How to use a car wash...?

[dalfollo]

OK...this isn't a troll but a sincere desire to learn from you guys what you think is the best method to clean my Expy... A little background...new (to me) 2001 Expy EB that came from the dealer highly glossed and looking good...would like to maintain that without driving through a car wash every day, or having it detailed. I would like to wash it once every two to three weeks using a spray car wash as the cleaning tool and use it efficiently: Ring the car with the soap...brush with my soft bristle brush to loosen dirt, ring the car with more soap and complete with thorough rinsing...drive away from the overspray/wind/dust and pull out the chamois to wipe down the wet panels and windows of water (after having wetted the chamois in the rinse cycle). Couple of things and questions: I have purchased one brush for dirty/black areas and one for main body...i need to also cut my chamois as i got some of it dirty from the black things (maybe a different dry/wipe rag for the tires and dirty trim?) vs. the regular panels and windows which was just grabbing the water....still the clean up wasn't as good a expected... What is your 'car wash' procedure? suggested simple wash steps? I can understand waxing, but in reality I think that would happen maybe 2-3 times a year....suggestions? Had a friend tell me spray places use recycled water and is why they always seem to leave a film is not wiped down....he said I am better off using the spay wash for heavy dirt and driving it home for a simple hand wash with cotton sponge... I have searched and found no specific thread/FAQ/article on the site....thanks for your feedback.

[96explorereddieb]

This is what I usually do:

Wash the tires first with Eagle One's A2Z Wheel/Tire cleaner. Don't rinse the car, do this when the tires and the wheels are dry. Spray that stuff on the tires and wheels and use a soft bristle brush and scrub the rim first then scrub the tire. Now rinse that tire and wheel. Do that for the rest of the tires/wheels.

Then rinse the car off to losen the dirt and mud.

Use two buckets...one with car wash soap and one with plain water. Use Sheepskin mitt for this. Dip the mitt into the soap solution and start washing from the roof. Then the hood then the sides. Do this per section or the soap will dry and will damage the paint.

When rinsing the soap off, take the nozzle off the hose and just let the water run. This will create a sheeting action and will dry a whole lot better than using jet spray.

After rinsing, use California Water Blade or use a microfiber towel to dry the rest. When using the towel, don't drag the towel over the paint or you'll cause swirl marks. I don't use chamois b/c I'm afraid that I'll scratch the paint.

This is me but it's up to you. I spray QD (Quick Detailer) onto the paint and wipe it with another microfiber towel.

After that, polish the chrome bumpers with Eagle One's Never Dull swabs.

Then dress the tires with Eagle One's Tire Wet with the applicator.

That's it, you're done. It usually take me about 2 hours to do all that stuff.

[cow_boy104]

I always take my own brush with me to the car wash. I've seen the brushes used where they shouldnt be used on the vehicle, and it gets all the dirt and grit in it, and when you go to use it, you end up scratching up your vehicle.

[parks911]

I stick $5.00 in the machine & slowly drive thru.

But then again I have a older truck that doesn't deserve a real good hand wash at this time.

[jessfactor]

Originally posted by dalfollo
i need to also cut my chamois as i got some of it dirty from the black things


Had a friend tell me spray places use recycled water and is why they always seem to leave a film is not wiped down....he said I am better off using the spay wash for heavy dirt and driving it home for a simple hand wash with cotton sponge...

dont cut the chamois. just throw it in the wash every once in a while. just keep it away from the dryer. the best think you can do is put the chamois in a sealed container (like the ones you use for food) to keep it wet. thats what the package says.


most of the self spray places have a final setting that says spot free rince. after i rince it i put it on this setting and it does a nice job.



i'd use the brush at the place for my wheels, wheelwells, toolbox, and bed. dont want to dirty up your good brush.

[DeckedoutF150]

ok, i ahve been detailing cars and trucks for years and hear is what you got to do to keep the paint lookin good. first as for washing. if you run it through a car wash go touchless. but also remember a car was uses enough soap to get the dirtyest car clean. and in the soap they use a acid like they do in hair shampoo to help clean. thats is what will eat your wax job off and cause the shine to go away. i only run mine through the wash in the winter cause it is to cold to do it by hand. in the warmer months i use johnson and johnson no tears baby shampoo cause it does not contain the acid that eats a wax job off therefor prolonging the wax job. as for wax you will have to do it often if you want to keep it looking that way and keep the paint from fading or getting contaminated. best wax to use is mequiers gold class. you might also want to check out their web site and a a car Rx they will also tell you how to take care of it. for the chrome you can use the wax on it or get chrome polish from turtle wax. on the tires whem you are washing them use wesleys bleach white to clean them but spray down the wheels and tires first with them spray the bleach white on them and becarful to not get to much on the wheels cause it will eat the clear coat off of them, scrub then rinse off. when the tires dry use a tire shine such as black magic. but dont drive the vehicle for a while cause it will throw it all over the sides of it. after spraying them down with the tire shine whipe the wheels off with glass cleaner. you can also armorall the other plastic pieces and clean the windows. do all of this and it will stay looking great. i would also look into getting a buffer for the waxing and learning how to use that.

[1956MarkII]

Interesting- I've been detailing cars for years, too. And I NEVER use soap to wash any of my vehicles. Soap leaves a film, which attracts dirt, whcih dulls the shine, etc... For 25 years I've used just clear water and a wash mitt to wash the car. Rinse well first (most people don't spend enough water or time on the initial rinse), wash with clear water, rinse again and immediately dry with chamois or 100% cotton towels. This only works, of course, if you keep a good coat of wax on the vehicle, which I only need to do twice a year. Soap? Don't use it, plain and simple.

[jessfactor]

Originally posted by 1956MarkII
Interesting- I've been detailing cars for years, too. And I NEVER use soap to wash any of my vehicles. Soap leaves a film, which attracts dirt, whcih dulls the shine, etc... For 25 years I've used just clear water and a wash mitt to wash the car. Rinse well first (most people don't spend enough water or time on the initial rinse), wash with clear water, rinse again and immediately dry with chamois or 100% cotton towels. This only works, of course, if you keep a good coat of wax on the vehicle, which I only need to do twice a year. Soap? Don't use it, plain and simple.

if the vehicle is covered in dirt or road salf i wouldn't so that. you need the soap to lubricate the surface. heavy dirt and road salt doesn't magicly rinse off and a soapless sponge will just drag it across the surface and scratch the paint.


as for the armor all mentioned above: i've never heard of a professional detailer using armor all. thats more of a consumer product. a good site to look at is http://www.detailcity.com/ . its a forums site like this w/a lot of pros on there. you can post a question or just read through the previous posts. every area has different distributers for the pros. we have ardex in philly pa, some areas may have poorboys. there are a ton of them. go up to your local dealership ind ask one of the detailers what products they use. they'll probably let you order some stuff. i work after school at a dealership detailing cars and i know we'd hook somebody up if they asked.

[1956MarkII]

Originally posted by jessfactor
if the vehicle is covered in dirt or road salf i wouldn't so that. you need the soap to lubricate the surface. heavy dirt and road salt doesn't magicly rinse off and a soapless sponge will just drag it across the surface and scratch the paint...

Good point. I guess I'm too anal to ever let my vehicles get that dirty!

[jessfactor]

Originally posted by 1956MarkII
Good point. I guess I'm too anal to ever let my vehicles get that dirty!

i try to be, but it's tough when you drive 900 miles a week.

[ajstephan]

I read a good techinque in a AAA magazine.

When washing, have 2 soap buckets and wash rags. Wash the bottom half of the truck first using one bucket and rag, as that gets the most dirt and oil. Using the other bucket and rag, wash the top half. Then do the wheels and tires.

They recommended using clay bars to clean the vehicle throughly, and then wax. I've never tried this, but seems like a good idea.

If you want to get it looking really good, I saw a show on limos where they wash and wax the limo (daily I think), then wash it again to see how well the wax is applied. Then wax it again. Yikes!