Cleaning the FIT 101

[AintNoStoppinMeNow]

Seeing as we have so many new Fit owners lately (myself included) I thought it would be a good idea to hear the Fit Freak's tips and tricks to cleaning the Fit.

I've always had an older car my whole life and would go months on end without cleaning/washing it. Most of the time, I'd take it to the car wash once or twice a year and that would be it. Now that I have a brand spanking new Fit, I along with everyone else here, want it to look as good as it did the day we drove it home.

So how often do you wash the car, what do you use, do you stay away from car washes, how does wax work exactly, what products do you reccommend, what about the interior, etc?

So many questions, so little time...so let's make a thread about it so we all can benefit.

[Tyrsis]

Pay a professional to do it.

[MetalFit630]

Pay someone? No way! I love cleaning my Fit. Put my iPod in with some awesome heavy metal and set to work. I just use some normal car washing soap in a bucket of water with a double sided sponge. Dry it with a large microfiber cloth. The windows all get done with a clean microfiber cloth and water. Leaves no streaks or fuzz. Just make sure to do it in large circles.

I also use the microfiber cloth for the dash and all the plastic. I don't believe in Armourall because I HATE the feeling of it and rumor says that it's actually bad for the plastic in the car. I do a really good job vacuuming the interior, and make sure to clean all the door sills and sides of the doors with a damp towel. I haven't had any stains on my seats or carpet yet, but I've heard Folex from Home Depot works well.

For the tires I just scrub them with a brush and use a spray polish. I haven't cleaned my engine compartment yet, but theres a really good DYI on how to clean it properly somewhere. I'll end up doing that in a few thousand miles though.

One question I have is about the black plastic trim on the windshield right below the wipers. What should I use to polish that? I'd like it to be nice and shiny black. It's starting to fade a touch and cleaning doesn't help it for more than a few days.

There is nothing like a freshly cleaned car. I'll spend 4 hours or so on it, then make sure to throw in a new air freshener. Then I'll wait a few hours before driving it, just to make sure it's completely dry and to prevent water drops from creeping up. Since I spend so long doing it, I only get a chance about every two weeks or so.

[Tyrsis]

I would actually love to clean it myself, but not having a house with a driveway/garage really sucks. Attempting to do it in a tiny covered parking spot is more hassle than what it's worth.

[Btrthnezr3]

Originally Posted by MetalFit630

One question I have is about the black plastic trim on the windshield right below the wipers. What should I use to polish that? I'd like it to be nice and shiny black. It's starting to fade a touch and cleaning doesn't help it for more than a few days.

For this...and for any other black trim on cars (I detail on the side) I use "Back to Black" as seen...here...



Just make sure you do it when the car is dry, cool and in the shade...apply evenly and smoothly with a clean cloth.
Works great on all kinds of black trim.

And yea, microfiber is the way to go...microfiber mit and detail cloths, microfiber towel to dry.
You may also want to use a double bucket method...one for soap, another for clean water to rinse your mitt before you go back into soapy water (cuts down on dirt getting into your soapy bucket).

[Cat]

I show my Fit and have to keep the paint looking pretty good for that reason. I use a two bucket system. Use Deep Crystal wash from Meguiers - and a lambs wood wash mit. I use one mit for the top and side and one for the side skirts and bumpers. Wash my wheels and rims first with a seperate clothe and then start at the roof and on down. Wash about a foot of space, rinse the mit in clear water and move to the next area - never wash it twice - use the jet to rinse each section and then unhook the sprayer to run clear steady water over the entire car - good sheeting action. Then I use the Absorber and dry and finish up with Meguiers micro fiber towels. I clay bar(Meguiers) every 6 months and wax it at least once a month. Back to black is the bomb works great on all the areas of the Fit that our black. I use it on the black areas on the roof and grill. Meguiers interior Superior Protectant is great on the interior surfaces and makes it look brand new. I use Mothers rim cleaner for alloy rims and it works great - Tire dressing from Meguiers and complete sweeping down of the interior seats and carpets. Make sure to clean the area under the hood lip - it gets rocks and debrie in there that can scratch your paint.

Cat :x

[BayAreaKid]

I use Purple Power (from Walmart) which is pretty powerful stuff. It is a degreaser, which makes your car very clean after. I first hose down my car with a hose, then use the Purple Power, and lastly I use a power washer on the body and rims.

[Type 100]

Here's what I do.

- Ready two buckets of water and car shampoo
- Ready wash mitt(s) or sponge(s)
- Hose down car from top to bottom with low-pressure water
- Use contents of bucket 1 to wash car from roof to bumper line
- Use contents of bucket 2 to wash car from bumper line downwards
- Hose down car from top to bottom with low-pressure water
- Dry the car with microfiber towels or chamois
- Optional: Wax afterward - at least once a month

I use Simoniz Wash and Wax car shampoo for washing, and Simoniz Max Wax for waxing. So far so good. I need some sort of mechanical buffer though as hand-buffing the wax is rather tiring and I tend to miss some spots.

[Nighthawk_GD3]

Here is the easiest and most satisfying method i have found.

1. Drive to 5 Star Car Wash
2. Pay
3. Wait

I would love to clean my own car but i live in dorms on a AF base and they have absolutely no place i can hand wash, so im forced to pay. Overall they do a decent job i guess. Occasional streaking from small water beads but other than that its ok. They really focus on the interior so that i like

[AintNoStoppinMeNow]

I've noticed the seats are major lint magnets! Has anyone tried using one of those lint rollers instead of vacuuming all the time?

[Uncle Gary]

Actually, I found the lint roller to be pretty darn useless. The lint sticks to the seat better than to the adhesive on the roller.

What I DID find that works is an old (washed several times) microfiber towel. Dampen the towel with water (just DAMP, not wet), and rub it over the upholstery and watch the lint disappear. Then I use it to "dust" the hard plastic dashboard and door panels.

[Fitguy07]

This is what I usually do:

What I use:

Meguirs Gold Class Car Wash(Smells Awesome)
Yellow Sponge for Washing
Microfiber Towels for Drying
ZEP Commercial Use Tire Shine (Spray Can)


Fill one I bucket as your wash bucket.
Fill one bucket as your rinse bucket.
Spray one side.
I start from the roof and work my way down, washing half the car side to side, drivers side usually first.
After rinsing the drivers side, I leave it wet while I wash the other side.
After the passenger side is done I come back to the drivers side to dry.
Then dry the passenger side.
I dry the whole car at once using multiple towels.
While the wheels are still wet I clean them with an old t-shirt or terry cloth. The brake dust never builds up enough for me to use anything other than regular water to clean them.
I follow up with Tire dressing.
Last thing I do is quick wax the hood and roof after every wash.
A couple times a year I'll wax the whole car with a good wax.
Usually vacuum it and armor all what I can once a month.

That remind me, I need to clean my windows on the inside.

[Austinj]

Does anyone have any suggestions for 'spot cleaning' the exterior? If, say, a bird decides to do his business on my car the day after I wash it, I'm not exactly keen to wash it all over again, but I know bird droppings are very bad for the paint. Is there any kind of spray or anything that I could use to just clean that spot, without having to break out the bucket and wash mitt?

[unfitoldguy]

Nobody talks about the door fabric problem. The white spot where your elbow rests. It is driving me nuts. That is the worst fabric choice in the history of man. It will NOT stay clean . I want to replace it with a different fabric. does anybody know if that panel with the fabric is removable?

I have tried just water. Works OK but doesn't really get the "stuff" out. Look, my elbows are not dirty! Maybe some skin shedding? The smallest amount of dust gets the damn panel dirty. Am I anal? YES! I know I am not alone.

[Fitguy07]

Yeah, my panel is real dirty too. I wear long sleeve dress shirts and my drivers side door panel is still dirty. I don't get it. It does look like skin shedding, weird.

@AustinJ - I keep rags or old white T's in my car. If I see bird shit I just get some water throw it on and wipe it off. Then just dry with an unused portion.

[dewthedew]

how do you clean those plastic interior panels on a GD? ive got scuff marks on my near my speakers in the front.

[qbmurderer13]

Originally Posted by Fitguy07

Yeah, my panel is real dirty too. I wear long sleeve dress shirts and my drivers side door panel is still dirty. I don't get it. It does look like skin shedding, weird.

@AustinJ - I keep rags or old white T's in my car. If I see bird shit I just get some water throw it on and wipe it off. Then just dry with an unused portion.

Rags or white t-shirts and water? You actually put this on your car? You are insane. Your car is probably swirled beyond belief. Theres lots of misinformation in this thread. Do not take it a drive through wash or a local car wash. 99% of the people that wash their car are in reality damaging their paint. But hey those people are the reason I have a job.

Please take the time to do some reading on the PROPER way to wash a car. Honda's paint is very fragile it is and if not done correctly youll have swirls all over. Take the time to read these articles for the sake of your paint. If you dont care about your car take it through a drive through or use rags and t-shirts.

Car Wash Guide, Car Wash how to - easy steps to shampoo and dry your vehicle using paint-safe mitts and towels, plus sponges, the Grit Guard and

[cab0053]

good thing there is a whole forum dedicated for cleaning the fit.

[Fitguy07]

Originally Posted by qbmurderer13

Rags or white t-shirts and water? You actually put this on your car? You are insane. Your car is probably swirled beyond belief. Theres lots of misinformation in this thread. Do not take it a drive through wash or a local car wash. 99% of the people that wash their car are in reality damaging their paint. But hey those people are the reason I have a job.

Please take the time to do some reading on the PROPER way to wash a car. Honda's paint is very fragile it is and if not done correctly youll have swirls all over. Take the time to read these articles for the sake of your paint. If you dont care about your car take it through a drive through or use rags and t-shirts.

Car Wash Guide, Car Wash how to - easy steps to shampoo and dry your vehicle using paint-safe mitts and towels, plus sponges, the Grit Guard and

I never said it was the right thing to do, it's what "I" do. My T-shirts are 100% cotton, how would that damage the paint? Also when I said rags, I didn't mean dirty oily rags, I meant a clean terry cloth that I keep in my car. Look, if I'm getting ready to leave for work and I see fresh bird shit on my car, do you think I'm gonna let it sit on my hood and bake in all day while my car's at work? Def. not. I'm not gonna drop everything I'm doing to make that bird shit spot the most important thing in the world. I just want it off.

*DISCLAIMER* Do NOT do what I do, ITS WRONG!!!

[qbmurderer13]

T-shirts are extremely rough and don't attract dust like a microfiber do. I understand its always best to get bird shit off IMMEDIATELY. Just start carrying a microfiber towel and some quick detailer in the car for instances like this.