Do any of you use Local Carwashes???? Or Power Spray Washes????

[DeltaMobile]

Auto Car wash is the way to go!!

I am not entering any car shows and I track my car.

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[Ebm]

Nothing cleans better than some good 'ole elbow grease...

 

[Joe 5.0]

I can’t see how someone can “safely” wash a car with those type of products in that manner for a daily driver where road grit and bugs can adhere to the body during a weeks worth of driving... then you’re not rinsing the car before hand and we all know how microfibers can trap or get debris stuck in the fibers... so essentially, isn’t this type of wash just damaging the clearcoat with each pass?

Educate us....

The idea behind a rinseless wash is that when you spray the product onto a panel, the product is supposed to encapsulate the dirt so it can be removed safely with a microfiber towel. You're also supposed to use multiple microfiber towels during a wash, while always using the clean side of one when swiping away the dirt.

Also, you're not supposed to use the product when the car is filthy. You should wash the car really well with the two bucket method, and then do maintenance washes with the rinseless wash.

 

[jenksdrummer]

The idea behind a rinseless wash is that when you spray the product onto a panel, the product is supposed to encapsulate the dirt so it can be removed safely with a microfiber towel. You're also supposed to use multiple microfiber towels during a wash, while always using the clean side of one when swiping away the dirt.

Also, you're not supposed to use the product when the car is filthy. You should wash the car really well with the two bucket method, and then do maintenance washes with the rinseless wash.

I don't have a lot of faith that a product can actually "lift" something that is adhered to the car by anything more than a static charge. To that, just plain water (the universal solvent) should do the same magic trick.

That said, I had all the OCD I could handle when I had my 370z...black metallic. Learned the hard way how to and how not to wash a car. Paid someone to fix it through detailing it. Looked amazing and perfect. Bought a boatload of a good (cough Zaino, Adam's Polishes, Griot's Garage) products, all the microfiber stuff I could manage; in all probably around $600 in products.

Quickly figured out keeping it perfect is easier to do when you don't drive it. It quickly became a vehicle I chose to not drive; finding reasons such as it rained earlier, it's near sunset (bug:30 in this area), it might rain, etc, and I'd spend hours cleaning it and hoping I didn't get halos or hairlines that you can see at 6".

In the end, I put only 3300 miles on that car in 1 year. I couldn't see renewing the tag and keeping that car payment. I had a truck that I drove all the time, so I turned in the Z, took out a loan against my motorcycle to cover my upside-down, refinanced my truck.

I also learned that black, as awesome as it looks when it's done right, is just as bad when it's not. Metallic Gray/Charcoal is a much more ideal color for hiding dirt/dust/etc and looks nearly as good. IMO.


Honestly, my plan is to take delivery, call up a detailer in town, they gave me a quote for 3yr ceramic coating (still not sure if a good idea of not?), and let them have at it and make it look amazing. Then hire him 1x a year to do it again, each spring. The rest of the time, probably go through automatic wash maybe 1x a month.

My point about all the polishes and product, money spent and not used. That much goes a long way towards getting the front fascia, hood and fenders touched up and recleared.

 

[Infidex]

Only wash at home. The chemicals used in touch-less washes that help loosen the bugs, dirt, and grime, also strip off the wax and other coatings you've applied to your car, so your basically undoing all your hard work. Some car washes use stronger chemicals than others, which will attack the acrylic coatings over time on your headlights, and cause oxidizing and yellowing (not as much an issue on newer vehicles as auto makers have adapted formulations to help, but still happens in many vehicles or lower tier lighting on some cars).

 

[BmoreRuby]

City Dweller here

I posted something similar in a thread about scratches to the rear black deck lid panel.

I live in the city and have almost zero access to a hose and space to do a proper wash.

I have been using waterless wash and wax products since I brought home my car last year. While not perfect, I can attest to them doing a very good job and I have no scratches. As long as the car is not too dirty, caked with mud for example, a good WW&W can keep your car looking very nice.

Using it after a heavy rain is a great time to do it as all of the heaviest dirt will be removed.

I had it cleaned by a mobile wash guy after it was caked with road salt from an early snow but use WW&W the rest of the time and I have the cleanest car in the neighborhood.

Not saying it's the best solution for everyone, especially those with garages and who are meticulous about their cars; but for people who can't do a proper wash they are miracle products.

I use Trinova WW&W concentrate but I think the Meguiar's product is a little better if you're not going to wax it. The Meguiar's leaves behind more of a wax coating than the Trinova.

I like the Trinova because its a concentrate and I can mix it how I like and the cost is considerably lower. That and some spray wax and the car looks great for weeks. I think leaving behind less of a wax finish than the Meguiar's helps the spray wax bond a little better.

I have used sealant twice - Turtle Wax Ice Liquid - and that stuff holds up remarkably well. Cleaning is a breeze with a coat or two of that on the paint.

I am going to take it to a detailer soon to have it washed, the old sealant removed and two coats of Ice applied. My car will look good until well into winter when I will likely have it mobile washed and a coat of Ice applied.

All 'n' all the WW&W takes less time than it used to take for my old car at the big bad brush wash when driving and waiting in line is included.

Again, this car lives on a busy street in a city and looks good. if I had a driveway and garage or a parking pad I might do things differently but without those, this is the way to go. If WW&W is the difference between washing and not then go for WW&W.

If you can't do a real wash, try WW&W. I do it about once a month with great results. Works on all parts of the car too. It's good on paint, plastic and glass. I have introduced this to some neighbors who are now hooked. I'll post a pic if I can figure out how.

Good luck.

Update:

I was able to upload a pic with the new system. Just my humble V6 but it shows how well the WW&W can do. More than a year on and no swirls.

This was after using Trinova WW&W and some Turtle Wax black spray wax. The sealant had been applied a few months prior to this. I did miss a spot with the wax but fixed it as soon as I saw the pic.

Both products work well on paint, glass and plastic.

I hope this encourages owners with minimal or no access to water to keep their cars looking clean and nice.

 

[Ebm]

.

Only wash at home. The chemicals used in touch-less washes that help loosen the bugs, dirt, and grime, also strip off the wax and other coatings you've applied to your car, so your basically undoing all your hard work. Some car washes use stronger chemicals than others, which will attack the acrylic coatings over time on your headlights, and cause oxidizing and yellowing (not as much an issue on newer vehicles as auto makers have adapted formulations to help, but still happens in many vehicles or lower tier lighting on some cars).

You realize a lot of the waterless washes have wax built in right? It strips everything, cleans, and puts a fresh coat of wax on.

 

[Kevin08]

Daily driven cars will be scratched and dented, that's just a fact of life. I wash mine with a foam cannon on my pressure washer and one bucket to rinse the mitt, and usually just blow-dry it. There's still scratches popping up here and there, not worth the blood pressure to sweat over.

 

[Joe 5.0]

Auto Car wash is the way to go!!

I am not entering any car shows and I track my car.

You'll be surprised how good the paint looks when you properly hand wash the car yourself. While not everyone has access to running water and the space to do a bucket wash, there's other ways you can wash the car safely.

Here's a link to my build thread with OK pictures (you get the idea). A three year old car that has only been hand washed via the two bucket method.

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98581

 

[HotBadgerFart]

My car has only been through the automatic car washes (yeah, the kind everyone is cringing about.) In 3 years of this HORRIBLE abuse to my car, there are no swirls in the paint or the vinyl.
With that said, I only use the washes that have attendants, because they're the guys that tell people with muddy trucks to go pound sand.

 

[Joe 5.0]

My car has only been through the automatic car washes (yeah, the kind everyone is cringing about.) In 3 years of this HORRIBLE abuse to my car, there are no swirls in the paint or the vinyl.
With that said, I only use the washes that have attendants, because they're the guys that tell people with muddy trucks to go pound sand.

Take a look at your paint in direct sunlight, and report back here with a picture. Even I have swirls in my paint from proper washing (very fine swirls, but they're still there).

The only way to keep a car swirl free is to buy it new, correct the minimal swirls that are on the paint, and then put the car in a bubble and never drive it.

 

[HotBadgerFart]

Take a look at your paint in direct sunlight, and report back here with a picture. Even I have swirls in my paint from proper washing (very fine swirls, but they're still there).

The only way to keep a car swirl free is to buy it new, correct the minimal swirls that are on the paint, and then put the car in a bubble and never drive it.

If I can beat the rain when I get off work, I'll take a picture on my way out at 4pm EST.

 

[HotBadgerFart]

Take a look at your paint in direct sunlight, and report back here with a picture. Even I have swirls in my paint from proper washing (very fine swirls, but they're still there).

The only way to keep a car swirl free is to buy it new, correct the minimal swirls that are on the paint, and then put the car in a bubble and never drive it.

Accepting the notion that I could be wrong (which I am often, just ask my wife) I went out to look at my paint. If you get about 5" away from the paint, you can see light swirls. Maybe because it's Oxford White, it's harder to see, but even I don't get that close to my paint.

 

[Joe 5.0]

Accepting the notion that I could be wrong (which I am often, just ask my wife) I went out to look at my paint. If you get about 5" away from the paint, you can see light swirls. Maybe because it's Oxford White, it's harder to see, but even I don't get that close to my paint.

I knew for a fact that you had swirls, but Oxford White hides them extremely well. As a black car owner, my car gets swirls when I look at it the wrong way. :frusty:

 

[HotBadgerFart]

I knew for a fact that you had swirls, but Oxford White hides them extremely well. As a black car owner, my car gets swirls when I look at it the wrong way. :frusty:

I hate the heat too much to get a black car ever again. White wasn't my first choice either, but I knew I would eventually wrap the whole car anyway.

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