thought id share some pictures of what a little APC(all purpose cleaner) and light scrubbing can do to wheels.

I did a tire rotation yesterday and figured I'd give my wheels and fender linings a cleaning.

before








after







This is all part of a broader cleaning effort of my 2004 XJ8 that i purchased a few weeks ago, nightfall came sooner then i thought so i only managed to do the drivers side and couldnt get clear pics of the rear or fender lining after the cleaning.

What i did was rotate the tire from front to rear and vice/versa, removed all lil stones from the tread and degreased and cleaned the wheels, fender linings, suspension and brake components.

I will post more pictures or chasis, wheel, and paint correction as I do them.

I also have a complete paint correction planned for the fall. Removing waterspots, swirls, polishing, glazing, sealing, and waxing all with a DA orbital buffing machine.

 

Nice start Strateloss
please keep us updated on your progress

all the best

 

Sure, I'll do my best to snap photo's. The bulk of the clean-up work already done on the car went unphotographed.

I overhauled the whole interior (every single panel and thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned) and removed all ciggerette odor, headlights restoration, front subframe prepped painted and cleared, exhaust tips scrubbed with steel wool and polished, claybar'd the exterior (this removed alot of cake on debris)

The best I can do now is post a few after photos of the interior

 

Here are a few pics for photo lovers




here is the sterringwheel half cleaned, notice the rightside clean and the left side oily.



a shot of the vents after i brushed and vacummed out all of the dust



random doorpanel shots after cleaning and conditioning




once again nothing too crazy. but detail oriented.

 

I've got a wood cleaning/conditioning/protectant recommendation for you strate, but need to get home to remind myself of the brand. If im not mistaken, a forum member who works with wood on jags suggested it awhile back. Smells funny, but works well. What are you using now if I can ask?

 

For the wood i just used a moist MF towel and slight pressure. I've experemented with various different wood and dash cleaners on all my previous cars and prefer damp MF for wood panels, and Armor All "natural finish" (non gloss) for dashboards

Wood veneers are all clear-cloated so if theres fine swirls or scratches present any paint polish would clean up nice.

 

Nice job strate!!! Call me **** as well but I do the exact same thing to all of our vehicles wheels and inner fender wheels. During the weekly baths, to keep them bright and shiny, I use a toilet bowl brush that fits through the wheel holes. I use a different sponge to wash my wheels and inner wells than the one I use on the paint. I also go as far as when "armor-alling" the tires I spray the inner wells. I cannot tell you how many people comment that our vehicles look as if they just rolled out of the showroom EVEN being some years old! Its that trick I tell you!

If you really want to get that showroom look, I went and picked up silver paint and a flat black, does NOT have to be heat resitant and a few 1" foam throw away brushes and painted the calipers and caliper bracket. Then during the weekly baths I keep a can of brake clean and spray the caliper(s) prior to the wash. The foam brushes do not leave brush marks. I have to repaint the calipers twice a year and thats it (about twenty minutes per caliper).
Keep up the great work!!!!!!!

 

StrateLoss, your car looks spectacular.

Joycesjag, have you got any pictures of the paint work on the calipers? I fancy a go at that.

 

thanks.

joyce good job cleaning your ride well. i use black magic tire gel on the tires. IMO it shines and holds up much better then spray on tireshine.

also thanks on the advice on the calipers. after the winter season im planning on polishing my calipers with metal polish. and applying a few coats of clear to protect them from rust.

 

Hey Joyces...I do my calipers as well, at least once, possibly twice a year. Just silver for me as I dont want that boy racer look, just a nice clenan stock look.
Once the wheels are cleaned inside n out ( as they come off anyway to do the calipers )....a good scrub on the wheel liners followed by some armour all / similar and it just finishes the look of the car. Takes around 4 hours or so for me to do it, but soooo worth it.

Jim

 

So I sit down at my computer and Jaguar Forums topics appear from the ether:

Rim cleaning...pics inside
Sticky...Girls on cars

Is there some word association game going on that I haven't caught up to yet?

 

Rats! So I will now have to buy another trolly jack as I gave the last one away when we moved. I dont fancy jacking the car up on the one in the boot for any length of time, especially as the spare is a space saver. I used to use the full sized wheel under the car as protection and a rest to take weight off the jack.

 

I use just a 2ton hydraulic jack. Works perfectly fine and goes up so easy

one caution, lower the car slowly, the air springs depresurrize and the car goes REAL low. Once I start the car it takes about 2 minutes to get to ride height.

I also swapped the rear worn out rotors and pads today, and as I bled the brakes I got brakefluid all over the fender liners. : (

 

I checked the weight of the S Type which comes up at about 1700kgs, so if you use a 2 tonne jack thats what I will go for. The prices leap up for anything over 2 tonnes. I can get a 2 tonne jack with 3 tonne axel stands off ebay for about £30. It is made by Silverline and I already have power tools from them, so feel confident with that make. I have used a trolley jack before so yes, care is needed on the way down!

I have had problems in the past with alloy wheels fusing onto the hub due to oxidisation. I assume it will be the same with the Jaguar alloys. Have you found that StrateLoss?

 

Delta heres a shot I took back in April, not the best but you'll get the idea. Also is a picture of our '97 GTP with 142,000 miles on her. <--LOVE that car!!!!! Plus a pic of the GTP engine bay, yes this is a "northern" car!

 

I personally havent had that issue with this vehicle, but i can see how it happens.

When performing the wheel cleaning, the front left (us d/s) wheel was kind of caked on. What i did was punch the sidewall of the tire and it came loose. As I cleaned the wheel I sprayed extra degreaser onto the hub and hubring of the wheel and wiped away all grits and grease.

After that all was well.

Also, the 2ton jack was plenty powerful. As I jacked up a front corner, it was able to completely lift that side of the vehicle, including the rear with ease.

Goodluck

-Victor

 

Thanks for the replies Victor and joycesjags. A proper alloy brush, a trolley jack and some silver paint is/will be on order. My last alloys ended up badly oxidised and the ones on the Jag were refurbished when I bought it. I want to keep these ones looking as good as yours!