Tongue in Cheek question

[johnnyb44]

Hi to all. I'm not recommending this in way to use on our cars but has anybody ever used paraffin to wash there cars in the years gone by. It sounds totally Bonkers i know, but I was talking to old guy today who lives in the back of beyond and I was admiring how clean and shiny his black 75 was. The depth of the colour was truly outstanding. He was a real " old hat " kind of guy who would use methods dating back from 19 bow and arrow. Anyway he swore by using a couple of cap fulls of paraffin in a bucket of warm soapy water to clean his car. He
went on to tell me that the water beads just like a freshly waxed car and always looks as good as what I saw it today. He owned a funeral business many years ago and this was how he kept his cars looking good all those years ago. I honestly thought he was pulling my leg to be honest but curiosity got the better of me tonight and after a Google search I was surprised to see a raft of info on it. When you think about it, most polishes ect are mostly petroleum based anyway so there is no reason why adding a drop of paraffin to a bucket of water would harm the paintwork. I personally would,nt consider using it but I'm still intrigued as to whether this old fashioned method is for real.

[bl52krz]

Many years ago , when dinosaur's were just starting to be seen, I used to use diesel on a rag to wipe down my lorries paintwork. Always looked like it was clean and shiny. Not very 'environmental' I know. By the way John, how are things going now?.

[barney bear]

It's the first time I've ever heard of it, wouldn't it start to ruin the seals on the doors and boot though if you used it continuously? Solvents don't like rubber if I remember correctly

[johnnyb44]

It definitely can t do them any good

[johnnyb44]

Originally Posted by bl52krz

Many years ago , when dinosaur's were just starting to be seen, I used to use diesel on a rag to wipe down my lorries paintwork. Always looked like it was clean and shiny. Not very 'environmental' I know. By the way John, how are things going now?.

Starting to smile a little more now and getting back to a routine again.

Thanks for asking.

[Teflon]

Originally Posted by johnnyb44

Hi to all. I'm not recommending this in way to use on our cars but has anybody ever used paraffin to wash there cars in the years gone by........

Not tried it myself, but I have heard of it.

Some 20 years or so back, I used to use a car shampoo from Simonize. Can't remember the name, but it had no suds at all and looked like watery milk in the bucket. The sponge (yup, I used a sponge and not a wash mitt ) ended up dirty and "oily" after washing, the paintwork used to shine like crazy, and water beaded off like mad when you rinsed off. A neighbour who saw it reckoned it was little more than the old paraffin trick in a fancy bottle.

Cliff

[spyder]

We used to do this on army vehicles, brought the paintwork up a treat. I totally agree that the rubber and trim would not take kindly to it though.

I have and do use both turps and even thinners on a wet cloth to remove tar and other marks from my paintwork . This only on cars with 2K paint without a clear-coat though. As long as it is washed and polished afterwards, no harm done.

Ducks and hides, awaits the purist input.

Originally Posted by johnnyb44

Hi to all. I'm not recommending this in way to use on our cars but has anybody ever used paraffin to wash there cars in the years gone by. It sounds totally Bonkers i know, but I was talking to old guy today who lives in the back of beyond and I was admiring how clean and shiny his black 75 was. The depth of the colour was truly outstanding. He was a real " old hat " kind of guy who would use methods dating back from 19 bow and arrow. Anyway he swore by using a couple of cap fulls of paraffin in a bucket of warm soapy water to clean his car. He
went on to tell me that the water beads just like a freshly waxed car and always looks as good as what I saw it today. He owned a funeral business many years ago and this was how he kept his cars looking good all those years ago. I honestly thought he was pulling my leg to be honest but curiosity got the better of me tonight and after a Google search I was surprised to see a raft of info on it. When you think about it, most polishes ect are mostly petroleum based anyway so there is no reason why adding a drop of paraffin to a bucket of water would harm the paintwork. I personally would,nt consider using it but I'm still intrigued as to whether this old fashioned method is for real.

[first-things-first]

Originally Posted by spyder

I have and do use both turps and even thinners on a wet cloth to remove tar and other marks from my paintwork . This only on cars with 2K paint without a clear-coat though. As long as it is washed and polished afterwards, no harm done.

Ducks and hides, awaits the purist input.

To remove stubborn marks, in the past have used thinners or petrol myself (only leaded for the full effect ). On tar have used WD40, baby oil (mineral oil) and the usual T-Cut (the bottle not the bloke - although I am sure he cleans up a treat ). Now, having been converted, I use clay bar and it gets anything off the paint a treat - tar, tree sap. Call me amazed.

[James.uk]

I used to clean cars with diesel fuel as a teenager, they looked great, but I found the finish wore off very quickly, and also attracted dust...
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