Somewhat basic washing questions
09-19-2008, 01:12 PM
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Somewhat basic washing questions
Hey guys, after having my car detailed I got bit by the wash bug. Ordered an arsenal of cleaning supplies from detailers domain and just want to make sure I use all of them correctly. Im going to try on my moms car before I do anything on mine. Now her car is in really bad shape, hasnt been washed in months and never waxed/polished. I pretty much made a step by step of what im going to do and want to make sure im doing everything right. Let me know if I need to change my technique.
1. Rinse the entire car
2. Spray wheels with P21s and let it soak for a couple of minutes.
3. Agitate/brush wheels with worlds greatest boars hair brush using car wash
4. Rinse with sponge full of car wash and then rinse with sharp stream of water
Now on to the car itself, car is full of dirt and bugs so I was thinking about spraying the whole car with P21s autowash and letting it soak for a while. Now one of my questions is should I rinse the P21 off the car? Or should I just leave it on and start going over the car with my wool mitt?
Ill be using the 2 bucket method with grit guard and optimum car wash.
I also bought some adams invisible undercarriage spray for the wheel wells. So I should just rinse the area. Spray the entire area with P21s auto wash, let it soak. Scrub everything with the wheel well brush with car wash and then rinse. Then apply adams undercarriage spray.
Also purchased some adams VRT for the tires and black trim pieces.
Once I master the basics down ill be looking into getting a PC kit and start learning that art. So is there anything you guys would change? Recommendations are welcome! Ill be sure to post before/after pics.
1. Rinse the entire car
2. Spray wheels with P21s and let it soak for a couple of minutes.
3. Agitate/brush wheels with worlds greatest boars hair brush using car wash
4. Rinse with sponge full of car wash and then rinse with sharp stream of water
Now on to the car itself, car is full of dirt and bugs so I was thinking about spraying the whole car with P21s autowash and letting it soak for a while. Now one of my questions is should I rinse the P21 off the car? Or should I just leave it on and start going over the car with my wool mitt?
Ill be using the 2 bucket method with grit guard and optimum car wash.
I also bought some adams invisible undercarriage spray for the wheel wells. So I should just rinse the area. Spray the entire area with P21s auto wash, let it soak. Scrub everything with the wheel well brush with car wash and then rinse. Then apply adams undercarriage spray.
Also purchased some adams VRT for the tires and black trim pieces.
Once I master the basics down ill be looking into getting a PC kit and start learning that art. So is there anything you guys would change? Recommendations are welcome! Ill be sure to post before/after pics.
09-19-2008, 03:07 PM
#2
so far you're sounding good.
allow me to give you a couple tips that i've found work well for me:
TAW is supposed to be a GREAT product though i've never used it myself. i do know it's quite pricey, but is supposed to be worth its cost. with that being said careful to not use too much as you don't want to waste it, especially b4 u get to your car! before you do anything, spray the P21S wheel cleaner gel onto the rims. let it sit - don't touch it. once the rims are coated, do the worst areas with P21S TAW. places like the front facade of the car, and the paint that is right next to the wheel wells that usually get the dirtiest can be sprayed with the TAW to help break things up b4 u even think about washing. Though you plan on washing the dirt off the car, you don't want to rub dirt and grit into the clear coat which can cause swirls and other damage. the TAW will allow the worst areas to loosen up so that the initial rinse down will release a majority of the grime, or at least make it so you won't really have to scrub into the clear coat to get the nasty stuff off. once you "spot treat" the bad areas (don't forget to check out inside the gas cap area too!), go back to your wheels and agitate the p21s gel lightly. once that is done you can use another soft brush on the TAW areas IF NEED BE. on cars with a lot of bugs, i go back and after letting my all purpose cleaner sit for a couple mins, carefully agitate with an old microfiber each bug/spot individually. i don't waste any product on the wheel wells and i'd advise you not to as well. the Adams spray you bought is a very nice product and i have something much like you. u don't need to waste expensive P21S products on the part that is most def going to get dirty, save them for future use.
once this is complete... give it a couple mins. this would usually be where i like to prepair my wash buckets, being careful to measure out the care wash for my bucket and such (u have some real high class car wash so you'll want to make sure to get the most out of it! just read the directions for the correct dilution rate). once all set, and as long as it's between 10-30 mins, go ahead and give the car a good rinse down, doing the rims last (to let the gel work as long as possible). at this point i do each rim with a dedicated towel to get them clean first. what's left on the wheel should wipe off easily. procede to do anothr quick rinse off of the car and start your wash!
one important note is to remember this is your first time with each of these products. take a sec an read all the directions so you'll feel better about them and more relaxed. don't use too much on your first try. you can always use more later to get an idea of what all you need to get results.
last of all, i like to wait til well after i'm done with the car to do anything with the wheel wells or tire shine. i feel this allows these areas to completely dry so the products bond to the surface better and coat better. careful not to get over spray with the wheel wells though (to avoid this plenty of people put it on b4 their last rinse off b4 drying).
dont forget to make lots of mental notes on how you think you can improve on things, or what you may want to add to your collection to help apply and get the most out of what you buy. one big key for me was buying foam detailing blocks (got mine from detailersdomain). i think they really help apply tire shine much more even, and can be used to apply/wipe down wheel wells, or the engine bay with products. my most "clutch" purchase was a little stool that has wheels on it. makes doing my rims MUCH easier, let alone applying wax/taking off wax, or buffing easier for low places. on top of that i got a nice little cheap one and it was marked down further (to like 25 bucks) because it was an open box item! its the small things that will make the process easier down the road.
g/l!
allow me to give you a couple tips that i've found work well for me:
TAW is supposed to be a GREAT product though i've never used it myself. i do know it's quite pricey, but is supposed to be worth its cost. with that being said careful to not use too much as you don't want to waste it, especially b4 u get to your car! before you do anything, spray the P21S wheel cleaner gel onto the rims. let it sit - don't touch it. once the rims are coated, do the worst areas with P21S TAW. places like the front facade of the car, and the paint that is right next to the wheel wells that usually get the dirtiest can be sprayed with the TAW to help break things up b4 u even think about washing. Though you plan on washing the dirt off the car, you don't want to rub dirt and grit into the clear coat which can cause swirls and other damage. the TAW will allow the worst areas to loosen up so that the initial rinse down will release a majority of the grime, or at least make it so you won't really have to scrub into the clear coat to get the nasty stuff off. once you "spot treat" the bad areas (don't forget to check out inside the gas cap area too!), go back to your wheels and agitate the p21s gel lightly. once that is done you can use another soft brush on the TAW areas IF NEED BE. on cars with a lot of bugs, i go back and after letting my all purpose cleaner sit for a couple mins, carefully agitate with an old microfiber each bug/spot individually. i don't waste any product on the wheel wells and i'd advise you not to as well. the Adams spray you bought is a very nice product and i have something much like you. u don't need to waste expensive P21S products on the part that is most def going to get dirty, save them for future use.
once this is complete... give it a couple mins. this would usually be where i like to prepair my wash buckets, being careful to measure out the care wash for my bucket and such (u have some real high class car wash so you'll want to make sure to get the most out of it! just read the directions for the correct dilution rate). once all set, and as long as it's between 10-30 mins, go ahead and give the car a good rinse down, doing the rims last (to let the gel work as long as possible). at this point i do each rim with a dedicated towel to get them clean first. what's left on the wheel should wipe off easily. procede to do anothr quick rinse off of the car and start your wash!
one important note is to remember this is your first time with each of these products. take a sec an read all the directions so you'll feel better about them and more relaxed. don't use too much on your first try. you can always use more later to get an idea of what all you need to get results.
last of all, i like to wait til well after i'm done with the car to do anything with the wheel wells or tire shine. i feel this allows these areas to completely dry so the products bond to the surface better and coat better. careful not to get over spray with the wheel wells though (to avoid this plenty of people put it on b4 their last rinse off b4 drying).
dont forget to make lots of mental notes on how you think you can improve on things, or what you may want to add to your collection to help apply and get the most out of what you buy. one big key for me was buying foam detailing blocks (got mine from detailersdomain). i think they really help apply tire shine much more even, and can be used to apply/wipe down wheel wells, or the engine bay with products. my most "clutch" purchase was a little stool that has wheels on it. makes doing my rims MUCH easier, let alone applying wax/taking off wax, or buffing easier for low places. on top of that i got a nice little cheap one and it was marked down further (to like 25 bucks) because it was an open box item! its the small things that will make the process easier down the road.
g/l!
09-19-2008, 03:28 PM
#3
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Also threw in some foam detailing blocks to my order 
So the P21 for the wheels and car go on to a completely dry car? And just rinse off the TAW without scrubbing?
Like I mentioned my car was just recently detailed and I wont be using the TAW on my car since I know itll strip off the wax. I just bought it planning to use it on my own wheel wells and possibly the engine bay. Just wanted to figure out how to use this product on a car that has no wax on it.
So the P21 for the wheels and car go on to a completely dry car? And just rinse off the TAW without scrubbing?
Like I mentioned my car was just recently detailed and I wont be using the TAW on my car since I know itll strip off the wax. I just bought it planning to use it on my own wheel wells and possibly the engine bay. Just wanted to figure out how to use this product on a car that has no wax on it.
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