Beautifying the Beast

[roadrunner]

Here are some products and tips that work pretty well in the exterior cosmetic department:

Polish: I never met a wax I didn't like, but saw an excellent comparison recommending "Zymol Natural" liquid. ( http://www.nsxsc.com/nsexcitement/waxtest.html ) I tried some and agree.

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It gives an excellent luster without killing yourself and seems to have better longevity than the Maguire's that I've been using. Additionally, it's not nearly as messy if you get some on your black plastic parts (Sport fans). It's widely available for about $8. +/-. The cleaner is not as aggressive as, say, Maguire's, though, so it will take a little more work if your paint is not in good shape. Overall, you get a lot of bang for the buck (and time) with this product. Remember to harden it off with a damp rag/chamois when done. It adds a little deeper shine and "sets" the wax. (This is an old trick -- works on most waxes).

A word about glazes-- there are some great products out there (like Zaino), but glazes tend to have lots of steps, cost more, and last about the same amount of time as a quality wax. They're good for car shows and quality older paint jobs that you want to spend the time to bring back to "new". On a newer paint job, you can get virtually as good a result with wax for much less time and money.

Sport plastic bumpers/flares, etc.: Just tried Mother's "Back to Black". It does a nice job; feels a lot like Armorall.

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It does tend to streak and get a little shiny for my taste. If that's a problem for you, here's how to tone down the sheen and eliminate the streaks: Wet your application rag first with water and wring it out. Add the product. Before it dries, chase with a damp clean rag (washcloth works great). You'll get a nice deep matt finish that looks brand new! With a little scrubbing, it also removes old wax gubers.

Raised white letters on your tires: Get a new Brillo pad (complete with built-in soap), scrub the heck out of the white portions. Before rinsing, take a scrub brush and spread the soap around to the whole (wet) wheel. Hose off -- the tire will look brand new.

Glass: Coated half of my glass with "Rain-X" glass cleaner. The glass looked new. Drove around in the rain and it actually minimizes distortion from rain on the windshield. Excellent visibility, even without wipers in light rain. Went ahead and did the other half!

Tire cover: Found some old Turtlewax Convertible top/landau top cleaner. Works great. Upholstery cleaner, or even warm soap and water would also probably work fine). I hadn't realized how dirty that cover had gotten.

Utility coat: Go to the nearest mud bog or large puddle. Drive back and forth until textured to your satisfaction. Let it age on the vehicle for a couple of weeks. Provides excellent "Journeyman" appearance. Re-apply as necessary.

 

[2003KJ]

Cool information, I'll have to try that Back to Black.

I have a good solution for the raised white letters. Eagle 1 A2Z Wheel and Tire Cleaner. You can get this at wally world for like $4 and some change (has got expensive recently). Spray on, let sit for about 45 sec, and hose off with a hard stream (I use a pressure washer to clean my KJ) and it will take the brake dust (unless it's really coated on) and ALL the road dirt off the rubber wheels and white letters. You will be amazed! And it's NO SCRUB!!! (except maybe the first time on the rims if they have alot of dust on them). Just remember to apply to cool wheels, so you don't risk stripping the clear coat off your rims.


I swear by Rain-X. I love that stuff! Makes it easier to get the winter snot off your windshield in the morning (by snot i mean snow, ice...etc) and it REALLY helps night driving.


For inside glass, I recommend Stoner's Invisible Glass. Use some of that and a balled up Newspaper and you'll have the best looking glass in town.

For outside glass, I use the finest Steel Whool you can buy (#0000). That and a little liquid dish detergent (like dawn or palmolive), and apply to WET windows (after you have washed the car) and it takes the deep down bugs off. DO NOT use it on the side mirrors and head lights. It WILL scratch them.


Dry your car and put on a good coat of Black Magic Tire Wet (the foam) and you're good to go!

 

[grogiefrog]

Last Spring I bought a bottle of Rejex after reading about it on an RX-8 forum.

http://www.corrosionx.com/rejex.html

The stuff is awesome. You use it instead of wax. It goes on easy, and just requires a light buff after it dries. It's a lot less arm work then wax is and I would say takes about half the time to apply that wax does. Then you need to let it cure for 8 hours in a garage, and then if you want (which I do) is to apply a second coat. Out of one bottle, I probably got about five coats or so. You can also apply it to glass, and it doesn't streak (or leave a film) as much as Rain-X does.

Rejex was developed by the military to protect aircraft, and it works great to prevent stains, road grime, bugs, oil, sap, bird droppings, etc., on paint. Being in the midwest, typically the front of my vehicles are covered with bugs during the summer and it's always been so hard to clean them off. This is no longer a problem after using Rejex. Bugs and stuff just whip or spray right off. I am very impressed with it and I'll never go back to wax.

And I do love a shinny KJ!