JakBeatZ

I read the stuff on www.properautocare.com and it said I should use a sheepskin or natural sea sponge to clean, ok, I bought a sheepskin mitt, no problem. It said I should use a chamios to get the water off, then a terry towel to dry the remainder to get rid of the water spots. I went into a Canadian Tire and looked at their terry towel but found they were rather rough and was a little leary about getting one of those. How about a Microfiber or fleece? Good, bad? Am I overly paranoid about using a terry towel? I guess a better question is what can I get away with safely, and what should I avoid like the plague?

I just got a small california duster and it might be me, but I find it leaves little red fuzz ***** on the upper textured part of the dash in my A3.

Is it just me or is this just something that happens until the duster gets worked in, so to speak?

I just want to get rid of the dust. It works fine on the IP, steering wheel, nav+ area, shifter, etc, it just seriously sucks on the textured dash. Maybe I should look at a feather duster instead for an all-around duster?

Finally, what about wheel cleaner? I bought a relatively soft spoke brush to clean the wheels, but what about a cleaning solution? Is regular car shampoo ok to use or should I invest in proper wheel cleaner?

What'cha all think?

cj99si

as far as drying just get your self an absorber, and if you want to speed things up (still safe)get a california dry blade to get the heavy stuff off first.

the little duster should do fine did you lay it on a newspaper/ paper towel for 24 hrs? get a big one as well for the exterior(best investment you can make for cleaning)

any sponge will do for washing just make sure you rinse it out each time before use. that goes for the blade and the absorber.

as far as your rims go get a decent rim clean and use maybe every 3rd or 4th time you clean your rims. the soap you use for the car is fine in between

carefull with those rim brushes, you can just use your sponge if you want.

hope that was what you were looking for.

JakBeatZ

I dunno why but those things scare me! I saw one for the first time at the autoshow and even though it looked cool, I couldn't help but see bad things, but I guess looking at it realistically, it's just like a windshield wiper, more or less...

cj99si

as long as you cleaned your car, and the blade is clean your fine.

RickM

First, use what works for you regardless of what anyone says. Everyone has their own tolerance levels for the amount of time/effort they're prepared to put into detailing, as well as their own standards for what is "good enough". Having said that....

I've tried the absorber for drying and didn't care for it. I use a CA Water Blade followed by a clean cotton terry towel. I use old bath towels; they're soft and generally lintless. Using the blade first, one towel finishes the process. If you use a towel, make sure it's 100% cotton and don't use fabric softener in the wash or those softener sheets in the dryer. If you use the blade, make sure it and the paint surface is clean. Note that others swear by waffle-weave microfiber for drying. Whatever works.

For interior dusting (as distinct from cleaning, which you didn't ask about) on everything except clear plastic (like the gauge cluster), I use a Swiffer or equivalent. I keep one folded up in the console (I've been known to do a quick once-over on the dash while sitting at a red light). Those things grab the dust and hold onto it. They're great, available everywhere, and cheap. But they'll put fine scratches on the clear plastic, so avoid that. I wouldn't use a feather duster because it just moves the dust around without really removing it.

I stopped using wheel cleaners a long time ago. Waste of money, IMO. They don't do anything an ordinary car wash can't do, assuming you aren't going long periods between washes and letting brake dust cake up on the wheels. There's no such thing as an effective spray on/rinse off rim cleaner, and since you're going to be using a brush or sponge, all you really need is some effective detergent.

I have a CA duster, but I hardly ever use it, mostly because I'm not in a dry climate and dust isn't a big issue. But I'll sometimes use the mini-duster to dust the rims. Of course once you start using it for that you don't use it for anything else. cj99si has already mentioned wrapping the duster in newspaper before using it, to pull some of the wax out of the fibers. Otherwise you can see some streaking on the paint.

Seattle Scott

You are accused of heresy on three counts. Heresy by thought, heresy by word, heresy by deed, and heresy by action. Four counts. <b>Do you confess?</b>

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Troy H

What do I think...I think the link under the page header might be a good place to start.