How to clean a Prado?

[AK7 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close AK7]

This may be blasphemy, talking about cleaning cars on a forum dedicated to getting them dirty, but hey, I'm anonymous... It's not like I'm gonna get lynched for it, right? :?

What do you use to clean/wax/cut/polish the interior and exterior of your car? Lotions and potions? Hose fittings? Sponges and chamois? Soaped up bikini girls? Special Miyagi techniques ("wax on, wax off")? What works best for you?

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

One thing that I always do is give the Prado a good polish before going off road..... why you ask, it keeps the bush pin stripes down to a minimum, because the paint surface is smooth from the polish, the sticks and other stuff just slide along the side of it without scratching. I hardly ever have to cut the paint back because of this (every time you cut back you are removing a fine layer of paint, this is a bad thing as you paint will be getting thinner). And because my Prado is a dark green (I think it is called forest green from memory) any scratch shows up more than lighter coloured vehicles. As for washing it, use any car wash you can get, and always start from the roof and work downwards, when you get to the bottom of the window sills then hose off the part you have done, then continue, and always do the wheels last, then wash out your sponge so that any dirt is gone so next time you wash you don't put scratches in it.

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

CT18 don't leave home without it

[DSS150 Find all posts View Profile Close DSS150]

CT18 don't leave home without it

+1

Mix up a strong batch in a spray bottle and give the wheels, tyres and bullbar a coating if you've been in the dirt.
Leave for 5-10 minutes then just use High pressure hose or Karcher to clean off, just like new!

[farmernz Member Find all posts View Profile Close farmernz]

i use rain.

[karlmagoo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close karlmagoo]

i use rain.

Same same, good product, good price, gets delivered to the house, makes the job so easy, it,s like i hqvn"t lifted a finger....




Cheers

[Heath74 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Heath74]

CT 18 as described above.
Once a year polish and wax.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

One thing that I always do is give the Prado a good polish before going off road..... why you ask, it keeps the bush pin stripes down to a minimum, because the paint surface is smooth from the polish, the sticks and other stuff just slide along the side of it without scratching.

I wish I had thought of doing that before going out wheeling, I have some lovely bush pinstripes now. It's hard to ignore them against the silver pearl paintwork.

What sort of polish do you use?

I use Aerospace Protectant on the interior plastic bits and have scotchguarded all the carpets and carpet mats. I haven't put anything on the rubber ones, just take them out and hose them off.

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

I wish I had thought of doing that before going out wheeling, I have some lovely bush pinstripes now. It's hard to ignore them against the silver pearl paintwork.

What sort of polish do you use?

I use Aerospace Protectant on the interior plastic bits and have scotchguarded all the carpets and carpet mats. I haven't put anything on the rubber ones, just take them out and hose them off.

I use Maguire's, it seems to be the best around, it is not too hard to buff out, remembering that the best polishes are harder to buff off (as they last longer), I am a bit lazy that way, if it is too hard to buff off then I wont use it by hand, a machine buffer works well with the top brand polishes but you do run the risk of burning the paint.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

I have Autobrite snow foam and lance to lift the mud. Then Duragloss Car wash using the two bucket method. Dodo juice clay bar and magic lube if necessary. DAS6Pro RO polisher if there are any swirls or holograms with a range of Mernerza polishes. Duragloss 601 bonding agent and 105 Toyal performance polish followed by Dodojuice Purple haze wax. Duragloss wheel cleaner and Autoglym glass cleaner and polish. Including the applicators and a selection of microfibre cleaning and polishing cloths. Various products for inside like 303. And I waste none of this on the Prado. Well it gets the odd wash and polish.

Jasen please don't use washing detergent on your paint. It is very basic and can damage paint if left on too long. Invest in some dedicated car wash and polish.

The Prado is now almost 6 months old and has been washed underneath once after its shakedown run and lots of times using that other product previously mentioned - rain.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

I have seen it leave a mark on a red BMW. Couldn't be buffed out either.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

How do people clean out the engine bay? I forgot about how much mud had splashed in there on the last off-road outing until I opened the bonnet to use my compressor the other day.

I know not to go spraying it out with the Karcher but how safe is using the hose in there?

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Given the current state of our Prado after crossing the Gunbarrel and being hit with thunder storms and flash flooding I reckon maybe a jackhammer when I get home

Cheers Andrew

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

In all honesty I don't think there is much between any of the basic products for sale specifically made for automotive finishes. Mind you I am going to give a paint glass coating sealant a try when the new arrival finally arrives.

[Peterpilot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Peterpilot]

Another vote for CT18, I use a spray bottle on the end of a garden hose to apply it which automatically dilutes it to a nice 10:1 foamy solution. I use the same to clean under the bonnet, just spray on, have a beer (or a cuppa if you're AJ) and hose off with a bit of pressure