10 of the most common errors when washing your car

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dood786
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10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Post by dood786 »

sauce
Pravin wrote:I collected some information from a few forums and think these might be useful to some.

10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Using Sunlight (or another dish detergent) as their car shampoo. Washing with sunlight will strip off any protection you may have on your paint, so using a detergent on a regular basis leaves you with no protection from you coat(s) of sealant and/or wax. Using a dish detergent on a regular basis can also dry out your trim, which can accelerate fading and cracking. Solution: Use a quality automotive shampoo that has gentle cleaners the help maximize the durability of your sealant or wax.

Using a bath towel to dry your paint.
Big mistake! Most bath towels are cotton or terry cloth, which can easily add swirls and other imperfections in your paint. The washing and drying process is where a majority swirls and other imperfections stem from. Here’s a side by side comparison of a neglected side of a van and one that’s been properly polished.

Using improper drying towels can easily cause these imperfections that take away from the finish of your vehicle and take hours to properly correct. Solution: Invest in quality paint safe drying towels. The best ones we’ve found are our Microfiber Waffle Weave Towels.

Washing with a traditional sponge or a kitchen sponge.
Traditional wash sponges push dirt and other contamination around on the surface, which can easily create swirls and other imperfections in your paint (as shown in the picture above). Solution: Use a paint safe wash alternative, such as a sheepskin wash mitt. The sheepskin fibers do an excellent job releasing contamination from the surface without pushing it around on your paint, minimizing adding imperfections.

Washing in direct sunlight.
Washing in direct sunlight can cause water spotting on your paint, which ultimately take away from the finish of your vehicle. As water evaporates, it often leaves behind calcium and other minerals behind. Solution: Wash in the shade, as the sun is rising or just as the sun is setting. If washing in the shade is not an option, rinse as frequently as possible and work in small sections. Ideally, to minimize adding water spots to your finish.

Using a water blade to dry your paint.
Nothing screams adding imperfections more than unnecessary friction on your paint. While it may seem like your saving time by drying your vehicle with a water blade, you’ll pay for it in the end as you’ll need to spend hours polishing away the marring, swirls and scratches created from using a water blade after each wash. Solution: Utilize the sheeting method prior to drying your paint and dry with a quality, paint safe waffle weave drying towel.

Not utilizing the sheeting method prior to drying your paint.
One of the least favorite parts of the auto detailing process for many detailers is drying their paint. One thing you can do to save time and minimize adding imperfections to you paint is to utilize the sheeting method. After you have rinsed off your vehicle for the final time, remove your spray nozzle from your hose. Use free flowing water to flood the surface of the vehicle from the top down. The flooding creates a “sheeting” effect that will self dry the vehicle. Start from the top of the vehicle and move left to right with the hose. On the way back, right to left, lower the hose to the point where the water is falling and proceed to “catch” the falling water from your initial pass. Continue this method until you reach the bottom of the car. If you have a fresh coat of sealant or wax, this should leave you with 80% or more of the water removed from your vehicle without ever putting a towel to it.

Washing your wheels & tires with the same mitt as your paint. Your wheels and tires are often the most contaminated parts of your vehicle. To minimize adding imperfections to your paint, you want to avoid using the same mitt on your wheels and tires as you would your paint. Solution: We recommend using at least 2 quality wash mitts when you wash your vehicle.

Wearing clothing and jewelry that can damage your paint.
This is one of the easiest ways to damage your paint. Think about it, as you lean over your vehicle to clean the roof of your vehicle, your belt, rivet, jewelry, watches and more can easily damage your paint. Before going into any detail, you should be aware of the types of clothes and jewelry you have on. We recommend wearing clothes with elastic waste bands and avoid wearing jewelry.

Using 1 wash bucket.
Using 1 bucket to wash your vehicle can often lead to adding swirls, scratches and other imperfections to your paint. As you clean off an area and dunk your mitt into the bucket to rinse off and get more suds, you’re putting the dirt and grime you just removed from your paint right into your bucket of shampoo. When you put the mitt back onto the paint, chances are you’re mitt will still be contaminated and you’ll be adding swirls and other imperfections to your finish. Solution: Use a 2 bucket wash system. Fill 1 bucket with clean water and utilize this as your rinse bucket. The second bucket filled with suds. After cleaning a panel, before you dunk your mitts back into the suds, rinse it off in your rinse bucket to release contamination and help prevent from putting it back onto the paint. Ideally, add a Grit Guard bucket insert to the bottom of your rinse bucket to glide your mitt across and help trap dirt and contamination on the bottom.

Using pressure to remove contamination.
This is possibly the biggest mistake I see detailers make. DO NOT USE pressure to remove dirt and contamination! This is one of the easiest ways to add swirl marks and fine scratches in your paint. You should use minimal pressure with your wash mitt and just glide the mitt across the paint. The automotive shampoo you are using should be doing the cleaning work. If contamination still remains on your paint after a gentle glide, consider treating it with a pre-wash degreaser or utilizing a clay bar to remove it after your wash.
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

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:cool: defntly note'ing this
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

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lu.n wrote::cool: defntly note'ing this
0_o

see you about 4 years into it.... :thumbup:
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

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yakuza racer wrote:
lu.n wrote::cool: defntly note'ing this
0_o

see you about 4 years into it.... :thumbup:
:grin: i cn stick to it lol i hate half cut jobs lol if you know what i mean :thumbup:
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Post by Kyle »

yakuza racer wrote:
lu.n wrote::cool: defntly note'ing this
0_o

see you about 4 years into it.... :thumbup:
Took him a while to read :lol:
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

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Kyle wrote:
yakuza racer wrote:
lu.n wrote::cool: defntly note'ing this
0_o

see you about 4 years into it.... :thumbup:
Took him a while to read :lol:

lmfao :troll: :lol:
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Post by councilxvb32 »

vrey usefull,thanks
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Post by lawrence »

councilxvb32 wrote:vrey usefull,thanks
All good tips.... here are some more if you are interested...

http://vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=166322
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

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:cool:
Nice post, danke
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

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Yakuza Racer wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2014 1:59 pm
lu.n wrote::cool: defntly note'ing this
0_o

see you about 4 years into it.... :thumbup:
See you another 4 years into it. :)
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Post by Knuckles87 »

Any comments for the, Water-less car wash?
Is it worth it though?
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Post by amstel18 »

Knuckles87 wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 3:15 pm Any comments for the, Water-less car wash?
Is it worth it though?
If you hate your car, and only want a clean car, then go for it.

There are many waterless products out there, but it's really down to technique.
Read up on the Garry Dean method. It can be done safely, but its still dangerous with regards to inflicting swirls.

To me it's fruitless as you end up using just as much water, if you take into account the amount of MF towels you use and then need to clean them in the washing machine at the end. You still going to end up using 150L+ (average washing machine load).
If you have a proper washing technique, you can use less with a conventional wash if using a HP gun.

3 bucket method (20l for soap mix + 20l for rinsing the wash mit + 5L bucket for wheels) + 50-100L for rinsing with the HP Gun. You in the same position as what you would have been had you used the waterless wash + cleaning all the MF towels afterwards.
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Post by Knuckles87 »

I suppose, it comes down to convenience and preference.
I always strive to keep my car clean all the time and using the water less wash could be better but as you said, technique is key.
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

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Knuckles87 wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 3:15 pm Any comments for the, Water-less car wash?
Is it worth it though?
interestingly enough i bought the Megs car waterless wash the weekend, looks like a spray bottle of diluted cum honestly.. :lol:

If you looking to remove LIGHT DIRT then it works rather well IMHO, used it on the wifes polo and no noticeable scratch marks, no swirls (due to cycling with countless micro fibre cloths) and used the scooped method from AMMO NYC... plus it smells reaaaaaaaaaaallly good.

WIll i use it on my car? **** no lol...

If my car has light dust i use the Megs quick detailer... if its dirty i just wash the fugger...
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Post by VickyGti »

Thanks for the info :)
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Post by Knuckles87 »

Yakuza Racer wrote: Mon Dec 10, 2018 1:01 pm
Knuckles87 wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 3:15 pm Any comments for the, Water-less car wash?
Is it worth it though?
interestingly enough i bought the Megs car waterless wash the weekend, looks like a spray bottle of diluted cum honestly.. :lol:

If you looking to remove LIGHT DIRT then it works rather well IMHO, used it on the wifes polo and no noticeable scratch marks, no swirls (due to cycling with countless micro fibre cloths) and used the scooped method from AMMO NYC... plus it smells reaaaaaaaaaaallly good.

WIll i use it on my car? **** no lol...

If my car has light dust i use the Megs quick detailer... if its dirty i just wash the fugger...

My cherrie bought me the, Shield Water-less car-wash kit.
I reside in a complex which doesn't allow you to wash the car and when i go to my friends place, i end up drinking beer more than anything.

I'll try it out tonight and let you know.
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Re: 10 of the most common errors when washing your car

Post by Marius Swart »

Good to know, have been using the normal sponges , will have to change my method , thank you
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