Official Car Wash Thread

Stopsign002

Stopsign002

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Ok, so we've basically been having car wash discussions in threads about specific products so why not make a dedicated thread? I figure we could post our routines here and discuss products/ask questions with all the information in one place instead of spread out amongst other threads.

Anyone ever used the Mothers California Gold Carnuaba Cleaner Wax? I just bought some (needed to get something within reason of the budget) and am going to apply it a little later today when the sun chills the F out. Has some good reviews on the interwebs. I definitely want to get the Dodo Supernatural eventually, but I'm just not rollin' in that kind of dough at the moment.

One more question. I'm currently using the Armorall Car Wash soap. It says to use 1 oz per gallon for typical washing, but since I plan to wax tonight I want to strip the old wax off. It doesnt list a ratio for wax stripping. Think I should just double it or would that be a bad idea? Thoughts? (Yes, I know I should just get some good car wash, but I'm not there yet)

Links to some other good information:
Turtle Wax Black Box thread that turned into a general discussion about washing
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=83048

Water Spots thread that also turned into a general discussion about washing
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=83501

Pektel working some serious magic on an Impala SS
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=64021

Autogeeks Website. Good information. Also sells stuff.
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...ingtips.html&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13391812521713

Great forum with more information than you'll know what to do with
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...ingbliss.com&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13391812922214

Lemme know if you find more threads that should go here.
 
flowchart.jpg
 
Well Bull is certainly on the job haha. I've read around the interwebs that some people use leaf blowers to dry their car. Bad idea?
 
I use one. My neighbors think I'm crazy :)

I'd recommend one of the toro electric ones. They are cheap and easy to replace once worn out
 
I haven't had success with using a "reef brower". It wasn't one of those little dinky ones either but the one time I tried it, it didn't work as well as I wanted to. If it does work you risk kicking up dust and sending small stuff into the paint if you're not careful.
 
I was unimpressed when I used mine the first few times as well. You have to workup a best practice that uses the natural lines of the car to your advantage. It will never 100% dry your car fully, but it will get you at least 80% of the way there and make touching the paint with a towel much less necessary (less swirl inducing)
 
Bullschmidt said:
I use one. My neighbors think I'm crazy :)

I'd recommend one of the toro electric ones. They are cheap and easy to replace once worn out
Click to expand...

Nice ok. Ill give it a try today, though the one I have is really heavy so I'm thinking it might be a pain to use. I suppose this is where all that gym time and 220 pound back pulls will come in handy lol
 
Fix your hotlinks mang. I'm not clicking the share-per-click advert links :D
 
How to Detail your car:
1) Get in car
2) Drive to detail shop
3) ???????
4) Bling and Profit!!!
 
Kumba said:
How to Detail your car:
1) Get in car
2) Drive to detail shop
3) ???????
4) Bling and Profit!!!
Click to expand...

That's the spirit! Should've been in the original post, if you don't want to do it yourself follow these instructions.
 
I don't use a leaf blower. If you paint is clean (clayed) and properly protected, simply learning how to flood the surface after washing will remove most water.

I will say that the leaf blower would be very handy for blowing the water out from behind the mirrors and out of crevices though.

Here's how to flood the surface:

How to rinse your car after washing. - YouTube
 
jmtiseo said:
That's the spirit! Should've been in the original post, if you don't want to do it yourself follow these instructions.
Click to expand...

I'm not against doing things yourself. I just hate anything related to body work with a passion. I can (and have) spent hours cleaning an engine block with solvent and a tooth brush, but trying to polish out orange peel and stuff like that just irritate me to no end. For that, they make professionals whom I can pay to be irritated on my behalf :)

There is also a certain level of skill that a professional will have from their years of doing this work day in and day out. What might take me 4-5 hours would take them an hour. Sometimes it boils down to how much expendable time do you have laying around. I typically don't have that much laying around so I will drop my car off on the way in to work, have someone pick me up, and then get it at the end of the day.
 
jmtiseo said:
Couldn't agree with the paraphrase above any more.
Click to expand...

I have mine professionally done every 3 months. I have a guy who washes, buffs/waxes it does the windows in and out rainx included and vacuums it for $50. I have taken it to a few other shops around that charge more and the job is not as good. This guy does all the door jams, cleans the exhaust tips, and even cleans the inside of the wheels. I think I found a keeper.

Everytime I pick up my car it looks newer then the day I bought it. For 50 I can't go wrong. I wash it weekely also but the detailing makes it easier to wash and dry and then I usually just quick spray wax it.
 
I have been using the mother california gold stuff for some time. I have tried other stuff but keep going back to that. I put another post up about the turtle wax black box and I used it but the wax part of it isn't great so I would say use it in the middle. First pre wax cleaner (mother's) then black box cleaner and wax, then Mother's carnuba.
I have a body blade and it works well to dry the car.
I think the mother is the best value, it isn't crazy expensive and works well. The black box stuff works well on black cars. If you have any small scrathes that look white it really helps hide them.
 
now what about interior detailing. i usually wash my car once a week and spend about 2-4 hours washing/drying/detailing my car just to make sure its spotless. i currently use black magic titanium gel for my tires which gives it a super wet look like someone is sitting in the wheel well spaying it with water all day long. i also use blackmagic protectant for my plastics inside car and bluemagic cleaner and conditioner for my leather, rainx for all glass. i used a car wash soap that my parents gave me which they bought from the car dealer they just bought their chevy avalach from. i used it and it did a great job i have yet to use the wax im gonna try that out next week probly. what do all you fellas use on the interior? im always looking in the car section at menards and farm and fleet and what have you, i need the best fot the best ya know
 
Well Ill tell ya I just used Zymol car wash and the Mothers California Gold Cleaner Wax and holy crap my car is CLEAN. NEVER use Armorall's car soap. It is literally nothing compared to Zymol car wash. And the Mothers wax is fantastic. Ill post some pictures tomorrow. I ran out of sun light. For the interior leather I use Guardsman Leather Clean and Conditioner. The stuff is AMAZING. My leather looks supple and awesome at all times. You only really need to use it twice or three times a year (I've been using it on leather furniture and my leather jacket (from florence 100% lamb :) ) for years).

I usually wash my car once every 5 days or so. I use a spray wax for those washes. So far I've fully waxed once a month (I've had the car for two months about now). I figure I'll just do a full wax whenever the shine seems to be diminishing.
 
Kumba said:
How to Detail your car:
1) Get in car
2) Drive to detail shop
3) ???????
4) Bling and Profit!!!
Click to expand...
The problem is risking taking the car to someone that may not be as good as they think. I have seen tons of cars taken to "detailers" that come back clean, but far from detailed and typically with lots of new paint imperfections added by their improper processes.

I am sure people will say "I found a great place to take mine..." but there is a lot of risk in having to go through the bad ones before finding a good one.

pektel said:
I will say that the leaf blower would be very handy for blowing the water out from behind the mirrors and out of crevices though.
Click to expand...
I flood mine from the top down once, then hit the crevices with my air compressor. That only takes a minute, then I can waffle what is left fairly quickly.
 
I found that the leaf blower was really good for getting under the trim where it comes together in the front of the mirror. That area always seems to drip a bunch of water on my car. Not so much now.

Not a bad idea Josh. Ill give the air compressor a try next week
 
Here she is after Zymol car wash and Mother Cali Gold Cleaner Wax
2012-06-09_10-22-26_HDR.jpg


Random picture. Came out kinda cool lol
2012-06-09_10-37-39_HDR.jpg


Man, I really need to get that front bumper taken care of... though upon further inspection of the picture I think a lot of that is bugs...
 
So what is the proper time to use a detailing spray? My car isnt really that dirty, but it did rain yesterday and its got a little dirt around the bottom and water spots on top. I figure its safe for the water spots, but what about the dirt? I dont really wanna wash it today if I dont have to.
 
Stopsign002 said:
So what is the proper time to use a detailing spray? My car isnt really that dirty, but it did rain yesterday and its got a little dirt around the bottom and water spots on top. I figure its safe for the water spots, but what about the dirt? I dont really wanna wash it today if I dont have to.
Click to expand...

If it is not too dirty, use the detail spray. Just keep on a clean patch of microfiber as you work your way around, just like washing. For example, I detail spray one of our cars after a full day of driving before tucking it back under a cover in the garage...it has only been washed once, almost three years ago when we bought it. ;)
 
Ultima makes a Waterless wash that is nice. I just use Optimum No Rinse at a little stronger than QD dilution. It works very well, and it encapsulates the particles so there is less chance of marring your paint.

I have cleaning QD's, and QD's to add shine. I haven't found one that excels at both.
 
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