How to clean door hinge area?

M

m3avrck

New member
Hi guys!



Well I just bought my first car (still in college ya know), a 1995 BMW 325i, and it's great.



However, it does need some super deep cleaning to get it up to par.



I'm pretty good with the interior and exterior of the car, however today when I was going through the door hinge area, and also where the trunk hinges are, I noticed this was a huge pain.



I have no idea how to tackle this. I tried some soap and water, that didn't work too hot. Found out just a clean paper towel picked up a lot of that grime, however, it's still not perfect by any means.



I did search the archives on this, but since I'm so new to this cleaning game, I wasn't understanding all of the acronyms and stuff being used.



So can anyone give me some help here? Just looking for a simple solution to clean this area up. Full names and links to the best places to buy products would be a huge help.



Thanks again, appreciated.
 
Actually I just worked on this area really well this past weekend on my show car. I used Stoners Tarminator with a toothbrush and one of those craft paint sponges. I just took my time and followed up with some water and a soft towel. It looks great now :up
 
m3avrck- Welcome to Autopia. Most any automotive degreaser that's safe for paint will work. As Pats300zx said, Stoner's Tarminator or something like 3M Adhesive Remover (#08984), Wurth Cleans-All, or even regular bug & tar remover. Citrus based products like P21S Total Auto Wash also work well. Q-tips can be helpful.



After cleaning off all the gunk, wax/seal the area (you might want to use an all in one product like Klasse AIO or a cleaner wax) and relube the hinges, etc. putting lube ONLY where it's needed.
 
What I usually do is...



1) Use thick paper towels to wipe off MOST of the grime.

2) Use an engine degreaser and clean those area with a brush and/or towel

3) Rinse and repeat as necessary (this is important, if you keep working on a dirty area without rinsing in between, it'll just spread all over).

4) After the grime is gone, I spray some tar remover (I personally use 3M) or WD40 for final wipe.

5) Regrease lightly on those hinges...
 
I now use Poorboys Spray and Wipe and a small detailing brush where needed. Works very well and I don't have to worry about harsh solvents on a painted surface. I have a stash of inexpensive MFs for these areas.



Previously I used Meg's APC+ watered down to about 30:1 and it worked OK also. I prefer the Spray and Wipe though since it is perfectly safe for all painted surfaces.



Natty
 
Hi m3avrck - welcome to Autopia!



Once you have the jambs, hinges, etc. cleaned up, then a good rub down with Klasse AIO and then a layer or two of Klasse HGSG will give a great finished look and make those areas much easier to clean in the future.



Enjoy your 325i - “kewl� ride! :xyxthumbs
 
Thanks for the help guys, greatly appreciated.



I think I'm going to try the Stoner's Tarminator first, since this seems to be a nice cheap price and I can get a good feel for this before trying those more expensive Klass products.



Thanks again.
 
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