View Full Version : Washing a car - Seriously dumb Questions!!
Cant get much more simple than this really but Ive gotta ask, how the hell do you wash a car?
I used to do it when I was a kid and I cant remember having as much trouble as I do now (Though we did have a hosepipe back then).
Basicly no matter how I clean the car I always seem to end up with smudges and streaks all over the place.
Im sure I could work it out myself (lets face it, its hardly rocket science). However, I thought this could be helpfull for people, people could post any tricks they know or any brands of car shampoo etc they recomend.
The main things I would like to know are as follows...
Washing the main body of the car.
Cleaning the Windows.
Polishing alloys after cleaning brake dust off them (or to stop it sticking in the first place).
And any tools that make the job easier.
I dont have a hose and I would rather do it myself than take it to a car wash. Infact the first person who suggests I use either will be hunted down and shot :D
Wicked_and_Crazy
13-05-2006, 00:12
use autoglym products
and use a chamois leather with hot water to leather it down after rinsing with a watering can
handyman
13-05-2006, 00:14
What I do is rinse the thick off with plain water and a sponge. Then I get a bucket of nice wash n wax and give it a good going over starting from the top down. Try not to let it dry out so work fast. Finish off with a good scrub on the alloys then rinse in clean water with several buckets full. Then Spray some alloy wheel cleaner on and leave for a few minutes (or what your bottle says) then rinse that off. Take a damp chamois leather and dry off the water. For a nice shine an alternative to a chamois is a old well used towel.
The wash and wax stuff i use is a halfords/morrissons etc cheapest.
For cleaning the windows I use turtle wax window cleaner. Be careful when applying it, only add it to the centre leaving a 2 in border round. Basically it is just a mild abrasive polish so a circular motion gets the border without having white streaks on your window seals.
So thats It Keep it wet and pre rinse the bulk of the dirt off and your most of the way there. :)
idi banashapan
13-05-2006, 00:32
use autoglym products
and use a chamois leather with hot water to leather it down after rinsing with a watering can
TOTALLY autoglym!!! the BEST there is IMO. and after using the autoglym shampoo, follow with the autoglym polish (the black one is the one I use - it think it's the 'deep shine' one or something)
use autoglym products
and use a chamois leather with hot water to leather it down after rinsing with a watering can
TOTALLY autoglym!!! the BEST there is IMO. and after using the autoglym shampoo, follow with the autoglym polish (the black one is the one I use - it think it's the 'deep shine' one or something)
Thanks, I'll look into those. Would I be able to pick those up from motorworld or Halfrauds?
What I do is rinse the thick off with plain water and a sponge. Then I get a bucket of nice wash n wax and give it a good going over starting from the top down. Try not to let it dry out so work fast. Finish off with a good scrub on the alloys then rinse in clean water with several buckets full. Then Spray some alloy wheel cleaner on and leave for a few minutes (or what your bottle says) then rinse that off. Take a damp chamois leather and dry off the water. For a nice shine an alternative to a chamois is a old well used towel.
The wash and wax stuff i use is a halfords/morrissons etc cheapest.
For cleaning the windows I use turtle wax window cleaner. Be careful when applying it, only add it to the centre leaving a 2 in border round. Basically it is just a mild abrasive polish so a circular motion gets the border without having white streaks on your window seals.
So thats It Keep it wet and pre rinse the bulk of the dirt off and your most of the way there. :)
Thanks for that, very helpful. Though I do have one question. Another dumb one though I guess ive got no more shame to lose by asking another one of those.
What temperature water should I use? Cold?? hot?? Warm??
My advice would be to use Mer (http://www.merproducts.com/) - you can use it in direct sunlight and you don't have to wait for the car to be dry first. Once you've Mer'd the car, use Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection which IMO is the absolute poodle's pods of car care kit and the only product in their range worth using.
MovedGoalPosts
13-05-2006, 00:43
My advice, pay the eastern eurpoeans who come round the office car park every Friday and do the entire car inside and out for, hover, alloys, tyres, leather polish etc £12.00 ;)
Depends on how drunk I am before the the hose comes out :p:
don't wash the car when it is in bright sunshine- it makes it dry to quickly then it goes all smeary.
LSainsbury
13-05-2006, 09:41
Take it to the local carwash in the garage - £5.95 and 15 mins later - done deal.
Or...
Take it to you local Firestation when they have a charity car wash day - like my GF did a few weeks back....only to find they were not doing it that day.....she had a cob-on for the rest of the day! LOL!!!
greencreeper
13-05-2006, 09:51
Avoid using anything that you've washed with fabric conditioner
don't wash the car when it is in bright sunshine- it makes it dry to quickly then it goes all smeary.
That's the thing with Mer - you can use it as a car shampoo as well and if it you do it in direct sunshine, it becomes powder which you wipe off and hey presto! You've waxed the car at the same time :)
One of the easiest ways I have found and is easy on the arms; is to get my wife to do it.......after the washing up of course...;)
Chimaera
13-05-2006, 12:37
One of the easiest ways I have found and is easy on the arms; is to get my wife to do it.......after the washing up of course...;)
SALU!!! :bsmack: :D
No problems here - I drive it, Paul washes it! ;)
We have one of those Flash car cleaning systems, apparently it rinses the car with de-ionised water and dries to a smear free finish. Mind you, you can't use it without a hosepipe so he will soon be back to the sponge and bucket routine.
My advice, pay the eastern eurpoeans who come round the office car park every Friday and do the entire car inside and out for, hover, alloys, tyres, leather polish etc £12.00 ;)They have set-up in an old garage here - basic wash for £5, anything else is extra. I tried them the other week and they did a great job. I'll be using them again.
monkey2468
13-05-2006, 13:11
For the alloy's, you can get this spray stuff, its about £1.99 in wilkinsons, you spray it on the alloys, wait one minute, wash off. Alloys look like new. I think its a mild acid.
there's probably a couple of ways to wash a car...i suppose the quick way would be to rinse with clean water to loosen/remove the heavy stuff. then use a combined wash n wax, on the wheels too, finish off with another rinse.. then dry.
or...
rather than the combined wash n wax, shampoo the whole car first, dry it off.. over the past few months i've been helping a friend clear a backlog of work in his autobody shop, and have been converted to using a Blade for the drying. a good quality blade conforms to the curves of the car as your dragging it... working from the roof down drys the car, streak free in no time at all. and then apply your chosen wax/sealant/glass cleaner.
i've found that miracle shine is pretty good.. its a triple wax product and has carnauba wax (hardest naturally occuring wax known) and silicone oils (easy to apply and remove). with the wax being so hard, you can just shampoo the car next time and your still left with a deep wax shine.
Don't bother and then call it a paint shield ( i.e the muck )
I use the Meguiars NXT range, absolutely fab stuff and far better than AutoGlym IMO.
For keeping the alloys clean, use an alloy cleaner then wash as others have noted, then dry and wax them with the same stuff you use for the body (as long as it's not one of the colour-matching polishes). Dust & dirt just doesn't stick to them after that :D
They have set-up in an old garage here - basic wash for £5, anything else is extra.
In that case be careful what you 'extras' you ask for or you might end up with these (http://www.theultimatehandjob.co.uk/) guys :erm:
I use the Meguiars NXT range, absolutely fab stuff and far better than AutoGlym IMO.
For keeping the alloys clean, use an alloy cleaner then wash as others have noted, then dry and wax them with the same stuff you use for the body (as long as it's not one of the colour-matching polishes). Dust & dirt just doesn't stick to them after that :D
Nice shine! :tu: :D
Personally, I can't be ars*d to wash my car unless it's a sporty one. Since we have had kids for the last 6 years I have only washed whatever car we have had once or twice a year:D
Back when i had flash cars I used to wash them a lot more often.....those days are gone atm :dozey: :(
handyman
13-05-2006, 22:21
In that case be careful what you 'extras' you ask for or you might end up with these (http://www.theultimatehandjob.co.uk/) guys :erm:
Lol, I worked just down the road from there. It's a village called Ackworth and the local sandwich shop is called 'big baps'. Maybe they just have a very good sense of humour there. :erm:
1.
Choose a shady spot, preferably away from trees that are dripping sap or dropping leaves. 2. Close all doors and windows. 3. Put one capful of car soap into a bucket and fill it 3/4 of the way with warm water. Set the bucket aside. (Image 1) 4. Hose any excess dirt off the car, beginning at the roof and working down to the tires. (Image 2) 5. Lather a sponge or terry cloth rag in the bucket of soapy water and sponge the roof of the car. Spray off excess soap when the entire roof has been cleaned. (Image 3) 6. Repeat for all four sides of the car, washing one full side including windows, fenders and tires and rinsing completely before going to the next side. (Image 4) 7. Give the car one final rinse with the hose to get rid of any water spots when all four sides have been washed and rinsed. 8. Take a chamois leather ("shammy" leather) or towel and dry the car thoroughly by setting the towel flat against the surface of the car and dragging it along the surface to pick up any water spots. Start at the roof and work your way down to the tires. 9. Wash the windows with a rag soaked in plain water and dry them with a dry rag, or use window cleaner and pieces of balled-up newspaper on both the inside and the outside of the windows. 10. Give any metal or chrome an extra rubdown to get rid of water spots. 11. Clean the interior if you have time
all cut and paste form ehow.com
handyman
14-05-2006, 02:02
snip
Basically what I said then.
Trick is to keep things moist till you have to dry it. If you lather soap everywhere then let it dry you'll have streaks that a rinse won't remove.
Here's a selection of tips from motoring forums, most of which I follow for washing & waxing my Merc.
If you intend to use a tyre shine product - use this BEFORE you wash the car. This stuff is not good for paintwork! Clean the wheels with any alloy cleaner, wash them, then use tyre shine. Finish the wheels at the end by properly drying them with a microfibre or 100% cotton towel, then wax them with a clear wax to prevent brake dust & dirt from sticking.
Use quality Sheepswool mitt and plenty of suds. 2 bucket method - 1 with suds, 1 clean water to rinse mitt between apps. Meguiars Gold Class or NXT works marvels.
HOW TO WASH YOUR CARââ‚Âà ‚¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚¦. THE CORRECT WAY
Modified from John S. Piekarczyk Jr.
Sounds easy, get a bucket of suds, a sponge, fresh air and sunshine, and have at it. The correct way to wash a car is not that easy. Weââ‚ ¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢ll take a look at the supplies youââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢ll need, and the correct technique.
Suds: never ever use dishwashing soap. Itââ‚ ¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢s made to remove grease and guess what, car wax is a grease! Not only that, but it streaks and can even soften clear coat. Buy a quality car wash soap. It will not remove wax and is formulated to lift dirt so it wonââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t scratch your paint. Get a good sheepskin wash mitt. They are soft on the paint and holds a lot of soap. You need two.
Sunshine: donââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t do it. Get the car in a shaded area and make sure the paint is cool. Not only will you be more comfortable, but the soap won`t streak and you`ll get fewer water spots.
Ok lets wash!
First rinse the car well; try to remove all loose dirt. Make sure every panel is wet.
Start with the wheels and rocker panels (bottom of bumpers, side skirts). Dedicate one of your wash mitts for this and only use it for this. Never use that mitt on painted surfaces.
Next re-spray the hood, roof and trunk. Do these as a unit, all the time keeping your mitt filled with soap. Do this area with the second mitt, which is ONLY for paint. Rinse this area and keep it and all other clean areas wet while you wash the rest of the car. Continue washing the sides and the bumpers, keeping the clean panels WET at all times. If your Sheepskin wash mitt de-lamb-inates, get a new one.
Drying. You have kept the paint wet, right? Here`s why. Now youââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢re going to dry your car WITH water! Yes water ! Respray your car and get everything good and wet. Remove the spray nozzle and turn it on to about medium. Start at the roof and run the water back and forth over the entire car. This will sheet the water off the paint and leave you with just spots of water to blot up - with a microfibre drying towel, NOT a chamois. A chamois will disrupt any previous wax coat applied, meaning you have to wax after washing. If you've waxed properly (2+ coats) you shouldn't need to repeat waxing for several months. I use Meguiars microfibre ulitmate drying towels for drying off the car after washing - only had to wring it out once for the whole car, even when left with more than "just spots" of water. Always dry in the line of the car, never circular motion.
*If you have a leaf blower - this is great for getting water out of the nooks, but your neighbours will think you've lost it :erm: - stuff 'em and do it. Saves a lot of elbow grease.
Microfibre cloths.
I use the Halfords ones for general purpose stuff such as cleaning the alloy wheels (coarse cloth) & the dashboard/interior (medium/fine cloths).
Waxing.
Follow the instructions on the packs. Ideally pick a CLEAR wax/polish - this will avoid any marks on the trim. If you use a white/cream/coloured polish or wax, remember to seal all trim (window seals, bumpers, etc) wit Armor-All or similar FIRST.
Keep a separate microfibre towel for each wiping/buffing/polishing sequence. Meguiars ultimate showroom shine microfibres are great for final polish, although a good quality sheepswool polishing mitt is a lot easier and gives good results.
Halfords have most of the Meguiars range, but check your local independent car spares stores for the full range.
Another tip: STONE CHIPS - Turtle Wax Colour Magic Plus - has a ChipStick which covers and protects any chips in paint for (claims) up to 25 washes. Halfords also do paint repair packs for those who have the time / garage space to fix them properly.
Simple.
Just send it to this guy (http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17023628&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=the--pound-4800-car-wash-name_page.html)
:Yikes:
I've booked my in for next week :disturbd:
Guys I've managed to get hold of some Supaguard and applied it to my car this afternoon - honestly it's the greatest product I've ever applied to a car. It goes on once you've waxed it and your car will look incredible - I took these pics earlier...
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.david4/car5.JPG
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.david4/car4.JPG
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.david4/DSC00015.JPG
handyman
16-06-2006, 18:46
hmm supaguard the £20 pack that car dealers sell for £300+
Guys I've managed to get hold of some Supaguard and applied it to my car this afternoon - honestly it's the greatest product I've ever applied to a car. It goes on once you've waxed it and your car will look incredible - I took these pics earlier...
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.david4/car5.JPG
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.david4/car4.JPG
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.david4/DSC00015.JPG
Is that before or after?
;)
Cheeky little gruberschnitzel!!!
That was a lot of bluddy hard work!
you missed a bit on the front nearside wheel ;)
you missed a bit on the front nearside wheel ;) You go and clean it for him then :) Problem solved :P
No-one touches my ride :D
No-one touches my ride :D *Waits for someone to chime in "Yeah, it'll probably break..."*
Certainly won't be me.
Cant get much more simple than this really but Ive gotta ask, how the hell do you wash a car?
I used to do it when I was a kid and I cant remember having as much trouble as I do now (Though we did have a hosepipe back then).
Basicly no matter how I clean the car I always seem to end up with smudges and streaks all over the place.
Im sure I could work it out myself (lets face it, its hardly rocket science). However, I thought this could be helpfull for people, people could post any tricks they know or any brands of car shampoo etc they recomend.
The main things I would like to know are as follows...
Washing the main body of the car.
Cleaning the Windows.
Polishing alloys after cleaning brake dust off them (or to stop it sticking in the first place).
And any tools that make the job easier.
I dont have a hose and I would rather do it myself than take it to a car wash. Infact the first person who suggests I use either will be hunted down and shot :D
One of them hand car washes does the trick for me.
etccarmageddon
18-06-2006, 09:04
prefer the job to be done by hand do you? ;)
prefer the job to be done by hand do you? ;)
Every time :D :D :D
Frankly with the present water shortages I'll pass on the whole process.I'll deal with the individual sections with bird poo when it's fresh to save the paintwork but that's it.When we no longer have a drought I'll give the car a long deserved soaking.
However what do you all recommend for the upholstery..I've a coffee stain to remove.
:)
I've used that 1001 stuff for the odd and slightly sinister stains I inherited with this car - smells good too :)
Lets get back to washing the car shall we? I use a chemical called acti wash, it's £4 for a gallon and it's cracking stuff, I get it off a chap who supplies all the main car dealers round here, it smells like citrus and it's not harsh on the environment, all you do is wet your car with a hose then spray this actiwash on with a bottle, you then go over it with a sponge then rinse it off, it brings your paintwork up like new and streak free.
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