Best way to wash your car?

[slowjoe24]

Link:
Cars and Coffee Talk: What's the best way to wash your car? (http://carsandcoffeetalk.blogspot.com/2013/06/whats-best-way-to-wash-your-car.html)

Please read my latest blog and then let me know your tips for the best way to wash your car.........thanks, Joe

[Man of Steel]

By hand with two buckets, two wash mitts, car shampoo, soft towels ... It is the best way but not most common one... I'm a lunatic :D

Washing, polishing, plastic restoring...

Ford Ka (1999) - From nothing to something - Ultimatecarpage.com forums (http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43508)

Polishing, engine cleaning, wheel cleaning ...

Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 TS (2008) - Page 2 - Ultimatecarpage.com forums (http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44339&page=2)

Over €1.200 spent with car washing stuff, but too less time :rolleyes:

[Man of Steel]

My regular plan when having sufficient time to wash car.

- Prerinse with high pressure cleaner and foam.
- Rinse with soft beam of water.
- Use wheel brush and bucket to clean wheels (sometimes use wheel wax to protect)
- Two buckets, one for washing and one for rinsing.
- Two wash mitts.
- A good car shampoo.
- Use soft mitt for roof and top part of car.
- Use other mitt for bottom parts of car.
- Rinse with high pressure water.
- Dry with drying towel.
- Use plastic restore on mirrors and parts of bumper.
- Use rubber care on tires (only washes off after two weeks here)...
- Clean windows with glass cleaner.
- Clean engine bay with cleaner.
- Clean and protect leather once a year.
- Clay and polish car once a year.
- No time for regular waxing...

Sound easy huh?

[slowjoe24]

Great info man!!!! I've got to try the two bucket method soon!! :)

[slowjoe24]

Wow......what a spread of supplies!!!

[Man of Steel]

Thanks!

Well, my excuse is that it took me 6 years to buy everything.

[slowjoe24]

LOL........and tons of $$$ Maybe my supplies will be that good one day!! Thanks :)

[Ferrer]

I wait until it rains. Then drive around in the rain to clean it.

When it has stopped raining I drive really fast to dry it.

Job done!

[Man of Steel]

That would be the answer of 80% of the population I guess.

The other 10% uses the carwash, while 9% washes car by hand the 'incorrect way' with a sand filled sponge.

That leaves 1% of the idiots like me. And proud of it :D

[Ferrer]

The funny thing is, I think I should take it to the car wash now... the European journey I have recently undertaken has had a toll on it. It is full of insects smashed into the windscreen, front bumper, headlamps, grille...

[Man of Steel]

Car wash street = car scratch street.

Not that you would care :p

Removal of bugs can be a pain, especially when washing car manually trying to avoid scratching. Hence I use foam to soak the buggers off.

[f6fhellcat13]

What sort of foam? I've washed my car twice since my cross-country journey and I still haven't been able to get rid of all the carcasses. The ones I did manage to remove left an oily residue that is also hard to get off.


****in' North Dakota…

…and ****in' black cars.:rolleyes:

[Ferrer]

Car wash street = car scratch street.

Not that you would care :p

Removal of bugs can be a pain, especially when washing car manually trying to avoid scratching. Hence I use foam to soak the buggers off.
I think that the next time I wash my car will be the third in about 18 months of ownership and 53.000km... go figure...

I once tried Cillit Bang to remove bugs and flies from my front bumper. I feared this would disintegrate it, but it seems to be fine so far.

[Man of Steel]

What sort of foam? I've washed my car twice since my cross-country journey and I still haven't been able to get rid of all the carcasses. The ones I did manage to remove left an oily residue that is also hard to get off.


****in' North Dakota…

…and ****in' black cars.:rolleyes:

I use a cheap high pressure cleaner (Nilfisk Alto) in combination with an Autobrite Heavy Duty Foam Kit. Basically it is a lance with a bottle which you can easily connect to your high pressure cleaner to foam your car.

For foam you have multiple choiches, but I use Autobrite's Magifoam. You can dillute it with water, 1:10 for a regular wash or 1:3 for a very dirty car. The foam is applied covering the whole car and will work on insects, mud etcetera soaking it off. Consider it as pre-wash before washing to prevent scratching and making the job much easier.

If you still have oily residue/tar parts/overspray on your car, claying is the only solution. This will already have a dramatic good effect on any car as basically it will remove the dirt from your car which has attached to the paint and can not be removed with regular washing. After that you could continue with polishing or waxing as your vehicle will be unprotected.

And yes - I have a black car as well. My first and last I assume.

Nilfisk Alto E140 With Foam Attachment - YouTube
How to use a clay bar on your car - YouTube

[Man of Steel]

I think that the next time I wash my car will be the third in about 18 months of ownership and 53.000km... go figure...

I once tried Cillit Bang to remove bugs and flies from my front bumper. I feared this would disintegrate it, but it seems to be fine so far.

Well, actually I do not wash my car so often as well. Last year September was the last time, when I considered in April this year that it was too much and pulled out my supplies again. That is considerably less washing then the first months of ownership :o

What is deeply demotivating is the constant rain and bad weather here and I do not have a garage. Also, with a black car you can see the dirt reappearing after two weeks or so. Take in account also the multispoke wheels and you are in for a real treat.

Weather and time are the crucial factors. I could make it easy for myself and scratch the car each week in a regular carwash, but that would be a waste. I spend five days last year on paint correction and it shows when the car is clean. So I figure it is better to wash the car on a now and then basis in a correct manner, then to wash it weekly in a carwash and annoy myself with all the holograms when it is in the modest sun outside.

Haha, did you use CilitBang on your new Mazda? You have guts, as you already implied it is quite aggressive! Well, actually I use Dasty on the plastic parts and tires on my car. It is not recommended for car cleaning by 'The Cleaning Guru's', but it works perfect as a degreaser. Much cheaper then buying a gallon of degreaser from one of the major brands.

[f6fhellcat13]

Many thanks, I will investigate the claying route!

And yes - I have a black car as well. My first and last I assume.
They look so good for about 15 minutes after they're washed, and then they go back to looking like pigeons use them to calibrate their Nordens. Maybe if I could keep my car inside it would be different...

[Ferrer]

What is deeply demotivating is the constant rain and bad weather here and I do not have a garage.
Having been in Amsterdam, I can relate to that. It rained all days... :(

Also, with a black car you can see the dirt reappearing after two weeks or so. Take in account also the multispoke wheels and you are in for a real treat.
I have a white car and it gets very dirty too and very soon. I think that very dark and very light colours are the worse. The ones in the middle fare better with dirt.

Haha, did you use CilitBang on your new Mazda? You have guts, as you already implied it is quite aggressive! Well, actually I use Dasty on the plastic parts and tires on my car. It is not recommended for car cleaning by 'The Cleaning Guru's', but it works perfect as a degreaser. Much cheaper then buying a gallon of degreaser from one of the major brands.
In my defence I only used on the bumper (plastic) and it worked wonders with the bugs! :)

[Rizaven]

Use a hose attached lawn feeder/sprayer, fill the jar with soap and water and then spray. Use one of these:

[slowjoe24]

Great info!!!

[apvkt]

Hi,
This section is very helpful in washing the car.. I have watched the video and it is very informative..

[slowjoe24]

Always good to share tips to help us keep those rides looking great!!! Thanks :)

[pimento]

Vis car washing.. cleaning up a barn find.

Barn Find: Classic Porsche 912 Restoration -- /DRIVE CLEAN - YouTube

[Man of Steel]

Week commencing 19th of August I will start another 5-days project on washing, claying, polishing and waxing a car.

The subject will be a '98 VW Golf convertible.

This time it is an exception on all fronts for me. The car is not mine, it is from my sister-in-law. Also it will be my first experience with correction of 'Volkswagen Audi Group' paint.
I read the paint for German cars is hard as hell, so I might have to pull out the big guns to get some decent correction.

Oh yes and it will be my first convertible.

What I like about cars like this, is that they normally do not get more attention then some regular handwashing if they are lucky, so claying and paint correction will certainly show results - at least I hope. It is a dark green metallic paint.

Hopefully the weather will be good, otherwise I will need a garage. Anyhow, results to follow soon!

[slowjoe24]

Keep us posted on the outcome!!!