Can Someone Recommend a Good Dressing?

[nirtime]

Hi everyone, for a while now I have been cleaning dirty areas with concentrated Purple Blaster and then dressing with a can of Abro Silicone Spray. I really love how it looks, it tends to restore a nice matte sheen to rubber, plastic and even painted surfaces. However, it takes quite a bit of spraying to cover an engine for instance.

I was wondering, what are some good products that can be used for dressing the engine, wheel wells and under carriage after cleaning?

Does anybody know where to get a hydro dressing such as the Meguiars Hydro Dressing which is basically sprayed on the wet surface and then wiped dry with a cloth?

 

[anthonemorris]

as far as the engine wd-40 works wonders. under the fenders use some kerosene/diesel in a spray bottle or you can pick up a bottle of tire shine concentrate from interchem i think (the same guys who make simple green) and use that instead. the car wash i go to uses it and it lasts days without fading

 

[nirtime]

Silicone spray works just as good as WD40 without the smoking effect. Under the wheel wells don't matter too much since that gets a wash every week.
The kerosene is a good trick though, maybe ill try it. Thanks.

I may use the tyre shine. I have used the Gable X tyre shine on the engine once. It didn't look bad.

 

[BrotherHood]

Nothing else but WD40 I use, and that's on the engine. I have never put anything on the fender shields/wheel wells. That just gets a weekly wash/spray out.

 

[nirtime]

So interestingly enough I just checked the undercarriage. I coated it in silicone spray and after 2 months of beating the elements and some mud it's still pretty much in place. Makes it so easy to just wipe off any dirt and dust. I coated the rear diff and some of the ladder frame. I can literally wipe it clean with my hands.

wd40 may work even better on the underbody.

I need to get a long reach brush to clean the engine. What do you all recommend?

 

[anthonemorris]

If you have a spray bottle then the brush isn't really necessary. If you're cleaning the engine bay a soft to medium bristle paint brush works well enough. As for what to use in the spray bottle, I use a mix of purple blast and simple green car wash concentrate. If you want a better clean add some diesel or kerosene to the mix. Not too much though. Don't want to break down the rubber and plastics.

 

[nirtime]

I do just that. A soft paint brush to agitate but some areas I can't fit my hands to get the brush in. I used to think a strong degreaser would be able to take out most of the dirt without any brushing or wiping But that only works with high pressure which I don't use in the engine area. That's an interesting mix, I must mix a bit of car wash with the purple blaster. I don't think I'd need any diesel the pb is usually strong enough by itself. what do you usually do in hard to reach areas?

 

[anthonemorris]

I use that mix on my rims so that I don't wreck the paint but still get the grime off. Actually all my engine bays so far I haven't had the issue of space constriction.

 

[nirtime]

I must try that mix. Sounds very effective.

I think its my technique. I'm really accustomed to smaller less complicated bays.

 

[BrotherHood]

From experience, I realise that Purple Blaster dries up the belts/hoses in the engine bay. It is very strong so be sure to dilute it adequately.

 

[nirtime]

From experience, I realise that Purple Blaster dries up the belts/hoses in the engine bay. It is very strong so be sure to dilute it adequately.

Agreed. It can strip paint as well but desperate times call for desperate measures lol.

 

[anthonemorris]

Ok so i can actually say how to use the mix for your advantage. You would need one part purple blast, one part simple green car wash concentrate and two to four parts water, depending on how diluted you want it. I personally use two parts water as i want a gel like spray. Can say how it works for me.

First I rinse my rims (car) with water to take off the loose surface dust and grime.
Then I spray liberally for complete coverage of all surfaces (rims and tires). *note that neither of these products was designed to be used in direct sunlight so be forewarned as they dry quite quickly.
When done spraying all four rims and tires give about 2-5 minutes then proceed to agitate with either a scrubbing brush for the tires or a sponge or microfiber cloth for both rims and tires.
Clean in the same order as sprayed and immediately spray down rim and tire with water after scrubbing.

The results will astonish you.

Just wanted to say that on vehicular paint the instructions above need to be adhered to closely.
I have actually left this mix for several days on both rim and tire and can say that it has not deteriorated the protective coating on my rims nor faded the colour, but i would not recommend doing that on a regular basis.

 

[anthonemorris]

As far as an interior dressing i find that this works wonders

http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g4016-supreme-shinereg-protectant/

MEGUIAR'S SUPREME SHINE? PROTECTANT
So far I've had one application last 3 weeks on the interior of my car and 2 weeks on my tires even after cleaning with a scrubbing brush. I like that it doesn't give that ridiculous wet shine look that attracts all the dust in the world to your dashboard. it just looks great and has my car looking like new all the time. even the overspray on the road didn't wash away until the second week after i sprayed.

 

[nirtime]

The Supreme Shine sounds like a great product. How much did it cost you?

Can the mix of car wash, pb and water work on Chrome and aluminum?

 

[LadyDeath]

Sorry to butt in, but when i saw the topic name i thought was food dressing..

Ok continue on your ways lol...

 

[anthonemorris]

Yes the mix works on all metallic surfaces. But be careful as I said of the mixture drying on it. And the supreme shine cost me I believe around $40-$50

 

[nirtime]

I must try this.

Im considering the Nanoskin dressing, not sure whether I will purchase it or not but it seems to be very decent.

 

[anthonemorris]

Just to update on the price of the supreme shine. It's about $55-$60 depending on where you get it. Also does anyone know what I can use to deter dogs from peeing on my rims? Imagine that is stripping my clear coat quicker than my mixture