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

Well since no-one had any feedback, I thought I'd find out for myself and bought the 1L sample sizes of the salt exterminator, salt seal and chassis shield.
I also bought a snow cannon for use with garden hosepipes.
The website has lots of pics and videos of the company owner using the products on his silver Defender, so I figured it's worth a go!

So following the instructions, I have used the first two products and I'm pretty impressed.
I enjoyed the novelty of using a snow cannon for the first time, although I'll need to experiment with soap ratios and the dial on the cannon because it seemed a bit watery and not foamy enough and just fell off the car, rather than stick to it and soak into the muck.
That said, it worked well and did what I wanted, which was remove most of the muck from the underside (which has exposed just how much stonechip/gravel rash the chassis and axles have!).
Since it's contactless, it hasn't worked as well on the bodywork as my usual bucket/sponge and capful of Bowden's wax wash, but it's certainly cleaner than it was before!

If I was to make a choice, I'd use the salt exterminator on the underside in preference to something like CT18, but would probably still use the Bowden's on the bodywork.

I'm waiting for the underside to dry out over the next few days before giving the rust shield a go and then I'll see how it holds up against the GOR salt spray!

Doesn't look too bad!IMG_20221105_185215338.jpegIMG_20221106_182626839.jpeg

I'm heading off for a beach/sand dune drive with some mates over the weekend so I've been preemptively using the salt exterminator products again to give the Defender a fighting chance against the salt spray!
I realised that last time I never posted a pic of the underside finished off with a coat of the chassis shield, so here's what it looks like.
I'll see how well it stands up to a weekend of salt and sand blasting!

Just a follow up to show a comparison after a weekend of beach work, a few months worth of dirt road driving and a Wombat mud trip!
Pic taken after a quick powerwash/hose down. Certainly not as sparkly looking as before, but not bad.

Looking at those pics I feel a deep sense of shame. Mine spends too much time in the marine environment. Galvanic corrosion around the windscreen hinge replacement blocks is my main problem. Give that area frequent flushing.

Yes it's living by the sea that has made me a bit paranoid about prevention of corrosion on mine.
The windscreen hinges on mine are pretty bad too, as is around the Alpine windows (I've got replacement window seals and I keep meaning to take the windows out and get the surface back to clean metal, but never seem to get around to it!).
Fortunately the work I've done looking after the underside seems to be paying off and even the rear cross-member is still shiny and new looking without a hint of rust!!