Alloy wheel cleaning & Hatchback Practicality

25,600 miles, 17th April 2005

A couple of weeks back I did buy some alloy wheel cleaner to get rid of the stubborn spots of dirt which had appeared and which I couldn't remove just by using water. I bought some Mer Steel & Alloy Wheel cleaner to go with the Mer Alloy Wheel Wax I already had. That brought all the wheels back up like new and wasn't a particularily horrible job either. Just spray on the cleaner, leave for a minute or so, give them a little rub with the sponge to dislodge the dirt and then rinse before applying the wheel wax. Whilst I had the hose out I gave the whole wheel arches a good jet wash too. Now that those stubborn dirt spots have disappeared, a return to washing with plain water is sufficient.

I'd also like to mention just how practical my Golf Mark V is proving to be. So far I have transported the following items in it:

• a 3 piece alluminum ladder*
• a full load of garden branch cuttings*
• standard height fridge-freezer**
• 2 x 3 foot patio doors**
• 2.5m x 225mm x 8mm uPVC flat board
• a load of very heavy bricks and building blocks*

* rear seat folded down. ** rear seat folded down and hatch tethered.

In all cases it takes a matter of seconds to drop the rear seats and the provision of tethering points in the boot makes it very easy to tether the hatch down when it cannot be shut fully. Also, I find the ski-hatch/load-through provision in the rear seats very handy for being able to carry long times without needing to fold down the rear seat.