Cleaning The Motor

[hammerman]

After 2 years, i suppose i better clean the van (white vauxhall combo). Someone commented yesterday that it looked like ive just found it in a field!!!!!

Trouble is, some of the dirt, grime, algea etc has become pretty caked on.

Anything you can recommend as a pre-wash to loosen up the grime? Any household cleaners around?

Yours embarrassingly

HM

[1ozzy]

A big dose of elbow grease followed by a polish with Tee Cut.

All hard work.

[hammerman]

Im not worried about the T cut or anything so drastic.....i just need something that will loosen up the algea etc before i give it a wash.

[Tilly2]

Take it to the nearest car washing gang.

[1ozzy]

Try some sort of bathroom cleaner then. Exit Mold or something similar.

[douglas9401]

Take it to a truck wash, get some of that spray-on foam about you.

[bhg481]

Take it to a car wash. If it's not clean when it comes out complain and ask for a free wash.

[EDDIE51]

^^ That's what I'd do , my car wash place says a free rewash if not satisfied.
Worth the £10 or so it costs for a van.

[Old_Geezer]

Are you sure you are allowed to ?
It may be the habitat of some endangered species.

[1ozzy]

Too true OG.

Next thing on the news will be "Hammerman" has killed the last known species of some exotic mold.

Just leave the van the way it is, let it grow for a few more years and then you will have "living art", worth a fortune.

[vulcan42]

As 1ozzy says, a living art, or possibly mobile horticulture.
http://conceptrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/grass_car_3.jpg

[chiaroscuro]

I think I'd hire a pressure washer and do it properly - good for another few years then.

[Dodger666]

We've got one one of those cars covered in artificial grass just down the road from us. It still road legal and as it's used it advertises artificial lawn grass on a poster on the side.

[woofgang]

God washes my car

[Bertrum]

I always Snow foam the car before washing particularly when it’s filthy
http://www.autofinesse.co.uk/why-is-snow-foam-important/
But you do need the correct equipment to do it correctly and will be quite expensive unless you can hire the equipment
Do not use any household cleaner if you value your paintwork
Other than that its graft

[hammerman]

I bought some turtle wax bug and tar remover spray. Just got to muster up the enthusiasm to wash it now.

[MantaRay]

Use only automotive products. It sounds as though you'll need something fairly heavy duty to start with, so I'd start by washing it off with TFR [traffic film remover]. It's always done the trick for me, i.e. the mould that builds up on the roof of a motorhome, oily films on bodywork around fuel filler and exhaust pipe, etc.

[Kirk88]

Are you talking about the body work or the undercarriage etc? Over all, a burst of water works wonders, but I'd be careful using any household cleaners for anything other than the body panels.

For example, the wheels often have specific needs. If you have alloys, you should follow something like this:

http://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-article/how-to-clean-alloy-wheels

For steel, you would need to do something like this:

http://www.jamessimpson.co.uk/refurbish-paint-steel-wheels/ (without painting, of course)

Other than that, have you tried homemade solutions, such as water and white vinegar, or even citric juice from limes and lemons? These can help remove some of the excess dirt and grime, leaving the tougher stuff for the actual cleaning job. When in doubt, there's nothing wrong with a bit of elblow grease!

Likewise, with the windscreen, sidemirrors etc I'm sure you can find plenty of solutions for cleaning glass without leaving smears or stains (although I assume that your windscreen is still somewhat clean and visibility isn't a problem!)

[Hopkirk]

Surely there is a gang of East Europeans in an old closed down petrol station doing car washes near to you.