here very handy?

NO!!!! Totally against the rules of FOC ;)

Go ahead ..... :P

Hello, was gonna do some ordering for some bits and pieces but was going o ask, is their anything you can buy that removes fly guts off the front well?....I think I must have spent 45mins alone and was knackered trying to remove every spec of "gut" from the front, seriously kills me thinking of having to go thru that again.

This is mostly due to the fact im on the Motorways for my journey to work, so they are being hit at a fair speed.

A decent layer of wax and a decent shampoo should shift those baked on flies.

As above, no bug remover needed with good shampoo. The wax will then make subsequent washes easier also.

Well there lays the problem...the car has been coated with AtuoGlym resin, then a layer of their HD Wax, and generally washing with a Fibre Mit with Meg's Gold...so wheres it going wrong?

Meg's Gold Class isn't great. Hyperwash is ok.

A prewash will help shift the bugs, so snow foam could help - but I would suggest that Dodo BTBM would shift them without help, it does on my car and I have identical paint to you.

Just so you know I dont have apower hose or anything like that, so I start from hand with the mitt.

we have a karcher 520M pressure washer we use on the terrace etc

can this be used for snow foam in any way?

sorry if this is a stupid question!

I can't see any reason why that won't work :)

Did you see my info on the previous page?

i did thankyou :-) if i were to use the karcher how would that connect to the snow foam?

firstly if you havent got one already then you will need one of these

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/elite-heavy-duty-foam-lance-6-types-of-fitment-and-free-1l.php

you will also need some snow foam to go with it

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/ph-neutral-snow-foam.php

you just connect the snow foam lance to the karcher spray head and bobs your uncle

You connect the snow foam lance to your pressure washer like you would the normal spray gun attachment. The lance has the same connector on it as your other karcher attachments.

When that lance is attached and full of foam solution, you're ready to go :D I quite like to add a squirt of shampoo to the mixture aswell.

Back to basics, how do I hand wash a car using tap water, without all the minerals in the water around here leaving unsightly watermarks ? I have tried for years using different leathers but I am stll left with smears. Is there some additive I can put in the water to prevent this or are there shampoos that prevent this. ?

You have a few options to help with water marks...

1) Use a decent shampoo - the better the lubricity the less standing water will be left on your car.

2) Use a technique called 'sheeting' after you have washed the car, rinse the car with an open hose (no pressure washer or hose attachments) allow as much water to run off the car that way. There are YouTube videos on this.

3) Use a drying aid - there are specific products out there such as Dodo Time to Dry, but I use a good quality quick detailer spray, which is a sound investment because it has many other uses on the car.

4) Use a high quality mircofibre drying towel - not a leather - and pat dry, don't rub.

5) Do you have a water butt in the garden? If not, you could fit one. Using rain water (even unfiltered) is both eco friendly and the water will have no additives. Alternatively you can buy filtered, de-ionised or destilled water, but that's a very pricey option and one that I have never needed if I've followed the other techniques.

anyone used the new dodo need for speed product?

Back to basics, how do I hand wash a car using tap water, without all the minerals in the water around here leaving unsightly watermarks ? I have tried for years using different leathers but I am stll left with smears. Is there some additive I can put in the water to prevent this or are there shampoos that prevent this. ?

Get yourself a bucket of water mixed with a car shampoo , first rinse the car down with a hose (sometimes i dont even bother) , make sure you have a decent sponge (any sponge will do as long as its not dirty and falling to bits).

Once washed rinse off a again with hose to make sure you have removed any soap.

Now get youself a shammy and dry off(i use a proper shammy leather not them synthetic ones).

I would not worry about the minerals in the water?

Job done!

DON'T use "any sponge"! This will scratch the car like no tomorrow! Get atleast a microfiber mit or something like it. Also, don't use any type of shammy, this will also scratch the car like no tomorrow. Again, use microfiber drying towels. The appeal of cheap sponges might be alright on your walet, but really for a few extra quid get Microfiber to save the damage you will do to the car.

Get yourself a bucket of water mixed with a car shampoo , first rinse the car down with a hose (sometimes i dont even bother) , make sure you have a decent sponge (any sponge will do as long as its not dirty and falling to bits).

Once washed rinse off a again with hose to make sure you have removed any soap.

Now get youself a shammy and dry off(i use a proper shammy leather not them synthetic ones).

I would not worry about the minerals in the water?

Job done!

Mitch84 - you need to read the rest of this thread...washing in the way you have suggested is out dated at best and down right dangerous to your paint at worst.

As Mark says - sponges are a no no unless it's a Zymol sponge or perhaps a natural sea sponge.

The chamois is also a bad idea.

The simplest way to think of what to use is to think about the way they're made up - a chamois has no pile, and neither does a sponge. That means that anything picked up mid wash is still in contact with the paint as you continue to wash - the result, tiny scratches that when viewed under strong light can be seen as 'swirls'.

A wash mitt or drying towel, both have a pile - the dirt goes into the pile away from the paint and it kept from scratching anything.

anyone used the new dodo need for speed product?

anyone used it??

Sorry Ade - didn't see that...

Yes, I have - it's a good product if you don't want to go the whole hog. :)

great thanks, so its just wipe on buff off affair

Mitch84 - you need to read the rest of this thread...washing in the way you have suggested is out dated at best and down right dangerous to your paint at worst.

As Mark says - sponges are a no no unless it's a Zymol sponge or perhaps a natural sea sponge.

The chamois is also a bad idea.

The simplest way to think of what to use is to think about the way they're made up - a chamois has no pile, and neither does a sponge. That means that anything picked up mid wash is still in contact with the paint as you continue to wash - the result, tiny scratches that when viewed under strong light can be seen as 'swirls'.

A wash mitt or drying towel, both have a pile - the dirt goes into the pile away from the paint and it kept from scratching anything.

ah sorry , i personnaly have been using a sponge and shammy with no problems , i must admit i do have one of them meguires hand mits , should i maybe use that ? (i did find it strange when i used it thats why i went back to a sponge)

when i wash my car next i will try the meguires mit again.

Could someone recommend me a drying cloth please?

This one is a good place to start :)

This one is a good place to start :)

that looks huge , is that the only place to get it? , i was also looking at the meguire water magnet but i would like to spend a bit less without losing the quality?

The Water Magnet isn't great - the towel that Alex listed is very good. The size is an important consideration - a very large towel can be draped and used to pat dry, rather than moving it over the paint. This further reduces the risk of scratching.

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