My way of washing

[Rahulio1989300E]

My method of washing a car:

Materials:
1 large bucket
1 smaller bucket
1 channile wash mitt
1 leather squegee chamois
1 wheel and tire brush
1 garden hose without a sprayer

Method:

Make sure car is in the shade, cool (especially on hood area or where ever you enigne is located...)

Fill large bucket with water

Make you car wash solution according to the car wash ratios in the smaller bucket

Starting from top down, wet entire car using only the "natural flow of water" then use thumb to build pressure to clean inbetween wheel spokes to clean brakes of dirt and dust... use same method to clean wheel wells and underside of car, clean bottom of oil pan, but stay away from alternator (on my car, the alternator is mounted a bit low..)

Dip mitt in wash solution, start with roof and work your way down, do not clean the glass of the car yet, do that stuff after all painted areas are done..

then do the wheels and tires with the wheel and tire brush, wheels first then tire sidewalls.

Keep an eye on the wash mitts level of dirt, when you can visably see a layer of dirt on the mitt, dip mitt in the large water only bucket and use your other hand to rub the dirt out of it.... then redip into car wash bucket.... continue...

Use wheel and tire brush to clean wheel wells....

Rinse the same way you used to wet the car, (don't use a sprayer, let the water "sheet" off the car...)

Then use water from hose and wet you leather chamois, squeeze out and start wiping car dry, same order as you cleaned....

Apply you favorite waxes and polishes, tire dressings and Rain-X the windscreen... if you have unpainted door handles like my car, use olive oil to make them black again, (works until next wash), or spread peanut butter on them and wait 2 hours, then wipe off excess, this lasts 1 to 2 years....

[djayz]

good info...but you can make your life a lot easier by not having the big bucket and just wash the mit off with the hose

and you can get water on your alternator and it shouldnt be a problem

and always remember when you rinse dont hit it with a hard spray or youll get mist everyone always use the nice flow of water for final rinsing...you got that part right

new info of the peanut butter...will it really keep them shiny and black for 1-2 years even if you wash your car regularly?...thats interesting

ohh and armorall works great on the door handles...better then olive oil i think

[AllGoNoShow]

Peanut Butter????? Never heard of that. Mind explaining more?

[FiveFreshFish]

Some things I do that aren't on your list:

- Wet the chamois before you start washing the car. This give it more time soften and will absorb better when you're ready to dry off.

- Wipe down inside the door sills, jambs and hinges. Same for the trunk, hood and fuel filler door including all weather seals.

- Wipe down the engine and engine bay. I do this every time I wash so it doesn't get very dirty.

- Insert clean paper towels into the sideview mirrors to soak up water in the mirror housings.

- Use steel polish on the exhaust tips.

- Clay bar twice a year.

[AllGoNoShow]

Another, if you want your weather stripping to last longer, use petroleum jelly and a cloth, and rub it onto the stripping then let it sit in the sun and absorb, dont close your doors/whatever.

[JordanEG6]

you can also clean your motor with Simplegreen, water and some armorall protectant wipes (yellow container) on all black/vinyl parts (distributor cap, rad hoses etc)

remember not to wet the distributor, intake, and in some cases, alternator...just a little reminder, im sure people on a car forum would know

[AllGoNoShow]

Nice one Five

Also, if you prefer your tires looking NEW instead of SHINNY, use SimpleGreen. It cleans the dirty and crap, doesn't make them slippery to drive on, and when it drys, makes the black rubber look the same as it was when it was new.

[djayz]

where can you buy clay bars and what do those do???

[prodjsxb]

Anyplace that sells car detailing stuff.

Clay bars help to remove contaminants from the paint and even microscopic particles of dirt that normal washing can miss that is imbedded in the paint, especially clear coat.

This works because these particles get imbedded into the clay when you glide it across our paint and wont come out again. You'll love how the paint looks and even feels after you clay.