Forgive me for I have sinned.
Forgive me for I have sinned.
Okay...so we had an ice storm...then the county and city peeps throw down the salty dirt stuff to melt the ice...then I drive on it. Result, the dirtiest car I've ever seen. (well...I'm sure I've seen dirtier someplace, but I've never had a car that dirty) Is the MINI a dirt magnet or something? The entire back was covered in the stuff, and so were the sides. Anyway, I had to do something, and I couldn't imagine using Z-6 on it. (It'd take like 5 bottles of the stuff, and I was afraid of scratching the paint.) Plus the wheels were filthy. I decided to go to the car wash. 
Yep, I kept the sprayer a good distance from the car. End result, crap. The car still has a layer of dirt, and my white wheels are still covered in brake dust and road tar. (well, mostly tar...and I used that nasty wheel cleaner stuff too) I'll be glad when winter is over, so I can give the car a little TLC. Until then, what can I use to remove the tar off the wheels (that also won't be too harsh)? I'm afraid to leave that junk on there too long. Also, it could have been the light playing tricks on me, but it almost looks like the plastic hub cap part of the wheel might be starting to yellow some. Has anyone heard of that happening? Of course, I was in the dark at a car wash under fluorescent lighting, so who knows? I'll check tomorrow in the daylight, but has anyone heard of that happening?
Yep, I kept the sprayer a good distance from the car. End result, crap. The car still has a layer of dirt, and my white wheels are still covered in brake dust and road tar. (well, mostly tar...and I used that nasty wheel cleaner stuff too) I'll be glad when winter is over, so I can give the car a little TLC. Until then, what can I use to remove the tar off the wheels (that also won't be too harsh)? I'm afraid to leave that junk on there too long. Also, it could have been the light playing tricks on me, but it almost looks like the plastic hub cap part of the wheel might be starting to yellow some. Has anyone heard of that happening? Of course, I was in the dark at a car wash under fluorescent lighting, so who knows? I'll check tomorrow in the daylight, but has anyone heard of that happening?
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 59
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You can use clay to get most tar off but if that doesn't work, go with the 3m adhesive remover. http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/e...er/output_html
Griot's sells it as well.
Griot's sells it as well.
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,218
Likes: 9
From: Milford Mass
in the winter, I go to the local car wash with 4 do-it-yourself bays with an empty bucket(with grit guard) and three jugs of warm water and my mitt and proper auto shampoo (the car wash is only 10 minutes from my house) and fill up the bucket, and add my own shampoo,......THEN I put the quarters in so I haven't wasted time and $$ filling up the bucket. I use only their clean rinse cycle the whole time as I wet the car down and pause the spray, then wash my car with the mitt and my shampoo, then fully rinse. Granted, I only give it a quickie washing as I hate to keep on feeding the quarters in, but it comes out pretty good....oh yeah, bring a separate sponge for the wheels.
6th Gear
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,585
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From: USA
in the winter, I go to the local car wash with 4 do-it-yourself bays with an empty bucket(with grit guard) and three jugs of warm water and my mitt and proper auto shampoo (the car wash is only 10 minutes from my house) and fill up the bucket, and add my own shampoo,......THEN I put the quarters in so I haven't wasted time and $$ filling up the bucket. I use only their clean rinse cycle the whole time as I wet the car down and pause the spray, then wash my car with the mitt and my shampoo, then fully rinse. Granted, I only give it a quickie washing as I hate to keep on feeding the quarters in, but it comes out pretty good....oh yeah, bring a separate sponge for the wheels.
in the winter, I go to the local car wash with 4 do-it-yourself bays with an empty bucket(with grit guard) and three jugs of warm water and my mitt and proper auto shampoo (the car wash is only 10 minutes from my house) and fill up the bucket, and add my own shampoo,......THEN I put the quarters in so I haven't wasted time and $$ filling up the bucket. I use only their clean rinse cycle the whole time as I wet the car down and pause the spray, then wash my car with the mitt and my shampoo, then fully rinse. Granted, I only give it a quickie washing as I hate to keep on feeding the quarters in, but it comes out pretty good....oh yeah, bring a separate sponge for the wheels.
I just did the same thing, but I have two 5 gal buckets with lids. I fill the buckets with warm water at home and bring them to the DIY wash bay (I have a facility with 8 bays near home) to do the typical two bucket system wash. They fit well in the boot. I skip brushing the wheels, because I usually rinse the brush many times with the hose at home. Dump in my quarters, wet down using the rinse option, then use more quarters when its time to rinse off the soapy water. I also dry with my micro fiber towels becasue the water will freeze, since here in Minnesota, its a lovely 14 deg this morning.
4th Gear
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 526
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6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,244
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From: Speedway
A dirty mini... whats wrong with that? Someone told me a dirty mini is a driven mini. Here's mine some 100k or so ago:
Yeah, the powerwash does nothing. I used this method often last year (while in an apartment), but I used a MF towel to do scrubbing while I did it. Since its probably really cold where you're at, not such a good idea for the hands.
What I do now (since my MINI's "new" wore of sometime ago), is just wait for it to get warm enough to wash it. This way, I don't have water freezing the windows shut and I don't get a runny nose or have really cold hands. My car is REALLY dirty and the brake dust is almost unbearable... almost.
Is the grime bad for the paint. Probably. If you're not planning on keeping it forever, let someone else deal with it down the road. If you are keeping a heirloom, just get it repainted in a few years. If you are the detailer type, I think you may find refuge with a clay bar and Zainos 9 or so levels of care.
My car's a dirty girl. And dirty girls are a good thing....
Yeah, the powerwash does nothing. I used this method often last year (while in an apartment), but I used a MF towel to do scrubbing while I did it. Since its probably really cold where you're at, not such a good idea for the hands.
What I do now (since my MINI's "new" wore of sometime ago), is just wait for it to get warm enough to wash it. This way, I don't have water freezing the windows shut and I don't get a runny nose or have really cold hands. My car is REALLY dirty and the brake dust is almost unbearable... almost.
Is the grime bad for the paint. Probably. If you're not planning on keeping it forever, let someone else deal with it down the road. If you are keeping a heirloom, just get it repainted in a few years.
If you are the detailer type, I think you may find refuge with a clay bar and Zainos 9 or so levels of care.My car's a dirty girl. And dirty girls are a good thing....
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