Mixedfruits

This is a less expensive foamer

http://www.amazon.com/Gilmour-75QGFM...7G1ZK5DW0CS6QJ

NYCGLK

I've had GLK for almost 2 years now and it's very easy to wash. I use Nufinish Once a Year Was (which is not really wax) in spring after winter, summer and in the fall. The dirt comes of very easily. The surface stays new without any micro scrtaches.

I only wash it myself, but don't do any crazy detailing besides Nufinish stuff.

08SEA300

I don't find my C hard at all. I actually can take my time and focus on what I'm doing lol
Which would you rather throw a coat of wax on?

Will38

I'm amaze that it take you 3 hour just to wash your car.. It only take me 15 minute to wash the whole car but then again my goal is to take the dirt off. After washing I would just clay bar the whole car which remove the sand and dirt "stuck" on your paint. Takes only 30 minute if your use to it; same with wax.

Honestly I think any sedan are fairly easy since your able to reach the roof unlike SUV :P

pmb600

How do you wash an entire car in 15 minutes? Are you including wheels? Two bucket method? etc

JFOUR

I'm impressed! It only takes me 15 mins to wash my car in the summer if it's only coated with a light coat of pollen and it just needs a quick going over. Here in the Northeast, the salt and sand is just a PIA to get off a black car. If you are too hasty washing, you will swirl and mar the finish and you will still see every speck of dirt you didn't clean off that is still stuck in the moldings and creases. I actually enjoy cleaning my car, I find it relaxing in a twisted way. If I take out the clay and the wax... forget it, That will be an 7-8 hour project. I'll have to admit, after almost 3 years and 34K my car still looks almost as good as the day I picked it up.

Will38

Well the wheel take me an extra 10 minute to shine . I do use the two bucket method which is great for the car of course. I tend to "rinse" the car so it looks clean but what really make my car nice and shining is the clay bar. It is a wash of $ to use clay bar all the time, but I think it's worth it. Polishing the car became a habit and waxing the car became a really bad habit where I leave the car in the garage and wax several time a week. Also Pink Wax does great when taking off dirt from your car. It even shine my converse shoe lol.
Though JFOUR is correct it normally take 7-8 hour but since I'm so use to washing my car I can probably finish it within 2 hour. Also I do have swirl mark on my hood only because I was involve in a accident where house paint got splash onto my car. Taking the paint off really killed my hood

JFOUR

I love your GLK! I had my car in for service a few weeks ago and they gave me one as a loaner, I was quite impressed with it. My mom needs a new car and wants a crossover, I've been trying to talk her into getting one of these. I think MB really packed lots of value into these.

NJBNZ

The only part of the car that's a PITA to wash/dry/wax is the front bumper. The rest of the car is a piece of cake. Now my previous W203...THAT was a royal PITA to clean/dry/wax because of all the gaps and lines of the car...the W204 has a much simple/smooth body so there aren't as many crevices that you have to worry about

RLE

That's it! The car's face is what takes the time to get all the crevices and corners clean.

Similar to a human, perhaps.

JFOUR

HAHA! Yes it is! The face and the back-side.

NJBNZ

The back is a PITA for me because I keep having to use a clay bar on the trunk lid and rear bumper to get rid of embedded particles (for lack of a better word) from brake dust and dirt that get kicked up.

encoder

I believe most the difference between the times people are posting here have to do with your own personal standards of car washing.

Somebody said 15 minutes. I've not timed it, but my guess is that I spend more than 15 minutes on my rims and wheel-wells.

For me, I'm fairly consistent at about 2 hours. That includes the wheels and tires, a normal wash, a complete towel dry (including door, trunk and hood jams), and all the glass inside and out. Another hour if I want to wipe down the inside and apply UV protectant.

Howeve, I live in a high-rise so that 2 hours includes probably 20 mins to get-out and put-away my bins of equipment and product.

NickCats

I agree - I can never believe how much crud accumulates on the back the of car between washes ! Clay bar does work well, but what a PITA...

Nick

Matt_Eurojerks

I just got my car in Dec, and I have a good history of keeping my old car clean, so reading all the stories about the detailing the car makes me want to do it sooner then later. haha

pmb600

Agreed. It takes me about 1 and a half hours to do a wash of the exterior. The wheels can easily take 30 minutes alone.

K-A

Do you guys know if Clay Bar'ing strips off the old wax?

I'm planning on putting SEALANT on my car this next Detail interval, as I've found it to be much superior to wax. However, I've heard that with sealant, you want to make sure the wax is completely off the car (so the Sealant sticks to the paint). It'll be about 3-4 months after my last Wax, but I'm not sure if that's enough time to allow the wax to completely absolve.

I'm just too paranoid to put harsh dish-soap anywhere near my car, so it would be awesome if the Clay Bar did the job.

NJBNZ

Usually when it's been a while between full wax/detailing I do the following:
1. Wash with Dawn dish soap to get rid of any layers of old wax.
2. Full Clay Bar
3. Wash with Dawn dish soap again to get rid of any remaining detailer spray
4. Wax

Using dish soap won't damage your car/paint/clear coat...it will only strip away all the old layers of wax...which is what you want to do every few months to get rid of the build up layers of wax/detailer spray before adding a fresh layer of wax on your paint

K-A

Thanks for the info. Any recommended types of dish soap, or any types to stay away from? And I take it that the clay bar does not remove wax, correct?

Oh, and lastly, the dish soap won't help dull any of the plastics, rubbers, or plasti-chrome, no?

Thanks.

I didn't know you gotta wash AFTER the clay bar as well, lol. Lots of work!

NJBNZ

Naaa just any ordinary dish soap is fine. I just use whatever I have in the house. No it won't have any negative effect on the plastic/chrome/rubber. Like I said I'd only use dish soap every few months...not on a daily basis.

HaHa yea it's a pretty long process. Have you used a clay bar before? You really have to lubricate the surface well with the detailing spray. As you work they clay bar over the surface that clear spray is gonna become yellow, brown, etc from all the crud that's being pulled out of the paint. So you definitely want to wash it again to get all that off before you wax...or else you're just gonna be trapping all the particles (that you JUST spent all that time removing) back into the paint lol.

If you haven't used the clay bar before...couple of tips...
Like I said make sure you use a good amount of the detailing spray or else you'll just end u smearing the clay on your car. Also make sure you frequently kneed the clay so you're not constantly using the same side/piece of clay bc everything ur pulling out of the paint gets stuck in the clay and could possibly scratch your paint if left exposed.

K-A

Thanks a lot man! Ugh, I SO don't want to Clay. I've never done it, as my personal way of Wash/Wax/Care, etc. has always had my cars staying better than new for as long as I've had them.

But this is my first WHITE car, and although white does a great job of hiding subtle dirt, those little "black specs" are now driving me nuts.

Maybe I'll just clay the hood and the rear bumper if it gets too crazy for me, haha.

NJBNZ

HaHaha I feel ya man...I felt the same way the 1st time I did...but when you do it and see how much stuff that little ball of clay pulls out of your paint you'll be shocked. I rarely do the sides of my car...unless I go over a newly paved road or something like that. Mostly just have to do the front and rear bumpers. Remember...keep spraying so the paint is wet and keep kneeding the clay.

I'll be doing mine this weekend as well...Good Luck

K-A

Awesome man, thanks. Yeah, looks like I'll just keep it simple and do my hood, fenders maybe front bumper/grille, and the rear end. Maybe side rockers too.

Also, to kneed the clay, does that mean just dabbing it against something, or frequently turning it around, etc.?

I LOVE my White car, but man, I'm not realizing how spoiled I was when I had Pewter before this, lol.

Matt_Eurojerks

I do the following.
1. Wash with Dawn dish soap to get rid of any layers of old wax.
2 Cleaner wax.
3 Wash with regular soap
4. Full Clay Bar with extra soapy water.
5. Wash
6. Wax

NJBNZ

IMHO I'd do the cleaner wax at number 6...after you do the clay bar and re-wash. Like I said in the previous post...I don't like to have anything on the paint before I use the clay bar...kinda like an artist working with a fresh canvas. Will ur method harm the paint...no of course not...I just found it easier to use the clay bar when there's nothing "trapping" any particles to the paint...such as layer(s) of wax. I do like the idea of using a cleaner wax though to prep the paint before putting on your final layer of wax