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How to properly wash a car.

14K views 48 replies 11 participants last post by  Rummager 
#1 ·
#4 ·
during the cold weather, I let the local car wash do it's thing.
Now that warmer weather is slowly approaching, I will do it my self.

My "How Too"
Make sure care is cool. No hot sun.
Rinse the car with the hose and clear water to remove the grunge.
Using a quality car wash soap mixed with water. Wash the car using a soft cloth or as I do, a soft car wash brush.
Start at the top, working down. I usually do a section at a time.
Rinse thoroughly . I usually just wipe the windows and let the rest of the car air dry, in the shade.
I have used this method on many cars with no deterioration of the paint.

Dream detail, sorry, I did not mean to step on your toes.
A write up on the detailing and washing is always good for those who care more for their cars.
Oh, I care about my car, just like to do as little as possible.
Carry On.
Keeping my car in a garage is a big help.
 
#6 ·
I understand that some people don't like spending the time or money to maintain a car's appearance. You say that you have not seen any deterioration of paint? With what you have said, that is not possible. If you are not drying the paint, your water iseating away at your clear coat. The only way this is not true is if you have a 0 ppm Reverse Osmosis system.

Though there are ways to keep your car as good looking as possible and to do the least amount of work necessary. This is a demonstration video from Gtechniq NA on how well their products protect the surface and how easy it is to clean once applied:




The simplest, most effective take home message - use two buckets

Sent from my SAMSUNG-Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk2
Is it? Two buckets is definitely not enough to maintain a swirl-free finish. I would rather use one bucket with a grit-guard than two without it. I use two grit-guards in each bucket... eventually I will have a second 2 bucket system solely for wheels/fenderwells.

In many cases, washing is not where the damage is done; it is with drying. Poor quality drying towels and bad technique is one of the leading causes in wash-induced swirls.
Chamois? junk
Water-blade? junk

I know many people will say, "this is what i have been doing for years and it has always worked for me." Yes, you can 'clean' a car with poor products but you cannot maintain a swirl-free, blemish-free finish that way.

For example: People have been using Armor-All forever. However, Armor-All is not 'armor' at all. It will cause any surface it is applied to to dry rot prematurely. It also attracts dust whereas higher quality products repel dust.

I hope no one thinks I am putting their way of cleaning/detailing down. My purpose is to help take your detail to the next level.

This past weekend I was at a Ferrari show in Reston Town Center. Many of these cars looked horrendous, many of the owners using cheap OTC products for their $100k+ babies. I could not find a single car there that was up to my standards. The way that I and many other people maintain cars is not really any harder or more time consuming than what you are used to. The difference is technique and quality of product.
 
#11 ·
Hope this response isn't a repost, tried posting one earlier. I personally wouldn't use a leaf blower because the air is unfiltered. Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company (MetroVac) has a line of vacuum cleaners that suck and blow (sounds dirty.. can't think of better terminology right now) with their set-up you are blowing filtered, warm air over the car instead of unfiltered air.


Good god I am doing everything wrong!! No guard, shamwow, California Blade. Question, I just mounted a set of black chrome bullitt rims and one trip down my dirt road and it is like a magnet for the dust and looks like s***, I haven't applied any wax or cleaner on them, anything I can use on the rims? What should I use on the tires, been using the spray shine (just shoot me now), here is pic of rims, need to do something because it's like it is ATTRACTING dust, Thanks!!! Hell, just pimp my ride!! :eek: PS Car was waxed maybe a year ago, use a California Duster in between and it stays under cover in barn.
I know exactly what you're dealing with. I live on a gravel driveway as well, kinda sux for my business but I am hoping to have my own place by mid-summer. The overspray from the spray shine is probably what is causing the rims themselves to attract dust. This is where it depends on how much you are willing to spend. Now, with these products, everything will still get dirty. However, it will hopefully be not as quick and not as much, along with being much easier to clean.

All of these should be applied after a thorough cleaning.

Introductory products that work well:
Meguiar's All-Season Dressing: Amazing product that has been my go-to for a long time for tire dressing. No excessive shine but a very good look. Lasts longer than most tire dressing I have used.

Gtechniq C2 Liquid Crystal: This is very good product to coat your wheels (or any surface for that matter) and provides 6-8 months of protection while being very hydrophobic and dirt repellent. Gtechniq just released version 3 of this product, I have a small quantity of version 2 left over. PM me if you'd like me to send you a sample.

There are some higher end products, like Gtechniq C5 & EXO that will provide much better, longer lasting protection but they are for more professional use. Gtechniq is also looking at introducing a permanent tire coating.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Good god I am doing everything wrong!! No guard, shamwow, California Blade. Question, I just mounted a set of black chrome bullitt rims and one trip down my dirt road and it is like a magnet for the dust and looks like s***, I haven't applied any wax or cleaner on them, anything I can use on the rims? What should I use on the tires, been using the spray shine (just shoot me now), here is pic of rims, need to do something because it's like it is ATTRACTING dust, Thanks!!! Hell, just pimp my ride!! :eek: PS Car was waxed maybe a year ago, use a California Duster in between and it stays under cover in barn. Video was awesome, loved the soundtrack and amazing hosing off that bike!!



 
#25 ·
Don't think I responded to this one earlier... of course an electric leaf blower would be better than a gas powered one but I still think you are getting unfiltered air. The filtration is what makes the MetroVac such a good tool. Also, the MetroVac uses its own airflow as a way to cool the motor, therefore the air coming out of it is quite warm which helps make the air most effective and least damaging.
 
#18 ·
Step 1 - After a long dirty and salty winter, wait until spring and drive through large puddles at a high rate of speed. Undercarriage wash complete.

Step 2 - Allow for spring rains to fall on car. Driving through a downpour at a high rate of speed is like using a pressure washer. Body wash complete.

You are now done washing your car until the following spring.
 
#19 ·
I notice a trend in your technique, a total lack of energy expended on your part :), other than the driving part and the lack of having to clean the car anyway after hydroplaning into granma coming home from church :eek:
 
#28 ·
I just decided to revive this thread, more for a response from Dream Detail, but figured I'd post it for the records rather than a PM that only I can see.

So, I am looking for the best possible way to go about detailing my father in laws car. I can pretty much detail, as I did it for a couple years, but this car is pretty bad. Here are a few pictures as it sits right now.







As you can see, the paint is rather blemished, with tons of paint chips, scratches, and swirls. Also the headlights are yellowed and faded.

I am going to commit as much time as needed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to get this car show ready, as we have a industry (furniture) trade show in two weeks and the car must look professional. I am going to be using GTechniq products for coating, as well as the GWash. But I need to know what products/techniques you would recommend to remove the blemishes. I have a TurtleWax DA Orbital at my disposal, but I need new pads and bonnets and such. Any advice you could give me would be very much appreciated.
 
#29 ·
mk7, send him a PM to read the post, I talked with him tonight by PM and not sure if he goes thru Forum like he used to. Man do you have some work to do, for the road rash Dr Colorchips is awesome, but you don't have time for that now. Is that sprinkler water doing that??
 
#31 ·
hey mk7, that would be quite an undertaking, before I go further with product recommendations would you be able to purchase a true DA polisher like a Porter Cable 7424XP or Griot's Garage DA? I have little hope that the turtle wax polisher would be able to cut down those water spot etchings...
 
#32 ·
Absolutely. I pass right by Detailing.com's store multiple times a week, and I will be going there to get all of the supplies on Thursday. So anything they have, I can get. I know they carry the Griots, not positive on the Porter Cable.
 
#33 ·
Also, since I have your ears...



This is my car, the clear coat is beginning to peel due to a poor quality paint repair. Long story. Anyways, would an exterior coating such as the GTechniq C1 Crystal Lacquer Paint Sealant at least slow down the deterioration of my clear coat in this area? It is a very small area and this just appeared recently.

Thank you! :D
 
#34 ·
As for the above, yes, C1 should help slow down the clear coat failure... to what extent, I am not sure as I have not tested it in that way.

As for your father in law's car, for a DIY'er I would recommend going through with a 2 step correction using the Griot's polisher.

Product list with links to Detailing.com's pages:
-Griot's Garage 6" Polisher with 25ft. cord. (25ft. cord as it seems to make the machine have more power. i.e. more electricity flow)
Griot's Garage GEN3 Random Orbital Polisher w/ 25 ft. cord - 6 inch

-Meguiar's 5" backing plate. The 5-5.5" pads are much better to work with than big 6-6" pads
Meguiar's Backing Plate for Orbital/DA Polishers, W67DA - 5 inch, MEG-W67DA

-Meguiar's 5" Microfiber pads, I use 4-6 pads over a whole car, sometimes more if it is very bad.
Meguiar's Microfiber Cutting Discs, DMC5 - 5 inch (2 pack), MEG-DMC5

-Lake Country Tangerine & Crimson 5.5" low-profile pads. I would have at least 4 of each of these, depending on the paint type, one or the other will finish down better. Make sure to get the low-profile ones as they are much easier to work with on a DA.
Lake Country Hydro-Tech Crimson Foam Ultra Finishing Pad - 5.5 inch, low profile, LC-H2O-1255-130MM
Lake Country Hydro-Tech Tangerine Foam Light Polishing Pad - 5.5 inch, low profile, LC-H2O-2255-130MM

-I would typically recommend Scholl's S3 Gold compound as the go-to cutting step but Detailing.com does not carry it. Menzerna FG400 is another very good compound which will give you some great results in terms of cut & finish
Menzerna Fast Gloss, FG400 - 16 oz.

-While it may be rather expensive, Sonax Perfect Finish really can give a perfect finish to nearly any paint type.
Sonax Profiline Perfect Finish - 1000 ml

1st step of correction: Meguiar's MF Pad with Menzerna FG400
2nd step of correction: Lake Country Tangerine or Crimson pad with Sonax Perfect Finish
I'll throw this video in as it is very good at explaining basic paint-correction technique, it is part 1 of 2
Part 1 - How to remove swirls, scratches and water spots using a Porter Cable 7424XP Polisher - YouTube

With the Griots machine, I never go above speed 4.5 as that is all you should need to perform heavy correction.

As for the headlights, I would recommend picking up the Meguiar's 3" backing plate for the Griot's machine along with the 3" counterparts to the pads I listed above. You can use the FG400 & 3" microfiber pad to correct the headlights and then finish out with the Perfect Finish.

As for the paint chips, there looks to be too many to touch up and would most likely need a respray if you wanted to get rid of all of them. It looks like there could also be some scratches that are too deep to remove completely. Overall it should look like a completely different car when you're done.

:) Let me know if you need more information than this
 
#35 ·
Okay, so I got what I could of the supplies you recommended. Unfortunately, the DA did not happen. My father in law did not want to spend that much on it (cheap ass), and I just didn't have enough for that plus all of the supplies. I'll be getting it in a couple weeks when I get back from my business trip and do my car. (Mine will be parked at home while I'm gone).

Also, they were out of the Sonax stuff, so I didn't get that either.

But I got a butt load of the cutting dics and polishing discs and microfiber towels and all that. I also got Gtechniq EXOv2, and C2v3 for the coating.

I will be washing it this evening Nd starting the paint correction in the morning. I'll try to remember to take bunches of pictures, but I always end up getting caught up in the moment and never remember to stop and document.
 
#36 ·
This will be very interesting to see how those products work on the Turtle Wax orbital. Did you buy something instead of Perfect Finish? I'm not sure what they told you but C2v3 & EXOv2 are not designed to be compatible. If you apply EXO over C2 it will not last long and C2 over EXO will diminish the beading from EXO. Also, did you buy the Panel Wipe prep spray for EXO?

Definitely keep us updated with how it goes!!
 
#37 ·
I thought so too, I do wish I had a better orbital...

They directed me to Menzerna Super Finish Polish SF4500. They told me it would go well with the Menzerna FG400.

They didn't mention anything about the compatibility of EXOv2 & C2v3, but I'm glad you said something. Luckily, the C2v3 is more for my car. Since it will sit unattended and unloved for so long, I didn't want to leave it with nothing to protect it. :/ I noticed today that I have a lot of swirls. I can't wait to get back so I can remove them on my car. :D
 
#38 ·
Well, the orbital is doing 'okay,' but no better. It is getting all of the water spots out, but not all of the swirls. And some of the more stubborn water spots require multiple treatments. Each section I am doing between six and eight passes. On the passenger side (which gets hit with the sprinklers 3 times a week, so it's the tougher side) I am having to go back and do an additional 6-8 passes.

I'm not thrilled with not getting the swirls out, but then again, I haven't hit it with the menzerna SF4500 yet, so maybe that will at least help...
 
#43 ·
Go to Ace Hardware and get Whinks Rust remover in the little brown squirt bottle, trust me on this, even try on a spot not noticeable, wipe on and off, little pressure,the spots wil come off with NO damage to paint (I would not use it on Mach if it did), IMO.

Don't you remeber when I had the thread on it, you even responded with a post, it will get those spots off mk7.
 
#40 ·
Swirls never came out. Other than that, the car and out great. A huge thank you goes out to DreamDetail.

I do have a confession, however. I threatened my father in law. I told him if he ever allows his car to get that bad again, I will take the car from him.


Here are some progress pics. (I'm not very good at taking pics of detailing. Ask Mach1, my last attempt involved a crotch shot... :rolleyes: )



And the finished product:




The rock chips are still there, but much less noticeable.



The car now just has a nice glossy finish.




Wheels, treated with C2v3:



Even the taillights are coated in EXOv2:


I will extend a word of caution. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING left on the paint will be encased in the EXOv2, and won't come out. Somehow, I missed a little spot where there is polish residue...



My dog was glad when I finished.


I still need to do the headlights, trim, windows, and moonroof. But I'm tired. I will finish tomorrow morning.
 
#48 ·
Great for road rash, you dab on and smear with gloved thumb, it actually will cover a good bit usnbg application method, I am ALWAYS praising this product, I have 3 different kits, one I have had 3 years!!! (You can't go wrong when you send them color code for your car, it WILL match)!!
 
#49 ·
Yup! The first few times is a mess to get caught up on all the road rash. But if you keep up on it.... Im down to bi-weekly/monthly paint touch ups that take less then 10-15 minutes to get the big uns! Love the stuff! Need to order a new batch of cleaning liquid stuff though.....
 
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