OT: Washing your car

[jlwdm]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Don't like to wash my car..if I do..$5 thru the 'you do it'..then a few minutes at home with a small vac and cloth for glareshield/some parts of interior.

It's a car, afterall.....put it right there with grass cutting...life's too short.

I had a Ford Ranger..work truck...3 years, never washed it except for the day before I put it on Craig'sList but the guy that bought it..doubt he cared..

I would say life is too short not to drive a fun car and take care of it.

Jeff

[54ny77]

yeah it's old school, but still works very well. for about $50 i have at least few years' worth of supplies, and when used properly it takes me 20 minutes to "wax" (or technically apply polish/sealant) the car--that's both apply super thin layer then remove. water beads like clockwork for 4-6 months after.

to ceramic coat my car would run several hundred bucks or so.

plus, i just enjoy the process.

Originally Posted by pjm

With all of the high tech paint sealants and ceramic coatings available now, Zaino is pretty much an old relic in the detailing world. I guess it still has its fans.

[YesNdeed]

Originally Posted by joosttx

If you haven’t check out this guys YouTube page and you love washing cars or just love someone who is totally into what they do you should.

https://youtu.be/1pEU4GMZBxo

I wonder what the detail job on that old Italian "finicky" paint costed.

[54ny77]

The Ammo guy is, generally, very high end. Hundreds, and even thousands, for a full tilt paint-correcting detail.

He makes terrific videos.

As one poster mentioned above, the amount of product and their sophistication today, as well as tools, is incredible. It's kind of overwhelming to me, much like I might guess bike stuff to be for the novice!

I tried spending awhile on different car sites as well as.Griots to see what else is new, but I got analysis paralysis. Have largely stuck with what I know

For example 15+ years ago specialized polymer coatings/polishes and clay bars were rare, but today....largely commonplace.

[CAAD]

Power wash rinse, foam cannon, contact wash (pH neutral soap for maintenance washes), dry. Big fan of spray on sealants and ceramic coatings. Front half of my car does have full paint protection film, easy to maintain. Depending on condition then the paint then the car gets iron remover, clay bar, one step correction, sealant or ceramic. I really enjoy the process.

[Elefantino]

Originally Posted by jlwdm

I would say life is too short not to drive a fun car and take care of it.

Jeff

Man after my own heart!

[denapista]

I thought I had a pretty good system down with washing my car, but I see swirls here and there on my 2017 BMW M3. I could drop it off for a nice paint correction and ceramic coat, but I'm posting it up for sale.

My next car purchase, I'll get the entire wash at home kit and get better at washing my car. The materials are key. Getting a good system down with proper towels are drying. Having multiple buckets is also a key, but you can also just find someone who can detail it every once in a while.

I cringe when I see people just destroy their cars by never washing them, etc.... I mean you paid upwards to $70,000 for something you're just going to accelerate the depreciation. It's like buying a house and letting the weeds grow and the the paint fall off.. Just killing the value.

I see people with super dirty cars and dark tinted windows. How the hell are you seeing out of that metal death rocket?

[tony_mm]

[QUOTE=denapista;2592059]...
The materials are key. Getting a good system down with proper towels are drying. Having multiple buckets is also a key...
QUOTE]



Correct!
So many people just wash their car (or glasses) the wrong way and just scratched it with all the dirt coming from it...

[avalonracing]

[QUOTE=tony_mm;2592072]

Originally Posted by denapista

...
The materials are key. Getting a good system down with proper towels are drying. Having multiple buckets is also a key...
QUOTE]
So many people just wash their car (or glasses) the wrong way and just scratched it with all the dirt coming from it...

So true. Last year I sold my Mercedes which I had owned for 13 years. I was the only person who ever washed it... no dealers, no auto carwashes (although it was often months between washings). Still, after all those years and sometimes months worth of road grime, there weren't ANY swirls in the paint (nor a single door ding). I ended up selling it to a close friend. Ironically, as I write this, the car is currently in the body shop for front end damage. Oh well.

[K3RRY]

I just purchased a pressure washer. Amazing if you’re a car wash lover.

[jlwdm]

Originally Posted by K3RRY

I just purchased a pressure washer. Amazing if you’re a car wash lover.

I would never use a pressure washer on my cars. Foam gun for soap and water and rinse with a hose with no nozzle.

Just going to pick up a car at dealer. They said in line to be washed - I had it pulled from the hand wash line as I never let the dealer wash my cars.

Jeff

[tony_mm]

Same here - no pressure washer for me!

[K3RRY]

I’d recommend trying a pressure washer for various benefits.
-conserve water
-the high pressure and fine mist removes dirt more effectively than a regular hose with nozzle — less dirt, so you won’t rub the dirt around with your sponge which causes more swirls (number one reason for swirl marks is a dirty sponge)
-less elbow grease with sponge to remove those annoying bird poo

The only con is to be careful to not spray too close and you could strip off your wax (2000psi max at a 2-3ft distance).

[jlwdm]

I would never remove dirt with a hose and nozzle either.

Jeff

[Seramount]

just bought a nice pressure washer, but would never use it to clean the paint on a car.

wrong tool for the job.