im trying to see what the best way is to keep the" wood "on my new hhr clean and from fading can you wash and wax it like the rest of the body? do you use clay bars on it? anyone with a woody give a newbie a little advice

 

Is there a pic for us to see ??

 

Certainly don't use anything with the word "polish" as that means abrasive..... no matter how fine the abrasive it's going to mess with a woody kit. It would be nice to know which kit this is so you can track down the manufacturers recommendations....

(and, no GM did not make a woody kit...... It came from somewhere else)

 

We really can't give any answers until you post some pictures of the new Belle !

 

pics are coming cleaning her up now i thought it was gm kit cause it has all the badging on the body as well but the kit looks identical to the pt woody kit i have seen on the web

 

Yes GM never made a woody and if they did it would not have been wood. Too many issues for warranrty on these. That is why GM has not used real wood on the out side of the car since the 50's.

First off make sure the kit is real wood. Many of todays plastics can look real. If it is real the best thing you can do is use Murphys Oil soap to clean it and treat it. Then polish it with a paste wax or polish just as you would a real wood table.

Real wood is usally trated with a urethane varnish or clear. For the most treat it like funiture or even like a Chris Craft boat.

The modern coatings should keep it in good shape but over time and if you drive daily it will show it's age like the Little Red Express Dodge trucks from the 70's. So keep it clean and keep it waxed.

If it is not real wood and just a good fake just wax it with carnuba paste wax like the rest of the car. DO NOT use any harsh cleaners on it fake or real. They can stain either.

 

You talked to the old owner before purchase/replacement. Ask them what they used on the wood, assuming you like the current condition. Plus, ask them from whom the kit was purchased from.

 

...and keep the rubbing to a minimum as this will "rub" off the finish over time also....and believe it or not, normal driving will also wear the trim down from air/rain/salt/dirt abrasion..had to have my side trim replaced after 2 years because of this..installer said it was odd to do that, but the trim does hang out in the wind. The top layer is only a few mils thick so it doesnt take much to wear thru from excessive clean/waxing. Do not use a cleaner/polish wax...pure wax only..

 

He said No cleaner wax or cleaner polish. DO not treat this as a painted surface.

Just care for it like the you wife dinning room table that she would kill you if you scratched it.

The wax I noted is a pure carnuba wax. You could use a pure Mothers Gold or even a Pure Carnuba fuirniture wax.

I also would avoid the odd silicone waxes like Ice etc. They are not intended for woodwork.

 

This is not going to be wood...... trust me. It's vinyl. Nobody would be making any kind of "woody kit" that was real wood.