BLUE - 2017 Volvo V40 T2 R-Design Progress Thread

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Petey80

Oh Kev..... rookie error taking it to the local sratch and wash. They use strong chemicals, shammies and as you witnessed, the same sponge/cloth on wheels and bodywork. But not everyone takes care of their car like we do.

Those automatic car washes aren't great either. As "soft" as they say their brushes etc. are, you have to keep in mind that they're spinning round at a really fast rate. That is going to leave marks on paint work without a doubt. The rule of thumb for proper car cleaning is to get as much dirt etc. off the car before you touch it with a wash mitt.



Personally I would ditch the Elbow Grease and get a Citrus degreaser and a pump sprayer. CarPro do a decent degreaser and you can get a 2 litre pump sprayer for dirt cheap.

Wheels first is good. They're the dirtiest part of the car usually, so should be done first.

Ditch the sponge and get a microfibre wash mitt. Readily available from Temu, AliExpress, Amazon and e-bay. Sponges tend to trap any dirt particles you may not remove with the pre-wash on the surface of them. You're then dragging the sponge across the paintwork inflicting swirls and scratches. A M.F. wash mitt will trap any dirt particles within the fibres.

I think washing everything twice is overkill buddy. If you got a decent citrus degreaser it would take most of the dirt off, especially if you rinse it with something that has a bit of pressure. Even one of those garden hose guns would do. The ones where you can change the setting to jet/full/centre etc.

I would highly recommend a snow foam setup, but if you can't be bothered with that, that's understandable. There are pump sprayers that act as snow foamers, might be worth looking into one of those.

A drying towel is a good buy as well. Again a microfibre one. This will help stop any water marks that might appear.

The only thing you seem to be missing is an LSP (Last Stage Protection). Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer is decent and then you have waxes etc. I can definitely recommend the Soft99 range of waxes.

Happy to give you some links to some products if you want?

But yeah, stay clear of the scratch and washes, I've seen so many horror stories of the damage they've inflicted on cars due to their strong chemicals and god awful cleaning techniques.

Thanks for the response, Petey. I appreciate the tips.

If I'm being honest, I think its those chemicals that have caused my wheel nuts to rust.

I've got a jet nozzle for the hose pipe, so that's something I guess... It has multiple settings to adjust the spray pattern.

I've got a Halfords near to me. I think they'll have microfibre wash mits and towels in stock.

Have you ever used Demon Shine before? (Linked below).

From reading, it seems like a shine detailer/wax all-in-one. Make sure car is wet, spray it on and wipe it off. Not sure if its any good though?

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/ca...re-120421.html

I have a little pump sprayer for the degreaser and I think my patio Karcher power washer has a snow foam attachment. I'll have to check the box of goodies that came with it.

[Petey80]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

Thanks for the response, Petey. I appreciate the tips.

If I'm being honest, I think its those chemicals that have caused my wheel nuts to rust.

I've got a jet nozzle for the hose pipe, so that's something I guess... It has multiple settings to adjust the spray pattern.

I've got a Halfords near to me. I think they'll have microfibre wash mits and towels in stock.

Have you ever used Demon Shine before? (Linked below).

From reading, it seems like a shine detailer/wax all-in-one. Make sure car is wet, spray it on and wipe it off. Not sure if its any good though?

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/ca...re-120421.html

I have a little pump sprayer for the degreaser and I think my patio Karcher power washer has a snow foam attachment. I'll have to check the box of goodies that came with it.

Not a problem Kev, happy to help.

It will be their chemicals, especially their TFR (Traffic Film Remover) that they tend to spray all over cars before they start washing it. Highly Alkaline and possibly even Acidic.

Halfords sell some decent stuff. Had a quick look and they have decent microfibre wash mitt from

Turtle Wax
https://www.halfords.com/motoring/ca...4aAs0WEALw_wcB

The Meguiars Gold Wash shampoo is also pretty good.

The Car Plan Demon stuff, like Demon Shine isn't great. Their products are pretty basic. You'd be better off replacing the Demon Shine with Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer from Euro Car Parts.

Happy to advise on any other products at Halfords that you might be looking at.

[Petey80]

Been a productive weekend getting bits for the car.

First up was a set of OE Volvo Rubber Mats.



Driver side mat



Passenger side mat



Rear mats



In really good condition, just need a decent clean and they'll be as good as new I reckon.

I also found a fellow V40 owner that had further reduced a set of wheels I'd had my eye on for ages so had a drive down to Manchester with the wife to get them.

Upon my return I checked the trip computer, see how Blue did on the 200+ mile journey there and back



Filled her up before we set off and upon getting home it had used 2 notches on the fuel gauge, done 235 miles exactly and still speculates there is over 400 miles left in the tank.

Pretty much cruised at 65MPH all the way there and back and she returned



An average speed of 55MPH and 55.5MPG. Not to shabbie.

And the wheels I went all that way for



18 inch Jaguar XE wheels, which are staggered



7.5J ET46 front and 8.5J 55ET rear









No cracks, buckles or welds but are in need of refurbishment and tyres. So they have been bagged and tucked up in the garage



Until funds allow me to do all that.

I am looking to fit 225/40 R18 to the front wheels and 235/40 R18 on the rear wheels.

According to the "Will they fit" web page, they seem the best tyre sizes to help with fitment and accuracy of the speedo. Also after a quick google search, I found that 225 is the minimum and ideally you want 235 or 245, so......

I think I better test fit the rear wheels soon in case I need to get some spacers. Maybe I should've checked the rear can handle 8.5J wheels before I bought them...... lol....

[Petey80]

I had some free time on Monday morning, so thought I'd bring out the Jag wheels and test fit them.

I know for a fact that the fronts aren't a problem with regards to fitment. 7.5j and ET55 so not far off some standard Volvo wheels.

I know these Jag wheels fit the V40 as the guy I bought them off had them fitted to his, but there was just a part of me that was worried about the 8.5j and ET46 or the rears.

So, jacked the car up, pulled the wheel off and stuck the jag one on.



Went on without issue and do look pretty decent if I do say so myself. I think they'll look beaut once they're refurbed and have tyres on.

A quick look down the back side of them and



It's pretty close..... they are very wide....

Then I looked at the arch liner



And thought to myself, that's really close and the car is jacked up. Once it's on the ground I'm going to have to cut a bit off.....

However, I dropped the car down onto a block of wood and



Still plenty of room there, even once the tyres are on.

I am now desparate to get some money saved up so I can get them sorted and put on.

Also took a comparison shot of the Volvo wheel against the Jag wheel



Yeah, a good bit wider.

I may have also forgot to check if the Volvo centre caps would fit the Jag wheels..... damn.... If they don't I'll find something to take their place, I won't be keeping the Jag centre caps on them.

[Kev0607]

Hi Petey. Those wheels look very nice. Refurbishing isn’t cheap unfortunately. They don’t look bad on the pictures though? Then again, I suppose they aren’t close ups and its hard to tell from a distance. Were the original Volvo ones 18’s too? Was just thinking… you could sell the originals to get a bit of cash back towards refurbishment.

To get that mpg from a petrol is awesome. You were up my neck of the woods!

[Petey80]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

Hi Petey. Those wheels look very nice. Refurbishing isn’t cheap unfortunately. They don’t look bad on the pictures though? Then again, I suppose they aren’t close ups and its hard to tell from a distance. Were the original Volvo ones 18’s too? Was just thinking… you could sell the originals to get a bit of cash back towards refurbishment.

To get that mpg from a petrol is awesome. You were up my neck of the woods!

Ah was I. I went to Partington for them.

I have a really good wheel refurbishment place near me that I've used before so will be taking them there. It'll be £270 for all 4 and will be getting them done in some form of high power/bright silver.

The wheels aren't too bad, but not great either. Bad paint, few marks on them. I had every intention on getting them refurbed with new tyres before they go on the car.

The OE Volvo ones that are on at the moment are just 17 inch. Don't want to sell them, just in case you know and I might even throw some winter tyres on them????

Yeah, I'm happy with that MPG, like I said though, I was only cruising at 65mph there and back.

There's a Volvo meet in York on 26th May if you're up for a drive out?

[Petey80]

Was just an early morning shift for me today at work, so popped to the gym then got back home.

Perfect day weather wise for........



A good wash to get rid of all the dust, pollen and bug splatter.

I keep seeing more and more marks on the paintwork...... Might have to get the DA out again at some point and also purhcase a touch up pen to fill in some chips.

I've recently seen "The Touch up Paint Pen Company" cropping up on my Facebook feed and thinking I might give them a go.

Also added a recent sticker purchase to my little sticker window



From Swedish Boost Mafia. Just a bit of fun and I had one of my V50 so thought why not.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Petey80

Ah was I. I went to Partington for them.

I have a really good wheel refurbishment place near me that I've used before so will be taking them there. It'll be £270 for all 4 and will be getting them done in some form of high power/bright silver.

The wheels aren't too bad, but not great either. Bad paint, few marks on them. I had every intention on getting them refurbed with new tyres before they go on the car.

The OE Volvo ones that are on at the moment are just 17 inch. Don't want to sell them, just in case you know and I might even throw some winter tyres on them????

Yeah, I'm happy with that MPG, like I said though, I was only cruising at 65mph there and back.

There's a Volvo meet in York on 26th May if you're up for a drive out?

Yeah, having a set spare for winter is no harm. They can get grubby and it doesn't matter!

I've already got plans on that date unfortunately, but maybe sometime that doesn't clash with something else. I went to a car show last year in Tatton Park, Knutsford (not sure if you know it). The show wasn't Volvo only though, but it was great to see all marques of cars. Some of the American stuff was stunning... the big Lincoln's and Chevy's. There were a few Volvo's too... 740's, 940's and Amazon's to name but a few. Awesome to see.

Blue is looking good as always.