[VLOCT]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

For the same reason as Amitoj said or something different?

I do have self wash centers near my place but the Automatic ones are very convenient & much less time consuming.

Any tips(links etc) on maintaining the leather would be great

Automatic car washes will degrade your paint/wax finish, sooner or later. If you can find a fully serviced hand car wash, use them. I know self washes are a pain in winter. Even in self washes, avoid using their brush at any cost. In automatic car washes, you might get caught in a wash cycle after a really muddy or dirty truck jsut went through, especially in winter. That mud might still be on the cleaning cloth/brush when you're on. Guess what that's going to do to your paint.

I always used to carry a bucket, car wash liquid, sponge etc myself, even in self washes. Yah, I'm quite anal about my cars. Here in Vegas, full service hand car washes with leather, wax services are dime a dozen, though expensive. And NO SNOW.

Get a Mother's Leather Cleaner cum Conditioner from Autozone or other shops. That's all you need if you don't really soil them. For heavy usage, get it professionally serviced, at least once a year just before winter. All these services are available at detailers including dealerships.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by VLOCT

Get a Mother's Leather Cleaner cum Conditioner from Autozone or other shops. That's all you need if you don't really soil them. For heavy usage, get it professionally serviced, at least once a year just before winter. All these services are available at detailers including dealerships.

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Any tips(links etc) on maintaining the leather would be great

I used Mother's LCC and i dont' recommend it. I used it for 6 months and see no improvement on leather of my G35. I have been using Lexol Leather Cleaner, Conditioner, and Vinylex combo with Lexol Sponge ($25 on amazon) and it has been great so far.

I first cleaned the leather seats of any particles. Then i used Lexol Leather cleaner on the sponge to clean it. Used water to make it a little foam based. It took out many small particles in sponge which would have escaped otherwise. Once done, i cleaned with a microfiber cloth and applied conditioner with another sponge. After allowing it to dry for 3-4 minutes, i cleaned it up with a clean microfiber cloth so excess conditioner goes away. It looks great, doesn't feel sticky and has no odd scents that came with Mother's LCC.

I used the Vinylex for dashboard, door trims and stuff and it is great too. It has matte finish so there is no reflection, again no odor or any other smell. I have been using this for 2 months now on both corvette and g35 and i have been happy so far.

For car wash, i take G35 to automated car wash once a month. But i gets dirty very fast so i also do hand wash on it myself. I don't take corvette for wash outside, I do it myself. I use Meguaris car wash liquid. Use microfiber cloth(zwipes) to wipe it dry. Used turtle wax on G35. Haven't used it on Corvette yet as its quite new. So far so good.

[VLOCT]

Never really had any issues with Mother's LCC. It's worked fine for me for years. I did all the stand alone cleaner and conditioner route but finally decided, for my use, LCC will just be fine. All my leather interiors have remained pristine for years including my '71 911.

[josejoseph]

I usually use a duster and a wet cloth to clean my car every weekend and then once a month go for car wash. In CA, this is pretty much required to keep the car clean.

Last week I tried automatic car wash. Was lazy to clean the car myself because of cold weather. Though the initial impression was good later I found there was vapor inside the lamps. Could be because of the pressure wash.

BTW, can any one suggest a good wax polish for external paint protection? My car's paint is losing its gloss, so want to keep her shining. There are so many brands available so difficult to choose. Anyone got a preferred brand?

Thank you!

[aah78]

Originally Posted by josejoseph

BTW, can any one suggest a good wax polish for external paint protection? My car's paint is losing its gloss, so want to keep her shining. There are so many brands available so difficult to choose. Anyone got a preferred brand?

Thank you!

Try Zymol or P21S products. Both are highly rated & very good. I personally use P21S.
Downside - you may not find them at the local auto-parts store.

Or, as previously mentioned, Mothers. I've had good results with Eagle One products too.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by josejoseph

BTW, can any one suggest a good wax polish for external paint protection? My car's paint is losing its gloss, so want to keep her shining. There are so many brands available so difficult to choose. Anyone got a preferred brand?

Thank you!

I have heard a lot about Zaino. Its supposed to be the final word in external paint protection and shine. Their products are used on show cars also. Check out their testimonials
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...e=TESTIMONIALS

Apparently you can get it online only.

I am going to give them a try once the winter season is over.

[VLOCT]

Originally Posted by josejoseph

I usually use a duster and a wet cloth to clean my car every weekend and then once a month go for car wash. In CA, this is pretty much required to keep the car clean.

Last week I tried automatic car wash. Was lazy to clean the car myself because of cold weather. Though the initial impression was good later I found there was vapor inside the lamps. Could be because of the pressure wash.

BTW, can any one suggest a good wax polish for external paint protection? My car's paint is losing its gloss, so want to keep her shining. There are so many brands available so difficult to choose. Anyone got a preferred brand?

Thank you!

Once you have started losing the gloss, it's probably time for a professional detailing, unless you want to do the buffing and waxing all yourself. Clear coat of modern cars need protection to maintain the paint gloss. A Carnauba wax treatment, at least twice a year, will keep your car shining for years besides, making sure any paint chips are immediately cleaned and touched up.

[josejoseph]

Originally Posted by VLOCT

Once you have started losing the gloss, it's probably time for a professional detailing, unless you want to do the buffing and waxing all yourself.

VLOCT - I agree with you. It's time for a professional detailing. I will plan this very soon.

Thank you!

[Gandhi]

Can anyone suggest a good professional detailing around bay area? It's been 6 months I bought the car and I've got it washed only twice, so I should go for full detailing now.

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by VLOCT

Automatic car washes will degrade your paint/wax finish, sooner or later.
Get a Mother's Leather Cleaner cum Conditioner from Autozone or other shops. That's all you need if you don't really soil them. For heavy usage, get it professionally serviced, at least once a year just before winter. All these services are available at detailers including dealerships.

Thanks, will try my hand at self wash centers once the winter is over. Will also check out the Leather cleaner you mentioned

Originally Posted by aah78

Try Zymol or P21S products. Both are highly rated & very good. I personally use P21S.
Downside - you may not find them at the local auto-parts store.

Or, as previously mentioned, Mothers. I've had good results with Eagle One products too.

Thanks will check them out.

Originally Posted by amitoj

I have heard a lot about Zaino. Its supposed to be the final word in external paint protection and shine. Their products are used on show cars also. Check out their testimonials
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...e=TESTIMONIALS

Apparently you can get it online only.

I am going to give them a try once the winter season is over.

Looks good, right now I have a bunch of Windscreen, Interior dashboard & body cleaning stuff from Walmart, will check out all these once they are finished.


Btw, for folks who's cars dont show them details like DTE, Average & real time Mileage etc. Check out Ultragauge, it hooks up to your OBD II Port (with most cars post 1996). It shows a lot of other stuff too like error codes, other gauges etc

You can always check for compatibility before buying as well.

Pretty decently priced for the info it provides

[Jeroen]

Consider "clay barring" your car once or twice a year before you start waxing. You will be amazed by the result.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-De...uide/Clay-Bar/


Jeroen

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by amitoj

I have heard a lot about Zaino. Its supposed to be the final word in external paint protection and shine. Their products are used on show cars also. Check out their testimonials
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...e=TESTIMONIALS

Apparently you can get it online only.

I am going to give them a try once the winter season is over.

Zaino is class. A little expensive and lots of work. But once its done, the results are spectacular. If you want showroom finish or car show finish, get the zaino. You can't go wrong with it. I have used it just once on corvette. Was very pleased with the result. Will give it another shot after winter is over.

[josejoseph]

Originally Posted by Gandhi

Can anyone suggest a good professional detailing around bay area? It's been 6 months I bought the car and I've got it washed only twice, so I should go for full detailing now.

I don't know your exact location but I believe you stay in the vicinity of Sunnyvale. If so, you can try http://sunnyvalecarwashdetail.com/index.htm. Never tried detailing but go to this place for wash and they do a pretty good job. Will try detailing here in a couple of weeks'.

-- Jose

[maddy42]

Anyone has tried the touchless washes? This is the one where the water pressure washes the car and no brushes used. Is it good or bad?

All said and done a good hand wash is better than any technology. Reaches areas a machine cant and its easier to spot something left out.

[rajushank84]

Thanks all for the snow tips. I've decided to go only if we find a comfortable 7 or 8-seater at a reasonable rate (means I can join in the same car). Not much choices because we want the middle-row seat to be 3 seats AND have good trunk space. I dont think we'll bother with washing the car because its just a rental

On an unrelated note, I take my car for a hand wash every month. It costs $10. Add $5 for vacuuming the interior (dash, seats, take out floor mats and dust). Works for a lazy person like me.