Prepping to sell

Chrishazle

I'm somewhat into "detailing", but partly agree with Motorguy based on my own experience. I had a local mobile valeter do the interior of 2 cars I sold in the past few years, cost £50 for each, and the interiors came up showroom new and certainly helped sell the cars. The exteriors I did myself as I had already clayed and paint corrected both (I have a DA polisher). Black is possibly the worst colour to get looking really good, and you will not get rid of swirls and car wash light scratches without machine polishing (paint correcting) so it's worth asking a mobile valeter for a price. Failing that it's a good wash, T cut or similar then polish and wax, and loads of elbow grease!

fivetide

DUTR wrote: »

You can easily find the ingredients in washing up liquid, salt was used as a thickner before modern day chemicals, .

Not quite chap.

Here's an article on what the official ingredients are in Fairy Liquid for example:

http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/behind_the_label/268721/behind_the_label_fairy_liquid.html

LISTED INGREDIENTS
15-30% Anionic surfactants, 5-15% Nonionic
surfactants, Perfume, Geraniol, Limonene

When actually, if you dig into it, one of the main ingredients is.... yup sodium based:

• Aqua
• Sodium laureth sulphate
• Alcohol denat
• Lauramine oxide
• C9-11 pareth-8
• Sodium chloride
• 1,3-Cyclohexanedimethanamine
• PPG (polypropylene glycols)
• Dimethyl aminoethyl methecrylate/hydroxyproply acrylate copolymer cirate
• Parfum
• Geraniol
• Limonene
• Colourant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_laureth_sulfate

No idea if it will take wax off or not. I trust your experiments on that one. I wouldn't put it near my car for the above and previously stated reason though.

DUTR

fivetide wrote: »

Not quite chap.

Here's an article on what the official ingredients are in Fairy Liquid for example:

http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/behind_the_label/268721/behind_the_label_fairy_liquid.html

LISTED INGREDIENTS
15-30% Anionic surfactants, 5-15% Nonionic
surfactants, Perfume, Geraniol, Limonene

When actually, if you dig into it, one of the main ingredients is.... yup sodium based:

• Aqua
• Sodium laureth sulphate
• Alcohol denat
• Lauramine oxide
• C9-11 pareth-8
• Sodium chloride
• 1,3-Cyclohexanedimethanamine
• PPG (polypropylene glycols)
• Dimethyl aminoethyl methecrylate/hydroxyproply acrylate copolymer cirate
• Parfum
• Geraniol
• Limonene
• Colourant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_laureth_sulfate

No idea if it will take wax off or not. I trust your experiments on that one. I wouldn't put it near my car for the above and previously stated reason though.

The list of ingredients are listed in order of quantity, soduim chloride is quite far doen the list of ingredients, sodium lauyrl sulphate (SLS) is in a lot of products you use daily on your delicate skin, look at it another way, many cars never see a wax coating after the day they leave the showroom and pass many many winters of road salt and pollution.
SLS is in many many car shampoos too, even the fancy over priced ones.

fivetide

DUTR wrote: »

The list of ingredients are listed in order of quantity, soduim chloride is quite far doen the list of ingredients,

So it is in there then? I thought you said modern stuff had replaced it?

sodium lauyrl sulphate (SLS) is in a lot of products you use daily on your delicate skin, look at it another way, many cars never see a wax coating after the day they leave the showroom and pass many many winters of road salt and pollution.
SLS is in many many car shampoos too, even the fancy over priced ones.

Anyway, I'm not arguing with you. I took your point you have done experiments.

As you may be able to tell, I do know about keeping a car clean and riding a bike through winter, I battle the effects of salt! I might not bother with the two bucket method but i always use a new sponge for example and treat the car to regular t-cuts, polishes and waxes. The bike gets ACF-50 to combat winter corrosion.

I know many cars are not looked (the OP's is a case in point) after which is why I recommended the OP spend £50 on valet which should more than pay for itself in terms of sale price.

Must have been useful advice as motorguy & chrishazel basically said exactly the same thing after me.

DUTR

fivetide wrote: »

So it is in there then? I thought you said modern stuff had replaced it?



Anyway, I'm not arguing with you. I took your point you have done experiments.

As you may be able to tell, I do know about keeping a car clean and riding a bike through winter, I battle the effects of salt! I might not bother with the two bucket method but i always use a new sponge for example and treat the car to regular t-cuts, polishes and waxes. The bike gets ACF-50 to combat winter corrosion.

I know many cars are not looked (the OP's is a case in point) after which is why I recommended the OP spend £50 on valet which should more than pay for itself in terms of sale price.

Must have been useful advice as motorguy & chrishazel basically said exactly the same thing after me.

Indeed, I'm not arguing either, was just pointing out the myths out there, I still can't remember the name of the stuff in clay, but it was in toothpaste too, if the OP was nearby he could have had some car cleaning products off me if he really wanted to tackle it himself, I too don't use the 2BM, but the money he spends like we say will be returned in the promise of a quick sale :cool:

Horizon81

Clay bar definitely is worth the expense and time. Wash the car first then use a clay bar (misting water on each panel to keep it lubed) and you'll be surprised how much muck comes off the "clean" car that you'd never get off from washing or polishing. Once clay bar'd, I just polish and then wax. You can go on forever with layers etc but I find that method's sufficient.