wanabe

this is a pm that i just received- good question, so i am posting it up here:

<<hello

i didn't want to start another wash thread so i decided to pm u instead

So it had been raining for 2-3weeks straight and during that entire period i haven't washed my car.. So i took the opportunity today to wash the car.

I spent an hours and a half washing (with soap and fur mitts) and dried it. As i took my car out under the sunshine to admire the wash...i noticed the fender and some panels are still really dirty...why is that happening?? some panels looks shiny and clean...while some had obvious dirty spots on them...

my technique:
rinse down the car..then dip the mitt into the soap/water and splash some of the foam onto the car...and gently wash with a circular motion. Am I not scrubbing hard enough? if i do wash it hard...i'm afraid i would form swirl marks...

this sux ...especially spending hours washing and ending with some crappy results.. >>

wanabe

my thoughts:

1. do not wash in circular motions- always front to back... like the air flows over the car

2. use a high quality shampoo with a good lambswool mitt.

3. always do the highest surfaces first and work your way down

4. resoap often by dunking the mitt in the bucket of soap water

5. everything in shade

6. rinse and if the car was really dirty, dump out the bucket and redo the entire process (you should not normally need to do this)

be sure to put a high quality wax on the car

i kinda skipped the most important step- you asked about washing...
before you wash the first step is really to inspect to see what needs to be done (whether you need to clay, or polish, etc.)

Sabre

Depending on how much of a wash enthusiast you are, might I also recommend a two-bucket wash.

Bucket 1 for clean soapy water

Bucket 2 filled with water for rinsing the mitt before dunking back in Bucket 1.

Helps keep the wash water more clean and therefore less dirt being reapplied to the car.

Just a suggestion

wanabe

sabre- good suggestion... one possibility for his symptoms would have been dirty water, which the two bucket wash would be a solution for!

mrmophandle

A few tips from a fellow WnW wacko:

Wash your tires first. No matter what product you use, you shouldn't be getting the tire soap/debris on your newly washed car.

Come up with a pattern. I usually wash the windows first, rinse, than the trunk top, rinse, than the hood, rinse, than I start around the car, rinsing every few moments. You will prevent the soap from drying on the car, and keep the car cool to the touch in all locations (especially if you live in a shade-less environment). I am constantly re-wetting the entire car while I wash it, to prevent water spots. Even as I'm rinsing out the wash mitt, I'm spraying the car intermittently to keep it as wet as possible before I actually start drying it.

When I dunk the mitt, I make sure to agitate the soap/water some what violently (just shy of getting water all over myself) to dislodge any debris the mitt has picked up. I haven't started the two bucket technique yet, but I'm sure once she gets REALLY dirty, I'll be forced to upgrade.

After the initial drying (electric leaf blower), I open the doors, trunk, and hood and wipe down the gapes that seem to eternally drip water. (The kick plates just inside the door seems to suck up a lot of water, and I want to ensure it's bone dry before continuing).

If it's a nice warm sunny day, I'll leave the doors/trunk/hood up and let her get some sun after drying. I smoke a cigar, and about halfway through the smoke, I'll pull the car out of the driveway and back it in, giving the other side some sun time.


And you people wonder why I got the Wash&Wax badge.

s98d7fs

Assuming the grime on the car is not embedded in the paint (which would require claying and subsequent polishing and waxing), one thing to try would be to up the mixture ratio of your shampoo to water mix. A little extra surfactant goes a long way to getting under that grime and lifting it away.

Definitely take the other member's suggestions of a two-bucket method to wash, washing from the top down, and keeping the car wet to prevent water spots.

And mrmophandle, I hate to one up you... but I've got the Simple Green foamer that I suds up the car with first, then run the two bucket method with Grit guards in both to prevent marring. Then I at the end I run the Wet Blade across the windows to get those streak free, and finish up with a few waffle weave drying towels on the paint.

Car washing is fun and therapeudic!

xASHERx

I always spray the car down for a good 5-10 mins jus to get any loose dirt on the car. Works well with me, then of course Meguiars Gold Glass ..... jus love the smell of it! Also try removing the nozzle of the hose and run the water down the body ...... makes drying much easier.

Liam

If the car is really dirty, i do the following steps;

- Rinse with water only
- Bucket + soap
- Rinse after each panal
- Do wheels and shiny bits
- open boot/bonnet/door and use damp sponge/mit
- check for dirty bits, final rinse
- Use special thingy to remove surface water... (forgot name sorry lol)
- sod off back inside cos its too cold!!!

s2ksimon

If you use QEW you can wash the car or re wash those troubled spots in direct sunlight at 100 degrees or hotter.. works great.. with NOOOoooooooo water spotting , even on berlina's

xASHERx

Wats QEW??