My car was filthy so I took it to the jet wash to remove the soil - I normally wash by hand. I went through the whole wash cycle and when I got home found that the bonnet had several scratches on it. Mine is a Deep purple so the scratches (white really show). I assume there was some grit in the wash brush from previous users. I've raised it with the appropriate customer careline and taken photos so I'll see what happens but thought I'd better just warn you, particularly if you have a darl car with pale undercoat
I have the deep purple too and since the day I picked it up from the dealership I've had swirl marks everywhere. This is my second dark car and knowing fully that dark cars take more care to keep pristine than other colors, I did hear quite a few people tell me that certain shades are scratch magnets, I'd be inclined to agree. May I add, I always hand-wash, properly, and I still find scratches all the time. I just use a cutting mix like 3m scratch remover , followed by autoglym deep resin, followed by generous waxing. I guess it's just part of owning a dark coloured car. A clay bar once in a while works wonders too.
Hi Interested in your experience. I have e-mailed Citroen to ask about AutoGlym Life Shine being applied and what effect it will have on the Airbumps Polyurethane, the Thermo Glass Roof, and the Coated Running Light Lenses. I also asked them about going to the Hand Car Wash or through a Mechanical Jet Wash. The answer I got from Customer Care Line was they don't know, ask the dealers,so I have asked Citroen Customer Car Line to raise the questions with their Technical Department as customers we want to know. I await the answers with interest.
I am awaiting delivery of a Flair Edition 1.6 Blue Diesel at the end of March.
I have at present a DS3 1.6 Diesel Airdream which as AutoGlym Life Shine and is cleaned by Hand Car Washers or Occasionally through a Mechanical Car Wash with no problems.
Apparently silicone based polishes WILL deteriorate the airbumps. Having said that I use autoglym bumper gel stuff with no issues and it comes up a treat. As for the headlamps, some rain ex window washer spray keeps them sparkling.
Hi, Just had a reply from a dealer friend at a Citroen Franchise I have known for over many years.as follows about AutoGlym Lifeshine.
The lifeshine should not be applied to the Polyurethane air bumps or the Lights. The Glass roof will not be a problem
Hi I have e-mailed the Chief Executive of Citroen UK for answers as Customer Care tells me to talk to the Dealers. I await the answer with interest. I might also e-mail BASF the large German Chemical Firm who produce this technology of Polyurethane for the Air Bumps. I will post on this site when I get an answer.
After looking into the autoglym page, I think it's better economical sense to buy their hd wax that lasts for 6 months, at 45 quid a tub. I think I'll go down that route, personally.
washed mine yesterday. first I use my own jet wash to remove the salt, bird crap and thicker dirt, then I wash it by hand using a concentrate which has a wax in it, then I rinse it down and finaly dry it, weather permitting. stating the obvious, don't keep using your sponge if you've dropped it at any point, as this will give you loads of scratches. my car is also deep purple so I need to be very careful.
We used to have a C4 Picasso in a colour called 'Icare' which is a purple, not dissimilar to the colour on the Cactus and it was awful to keep clean - no matter how hard I tried it always swirled and the scratches would show up way too easily, I think down to the very thin paint.
Hi , Johnl, sorry to hear you had scratches after car wash, I had similar experience on pearl black Dacia Logan, my previous car, problem being, paint is so thin, and now on modern cars, the paint is now water based, not oil based. Needless to say, my Tapernade coloured cactus, 1.6 bluehdi feel, will be no where near a car wash. Have you thought about these waterless wash and waxs, I used it on my Logan, and was impressed, no swirling, great shine, a handy tool to fall back on.
Allan,
No such scratches for me I'm relieved to say. I took the Supagard Paint Protection offer at the time of purchase, my car is black and I wanted it to look pristine for longer. I use Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash and Conditioner, it's pricey but worth it and you can use it sparingly.
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