How-To Wash Your Car
- Thread starter ReFlex
- Start date
Taken from a better forum....
2Shiny said:http://www.flyinprotege.com/forums/showthread.php?t=840
OK let's start the list. With the below-listed products/supplies, you can remove all but the worst swirls, and can also remove severe oxidation, and do it all safely.
Porter Cable 7424 or 7336 (Available at any Lowes hardware store, or online at places like www.Autogeek.net or www.Autopia-carcare.com
Flexible backing plate http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=37932&pd=97903
6" counterweight (comes with the 7336, but you'll need to buy the 6" weight separately if you bought a 7424)
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=37933&pd=130673
Pads: I'd get at least one yellow pad to use with a heavy polish, and then a green and blue pad. Use one of them for a lighter polish, and the other for paint cleaners like Klasse AIO, Clearkote Vanilla Moose, etc...
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29307
Polishes: There are lots of decent polishes out there, but the ones I use most are the Poorboys SSRs. I'd recommend SSR2.5 and SSR2 for the truck. A couple rounds with SSR2.5 and a yellow pad can remove some pretty major defects. Then follow up with SSR2/green or SSR2/blue.
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=44434&pd=170699
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=44434&pd=170698
high quality microfiber towels: I'd recommend these ones, since they are very soft and inexpensive compared to other MFs of similar quality.
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29279&pd=208076
Paint sealant: http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=37056&pd=97957
Carnauba wax: http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=44434&pd=220119
Hand applicator and pads (the 4" pads can also be used with a smaller backing plate on the PC, which works great for spot polishing, or for polishing narrow areas like pillars)
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=37931&pd=278927
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=56101
This should probably be first in the list, but proper washing/drying supplies are absolutely essential. If you keep installing swirls and scuffs everytime you wash or dry the car, why bother polishing it to perfection?
A soft, thick sheepskin wash mitt (and an additional one for wheels)
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=30057&pd=131829&recview=11
A waffle weave drying towel (I use two of these to ensure every bead and streak is gone, but one of the below-listed towels can dry a Protege without ever being wrung out, provided you sheet the water off first...see process description at bottom of post): http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29280&pd=133820
Grit Guard: this is an optional product, but I am glad I bought one. When washing a really dirty car, this is a great product to have in your wash bucket, because it traps all the crap at the bottom of the bucket, and keeps it from getting back into your wash mitt.
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=30057&pd=101217&recview=1
Quality car soap (NOT DISH/HAND SOAP!). You can buy good soaps locally, like Meg's NXT or Gold Class soaps, but I prefer either Top of the Line Bubble Bath or Poorboy's SSS
http://www.topoftheline.com/topoflinbub.html
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=44434&pd=283300&recview=11
A mini waffle weave drying towel for the wheels:
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29280&pd=279616
Tire brush for the wheels, pick up locally. They're all pretty similar, except for the high-end brushes like the Meg's Versa-Angle Tire Brush, which has wheel-safe brushes on the outside in case of accidental wheel contact. I have one and like it a lot, but other brushes will do. Just be careful with them around the wheel lip.
Tire dressing:
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=44434&pd=276861&recview=11
Tire dressing applicator:
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=37931&pd=254832
Trim protectant and applicator:
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=44434&pd=178729&recview=11
http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=37931&pd=277891
That should do it. I could always recommend more "essentials", but I have thousands of dollars worth of stuff that I consider essentials, so I'll stop here.
To describe the "sheeting" method of drying your car...
Wash the car, then rinse with the hose and nozzle. After rinsing with the hose and nozzle, remove the nozzle and let the free stream of water push most of the water off of the car. The sheet of water will pull the other water down with it, and you'll just be left with scattered beads of water on the car. The majority of the water runs right off. This makes it very easy to just use one soft MF drying towel to dry off the entire car without any wringing out. Of course, this sheeting will only happen on a waxed/sealed car. If it's a neglected finish, this method won't be nearly as effective.
Last edited:
Well I always hand wash my car, never run it through a machine. I use turtle wax brand car soap and any kind of car washing sponge works. Ive never had any problems with swrils or scratches while washing my car, but im sure having a light colored car helps with that. Just dont rub the car heavy or in much of a circular motion, and I always follow with a good coat of wax. I think waxing is where most people get their swirl marks from anyways, just dont apply too much pressure and dont use little swirl motions, and when you wipe off the wax just do it all in one direction and not in circles. Other what ive said I dont know what else you can do...but im sure others have their opintions and tecniques....bump!
Meguiars FTW! Actually, I use Simoniz now, but only because I had the treatment done to the car because I'm too lazy to wax, and road salt did a number on my IS300, so I learned a lesson. I use a soft hand mit in the summer time, and a brush attachment equivalent in the winter.
1) never dry wipe your car in between washings
2) stay out of car washes
3) rinse your car well prior to washing
4) Have an assortment of soft clean rags, dip brush, tire brush, and a wheel brush on hand.
5) clean your wheels/tires first.
6) clean the fender lips,rocker panels, and front and rear bumper lips.
7) clean the muffler tip and muffler if you have one worth cleaning.
8) wash the rest of the car now starting from the top and working your way down.
9) use either a couple large towels, california squeegee, or fake chamois to dry it.
10) windows: use a extra fine steel wool pad to remove bug guts, sap, etc. Then take a damp cloth and wipe the window down. Use a lint free dry towel folded up and wipe off the water. Use the other side to buff it.
I'm old school so I do not use micro fiber towels. Have never scratched a car and detail a lot of fine automobiles on the side to make extra money. I learned everything I know about cleaning a car from my Dad who was a lunatic when it came to cleaning his black cars! He used only a couple of buckets of water, brushes, towels, and the old Simonize wax when needed. Very extreme,but it worked for him.
2) stay out of car washes
3) rinse your car well prior to washing
4) Have an assortment of soft clean rags, dip brush, tire brush, and a wheel brush on hand.
5) clean your wheels/tires first.
6) clean the fender lips,rocker panels, and front and rear bumper lips.
7) clean the muffler tip and muffler if you have one worth cleaning.
8) wash the rest of the car now starting from the top and working your way down.
9) use either a couple large towels, california squeegee, or fake chamois to dry it.
10) windows: use a extra fine steel wool pad to remove bug guts, sap, etc. Then take a damp cloth and wipe the window down. Use a lint free dry towel folded up and wipe off the water. Use the other side to buff it.
I'm old school so I do not use micro fiber towels. Have never scratched a car and detail a lot of fine automobiles on the side to make extra money. I learned everything I know about cleaning a car from my Dad who was a lunatic when it came to cleaning his black cars! He used only a couple of buckets of water, brushes, towels, and the old Simonize wax when needed. Very extreme,but it worked for him.
DAWIV said:
You 10 steps are right on, but in this case old school is not the way to go. I have dozens of MF cloths. They make the cleaning process go much faster. If you have a light colored car you can get away with cheaper towels available from Target. These towels are good quality fabric, but are not lint free.
Also, wax is dead (long live carnauba). After you use a polymer sealent system for the first time you will never go back. I use Zaino Brothers products and the results are great. Mind you, I don't have a black car and I don't obsess about things like depth and 3-D paint quality, but neither do most people. However, my brother has a new black Mazda3 and his car looks black ball of glass rolling down the road. Plus he doesn't need to spend hours rubbing his car.
Anyway, the protection and ease of use advantage of a good sealent outweights the small incriment of depth that carnauba gives, IMO. Modern paint just doesn't need the help to look good.
Have you ever tried the Mr. Clean AutoDry kit. Used it on my truck before I got the 3. No need to towel dry. You use a spot free rinse and let it dry by itself. You can see the water bead and roll off when using the rinse. Never had spots which is pretty damn good with the hard water we have here in San Antonio. I bought it to give it a shot about 3 years ago and was very impressed that it actually worked like they advertised. Haven't used anything else since.(cool) (first)
As a side detailer for almost 4 years now, i've got some experience with this.
www.autopia.org for all your questions about detailing.
www.autopia.org for all your questions about detailing.
andrew.savage
Member
- :
- 2006 Mazda 3 5-Door
in response to the "never go through car washes" point. Where i live in CT there are many car wash places that are no touch, so if you don't have the time or the patience for hand washing "every time" those are not as bad as the car washes with the brushes and wheels.
andrew.savage
Member
- :
- 2006 Mazda 3 5-Door
i realize that i'm just mentioning you can go through some without as much worry if you dont have the time to handwash it everytime
You don't need chemicals or high dollar overpriced products with fancy names to keep your car looking good. A good car wash soap, prewax cleaner, paint sealant, and carnuba wax will keep your car's finish looking great. If you have surface issues there are products available to address them as well.
To each his own as they say, go spend $30 on a 4 oz bottle of shine frapee and buy a porter cable because autotopia whatever says its the best.
To each his own as they say, go spend $30 on a 4 oz bottle of shine frapee and buy a porter cable because autotopia whatever says its the best.
