White Iq Owners...

[Mr Jones]

I own a White iQ and this is my first white/pearl car and just an observation;

It attracts housefly like horse manure! Seriously, what's with those flying critters hovering and doing whatever they do on my car!

Anyone found that an issue? Any tips on getting them off without resorting to hiring a little midget shoo flying them 24/7?

[Red Yaris 54]

I think that with our current climate there are lots of these little flies about and all cars suffer the same.

The difference is that with a white car, any small insects squashed on the paintwork do tend to show up more!

No easy answer other than having a good wax polish on the car to prevent them sticking to the bodywork and regular washing so they do not become baked on in the strong sun that we get ;)

[aaronfife]

Even worse when it's been fully polished and waxed :(

You'll notice after you wash the car, flies will fly into it and die on the paint... Really annoying but most newer white cars have this. On the IQ, it makes things worse because the pearl paintwork as it has a nice sparkle to it. I highly recommend polishing and sealing the whole car especially the front end. As bugs get splatted on all cars, being pearl white on the IQ, if you don't treat the paintwork, flies and bugs will be very hard to remove. I usually tar remove the whole front bumper only on hot weekends if Im washing it, leave 1min then wash off. This ensures you don't scratch or make imperfections on the paint :)

It's a nightmare but I couldn't change the colour for anything. In the sun, once clean, its a very striking colour to look at

[Mr Jones]

There's dead flies on the front when you drive around and there's flys just flying around and planting themselves on there until I come up and shoo them off...

I find cleaning dead ones on the front with a pressure washing the best. Swipe and the bodies are gone. Satisfaction. Until I walk away and come back to flies 'loitering' around it again.

Does 'White' attracts more flies or do I notice it more over my previous grey car?

[mrpj]

Meguiar's lambswool washmitts have a "mesh" on one side for removing insects. I've found it works very well and doesn't mark/scratch the paint/lacquer finish. http://www.theultima...-wash-mitt.aspx

Use with plenty of water though. I'm sure they may be bought a bit cheaper than the link provided which was the first result of a search.

[Dark Matter]

If you search for my thread “ A clean IQ is a happy IQ “ you will see my comments about waterless car cleaning products, specifically “ Showroom Shine” by a company called Greased Lightening. There a few other companies that make similar products.

My White IQ is kept spotless with not that much effort despite the fact I live out in the sticks at then end of a mucky country lane. In particular bugs and other road muck absolutely will not stick to it once it has a nice layer of Showroom Shine on it.

Anything that dares splatter itself onto the front edge of the car comes off fairly easily. A quick squirt of showroom shine will dissolve and remove more stubborn fly splats.

The Pearlescent White seems particularly suitable for this type of product and it leaves a deep shine.

It’s not cheap but I can recommend you give it a try.

[DGD]

Flies are attracted to colours that reflect UV light which white paintwork does very well. Also if you park near to trees such as Lime or Sycamore they give off droplets of 'honeydew' in warm weather which will attract flies and wasps and leave a sticky residue on the paintwork.

[Mr Jones]

Flies are attracted to colours that reflect UV light which white paintwork does very well. Also if you park near to trees such as Lime or Sycamore they give off droplets of 'honeydew' in warm weather which will attract flies and wasps and leave a sticky residue on the paintwork.

That makes sense, as I have fruit bushes near my front lawn where I park.

Anything that dares splatter itself onto the front edge of the car comes off fairly easily. A quick squirt of showroom shine will dissolve and remove more stubborn fly splats.

I've googled it and may actually try that as a daily clean solution...

[Dark Matter]

I've googled it and may actually try that as a daily clean solution...

Some good reviews here

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SHOWROOM-SHINE-WATERLESS-CLEANER-1Litre/product-reviews/B006MDJNI4/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

[Mr Jones]

Some good reviews here

http://www.amazon.co...howViewpoints=1

Got a set from Amazon, going to give it a go this weekend.

[Dark Matter]

Some good reviews here

http://www.amazon.co...howViewpoints=1

Got a set from Amazon, going to give it a go this weekend.

Good luck ...... you'll still have plenty of your weekend left.

Behold half an hour's work on a Sunday on two filthy cars.

(OK - both sets of wheels and the hood on the SAAB took another 15 minutes - but then again I didn't use Showroom Shine for those)

[Soeley]

Can you use it on a wet car, or does the surface have to be dry?

[aaronfife]

Can you use it on a wet car, or does the surface have to be dry?

Hi Mark,

Waterless can be used on both wet or dry cars, depending on the product used. I owned my own car detailing business before buying a house and I only used waterless. If your after one of the best, try pearlcarcare.co.uk. All there products are environmentally friendly and feature non toxic chemicals to ensure you get a perfect finish, everytime. I now use the 2 bucket method with quality shampoo and a sheepskin washing mitt as waterlessis quite pricey - but is very good. Another company I swore by is Chemical Guys Waterless One wash. It's a very good product which as with Pearl Car Care, contains a special blend of wetting agents and waxes to give the surface a 'wet look' shine.

There are loads of websites and videos online of how waterless works and it's advantages over traditional washing. Personally, cleaning 2 cars in half a hour, using waterless is not realistic in my eyes. Waterless isn't a thing you want to be rushing as if used correctly, can acheive incredible results. To do a car at a moderate rate would take me 30min and thats bodywork alone. Everybody's different and everyone has there own techniques and opinions on waterless. Just remember to use a clean, fresh microfibre to apply waterless and another to wipe off and buff. Again I used to go through about 6 cloths per car, average condition, average size. This means 99.9% no scratches or marring the paint.

Hope this helps :)

[Dark Matter]

......... Personally, cleaning 2 cars in half a hour, using waterless is not realistic in my eyes. Waterless isn't a thing you want to be rushing as if used correctly, can acheive incredible results. To do a car at a moderate rate would take me 30min and thats bodywork alone. Everybody's different and everyone has there own techniques and opinions on waterless.........

Hope this helps :)

Great comments and advice from a fellow waterless user !

I can't really see how going slower would have made the cars shine any more .... the IQ is a lovely easy shape car to clean and don't forget the SAAB hasn't got a roof (and as I pointed out that and the wheels weren't included in the half hour) ....or the interiors.

I would even argue that working quickly a panel at a time with rapid buffing ( changing the cloth frequently if course) is actually a better " technique" .... but as you say everybody's different.

[aaronfife]

Thank you. Whatever works best for you.

I prefer to do as my product stated to avoid marring or swirling the paintwork. Some waterless is different though in terms of quickness. I would spray a light mist over a section of panel, leave for 20secs to help the product lift the dirt of the paint, gently wipe whilst folding the microfibre on each pass then leave again for 20sec to help the product bond then buff off with another fresh microfibre.

This worked with certain products I used hense waiting in between. It was a safe route on clients cars as you can imagine.

[Mr Jones]

The thing is, I rarely do hand washing myself. I either drive to a spray wash and give the car a hose, shampoo and drive off or when I have time, drive to my local hand wash - great service and even wax shine my tyres that other £5 handwash don't do properly. (Ace Car Wash in Pontefract)

I am hoping the waterless solution will be used during the odd days when the car could do with a shine and I have the spare 10mins to give it a once over (like whilst waiting for the missus). Will feedback how it goes after a fortnight.

[aaronfife]

If your looking for a permanent shine you'll be better off polishing and putting a sealant on it. I done this to our IQ 2 months ago and now only need to carefully hand wash once a week. Depends how far you want to go. If your happy with the result and service at that hand wash place then let it be. It's only because i'm OCD on car cleanliness I wouldn't go near one and even tell Mr T not to touch it when it goes into the garage for work.

I would recommend 2 wash bucket method, clay bar entire car, dry, slight cutting compound polish such as Blackfire/Poorboys or even Autoglym Super Resin Polish if used correctly, apply 2 coats then apply a good sealant. I used Naviwax Light which you can get sample pots from detailing World online for a good price. This way flies and bugs will or should glide off your paintwork. If you do opt for a intensive maintenance program such as mentioned above, don't touch any car wash as it will cause all sorts of swirls etc.

It's expensive and time consuming at first doing this but it means a quick but careful wash weekly is enough to keep the pearl white paint protected to a certain degree :)