Car Wash Tips?? (for a complete moron)

[got_mike33]

I am a complete moron when it comes to washing my car and I need some tips. I brought my car to a wand wash place yesterday and did the presoak, high pressure soap, high pressure rinse routine and then stopped to dry off the car with some Simoniz towels. Let's just say it's a good thing I bought a 25 pack.

I managed to miss a bunch of spots when I was washing the car initially and managed to spread mud all over the car and had to go rewash it.

After the second wash I came back out to try drying it again and really had no success. Meanwhile there are 2 BMW's being wiped down by their owners and they look like they just came from the dealership.

I need advice on how to get that same look on my baby. Any advice would be great!

[supe]

You need to go at a late hour so you can actually hand wash your car. I soap, then hand wash the whole car, rinse, water blade and dry. Takes 2 maybe 3 microfiber cloths.

[ka-t240sx]

Originally posted by supe
You need to go at a late hour so you can actually hand wash your car. I soap, then hand wash the whole car, rinse, water blade and dry. Takes 2 maybe 3 microfiber cloths.

yes! most places I've gone to don't care as long as it isn't busy.

hell ive spent a good 20 min's hand washing my truck one night haha, was the only vehicle in there.

[HiSpec]

always two buckets method.

[flipstah]

Use the spot-free rinse then let the towel absorb the excess. Then, wipe.

[lilmira]

The dirtiest areas are usually behind the wheels and the back bumper, focus a bit more on those area. Other than that, only a good old clay and wax job will give you the new car shine. Keep in mind that the quality/concentration of soap does vary between shops and time of the day/week I found.

Don't wipe it down like a maniac, if your car is not completely free of dirt, you'll just be dragging it on your paint.

[vtec4life]

First of all... get a Chamois. Instead of using 25 towels you can just use one.

If your going to use the wand to scrub your car make sure you take the pressure washer to the wand it self to remove any gravel/dirt that is stuck in there from the previous person washing their wheel wells with it. :whipped:

Pressure wash as much mud and dirt off as you can before scrubbing it.. preperation is key. Get inside the wheel wells with the pressure washer.

I dont use the wand myself.. it scares me. I spend max $5 at the hand wash

$1 - Rinse
$1-2 soap
$1-2 - rinse/spot-free

[gpomp]

the only time i dry my car with a towel is after a hand wash.

[A2VR6]

If you use a high quality wax/sealer you'll find that it will be much more easier to remove dirt the first time. There also is less water to soak up since with regular waxing the water should for the most off bead off.

[Tik-Tok]

In the winter....

- Pre-soak whole car
- While soaking, use high pressure soap to spray off brush
- Use brush wash
- High pressure rinse
- Spot-free rinse
- In Spring, get car 3-stage polished to get rid of all the brush scratches :rofl:

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Pre-soak is HUGE. Depending on how dirty the car is I usually dont have to brush if I pre-soak properly.

I rarely brush unless its a new brush, and pressure wash it prior as mentioned.

[EK 2.0]

I can't believe how many of you actually recommend using the brush...

Even after you wash it, there is no way to ensure it is free of dirt, pebbles and other debris...which will mar your paint and glass if you risk using it on windows...

Even after I wash that brush out I only use it on my wheels...to break up brake dust and road grime...

I presoak...and then soap...and then rinse...and then wax...

about 5-6 bucks is what usually gets spent at the wand wash...

My winter beater though...petro canada drive thru wash...haha..

[GQBalla]

aren't drive thru washes more expensive?

[rainman3223]

During the winter I only use car wash to rinse off if the car is very dirty, then I use micro fibre towel and a product called "Gocleanwaterless" waterless car wash and finish it in my garage.

During the summer I just used the waterless car wash if it wasn't soiled in dirty.

Clay bar and wax in the spring.

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by GQBalla

aren't drive thru washes more expensive?

I dunno I don't technically pay for them haha...

Once a week using my petro points I get a basic wash for the winter mazda...it is the only thing I really use my petro points for so it is sort of free I guess...

Although I am sure if I did the math for how many points it costs and what the actual cost is to get those points the EI in my would flip out haha...so I am not gonna do that math and just remain blind to that fact...

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by A2VR6
If you use a high quality wax/sealer you'll find that it will be much more easier to remove dirt the first time. There also is less water to soak up since with regular waxing the water should for the most off bead off.

This is a big factor. If your car has good wax/sealer down on top of flawless paint, the dirt comes off pretty easily and that "showroom" shine is relatively simple to restore at a wand wash. if your pant is marred up and has no wax/sealant, the dirt seems to stick, and it wont' look shiny no matter how much you spend.

Once a year detailing will do wonders. And no, that spray-on wax at the wand wash doesn't count.

[Hallowed_point]

This is what I do, seems to work out pretty good in
the winter. Should be in & out for ~4-5 $.

I would personally NEVER touch that brush after what I've seen some of the idiots in work trucks do with it ...


(1) Pre soak spray the entire car with that special low pressure spray for road salt etc (glass, body, rims,
wheel wells.)

(2) Soap spray the entire car, start from the top. Pay special attention to the wheel well areas/body panels closest to the wheels.

(3) Rinse the entire car. Pay special attention to the wheel well area/body panels closest to the wheels.

(4) Dry your glass with a towel. I don't personally use towels to dry my paint in the winter ever. Too risky as it's damn near impossible to get all the crud off, even if you can't see it. Plus, using towels will wear down your wax barrier a lot quicker.

Forget about getting it perfect, not gonna happen. The key thing is to do it regularly (1x week when its above freezing.)

Key thing to me is a clay bar, sealant and healthy coats of quality wax with extra coats on the front end especially. Do this on a chinook day or ideally late fall.

[89s1]

Wash the car from the top down as well.

I recommend late evening bucket washing though. Really is the best way to get it nice and clean.

Find one that is a dog wash and use the dog wand to fill the bucket as the water is warm plus the pressure is far more manageable.

$1 at the dog wash will fill the soap bucket with nice warm water.

[SideSwipe]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point
This is what I do, seems to work out pretty good in
the winter. Should be in & out for ~4-5 $.

I would personally NEVER touch that brush after what I've seen some of the idiots in work trucks do with it ...


+1
NEVER EVER EVER touch your car with a car wash brush. You'll be sorry. They are dirt magnets. I laugh at people who use them to wash their prized possessions.

You'll never get your car perfect in Calgary over the winter due to sand/salt and chinooks (damn you chinooks).

Best thing to do is find a wash where you can sit and actually wash it by hand.
1) Do the pre-soak, apply the soap and wash by hand with a scrubby thing of some kind.
2) Start from the top and work down, work your way back and forth... no scrubbing on the spot (because of the sand etc I get swirl marks).
3) Do the spots above/around wheels last as well as spots near the bottom of the car.
4) At home I rinse the car/truck off after each "level" you do. At a car wash that's a little difficult but still doable, you just end up reapplying soap and rinsing it off.
5) dry with micro-fiber
6) LOTS of Wax. I waxed my vehicle before it snowed and rinsed it and it worked out well.

[AutoObsessed]

Originally posted by A2VR6
If you use a high quality wax/sealer you'll find that it will be much more easier to remove dirt the first time. There also is less water to soak up since with regular waxing the water should for the most off bead off.



Originally posted by ExtraSlow


This is a big factor. If your car has good wax/sealer down on top of flawless paint, the dirt comes off pretty easily and that "showroom" shine is relatively simple to restore at a wand wash. if your pant is marred up and has no wax/sealant, the dirt seems to stick, and it wont' look shiny no matter how much you spend.

Once a year detailing will do wonders. And no, that spray-on wax at the wand wash doesn't count.


I agree 100% the most important aspect of keeping a clean and looking good is protecting it first, whether that is a wax, sealant or nano coating all will provide a protection barrier on the paint and make washing and maintaining so much easier.

Here is a link showing how water scatters after a nano coating is applied to the paint, dirt and debris is very easy to remove afterwards.

http://youtu.be/uy1jdQ09Fns

A link to our YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/autoobsessed1

[know1edge]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point
Key thing to me is a clay bar, sealant and healthy coats of quality wax with extra coats on the front end especially. Do this on a chinook day or ideally late fall.

Why do you layer multiple coats of wax on top of a sealant? :confused:

[Strider]

Originally posted by AutoObsessed
Here is a link showing how water scatters after a nano coating is applied to the paint, dirt and debris is very easy to remove afterwards.

http://youtu.be/uy1jdQ09Fns

What do you recommend for a good DIY nano coating product?
I've seen all the hype for Wolf's Chemicals Hard Body and was hoping to get that... but it seems it's impossible to find.

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by know1edge


Why do you layer multiple coats of wax on top of a sealant? :confused:

Clay bar & then sealant to fill in all the microscopic "holes" left in your paint from the grime removed. Then wax to finish it off. I thought this was the correct method :dunno:

[know1edge]

Layering a sealant and wax together is understandable, but at the end of the day, the surface of your paint can only hold so much till diminishing returns kicks in.
Wax & sealants will protect your finish, but they won't prevent swirling and marring. Multiple coats is kinda overdoing it.

And most waxes just don't provide very much protection, so if you are going to layer, you should use a sealant.

You should check out nano coatings if you're putting that much effort in.

[Kg810]

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/autogeek/flowchart.jpg

[AutoObsessed]

Originally posted by Strider


What do you recommend for a good DIY nano coating product?
I've seen all the hype for Wolf's Chemicals Hard Body and was hoping to get that... but it seems it's impossible to find.

All of the nano-coats we carry are DIY and are about the same in difficulty in regards to application. We carry CarPro CQuartz (http://www.autoobsessed.com/shop/carpro-cquartz-ceramic-quartz-paint-protection-p-801.html), Gtechniq EXO (http://www.autoobsessed.com/shop/gtechniq-exo-p-1586.html), Optimum Opti-Coat (http://www.autoobsessed.com/shop/optimum-opti-coat-p-1313.html) and Wolf's Nano Paint Sealant (http://www.autoobsessed.com/shop/wolfs-chemicals-nano-paint-sealant-0nt-p-1484.html)