Bob
05-10-2005, 10:10 AM
Below I have outlined some helpful ways to keep your car swirl free and proper washing techiques. These are the way I do things. Other people have similar or totally different techiques but these are the ones that have worked for me for years.
First, if you are buying a car from a dealer, either new or used, tell them NOT to touch it. Don’t let them detail the exterior at all. Now, I know this is not for all dealers but from the majority I have seen, you don’t want them touching your exterior. Dealers tend to use a high speed polisher with an unexperienced operator. Some dealers even use products with high filler content so your car looks great for the first few washes and as the product wears off the swirls start to show.
Second, NEVER go through a car wash that has brushes or anything touching your paint. Trust me when I tell you that having things slap against your paint is not a good thing no matter how much dirt came off of it.
If you go to one of those self wash car washes don’t use the brush. Those brushes hold too much dirt and grime in them from the first 2000 vehicles that came through. If you would of seen the muddy dump truck filled with sand it was used on just a little before you came you would not want to use it. ;)
Take care in the way you wash your car. Wash your vehicle by hand with a good wash mitt or sponge. I prefer a wool or chenille wash mitt or a chenille covered sponge. A lot of people use the “two bucket method†of washing. This is when they use two buckets filled with water, one for rinsing the sponge or mitt in and the other for the soap. I personally don’t like this method. I don’t like carrying two buckets around the car. I have always used a Grit Guard Insert in my bucket. This keeps the sponge or mitt up out of the dirt at the bottom of the bucket. Always make sure to use a good quality automotive shampoo/wash, NOT dish soap. I hear people brag about getting a gallon of soap at the local parts store for 2 bucks and it cleans the car just as good as anything else. I have used that soap in the past and found some of it to be so-so and I have found a lot of it strips wax off of the vehicle and leaves it unprotected! So don’t skimp on your car wash solution! Something that is often overlooked and not thought about is the hose nozzle you use. I use a “fire hose style nozzleâ€. Most come with a lifetime warranty and most are almost indestructible. This is great for people like me that leave their hose laying in the driveway and run it over time after time. You want to make sure that your hose nozzle has a rubber coating on it also. You will thank me when you accidentally smack it off the side of your car one day. The metal nozzles are not as forgiving and will leave a nice scratch for you to repair. Ok, you have your wash bucket filled and a good quality car shampoo in it along with your Grit Guard Insert, wash mitt and rubber coated hose nozzle. Now comes the fun part, washing! Before you wash the exterior surfaces of the car always clean the tires and wheels first (see below link for wheel and tire cleaning). Always start at the top of the car using your mitt in a back and forth motion across the paint, not in a circular motion. Make sure that you keep your wash mitt clean and soapy at all times. Once the roof is done rinse it off and move on to the windows. Rinse the windows off when you are done and more on to a lower part until the entire vehicle is done and rinsed off. Now, here is a little trick to help in the drying process. Use a steady stream from your hose and rinse your vehicle off again. Rinse the entire vehicle off using a nice steady stream with no pressure. The water, especially on nicely waxed paint, will glide right off leaving you less water to have to dry.
Now to dry the vehicle. To avoid scratches I recommend using a good quality Waffle Weave Drying Towel. Just like when you washed the vehicle, start at the top and work your way down. I fold the waffle weave in quarters flipping it over to a dry side often. If it gets too wet and is not doing as good of a job just ring it out and continue. Once the car is cleaned and dried now it is time to protect the tires (see "How to take care of your wheels and tires"). After you put protectant on the tires then you can go ahead and clean the windows (see "Streak free glass cleaning").
First, if you are buying a car from a dealer, either new or used, tell them NOT to touch it. Don’t let them detail the exterior at all. Now, I know this is not for all dealers but from the majority I have seen, you don’t want them touching your exterior. Dealers tend to use a high speed polisher with an unexperienced operator. Some dealers even use products with high filler content so your car looks great for the first few washes and as the product wears off the swirls start to show.
Second, NEVER go through a car wash that has brushes or anything touching your paint. Trust me when I tell you that having things slap against your paint is not a good thing no matter how much dirt came off of it.
If you go to one of those self wash car washes don’t use the brush. Those brushes hold too much dirt and grime in them from the first 2000 vehicles that came through. If you would of seen the muddy dump truck filled with sand it was used on just a little before you came you would not want to use it. ;)
Take care in the way you wash your car. Wash your vehicle by hand with a good wash mitt or sponge. I prefer a wool or chenille wash mitt or a chenille covered sponge. A lot of people use the “two bucket method†of washing. This is when they use two buckets filled with water, one for rinsing the sponge or mitt in and the other for the soap. I personally don’t like this method. I don’t like carrying two buckets around the car. I have always used a Grit Guard Insert in my bucket. This keeps the sponge or mitt up out of the dirt at the bottom of the bucket. Always make sure to use a good quality automotive shampoo/wash, NOT dish soap. I hear people brag about getting a gallon of soap at the local parts store for 2 bucks and it cleans the car just as good as anything else. I have used that soap in the past and found some of it to be so-so and I have found a lot of it strips wax off of the vehicle and leaves it unprotected! So don’t skimp on your car wash solution! Something that is often overlooked and not thought about is the hose nozzle you use. I use a “fire hose style nozzleâ€. Most come with a lifetime warranty and most are almost indestructible. This is great for people like me that leave their hose laying in the driveway and run it over time after time. You want to make sure that your hose nozzle has a rubber coating on it also. You will thank me when you accidentally smack it off the side of your car one day. The metal nozzles are not as forgiving and will leave a nice scratch for you to repair. Ok, you have your wash bucket filled and a good quality car shampoo in it along with your Grit Guard Insert, wash mitt and rubber coated hose nozzle. Now comes the fun part, washing! Before you wash the exterior surfaces of the car always clean the tires and wheels first (see below link for wheel and tire cleaning). Always start at the top of the car using your mitt in a back and forth motion across the paint, not in a circular motion. Make sure that you keep your wash mitt clean and soapy at all times. Once the roof is done rinse it off and move on to the windows. Rinse the windows off when you are done and more on to a lower part until the entire vehicle is done and rinsed off. Now, here is a little trick to help in the drying process. Use a steady stream from your hose and rinse your vehicle off again. Rinse the entire vehicle off using a nice steady stream with no pressure. The water, especially on nicely waxed paint, will glide right off leaving you less water to have to dry.
Now to dry the vehicle. To avoid scratches I recommend using a good quality Waffle Weave Drying Towel. Just like when you washed the vehicle, start at the top and work your way down. I fold the waffle weave in quarters flipping it over to a dry side often. If it gets too wet and is not doing as good of a job just ring it out and continue. Once the car is cleaned and dried now it is time to protect the tires (see "How to take care of your wheels and tires"). After you put protectant on the tires then you can go ahead and clean the windows (see "Streak free glass cleaning").