Ok, we're hearing from consumer products people use to detail their 914's. What about "special" cleaning tools?

I seem to have a penchant for medical products.

There are these things called "blood rags" - you know, the things they often forget to remove after surgery! These are basically made from cotton diaper like material with a string on one corner. They're really great for cleaning in the engine bay & those hard to reach areas because they're thin & absorbant. The more they're washed, the better they get - don't use fabric softener.

Another favorite, only used at a show/concours is this HUGE Q-tip that proctologists use (so I'm told). It's about 12" long & perfect for cleaning exhaust pipes (inside). Sort of gives you the view from the other side, if you know what I mean. They're also great for reaching into the rear openings of the rocker panels & other hard to reach areas. Is that anal, or what?

What? Did I hurt somone's sensitivity/feelings? Come on guys, you know you use "unusual" things to prep your 914's! Don't make me tell you bout what I do with Kotex pads (who uses those these days!)

Toothbrush's havent explored other personal hygene items yet. works great in the engine bay and recessed areas in the front trunk. I'll put some mequires cleaner on it.. get into the hard to reach areas then clean it with a t-shirt wrapped on it.

Not so much a product, but when I wet wash the car, I always like to "kiss the glass" so to speak. Meaning that I put my lips on the lower windshield trim between the trim and cowl and blow out the water to the sides that is resting in the glass channel... If I had compressed air I would use that, but for now it works. Suprising amount of water will come out, I figure it will help in the long run in the battle against rust.

Ferg

i use the edge of a paper towel for that ferg, seems to absorb it all

The non lint surgery towels are perfect for cleaning windows and interior - they are lint free.

Use mirco fiber tolwels for waxing.

Meguires Final inspection is good.

Claybar for paint prep before cleaning and waxing.

get a 2" camel hair paint brush and cut down the bristles to about an inch long. Wrap the metal bristle holder with duct tape for protection and use to brush wax residue from cracks.

Use Pledge furniture polish- spray on lint free rag and use to pick up dust and dirt on interior surfaces

Don't use vinyl protectants on your dash pads on any car. The stuff will help to actually dry out the vinyl and cause cracks.

Go buy a cheap electric leaf blower and use to blow out water from behind moldings etc.

In a pinch, glass cleaner cleans chrome.

Go find a auto detailing supply store and purchase your cleaners and supplies in gallon bulk sizes. It less expensive and you can delute cleaners that last much longer. Good place to buy speciality stuff too.

If you have soft water at your house, plumb a hose spigot for washing the cars. Take it one further and install a carbon water filter- no water spots.

For engine cleaning a great product is Gunk Foamy engine bright- it foams and sticks to surfaces and does not leave a residue. Spray on a warm engine, use a cleaning brush for grimy areas and rinse off. Spray WD 40 on electrical connections and blow dry with compressed air or that cheap leaf blower.

At your concour event, bring a roll of duct tape and use to pick up lint and junk you find in your carpets.

And finally...this taken from the sight of a fully prepped "gold plated" Pantera at a local concour event...towed not driven to the event- stretched tee shirts over your tires while you are driving your car on the lawn- gotta keep the grass out of your tire treads!
DH

Another useful tool are dental pics. Yeah, that's right, those double ended little torture tools that the dental assistant lacerates you with while s/he rails on about not using floss as much as you should. They are great for picking stuff out of tight spaces. You gotta be careful not to scratch, but they are very useful. My dentist gives them to me free. Once they are too old, they have no futher use for them.

When removing or replacing lug nuts/bolts, I use a plastic grocery sack between the nut and the socket to keep the lugnut looking fresh.

Wow, it's amazing what you forget! Haven't tried plastic, but have kept a roll of cheap aluminum foil in my "show kit" for that purpose for a long time.

These tips work, guys! It's the little things that can make the difference in concours. Ask the judges!

detailing the front trunk....soft brushes are very useful to remove a build up of crud from the factory applied seam sealer, and other nooks and crannys...heres a recent detail I did in the front trunk...

BEFORE



AFTER




-JON

Whenever I drive to a "event" I'm the king of blue painters tape.

3M blue painters tape works wonderful as a temporary bra against stone chips and rash on the chrome bumpers ect.

Don't use on fresh paint, or paint you suspect does not have a nice bond. It's not very tacky but I did manage to pull up a tiny piece of my valance paint that did not bond well.

This is from the trip to Moab for RRC last year. I arrived without a single rock chip, despite horrible weather.

Ferg

Excellent idea! Protects & draws attention.

What about your foglight grills? Some years ago I fabricated 2 pieces of plexiglas to fit in place of the grills, using the existing fasteners. Grills stay nice & protected & can be swapped in 5 minutes. Rocks seem be laser-guided for these things!
Pat

In the above pic, the front bumper, grills and bumper top were actually cosmetically the worst part of the car, so I didn't sweat it.

Since then, I've sprung for a new bumper, new grills and nos bumper top. I will put the old grills on for the trip and tape the new bumper for this years trip to Moab.

I pretty sure last year, people thought I was a crazy Denver Bronco's fan

Ferg

A tooth brush has already been mentioned in this thread but a toothbrush & CLR has not. It works. It eats rust stains alive & is fantastic on original L80E. These are some of the things I used on it & am using all over my "painted" inside parts on the car (jambs, trunks, etc...).

Brand new fresh air blower hoses are available to replace thos crappy ones in your beautifuly cleaned front trunk compartment!