fine art of car washing

JaredLS

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just seen this video on youtube of a fifth gear episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ5V818V6qQ&search=fifth gear
the reason I'm brining this up is, I know there are some detailers on here, and I noticed in the vid that this guy is washing the car in direct sunlight, I thought that was a no-no :confused:

This guy is supposed to be the best in the world?? and charge 5K ? I wouldn't give him my car to detail if it was for free.
 
well its seems like he spends 5 hours on every car
 
i wouldn't give this guy a dime. Wrong way to wash and detail a car. did anyone notice the the temp of the water to make up for washing it in the sun and how he dipped the sponge back in to the bucket to soap up the car which should have been rinsed and then dipped to get the grit out, that's why he had scatchs and he needed to compound after the wash
 
Direct sunlight - I believe they did this for effect when they filmed the video.
Temp of the water - what's wrong with 35C (that's about 100F)?
Dipping the sponge - it doesn't matter; he was going to use rubbing compound anyway to take out the oxidation to the paint and level it.
...better for $10 - OK, come do mine, then! Hell, I can't even pay for all of the products and water for $10. It takes me a minimum of 3 hours to do a quick wash on my car. If I have had it on a road trip, It will take two, or three wash sessions of about 5+ hours each to get it back to where I am semi-satisfied. I'll take this guys detailing anyday - as long as I don't have to pay for it!
 
paulownian said:
Direct sunlight - I believe they did this for effect when they filmed the video.
Temp of the water - what's wrong with 35C (that's about 100F)?
Dipping the sponge - it doesn't matter; he was going to use rubbing compound anyway to take out the oxidation to the paint and level it.
...better for $10 - OK, come do mine, then! Hell, I can't even pay for all of the products and water for $10. It takes me a minimum of 3 hours to do a quick wash on my car. If I have had it on a road trip, It will take two, or three wash sessions of about 5+ hours each to get it back to where I am semi-satisfied. I'll take this guys detailing anyday - as long as I don't have to pay for it!

Also remember that this is in Great Briton where the sun is not so direct or hot. I just wish I had the funds to own these cars and pay someone to run out and clean the bird **** from my car.:)
 
He's doing it right. There's a lot of things you cannot tell from the video, such as outside air temp, humidity, etc. The water temp he was using was about the same as body temperature, and is probably cooler than the shower you took this morning.

He's following the same 5 steps I use (degrease/detar, wash, clay, polish/glaze, wax). You can do the same thing he does using far less expensive products.

I wasn't too concerned about washing the car in the sun. The reason there is this "rule" about not washing the car in the sun is because the sun heats the metal or glass which causes water evaporation which leads to water spots. However, if there are other factors that prevent water from evaporating (e.g., high humidity or cool air temp), washing in the sun is ok.

Similarly, not using the so-called "two bucket" method to rinse his mitt was not a big issue because the car he was washing was essentially very clean to begin with. The two bucket method is beneficial for cars with at least moderate amounts of road grime and grit so that grime is washed away and does not act as an abrasive against the finish. But if there is no grit in the mitt or bucket, I see no need to rinse it. I've never used the two bucket method and I don't have any scratch or swirl marks on my car. That's because it never gets really dirty to start with so there is no grit/grime to cause scratching.

What concerned me the most was use of the pressure washer. IMHO, there is no need for a pressure washer under any circumstances when you're washing a car, and particularly those high-dollar cars this guy works on. A soft flow of water will rinse the car just fine and without the possibility of damaging the finish with high pressure.
 
I use a pressure washer on my car all of the time. I have always used a pressure washer without incident. The pressure at the tip of the wand is one thing; the pressure at the point of contact is another. I use a 1750 psi small electric washer. By the time the water hits the car (about the same as in the video) there isn't enough force to cause a problem, unless one already exists. I don't get any closer than about 30 inches, or so. If there were any chips in the paint I would have already repaired them, previously. If there are new ones, a little water pressure will just make them more apparent so I can repair them, as well. BTW, I have no paint chips on my present vehicle. Just stubborn bug guts.
 

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