What products do you use to clean and wax your Defender?

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Originally Posted by cafe latte

I realized you were having a friendly dig :D, but weak coffee is not my cuppa :D
Imo wax DOES protect the paint, I agree shade is a big one, but paint as it gets older does not repel water the same, stone chips expose the metal for example. Wax prevents rust it also makes the water run off quickly too.
The Defender is aluminium true, but I have owned a Rover p6 in the past with aluminium panels and it corroded just the same except the corrosion was white not brown.
Chris

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Your comment about aluminium rusting got me curious, so I consulted Mr Google, that fountain of all wisdom, and found the site below:
Does Aluminum Rust?
In summary, aluminium doesn't rust, but it does corrode. The corrosion is white and makes the colour go dull. A coat of wax should discourage the corrosion, apparently.
So, there you go, learn something every day.

On the P6 on the boot the corrosion resulted on some severe pitting and the paint flaking off so aluminium can corrode quite badly given the correct conditions.
Chris

If Bowdens did a wash&wax I'd buy that. But Meguiar's will do I think.

I've just moved to Darwin and my friends tell me that the clear coat on dark coloured cars seems to peel fairly quickly up here.

Seeing the 130 is still new im off to repco today to get some wash&wax. Hopefully if I keep that up to it, the paint will survive.

I'm too lazy to do a separate wash then wax. Although I might just do it once to get a good layer on.

How are the other Darwinian's going? I've a few Defenders getting around.

Beery,
Keep your car under cover when you can.
Wash off any bat and Torres straight pigeon droppings ASAP. This will destroy your paint in no time due to the acidic nature of it.

Welcome to Darwin.

Cheers, Chris

Thanks Chris
No cover where im staying at the moment with friends. But undercover parking will be at the top of my list when i start looking for a place!

I have paint protection on both my Tdi Disco and Puma and only ever use johnsons baby shampoo. The Disco paint looks great for a seventeen year old truck that live outside most of the time. Not sue how the shampoo goes without paint protection but for $7 a bottle i'd give it a run.

Regards
Sean

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Originally Posted by DOS LANDY

I have paint protection on both my Tdi Disco and Puma and only ever use johnsons baby shampoo. The Disco paint looks great for a seventeen year old truck that live outside most of the time. Not sue how the shampoo goes without paint protection but for $7 a bottle i'd give it a run.



Regards

Sean

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It's full of Salt(s) and will strip waxes from under sill panels, scuttle panel, inside doors etc and cause rust.

Hence why quality car shampoo has no salts of any kind, won't remove rust treatment (waxes) etc.

I'd say the only thing saving your vehicle is the early life rust treatment you had done.

Check around the windscreen frame next time you need replace the glass..

Our Mazda 2 has dealer paint protection and came with two bottles of shampoo and polish which must be used if the warranty on the paint protection is to be honoured. They didn't actually say what was special about them, and I can't find the answer on the labels, so the no-salt information could be the thing, I guess.


The Defender just gets water and some mild car shampoo. I use a jet fitting on the hose to keep the underneath clean, but don't use it on the paint as it could be too strong. I use a wax every few months just to keep a coat on the Defender's paint.


I've never heard of anyone using Johnson's baby shampoo on a car. What's the supposed benefit - stops nappy rash?

Surely just a good quality wash&wax used regularly would be enough for a Defender.

I bought a couple of bottles of meguiars ultimate wash&wax on half price special at Repco last week. It looked great afterwards and I could see a white waxy film on the windows afterwards, so it obviously sticks.

I use Pantene Shampoo to wash the Deefer because I'm trying to achieve a certain level of lustre.

It won't happen overnight...but it will happen.;)