Mothers Knows Best

I’m reasonably sure I’ve never used this blog to extoll the virtues of any particular product. But that’s going to change this month. However, before you suspect this is some self-serving commercialism on my part, don’t worry. My reason for bringing this to you is pure altruism. It's something that may add the same value to you and your motor, as it has to me. On the assumption you’re sufficiently intrigued, let’s move on.

How many amongst you have used Mothers Mag & Aluminium metal polish? Maybe a few. It's something I recently learned about via a YouTube vlog series called Sweet Project Cars. Have a look to see the many uses this Michigan-based garage has for this low-key product. In fact, the tips these videos give are endlessly useful.

The first thing I like about Mothers is its antediluvian branding. Its got that old school, retro look. Just like the products we used to buy, but have since fallen into disrepair. Concoctions like Andrew’s Liver Salts, Brasso, Borax and Brillo Pads. The household goods we used to swear by as if they were sold to us by the king of snake oil salesmen.

Mothers’ image harks back to the glory days of Madison Avenue marketers. Where besuited, Martini-soaked alpha males would slap women’s bottoms as they dreamt up slogans to promote all sorts of dodgy stuff. To sell as much as possible before we found out many of them were deadly. ‘Asbestos cigarettes; slow burning for better flavour.’ ‘Uranium face cream; for a glowing complexion.’ ‘Delicious heroin flavoured root beer; for that extra kick!.’ That sort of thing.

Happily, Mothers is a much better product. Their tagline is; ‘there’s no shine like Mothers.’

Their emblem is a simple line drawing of an old lady, goggles on her head. She’s ready to roar down to the dime store on a noisy Indian motorcycle.  You can imagine her dropping by a classic American bar to meet fellow corporate mascots Colonel Saunders, Ronald McDonald and The Pillsbury Dough Boy. She’d pop in to check if the Marlboro man’s cough has cleared up yet.

So why am I so enthusiastic about it this particular magic unguent? Well, I was impressed by the versatility of it as consistently demonstrated by the Sweet Project Car boys. So much so, I bought some. Twenty-four hours later it was delivered by Amazon, and I was itching to give it a go. Here are just a few ways how it may change your life.

As a metal polish.

Obvious huh! But it certainly does what it says on the oft-mentioned ‘tin’. I used it to clean some of the iffy body bling on the D, and it brought it up like new. Faded aluminium ornamentation buffed to gleaming perfection with minimal cussing. Then, I renovated some of the door handles on the 2CV and got the same result. We've even put a glistening shine on some of our domestic stainless steel. Look at some YouTube videos of people transforming grungy old bits to a gleaming shine. Buy your Mothers with confidence, it works!

To renovate paint

Using a DA and a polishing pad, you can use it to bring depth back to faded paint.  I had some irritating oxidised bits on my weekday car, and Mothers polished them right up. With little effort and no fuss. You can equally do whole body panels just as easily and get sparkling results.

Shine a light

Most amazing is that it can sort out yellowing headlight lenses. Ordinarily, this would mean either replacement or sanding and reapplication of the clear coat. A time consuming and irksome job. However, polish with Mothers and they’ll look brand new. Indeed, I had a headlight so hazy that it was noted as an advisory on the last MOT. After a few minutes with a polishing pad on my cordless drill, the lens was as clear as an exquisitely tuned bell. Better still, you can do all your car lights equally easily. This little bit of magic has since gone ‘viral’ with increasing numbers of videos posted of before-and-after results. Check some out and see for yourself.

Pimp up plastic

You can use it to polish up any number of plastic parts. Particularly plastic ornamentation with a chrome effect. This is a boon to the classic car world where rarity means some parts are hard to get and therefore expensive. Using Mothers, you can get these parts back to muster, looking smart enough for plenty more years of service. All you need is the polish, some simple tools and a good stock of elbow grease.

Its versatile products like Mothers that are always efficacious to the classic car enthusiast. For those who need to save some cash and still get your car looking as good as it can be. Obviously, there is a full range of Mothers detailing products available to make your car shine like a harvest moon. If you like their flagship product, you’ll no doubt like some of their other magic potions too.

If you haven't already, go and buy some Mothers Mag & Aluminium metal polish. See what it can do for your car. Or as the boys from Sweet Project Cars say: ‘let Momma put a spank on it’.

Happy polishing everyone.