Washing the DeLorean

[Ozzie]

Decided to wash the D today. The panels were starting to look kind of streaky and dull, probably from years of stainless cleaners on the panels.

I know a lot of you like the "Bar Keeper's Friend" solution, and have seen some amazing pictures of cars washed with it, but I personally don't like it. The car still has traces of powdery residue in unreachable nooks and crannies, from the one time I tried it.

So I proceeded to wash as a conventionally as possible, with Dawn and water, which interestingly enough I had never really done before, and instead had been using stainless cleaners. Anyway a good old soap and water wash, rinse, drying (each step with the grain), turned out some very good results; the panels look a lot better now. Check it out:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=463&d=1306718988

[Tamir A.]

Looks really sharp. I find the best results from using good old Windex. Twice a year I like to take it to the power wash and hand spray the undercarriage and outside to get all the dust and dirt out of the cracks, etc. But for overall shine and cleaning, windex still does the trick.

T.

[David T]

You should try using a car wash soap. They are much milder and a lot easier to wash off. They leave no scummy soap residue. Depending on how hard the water is some will work with hard water so you don't get any spotting. Usually costs no more than dishwashing soap and you can get it at most auto stores. I prefer the Griot's Garage line of products but any good car soap will do. I use VERY hot water and a sponge. It removes all of the tree sap, pollen, grease and dirt. For the more stubborn grease and dirt on the lower parts of the car I go over it after washing with 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner (again from GG). I like Windex too for spot cleaning. Alcohol also works well. After washing the car I go over all of the glass with glass cleaner (Perfect Glass). If the black on the bumpers or the rear sunshade is very faded Black Again works great.
David Teitelbaum

[Mike C.]

Very nice!

I'll do BKF powder, but only as part of the cleaning. After that scrub, I always re-wash the car to make sure all the residue is completely gone. I used to be a big Griot's user on my past cars as well. Lots of good stuff.

For quick detailing, i've been using Dodo Juice Red Mist. Smells good, and leaves the fascias nice and slick.

[stevedmc]

Sometimes I just use engine cleaner at the self serve car wash. It works nice too.

[DMCNY]

Looks sharp. I've used the BKF and was very happy with the results. I bought both the powder and the liquid. I used the powder on the hood as it neeeded it the most. I did find the power residue was a bit more challenging to get rid of than the liquid residue.

The key I think to using the BKF and not having any residue when done is in the rinsing. I rinsed my car like crazy after using it. powerblast spray all the nooks and crannies for an exdented period of time and you'll have almost zero residue. Of all the cleaning of done to the car, the BKF gave the most noticable and "wowing" results.

The good news is, it's not something that has to be done everytime you clean the car, regular cleanings with a good soap should keep it looking nice. I'd estimate maybe using BKF 2 times a year. Once in the beginning of the driving season and once before storing away.

[sdg3205]

I just picked up some powdered BKF. Do you simply use it with the blending pad or is there some other trick involved?

[kajcienski]

Hold the presses folks... I just found the best stainless steel cleaner I have ever used. Having tried the usual products DeLorean owners recommend, I was really impressed by this stuff called "Twinkle" (sprays on as a light foam - safe if oversprayed on painted areas by accident as well I'm told). It was recommended by Dave and Tom from the Long Island club. With one wipe, it cut through heavy fingerprints and left a completely streak-free surface. I think I'm sold on it and throwing the other cleaners away. Quick and easy! I haven't found it in stores but can order online. As a side, I have also been loving a product called "Black Again" for the louvres and all black painted/unpainted surfaces. Rich black color. I have also found that it doesn't just wash away like other similar products - this one is UV activated. Just thought I would pass that along! I guess you know you are a D owner if you get this excited about a stainless steel cleaner...

[steve6864]

I still like weinmans stainless cleaner the best.After a good soapy wash with a good rinse then the blade,sun dry and the weinmans.No residue and good even shine.Once or twice a year though i will break out a degreaser,before washing.6864.

[kajcienski]

I still like weinmans stainless cleaner the best.After a good soapy wash with a good rinse then the blade,sun dry and the weinmans.No residue and good even shine.Once or twice a year though i will break out a degreaser,before washing.6864.

I'll check that one out - that is one I have heard of but never tried out, thanks for the input! I was just blown away at Twinkle after trying like 10 other products, had to spread the word to the gang! Let me know if you have tried Twinkle and what you think in comparison. So many horrible stainless cleaner products out there... My wallet can certainly back me up on that.

[jawn101]

I use undiluted vinegar on the stainless to cut hard water and fingerprints - smells pretty nasty but dissipates after a half hour or so. Cheap as chips (a buck or so a gallon at Walmart) and environmentally friendly. Probably not the best for the rubber seals so I tend to keep it away from them. I have also used foaming glass cleaner (I have found that GM dealerships stock it at their parts counters; it's a really nice formula and generally cheaper than what you'll find at auto parts stores) many times for the glass and stainless.

Does anyone have suggestions for wheel cleaning? Normally I'd just use a Meguiars or similar wheel spray and rinse it off, but the more I learn about the grounds that are directly behind those wheels, the less I want to do that... :)

[DMC5180]

I have been using Hope's Perfect Glass, however it is getting very hard to find it now and I'm almost out. A few weeks ago I borrowed a Spray can of Invisible Glass By Stoner "dude" j/k. It's a spray on foam that worked great on the Stainless in addition to the glass. I'm sold on it. I'm not a fan of "SS Cleaners" that tend to darken the finish with oily residue. I never washed the car for first 6 years I owned it and would just use the SS sprays exclusively. One day I decided It was so dirty I'd run it through a Hand Car Wash instead. The result was "Bright" clean stainless. I'll never use a so called SS cleaner again.

[Morpheus]

Decided to wash the D today. The panels were starting to look kind of streaky and dull, probably from years of stainless cleaners on the panels.

I know a lot of you like the "Bar Keeper's Friend" solution, and have seen some amazing pictures of cars washed with it, but I personally don't like it. The car still has traces of powdery residue in unreachable nooks and crannies, from the one time I tried it.

So I proceeded to wash as a conventionally as possible, with Dawn and water, which interestingly enough I had never really done before, and instead had been using stainless cleaners. Anyway a good old soap and water wash, rinse, drying (each step with the grain), turned out some very good results; the panels look a lot better now.

+1

I, too, use dawn dish soap to wash my D. I stay away from common car wash soaps because a lot of them contain wax. After washing, I dry the car and sit back to admire
my work. If I'm prepping for a show, I might follow up with some stainless polish to really make her shine.

[TheDutchTexan]

I wonder if anyone took their DeLorean to a car wash... I absolutely loathe washing cars in the Texas heat during the summer months. That is the reason why my mustang was nasty as hell for the longest time.

The reason I ask is simple. Will it ruin a DeLorean if you took it trough the car wash?

[opethmike]

I wonder if anyone took their DeLorean to a car wash... I absolutely loathe washing cars in the Texas heat during the summer months. That is the reason why my mustang was nasty as hell for the longest time.

The reason I ask is simple. Will it ruin a DeLorean if you took it trough the car wash?

I'd be concerned with the louvers, considering how fragile they are. Also, when I hand wash my DeLorean, I lay down towels over the engine cover - gets rather wet in there if I don't. Can't imagine what a car wash would do!

[Canon20DFan]

I use the overspray in the engine compartment to wash the engine, actually. I use the drying towel to wipe down the engine parts I can reach.

I'd be concerned with the louvers, considering how fragile they are. Also, when I hand wash my DeLorean, I lay down towels over the engine cover - gets rather wet in there if I don't. Can't imagine what a car wash would do!

[thirdmanj]

I just use diluted Cheerwine and carb cleaner. :thumbup2:

[Mike C.]

In the summer, I drive around looking for high school cheerleader carwashes on the weekend. Who gives a shit if they can wash a car? lol

http://www.oligoville.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dazed-and-confusedjpg.jpeg

[Fluxat88MPH]

Now I know where Capt. America lives, or should I call you Steve Rodgers?


Decided to wash the D today. The panels were starting to look kind of streaky and dull, probably from years of stainless cleaners on the panels.

I know a lot of you like the "Bar Keeper's Friend" solution, and have seen some amazing pictures of cars washed with it, but I personally don't like it. The car still has traces of powdery residue in unreachable nooks and crannies, from the one time I tried it.

So I proceeded to wash as a conventionally as possible, with Dawn and water, which interestingly enough I had never really done before, and instead had been using stainless cleaners. Anyway a good old soap and water wash, rinse, drying (each step with the grain), turned out some very good results; the panels look a lot better now. Check it out:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=463&d=1306718988

[Canon20DFan]

Smart man!

In the summer, I drive around looking for high school cheerleader carwashes on the weekend. Who gives a shit if they can wash a car? lol

http://www.oligoville.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dazed-and-confusedjpg.jpeg

[outatym2001]

Does anyone have suggestions for wheel cleaning? Normally I'd just use a Meguiars or similar wheel spray and rinse it off, but the more I learn about the grounds that are directly behind those wheels, the less I want to do that... :)

Here is my take on cleaning the DeLorean rims. I use plain old liquid hand soap, water, a cotton rag and a bamboo Chop Stick. The Chop Stick is thin and strong and easy to get inbetween the 45 spokes on the rim. Fingers in general are too big to get inbetween the spokes.
I set down some cardboard on the ground next to wheel and sit on the cardboard and spend about fifteen minutes per rim. My rims were silver powder coated then clear coated back in early 2008.
Once a year I use the powder version of Bar Keepers Friend on the stainless and it is the best thing I know of to remove the dirt embedded in the grooves in the SS body panels.

You can see my post number 9 in the thread below.
Best way to make wheels look new?
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?347-Best-way-to-make-wheels-look-new

[BTTF-1]

Wow! Your car looks like a shinny new proof silver dollar.

Just wondering what you did to make it look so good before you washed it. Mine is kind of reminiscent of lead.

Ed:Headspin:

[David T]

I use Griot's wheel cleaner. I took an old toothbrush and ground it so it fits in between the spokes and heated the tip and bent it upwards so it cleans the whole area. Easier if you remove the wheel and lay it on the ground. That way you can clean the inside of the rim and the brake caliper and wheel well.
David Teitelbaum

[Canon20DFan]

Chopsticks...never thought of that.

Here is my take on cleaning the DeLorean rims. I use plain old liquid hand soap, water, a cotton rag and a bamboo Chop Stick. The Chop Stick is thin and strong and easy to get inbetween the 45 spokes on the rim. Fingers in general are too big to get inbetween the spokes.
I set down some cardboard on the ground next to wheel and sit on the cardboard and spend about fifteen minutes per rim. My rims were silver powder coated then clear coated back in early 2008.
Once a year I use the powder version of Bar Keepers Friend on the stainless and it is the best thing I know of to remove the dirt embedded in the grooves in the SS body panels.

You can see my post number 9 in the thread below.
Best way to make wheels look new?
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?347-Best-way-to-make-wheels-look-new

[Renee_1632]

I've taken 1632 through a car wash. I chose the cheapest one, so no wax was applied, but it was still a mess. First, my weather stripping isn't what it used to be and my ex boyfriend got completely drenched. Second, the "anti-spot rinse" left spots EVERYWHERE. And the water left over added more spots. Don't waste your money or time.

Now I just wash with soap and water, and the stainless steel sealant from DMC. I really like that stuff.

[stevedmc]

First, my weather stripping isn't what it used to be and my ex boyfriend got completely drenched.

That's awesome.

[dvonk]

anyone try the BKF foam spray yet?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2aP4RpHaAo