bluejae

i would love to handwash my car all the time but it's really difficult to find the time. i still don't understand how people do it in the cold.

with a recent snow storm which we don't get much if ever in dallas, my car has gotten really dirty... and it's just too cold to go hand wash my car. i've been trained to be scared of auto car washes as well, but i hate seeing my car dirty also. it's an endless cycle.

racetested

I am as **** as the next guy about keeping my things nice but in cold climates we don't have any choice but a touch less wash until the warm days come back so we can hand wash.

I don't think my neighbors would appreciate me icing up the whole street washing my car and a car wash does have hot water but unless you have plenty of quarters and a person rinsing behind you the wash water starts to freeze on the car along with the wash rag. Been there and done that!

KCviper

Washed mine last night after the 12 1/2 inches of snow in Dallas. Glad I don't live further north.....that would be very tough to keep any car clean!

bluejae

right, and i don't understand how you do it... way too cold for me... also considering by the time i get out of work, the suns down... so even colder.

yooker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLIGQ...eature=related

Optimum No Rinse

You don't even need a hose so you can wash the entire car in the garage.

bluejae

is this it?

http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html

do you use the towels and such they provide or other brands such as a waffle weave something to dry?

wankeldude

15 years? tell you what. why don't you cut polish your car 5 times (which would be only 2.5 years according to your every 6mth frequency) and I will show you how thick your paint is compared to new.

bluejae

this product sounds interesting, now to find some decent tools to work with.

any suggestions on what items you guys use?

MF, mitts, towels, etc

sjhugh

Check this site out for some ideas.

http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/products/mint?page=3

I know it’s an Aussie site but these types of products and brands are available everywhere. See page 2 of the Mint section for waffle weave drying towels. Synthetic Chamois kills the finish. The Mint Microfibre Super Plush Cloths have to be experienced to be believed. They are amazingly soft compared to store microfibre bought items.

As far as having someone do machine correction on your swirls, I use a paint thickness gauge on all my cars and I can tell you, your finish won’t last 15 years if use this method to keep the paint looking good. You are better off washing the car correctly using the right products. Do it right and you will find that the swirls are kept to a minium and the shine will last. It’s also a good idea to use a paint sealer for added protection, something like Optimum Opti-Seal, it’s just a wipe on application with no buffing off needed.

http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/products/optimum

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Quadcammer

lol, ok.

Using something like M105 will hardly cause a dent in the nano clear on a modern MB.

ATT

sound like it is right, both of the time the engine off when the car wash blower was on.

Jons95c36amg

For washing my car in the cold. I go to the self service car wash where there is a bay. It doesnt matter how cold its outside. I just rinse and wipe down.

KCviper

I used warm water in a bucket. Not too bad and I had to clean the car!!! Love it when its clean and seem to get an extra 2-3 MPG

c63canada

I think doing that would scratch my car badly.

Maybe if my car is semi-dirty, but when youre facing winter dirt, definitely no touch car wash.

wankeldude

That is some good cut, but it's a very agressive one. A PTG will definitely show you that it takes off just as much as any other cut, it's just very fast at doing so and so you can clear defects off quicker than with other cuts.

yooker

If your car is extremely dirty, just go to a local coin-op and use the pressure washer to get rid of most of the grit before heading home to ONR it.

bluejae

it's so hard to choose something. saw on another detail site that had products made by cobra and this site has mint products.

i just want a wash mitt or 2, a few drying towels/waffle weave or whatever, and a brush thing for the wheels that i've seen. perhaps some brand names i can stick with and i'll go that route.

thanks for the info, i'll research into these Mint products.

KCviper

blujae, left you a PM

superlubricity

while you guys were shopping I handed my keys to my detailer.

Just sayin' . . .

sjhugh

There are some very good detailers out there and some real shockers

I detail my own cars, that way I know exactly what I’m getting. I’m a big Menzerna and Dodo Juice fan.

And they say white doesn’t shine.






.

PatSC23

When I leased my black range rover sport Id take it to a hand car wash that used chamois to dry but it still swirled- but since I bought the black C63 I prefer to do it on my own.

Key being micro-fiber drying cloths. In the winter it gets pretty bad, but the first day over 45 degrees I wash it.

Im happy to say I have hardly any swirl marks yet..but inevitable I know.

NickZag

Is that a Vauxhall?

sjhugh

No mate, it’s a GM Holden SSV Commodore Ute (utility), sold only in Australia and New Zealand. Though there were plans to export it to the US as a Pontiac until the economic downturn put a stop to it.

.

miami1lt

Yeah, agree 100%...have had black for a year, and microfiber keeps swirls away...I use the microfiber shammy to get heavy water off, then first microcloth to get light water off, then second microcloth to dry/polish...only slight swirling was from a microcloth I dropped that got grit on it...thought I got it all off but I didn't.

You can also use the polishing clothes as the final, but they don't do good with water-removal, so it needs to be pretty dry first.

Do NOT use terrycloth towels or mits...they will swirl the crap out of the finish.

Also, be careful/weary of the dust brushes...people forget they are swirling the surface just to get dust off...again, use a damp microfiber first, and follow with a dry micro to polish up.

NickZag

I think Australia gets the best GM products. Thats a sweet looking ride.