Colour fading

I have had 3 red Porsche's (944's) and they have all tended to fade. The best solution I have found is Zymol. It restores the colour without removing any of the paint. It needs frequent application to keep it under control. Keeping the car garaged will make a big difference, unfortunately my cars have always been left outside in all weather and this makes the paint fade much quicker. Antony S - 27th Nov, 2000

Stone Chips

I have a turquoise C2 and I suffer the same problem with stone chips, although mines are usually rounded and all over the bonnet, I have a couple hair style on the roof! Previously I was polishing my car with Auto Glym, which is excellent polish but white. The result was that the car looked great from a distance but when you get close you could see all the stone chips on white because they were filled with the white polish. Now I polish the car with Auto Glym 2 or 3 times a year and the rest I use Color Magic from turtle wax. The polish itself is not as good as Auto Glym but it definitely makes the stone chip less obvious, although not invisible. Be very careful with the rubbers, specially the front bonnet rubber as it doesn't look nice to have coloured rubbers! My trick is to open the bonnet, put a cloth inside it and over the bumper and close the bonnet, you can do now the bonnet safely. Another great trick that I have discovered is to use something called wet'n'black, this makes the tyre rubber sides too have a black wet look (as the name say) and it last for weeks. You have to be careful not to spray on the alloys too as all the brake dust will get stuck on the liquid and they will get dirty much earlier. But the real trick is to put a bit of this wet'n'black on a cloth and do all the rubbers around the car with it. It makes all the grey and dried rubbers look like out of the factory! - Manuel A

Polish

After using Autoglym products for quite a few years I was always pleased with the end results but the white dust left by the wax proved something of a pain. When Zymol was suggested I baulked (actually I coughed and said you must be bloody joking) at the cost and the perceived effort required to apply it. However I was lucky enough to be given a tub of Zymol (as a thank you for some work I had done) and a demonstration of how to apply it. It is very easy to use and you use so little of it (so little you don`t believe it will do the job). I have waxed three cars now and the indentation left in the top of the tub of wax means it should last for years (value for money). To apply it you rub your fingers on the wax, transfer that to the palm of your hand and then smear it over the chosen section of the car. Then with a clean, soft, towel or old T shirt the wax is polished. A final light buffing 10 minutes later and the results are amazing. Sounds far worse a job than it actually is. If you get an opportunity to see a Zymol demonstration (they are currently visiting the various PCGB regions) look not only at the results but how little product is required. I still use certain Autoglym products such as `Fast Glass` which is one of the best glass cleaners I have found. Having tried Rain -X I found that the rain drops quickly cleared at speeds above 60mph but when the wipers were switched on they smeared the screen temporarily. Maybe I was not using the product correctly but I have tried it on a number of occasions over the years with the same result. It is possible it was reacting with the residue left from when the car was washed as a lot of car shampoos also contain wax polishes which I find difficult to remove from the glass at times and reduces the effectiveness of the wiper blades. For Alloy wheels I find `Wonder wheels` to be as good as any. The fact that Cost Co sell it means we tend to buy 2 or 3 packs at a time. The various styles of standard wheels fitted on the 964 are not overly complicated or difficult to clean so unless you have cross spoke style such as BBS they should prove to be fairly easy to maintain. On the tyres I use `Turtle Wax tyre shine` a foam which once sprayed on I wipe with an old rag to clean the tyres but not leave them too shiny. I don`t personally like shiny tyres as to me they look a bit naff (technical term!). The hardest thing to clean, I find, are the carpets especially as my car has light grey which looks stunning with light grey leather but is one of the hardest areas of the car to keep looking pristine. I have ended up using Vanis h carpet cleaner a foam spray which seems the most effective product I have used so far. Maybe someone else has found better products, would be pleased to hear your views on this. And no I don`t have any connection with Zymol and I am not on commission. I just like my car to look smart. Good for the ego! Regards Gary B - 21st June, 2000

I always used Blue Coral Products, with which I won a couple of Concours. Unfortunately I found these difficult to purchase locally so gradually went over to using a number of other makes ( Which I still can't purchase locally). For the Body work I use Meguiar's. Black trim, Colour Enhance by Race Glaze Wheels, also Meguiar's Windscreen, Windowlene ( the one with Pure Vinegar ) Carpets, Auto Glym Car interior Shampoo, I used to own a 944S2 with Linen Interior, this product is fantastic. The important ingredient Elbow Grease! Ken C - 21st June, 2000

I got my 'Magic Car Duster' from Auto Detailing Supplies on 01789 740158. They were at Goodwood FOS 2 yrs ago. Regards Mel S - 7th June, 2001

Leather

The tried, tested and world famous product for leather is Connolly Hide Food.. For information contact The Restoration Department 0181 542 5251 Ken C - 21st June, 2000

I use Zymol "Treat" on my grey leather. It is colourless and seems to work well. I have also used Autoglym leather care which is good. And considering that I do sometimes use a little coloured shoe polish to colour small cracks in the leather I noticed any colour staining from the seats.. Regards Ken W - 21st June, 2000