you wanna talk about paint problems? my car is loaded with them! lol

 

does anyone else have a problem with their front rims getting like black stuff all over them? i have to scrub mine everyweek or their filthy

[IMG]local://upfiles/10227/A1F083990B144513B39489E85AAFBA88.jpg[/IMG]

 

you and every single car in the world that has front disc brakes..

its brake dust. be sure to get it off before it sits to long or it WILL pit your wheels making them impossible to clean untill they are machined smooth again, and thats not cheap

 

well good thing you told me and now im off to go clean em

 

dont get me wrong, it could be on there awhile without causeing visable damage. but leave it on to long, and they are scrap untill machined. it breaks my heart to see some wheels (BMW's are the worst by far) covered so much they are completly black. cause i know that chances are... they are done for

 

If you buy carbon or ceramic metallic or semi metallic brake pads, the dust will be virtually gone. I had white salad shooters on my old LT1 and this was a nasty problem. Changed the brake pads......and it was a problem no more. Plus performance wise the Metallics or Semi-metallics are better anyway. Check Ebay they are not that costly.

 

For stubborn BUG spots that even stay stuck and seem that are now part of your paint even after you are done washing, there are a few steps I do:

First I ordered this:
http://www.topoftheline.com/bugtarsponge1.html

Then I bought turtle wax bug and tar remover. Sold at any auto store or Walmart:
http://www.turtlewax.com/main.taf?p=2,1,4,11 I got the black spray bottle.

*Follow the instructions on the sponge, cut it into 6 pieces so it lasts a while.
*Soak a piece of sponge for 15 mins in warm water along with a terry towel.
*After, grab the towel and fully soak and wipe the area you are doing. Keep the area down to about the size of a basketball at a time.
*now use the sponge to wipe and scrub that same area.
*completely dry area and repeat again if you want
*After area is dry, spray the Bug remover and make sure you use your fingers to spread it around that area thoroughly. let stand for a minute
*wipe down the area with a dry soft lint free cloth like if you were waxing.....and watch it shine! the Bug remover waxes at the same time it removes!

 

I used to detail cars at a dealership for a couple years, so I will pass along a few easy tips that will save you time and effort. I saw that someone already mentioned that it is best to clean your wheels/tires before the rest of the car, and that is definitely a must. I always start out by cleaning the inside of the car first(vaccuming, shampoo carpets, clean dash, etc.). After you wash the car and shammy it dry, drive it for a 1/4 mile or so todry off the tires/wheels. This should make it a lot easier to apply a tire shine. On that note, I would reccomend using a sponge to apply your tire dressing rather than spraying it directly on the tire. This should greatly reduce the amount of shine that splatters on your wheel-well and/or paint. Another thing that a lot of people don't do when cleaning their cars is cleaning the door jams(including the trunk). There's nothing worse than opening up a perfectly clean car and seeing a door jam that hasn't been cleaned since the car was originally purchased. I reccomend an older shammy to do this because theypick updirt and grease well,anddon't leave a streak likea rag or towel will. Obviously you never want to use this shammy on your paint again! Make sure you clean the door jams on boththe body and the actual door. The last bit of advice that I can think of is to clean your windows last. Many interior cleaning products and tire dressings can easily be blown onto your windows with the slightest gust of wind.