Cleaning Products and other observations (long...no pics)
 

Washed the Impala and the 944 this weekend. Had some interesting experiences with cleaning products that I thought I should share (sorry so long):

Mr. Clean Auto Dry washing system is a sham. I would rather go to the local do it yourself wash any day of the week. The soap runs out too fast, the handle is not balanced very well and can be difficult to use. The quick connect that screws on the hose came undone twice while I was washing both cars. The "de-ionized" final rinse is OK, but I know it is just a bunch of water softeners (distilled water is de-ionized, you can't de-ionize water by adding things to it) that break up the surface tension of the water and sheet it off. Yes, I was a sucker and got the "5X more powerful" pro version with the included washing mitt (oooooh!) and carrying case. Worst $35 spent on a cleaning product.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for Tires and Wheels is AWESOME! This product made up for the fiasco that was the Auto dry system. Used Meguiar's "Hot Wheel" cleaner (purple top) to knock off the brake dust (it was on sale). Decent product, but not a true spray on/rinse off product as advertised (are there any "true" spray on/rinse off?). Used a soft brush in the grooves of the Impala rims, but still had "stains" in the grooves and on the polished aluminum. Followed instructions for the magic eraser and got stains out that had been there since we purchased the car. Some spots did take a little patience, but that sucker made those things shine! On the PD's on the 944 it got the dust that had caught under the valve stem that a brush could not get. Best $4 I spent on a cleaning product.

Black Magic Liquid wax for the wheels. Cheap ($3.99 on sale) liquid wax to help protect the wheels. Decent shine, will let you know how well it keeps the dust off.

Vinylex did an awesome job on my spoiler. I am very happy with the results. I liked the fact that it was not that super shiny ArmorAll look. My wife says that it does not feel crusty anymore and she likes the "non slick" feeling. I still have some sun damaged areas on the spoiler and will be looking at a "black restorer" this weekend, so please give me some suggestions. This product worked well on the black trim of the Impala as well, but even with 2 coats, still not quite shiny enough for the wife.

Lexol leather products worked very well. Upon closer inspection and using the Lexol cleaner, I found that the grey patches on my seats are where the color has been worn off (crap...any suggestions for dye in linen color?). The cleaner pulled out more dirt than the Meguiar's Gold cleaner+conditioner did and the cleaner took hardened grease (without smudging) off of the bottom of the vinyl seatbacks. The conditioner left the seats feeling soft, but not greasy and the "baseball glove" smell is back.

Blue Max carpet cleaner from NAPA is AWESOME! I tried "regular" household carpet cleaners on some regular stains but no luck. Just left that nasty foam scum you are supposed to vacuum up. I tried Prestone Auto Upholstery cleaner with built in brush (Sucked BIG TIME) which made NO difference, just a big mess. In an attempt to remove some black grease stains from where the seat rails had seeped grease onto the carpet, I even tried highly diluted Simple Green. Nothing worked. Then I remembered I had this can of expensive Blue Max cleaner left over from when I last cleaned my truck. Sprayed on, waited, wiped off with damp sponge and it LIFTED THE GREASE!!! Took off all the other stubborn stains too except one (see below).

Sometimes there is nothing better than clean, hot water. Cleaning the carpet was a pain, but I borrowed a Bissell home carpet steamer that had upholstery attachments. Using only clean hot water, I got nearly every stain and gunk spot out of the carpet. The only stain I could not get out was a light orange/red stain under the passenger seat that looked like rust, but I think it was a spilled drink. I lifted the carpet and double checked for rust just in case. The stain is much lighter now and will be hidden by the passenger seat anyway. The carpet looks nearly new!

Porsche...there is no subsitute... I have Lloyd mats with the 944 logo that match my linen interior, but even after using all the same tricks I used to clean the interior carpet, they would not come clean. It just goes to show that when you use high quality materials it shows. The Porsche carpet is obviously a much better grade, and shows by the ease of cleaning and durability. Nothing against Lloyd mats, they are doing the job that I bought them for, but next time I am going with a darker mat because the linen color is looking dingy.

Well sorry for the long post, but I wanted to share my washing experiences and hopefully keep someone from making the same mistakes I did......

Brad E.

I also like Lexol/Vinylex. Top quality stuff.

This thread is worthless without pics :D

I'm interested in this black restorer. When you get a hold of some, make another post or pm me or something. I've been looking for something to clean up my spoiler with.

I used some tire shine stuff to clean up my spoiler. Worked like a charm. Still looks fresh 2 months later.

I had a different experince with the Mr Clean stuff. I have the first version that did not have the quick disconnect and I have not had any problems with the hose. I don't use the soap that it comes with. I find that it strips all the wax off. The filter does a good job of filtering almost all of the minerals and crap in the munincipal water. It goes a long way to making the drying process easier. Their claims about the product are inflated but I find it to be a useful tool.


I haven't used any of the other products so I can't comment.

Thanks for the info and for sharing your experience.

Does anyone have experience using Lexol and Leatherique products for leather care? Is Leatherique truly better?

I've found Lexol to be pretty good but can't compare it to the other brand.

I bought Leatherique. I cleaned the seats, put on the leatherique, letting the car bake in the sun. Took the leatherique off...and found that Lexol did the same (or better)!

Leatherique didn't work for me!

I use the Mr clean thing. I have well water so the filter makes a big difference. I use mcquires soap instead of theirs

I think the hard water here in AZ was too harsh for the filter. I'm actually more mad at myself for buying into the marketing hype and buying the "pro" version. Now that I have had a few days to look back on it, if you are using it to knock the dirt off and rinse down the car it really is not as bad as I made it out to be.

BigSheldy- Try the Vinylex before anything else- my wife is raving about the difference it made. I am still looking at getting some back to black for the faded spots. I will keep you updated.

Geoff- If I had a camera, there would be pics, especially of the carpet. Actually I do have a before pic, I will try to borrow one to get the after shots.

Thanks for the interest....

Brad

S100 Cycle Cleaner is the best stuff for the engine-compartment I've ever seen. Takes the most grimy engine you can imagine with 20-years of caked-on grease and road-crap and makes the engine clean enough to eat off! :)

I've used both Lexol and Leatherique, and I had just the opposite experience.

IMHO the Lexol cleaner is pretty good, but the Lexol conditioner did nothing to soften the leather. It is easy to apply and remove.

Leatherique is a lot of work to apply, it needs a lot of time to soak into the leather and the heat helps. But it makes the leather more pliable and supple. The manufacturer claims that Leatherique strengthens and preserves the leather. I haven't used it long enough to comment on that.

BTW, Leatherique makes restoration products that you can use to refinish the leather. You actually remove the dye with a stripper and sandpaper, fill the cracks with filler, and re-color with dye that they can color match. This is a hugh amount of work, of course. I saw actual results posted on another forum and the seats looked almost new.

If you like the Vinylex for your spoiler get ready to reapply it often-it's an interior product. To really get the spoiler looking like new (and this works also with the rubber trim on the elephant ear mirrors) buy some black Surflex, this is a dye, not a treatment. You can get it at www.carcareonline.com and it works great-brings back the original color, then protect it with your favorite exterior rubber product.

I used "Back to Black" by meguairs I think. It works great on all the rubber/vinyl parts on our. After its used a couple of times the spoiler will look great.