Re: [DML] Stainless Cleaner NOT!

["Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx>]

This whole scenario gets you stuck in a cycle of addiction. You want a
shiny car, so you apply a fresh coat of stainless steel polish which loosens
the grimy old layer of polish residue and replaces it with a fresh sticky
layer ready & waiting to suck up new dirt. Your previously clean polish rag
now has a satisfying stain that gives you the same satisfaction you got
earlier from wiping your butt. You subliminally resolve that this is just a
fact of nature as keeping one thing wiped clean equates to the other. You
may not readily admit this to yourself, but deep down inside you know I'm
right.

People comment that my DeLorean is so much shinier than theirs and ask what
kind of stainless steel polish I use. Well, I don't. I've never used any
and don't ever plan to. If such a polish isn't a paste, then it is a liquid
that will dry to a paste. And as you know, paste is sticky. It might do a
great job removing oxidation from your stainless, but if you do not remove
all of the polish then it will leave a residue -- particularly deep in the
grain. If this residue is sticky enough to stay on the car, then surely
dust & grime will stick to it also.

The secret of a truly shiny car is in the clean deep grain that can catch
the light from every direction. Thinning the grain down with repeated
polishing and filling what is left with sticky polish residue will reduce
the available reflective surfaces in the grain that make the bare stainless
so beautiful.

I only wash my car with ordinary Westley's car soap which happens to be car
wax friendly even though I don't wax any part of my DeLorean. Then I towel
it dry to prevent hard water stains. Bare stainless forms a natural
protective layer of oxidation that is better left undisturbed even though
removing it will make the metal more reflective. Then to keep the oxidation
from forming, you are going to need to maintain that layer of protective
residue (hah hah hah). In the process, it will accentuate fingerprints and
act as a grime magnet.

To undo the damage caused by stainless steel polish, I suggest cleaning your
car with a stiff solution of liquid automatic dishwasher detergent such as
the lemon Sunlight brand or better yet use Westley's whitewall wheel
cleaner, but be careful not to damage the painted surfaces with it. Once
your car is free of residues, leave it that way. If the factory original
grain has been disturbed or thinned by too much polishing then re-texture it
with 80 grit sandpaper. Anything finer will tend to polish the metal
instead of texture it. Then even-up the texture with a Scotch-Brite pad,
but don't go crazy with it because this tends to over-polish too. From then
on the only thing it needs is a little soap & water. After the natural
layer of protective oxidation forms, you will still have the shiniest
DeLorean on the block. But then it goes without saying that you probably
have the ONLY DeLorean on the block anyway.

People mistakenly think that since stainless steel polish products are
available and they work very well at least indoors, they assume that abusive
use of one of them is compulsory for a well maintained DeLorean. But the
fact of the matter is that these products are best suited for cooking
utensils and equipment in kitchens & laboratories. I've never seen a pizza
oven or autoclave cruise a few inches over a dusty road. But if I do, I'll
admire the gleaming stainless while I move out of its way.

Walt Tampa, FL