What have you been doing today?

[Mottie]

Actually yesterday, but I washed the jalopy, then thought I'd give it a swish-over with https://www.farecla.com/products/g3-professional-deep-clean-clay-mitt/.

Only used it once before, but it makes a remarkable difference to the overall finish on the paint and, especially noticeably, the glass.

I have one of those - a lot easier to use than a clay bar. It don't half get the dirt out of the paint and leaves it feeling glass smooth.

 

[Brigadier]

I have one of those - a lot easier to use than a clay bar. It don't half get the dirt out of the paint and leaves it feeling glass smooth.

How do you clean the mitt, @Mottie?

I just squeezed through with car shampoo a few times, then rinsed it and left it to dry.

 

[Mottie]

How do you clean the mitt, @Mottie?

I just squeezed through with car shampoo a few times, then rinsed it and left it to dry.

I’ve never cleaned it. I use it in conjunction with a detailing spray. This one.

 

[Brigadier]

I’ve never cleaned it. I use it in conjunction with a detailing spray. This one.

View attachment 313785

As I do too.

The detailing spray is only there though, to stop the mitt damaging the clear coat (try the mitt without, on an old panel).
AFAIAA, it is not for "cleaning" per se.

So, if the muck comes off your paint, it has to end up somewhere.
That "somewhere" must be the mitt.

My mitt was charcoal-grey out of the packet but, after one pass over the car, is now a tarry-brown.
Which I presume is the road-crap and atmosphere shoite, that was previously stuck to my car.

 

[Mottie]

As I do too.

The detailing spray is only there though, to stop the mitt damaging the clear coat (try the mitt without, on an old panel).
AFAIAA, it is not for "cleaning" per se.

So, if the muck comes off your paint, it has to end up somewhere.
That "somewhere" must be the mitt.

My mitt was charcoal-grey out of the packet but, after one pass over the car, is now a tarry-brown.
Which I presume is the road-crap and atmosphere shoite, that was previously stuck to my car.

I must admit, I don’t do it often - twice a year at most but before the mitt, I bought a Meguiars kit that included amongst other things, a clay bar and that detailing fluid and used it as per the instructions. Obviously, you can’t clean a clay bar so when I swapped to the mitt, I used it in the same way - wash car, spray on fluid, clay bar, polish, wax. I still do the same but just use the mitt instead of the bar.

 

[Brigadier]

I must admit, I don’t do it often - twice a year at most but before the mitt, I bought a Meguiars kit that included amongst other things, a clay bar and that detailing fluid and used it as per the instructions. Obviously, you can’t clean a clay bar so when I swapped to the mitt, I used it in the same way - wash car, spray on fluid, clay bar, wax. I still do the same but just use the mitt instead of the bar.

You don't clean a clay bar, as you say, but what you do do is fold the clay (to show a cleaner working surface).

At some point, the clay bar will become saturated with crap, and therefore need replacing.

The mitt has only one useable surface, so it's either clean it, or bin it.

 

[Mottie]

You don't clean a clay bar, as you say, but what you do do is fold the clay (to show a cleaner working surface).

At some point, the clay bar will become saturated with crap, and therefore need replacing.

The mitt has only only useable surface, so it's either clean it, or bin it.

I’ll bin it when the time comes and just buy another.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I had an early bath, then made us a breakfast/brunch, to see us through to a late dinner.

An hour ago, the replacement pair of 12v batteries arrived, to replace the ones which I discovered had died over the weekend, on the stair lift. As the chair can sit unused for months, long ago I decided it would be a good idea to switch the charger off and had a switch to isolate the pair of 12v batteries (two in series, 24v), just switch it on as it might be needed - avoid wasting energy, and the improve the life of the batteries. What I had noticed, was that there was a centre tapping for 12v to something, so switching off, still left one battery supplying a load.

Before adding the switch, I had asked the service engineer, if there was some way to be able to turn the charger off, and isolate the battery. He had suggested the switch on the arm would isolate the batteries completely, except no it didn't and that wrecked a previous set of batteries.

Delving more deeply into it, I found what seemed to be a master switch hidden at the back of the chair, which does indeed isolate the batteries completely. Strangely, there are no less than three switches on the stair lift - a key switch, an on/off switch both on the arm, then this newly discovered master switch at the back. Turning the latter off, and checking for current draw from the batteries, there is none - so that switch at least does seem to isolate the batteries completely.

 

[Mottie]

Went up to my workshop, did a bit more work repairing and painting the fences, re-tacked the roofing felt on an outside storage shed I have and fitted a rear brake caliper and rear pads to the Golf.

 

[Mottie]

Out walking my dog this morning and I saw this strange collection of stones. They weren’t there yesterday.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Out walking my dog this morning and I saw this strange collection of stones. They weren’t there yesterday.

It seems to be a 'thing' now, painted pebbles - we have them appearing here too, in the local high street.

 

[Brigadier]

It seems to be a 'thing' now, painted pebbles - we have them appearing here too, in the local high street.

I first saw them on my daily walk, during the first lockdown.

Good thing too; giving the kids something to distract them from (what could have been, for all we knew at first) biblically horrific.

 

[Mottie]

Went round my mums, pumped up the tyres and cleaned up my dads old mobility scooter as she wanted to get rid of it. Cleaned up a treat. To test the battery, I went out on it - must've been out for over an hour with her dog riding on the footplate. Went all round Hornchurch. Sold it already - I let a friend of ours have it for her dad as he is diabetic, got a dicky heart and is on the list for a hip replacement and when he gave over his blood count numbers, they took his licence away! At least he can pop down the shops and the doctors on his own now.

 

[Stivino]

I've spent the last three hours cleaning my car inside and out but, mainly the inside.
I had a friend's labrador in it yesterday and this must be the dirtiest, hairiest, unruliest, barkiest thing in the world.
We did go to the beach at North Berwick, though.
Still, it won't be in my car again.

 

[Mottie]

It’s not until we've given lifts to other dogs in our car that we notice just how little our working cocker sheds hair. When we've had our friends short-haired ridgeback in the car, it looks like we’ve had a Christmas tree in there that’s dropped all its needles! Next door has a collie type dog and whenever their back door is open all we can hear is the hoover going.

Just washed our dog down with special doggy oatmeal shampoo. It’s a case of wash and run indoors and shut the doors otherwise she'd soak everything! She always has a mad half hour when she’s been washed.