sasha wrote:
I didn't say there hadn't ever been any scratches !
Think you've missed your vocation as a politician, lawyer or 'comms' specialist
Quote:
Because I got the car new I've kept on top of any marks to the bodywork, there's only ever been minor scratches which I've dealt with straight away with a bit of t-cut (well the bodyshop equivalent 'farecla'). Anything a bit deeper I've used touch up paint and again blended it in with farecla - takes five minutes and is as good as new. But no, no dents or dings - lucky I guess.
I should really deal with stuff like that, but think I'm always a bit worried that I'll end up making it look worse, so I tend to leave minor scratches and chips etc, unless they're going to fail the test, or whatever.
Some minor scuffs and the like will disappear just by washing the car a few times. But I really should maybe try a bit harder to do something about the more serious scratches/scuffs from suitcases and drunks and the like.
Car looks a bit better presented than the average overall, but my cleaning and detailing stuff is pretty basic. I use cheap wash/wax stuff from Tesco, and wash car minimum once a week, maximum twice a week, although I sometimes do the tailgate a bit more often in winter because obviously an estate gets a bit dirtier at the back.
Normally just use a damp sponge or damp cloth to do stuff like the door sills and dashboard, and can't be bothered with all that 'shiny dash formula' and similar malarkey.
I use a spray-on leather clean/feed on the seats, which is a bit easier to apply than the cream. Used 'Wonder Wheels leather feed and clean' for a few years, but it disappeared from the shelves, so I started using the Stardrops household equivalent, which is available from the bargain basement stores like Poundstretcher and B&M.
Don't know which product is the best, but the Stardrops stuff is just 99p or so, compared to £6.49 or so that Halfords charged for the Wonder Wheels stuff
But that's generally it, and I just use houshold window cleaner as well.
Have used WD40 to get tar spots and the like off. Again don't know if that's the best, but apparently it's much the same product as specialist tar remover stuff, and just a fraction of the price. But I always give it a good rinse with water to make sure there's as little residue as possible left on the paintwork.
Quote:
The interiors worn surprisingly well, cosmetic scratches round door handles/window buttons, but again these have mostly buffed out. Seats are 'new' but that's because they had covers on from day one. Same with the carpets, mats in the front and one of those rubber mats that goes all the way across the back footwell (no exhaust tunnel).
My interior also seems quite hard wearing, and I don't think scratches on the handles etc show up as badly as on my previous Passat, although they are a slightly better design in that regard.
Seats seem pretty much as new, though, and because they're leather they're pretty easy to clean. And in St Andrews you can generally get away without seat covers, although I wouldn't have tried that in Dundee, particularly with fabric seats.
Carpets wearing pretty well too, but I've got plenty of mats down, and a bit of plastic over the transmission tunnel.
I've got these fitted 'carpet mats' which came with the car, which are also in good condition, but only because there's a couple of my own plastic mats on top of them. They'd soon be in some state if they were used alone in a taxi, in fact doubt they'd look that good in any car after a few months of use.