Car Wash

[HopeImRight]

Very sorry if I am raising a question that has appeared before.

What is the general balance of opinions on automated car wash bays versus hand held pressure washer wand bays.

My car has just had its first auto wash in a place I know well so I just drove in and did not notice how run down it has got.One wheel brush had almost no bristles and one vertical brush would not move to the centre line of the car.  Too late by then.

Meanwhile about ten cars were washed by pressure wand in the 5 bays available. Clearly far more popular.  QED I suppose.  But is the vicious water pressure likely to do any damage to window rubbers and door seals etc?  Any tricks to using wands? Any views?  Please.

[Damo]

I personally never use any of those.

 

I wash mine myself at home using the 2 bucket method with grit guards, microfibres mitts and dry with drying towels. It's the only way to avoid scratches.

 

I would never use the local hand washers (unless I didn't care about the car) so if I had to use somewhere other than washing at home, I would take my own mitts to the pressure wash bay. 

 

That could work I suppose, as long as you don't use their brushes.

[Scuffer]

I use a household pressure washer. 

 

My routine goes along the lines of:

Snow foam using pressure washer,

Rinse,

Decontaminate with iron fallout remover and tar remover,

Rinse,

Two bucket wash with lambswool mitt,

Rinse,

Dry,

Quick detailed for shine and water beading layer.

[Damo]

I'm guessing you mean every now and then?

Surely you don't snow foam/fallout remove on every wash?

Otherwise you must have to wax constantly!?!

[malcster]

Won't use hand or jet or cash wash 

 

Bi monthly 

Foam 

Rinse 

Foam 

Rinse 

2 buckets wash

Polish

Wax

Wheel seal 

 

Weekly 

Wash 

Rinse

2 bucket way  

Quick wax or quick detailer 

 

Tri monthly 

Foam 

Rinse 

Foam 

Rinse 

2 bucket wash 

Clay 

Iron x 

Compound possibly 

Polish 

Wax 

Wheel seal 

 

 

[HopeImRight]

Gor Blimey. I was hoping for hints like keep the nozzle moving and never closer than X inches. Or stuff.  And instead I learn how out of date and useless I am at cleaning my motor.!!  I am amazed at the skill and knowledge you guys have.  As to iron filings all over my car ---good grief !!   And I'm breathing that stuff in I hope someone realizes. I'm after compensation.

Seriously though your replies have sealed it for me.  I never thought highly of those massive brushes unless they were only a few hours old.  By the time they had been hollowed out by use they must be covered in crud.  But it cannot be good to have even the filaments of the brushes smacking the iron filings into the paint in the process of washing them off. 

So decision --pressure hose at as big a distance as works aimed at an angle at the bodywork and not at tyres or other rubbers.

And watch out for legionnaires disease.

 

Thank you all.

PS how do I get round water spots and streaks because there is no blower cycle to dry off? I'll take my wife and two tea towels.

[Taxboy]

2 hours ago, HopeImRight said:

Gor Blimey. I was hoping for hints like keep the nozzle moving and never closer than X inches. Or stuff.  And instead I learn how out of date and useless I am at cleaning my motor.!!  I am amazed at the skill and knowledge you guys have.  As to iron filings all over my car ---good grief !!   And I'm breathing that stuff in I hope someone realizes. I'm after compensation.

Seriously though your replies have sealed it for me.  I never thought highly of those massive brushes unless they were only a few hours old.  By the time they had been hollowed out by use they must be covered in crud.  But it cannot be good to have even the filaments of the brushes smacking the iron filings into the paint in the process of washing them off. 

So decision --pressure hose at as big a distance as works aimed at an angle at the bodywork and not at tyres or other rubbers.

And watch out for legionnaires disease.

 

Thank you all.

PS how do I get round water spots and streaks because there is no blower cycle to dry off? I'll take my wife and two tea towels.

To avoid water spots take the end off your hose and let the water sheet off. You will find it will leave very little in the way of water drops to dry

[Svend]

On 1 July 2017 at 16:22, HopeImRight said:

Gor Blimey. I was hoping for hints like keep the nozzle moving and never closer than X inches. Or stuff.  And instead I learn how out of date and useless I am at cleaning my motor.!!  I am amazed at the skill and knowledge you guys have.  As to iron filings all over my car ---good grief !!   And I'm breathing that stuff in I hope someone realizes. I'm after compensation.

Seriously though your replies have sealed it for me.  I never thought highly of those massive brushes unless they were only a few hours old.  By the time they had been hollowed out by use they must be covered in crud.  But it cannot be good to have even the filaments of the brushes smacking the iron filings into the paint in the process of washing them off. 

So decision --pressure hose at as big a distance as works aimed at an angle at the bodywork and not at tyres or other rubbers.

And watch out for legionnaires disease.

 

Thank you all.

PS how do I get round water spots and streaks because there is no blower cycle to dry off? I'll take my wife and two tea towels.

If you don't have a pressure washer at home, take a bucket or two, a wash mitt, wheel brush, a five litre water container or slightly larger, a few microfibres and a quick detailer. 

After pressure rinsing your car of excess dirt, fill a bucket with water, now using the foam from the machine, hold the lance away from the body of the vehicle and let the soap suds cover the car, now using your wash mitt place in the water bucket and wipe over an area of roof, if you've taken a second bucket and filled with water great, agitate the mitt in the second bucket, loosely wring it out and then dip the mitt into the first bucket again and wipe another section of roof (either quarter or half a roof at a time is fine), repeat this process for the windows, then the bonnet, above the rubbing strip on the side of the car and boot lid, then you do the front bumper, lower side and rear, finally with the brush, agitate the dirt on the wheels rinsing the brush as often as necessary. Now pressure rinse the car from the top down going around the car, if you have a drying towel either wipe over the care in the same precess as you washed the car or gently drape the towel over the car and pat the towel down. This should leave your car with fine water spots. Using the quick detailer and a folded over microfibre, spray two or three squirts onto the cloth and wipe one panel at a time, turn cloth over and buff, repeat as you go round. 

The idea of going round from top to bottom is the cleanest area is usually up top therefore avoiding taking any grit from lower down and introducing it higher up. 

If you want to get a pressure washer, check out Karcher Outlet, in the pressure washer section the first column is K2, they are refurbed pressure washers but don't let that sway you, you are mint condition and you'd swear they were brand new, the difference is, they are £30-36 plus £6 p&p compared to £100-120 in stores new. I've had mine three years plus and still going strong and it sees some action. 

[labman1001]

I've noticed some garages and self service car washes around me are now using a snowfoam or at least shampoo lance on its own rather than dispensing it via the tatty brush....

 

So you can pre rinse the car with the power jet then foam the car, and even fill your own bucket, and use your own wash mitt to wash it down ... I guess you could even fill a rinse bucket too with the rinse lance... Maybe not ideal but for anyone without access to an outside water supply it's better than getting it scratched to hell with a not so cheap car wash or using those horrendous brushes