How often do you polish your French car?

Napoleon · Unread post by **Napoleon** » 04 Jun 2010, 22:25

I only ask as I just dedicated an hour or so to my 1.9TD.

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 04 Jun 2010, 22:37

An hour or so ....

If im really going to give my car a good clean it takes me a day, a whole day.

First i wash it with e microfibre mit, then dry it with a microfibre cloth. I then take it round the blockto get the water out of the rubbers etc and dry it again. When its dry i start of with a clay bar and cleaning spray, then use a paint cleaner, followed by a polish and then a wax.

Each step takes me an age and does require a full day - just for the exterior.

I find if i start to polish then i have to do the whole process, or it just seems a little pointless to me, as the paint never gets as smooth as it can be jhust with polish.

I very rarely do this mind, usually its just a wash every week and a polish of any iffy looking bits.

I really need to give my C5 a good clean with the above steps. Need to do a few others too but i dont have a spare week!

Napoleon · Unread post by **Napoleon** » 04 Jun 2010, 22:40

When I wrote it, I had a feeling that my, 'hour or so' could cause a ruction here or there.

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 04 Jun 2010, 22:42

Oh dear Chris.................

Ok, well i can very easily spend a day on the XM which i try to do once a month, leather conditioning, clean inside and out.........
To answer the question i wax it every two weeks and wash it oince a week, i have to wash it to put the car cover on...........honest

D

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 04 Jun 2010, 22:52

Yes but your Xm looks stunning and deserves the attention im sure

Id possibly bother more with my C5 if it was not silver, as its a poor colour for polishing, it usually always looks the same. It looks better with a polish but you never get a mirror shine.

My black car, when i wasnt hating it because it was black, was actually very rewarding to polish. I find white cars the worst though, if you neglect them they take an age to bring back. OUr maroon Xm is a lovely car to polish, i dont do it enough but it really shines lovely, the colour changes too.

I really need to get a day spent on the C15, it lives under a cover but it does need a spruse up before it becomes dull.

I dont like car cleaning, though im always doing it. As much as i dont like it i guess im kind of into it.

So a normal polish takes me a good few hours. It really depends on how long the car has gone without a polish and how much you want to do.

It does come in stages, unless the car is often polished then wax is useless, if a strong polish is used to remove scratches or marks then this usually removes any past protection so i feel a light polish and wax is then needed. Once i start, its very hard to stop.

I used to take the wheels off and clean the insides and polish the whole of the wheels, though ive not done that for a while. Ive let my car cleaning lapse.

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 05 Jun 2010, 00:34

I despise polishing cars. The Mégane gets polished about once a year if it's lucky. I'm the opposite for the interior though, leather is conditioned once a month religiously.

Napoleon · Unread post by **Napoleon** » 05 Jun 2010, 06:51

Chris, n00b question...

Is there a difference between polishing and waxing?

HDI · Unread post by **HDI** » 05 Jun 2010, 09:09

Never polish mine, don't have the time or inclination

addo · Unread post by **addo** » 05 Jun 2010, 10:05

My Xantia has very thin (white) paint in many places. I've hand-rubbed through to the stone chip undercoat on the sills.

A week is about what it takes, to do the thing thoroughly inside and out. Many interior parts need removing to get the dust from inside their fine details.

Unread post by **myglaren** » 05 Jun 2010, 10:54

Ten minutes every couple of months - at a drive through wash'nwax.

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 05 Jun 2010, 13:23

The words "drivethrough wash 'n' wax" make me cringe.......i would rather wash my car with a grit filled garden broom than use one of those things!! besides automated car washes dont like MK1 XM mirrors

D

old'uns · Unread post by **old'uns** » 05 Jun 2010, 14:36

polish!!!

mine gets washed once a year, used to be twice, MOT & hols time, both now at similar time

Unread post by **myglaren** » 05 Jun 2010, 14:53

Deanxm wrote:The words "drivethrough wash 'n' wax" make me cringe.......i would rather wash my car with a grit filled garden broom than use one of those things!! besides automated car washes dont like MK1 XM mirrors

D

Least of my car's worries!

There was a story last year of a C5 saloon being more or less wrecked by a Morrisons car was. Boot lid ripped off and thrown through the rear window by the drier.

Usually I leave my engine running while th car is washed. Last time I noticed that as the drier traversed then the car altered it's height. No ill effects fortunately but I did wonder if this could have been the cause of the other car's problems. If it had risen faster than the drier's sensors could accommodate I can see it contacting the bodywork. They probably aren't designed with height-changing Citroen's in mind.

Clogzz · Unread post by **Clogzz** » 05 Jun 2010, 15:12

The Xantia had a clear coat, so never got polished, and got a quick wash twice per year.
The C5’s had a recent clean after 7 months of ownership.

The roads are much cleaner than in Europe because of dry spells followed by torrential rain that cleans the roads.

red_dwarfers · Unread post by **red_dwarfers** » 05 Jun 2010, 16:21

I will polish generally once a year.
I generally just give it a wash when its starting to look a little dirty. I cant afford to keep it in top condition as most of my driving life is spent with half the car getting intimate with hedges. The recent purchase of front mudflaps is a god send as the car does tend to stay clean even after driving through mud and puddles.

As long as it looks good from 10 paces, I'm happy