New Elan Owner

[Seagull]

Hello Everyone,
I have just become the proud owner of an Elan ( well had it for 7 days now). It came complete with all the paperwork you could ask for, MOT's, service history, original sales receipt and touch up paint tubes (never used). Even the cam belt was changed in 2012. The previous owners were friends and the first owner has since emigrated to Australia and the second owner was getting too old to get in and out of the car, so was forced to sell reluctantly.
The car itself is Calypso Red and even has the original mats as supplied when new. First registered in January 1991, 79000 on the clock and verified with the MOT's for each year.
The only problem we have at the moment is that the car bottomed out on the approach to the drive, which is being lowered this week ( thank god).

The questions I would like to ask is do you use a special detergent to clean this type of car. I know it sounds daft but I don't want to damage the bodywork as it really shines.
Servicing, our normal car is serviced by a local garage would you let them loose on an ELAN.

Thanks
Seagull

[Faraday]

Hi Seagull,
Welcome to the best forum on the internet and apologies that no one has said Hi before now, guess it must be the holiday period.
Mine isn't the original paintwork but I have always used a drop of Fairy liquid in warm water but I cannot be sure as yours is original. There are far more wiser members than me on here. As for local garage so long as you trust them, they should be fine, my local garage re built mine for me as it had been standing for about 12 years unused and she runs beautifully now.
Enjoy the Elan and post some pics when you get a chance.

[theelanman]

MEGUIARS SOFT WASH GEL
well its my personal favourite.......
good results with just normal washing...


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Meguiars-Soft ... 4184wt_896


welcome BTW

[Jeemy]

For the bodywork just stick with a good brand and you will be fine. Meguiars is an excellent name, as is Bilt Hamber or Auto Glym.

About every 6 months you should run over the paint with a clay bar; BH do a really good and easy to use one. This removes surface imperfections and deposits - less of an issue on a fibreglass car but embedded particles can lead to rust in a normal car. Its still worth doing on fibreglass.

Wash the car down with a good shampoo (I use Meguiars Gold Class, but you might want to invest in a big bottle of their Shampoo Plus which is designed for delicate clear coats; you can then keep using this to wash down after your treatment - its all you'll need - £25 for 5L and can run at half dilution) and then there are lots of options to protect the paint from dirt and damage.

Some people like polish then wax, or polish then seal, I like sealant coatings and machine buffing, but honestly, I'd recommend for an old car with some light swirling to use Autoglym High Definition cleanser which comes with a box containing cloths and applicators, and good instructions, then AG's High Definition wax which does ditto. Those two products after a good wash, applied on a dry, calm day out of direct sunlight, will fill all the tiny surface imperfections and leave you with a very dense but glossy overcoat.

This will leave a surface which will bead water well, and come clean with just a light shampoo for up to 6 months. Top off with some Autoglym Fast Glass or even some Gtechniq or cheap water-repelling products for the windscreen and all you'll need to do is hose her down with a little shampoo mixed into the first rinse, for a long time.

This is the best approach for a paint job that is already good - as its old paint, you don't want to do anything too cutting to it and the wax will give it lots of protection and shine, plus save aeons of time in keeping her clean.

[Seagull]

Thanks for the tips on how to clean the car. I purchased some Maquies (spelt wrong) and the car really looks good now. I have had to replace the original radio/cassette with an upto date one, reception wasn't,t that good. I have kept the original just incase I ever sell (highly unlikely).
Even took the car out for a long drive and it really went well, only scared myself once on a tight bend, lol. I will no doubt be back on here to ask questions in the near future.
Thanks everyone.
Seagull