BSSN

Here is how I wash my car:


-Take it to local DIY car-wash and set the system to "rinse".

-I then spray the car/rims from 5' away or so.

-After all the dust/loose grit is washed off, I take a microfiber and pour my car-wash soap of choice on it. In this case, Turtlewax car wash.

-I wash the car in back/forth motions fore and aft, starting with the roof. Always front-back motion, never top/bottom or "sworls". I apply very light pressure. Almos just enough to hold the microfiber to the paint. I would rather make 5 passes soft than 1 hard pass.

-I periodically spray the car and the cloth with "rinse" (just water) to keep it from spotting up/rinse the cloth. This is for normal clear-weather driving "dust" and bugs. If the car were to actually get dirty, I would replace the cloth multiple times with a clean one during the wash. Mainly my car just gets that black "road grime" on it, based on looking at the cloth. I don't offroad it or anything, lol

-After all is washed (rims/rockers are last), I spray the car with the "spot free" rinse.

-Then I take a huge microfiber super plush soft towel (the big blue one you can get at Wal-mart that is soft like a cat!) and hold 2 corners and pull the cloth across the car. Only the weight of the microfiber is on the car. It just sucks the water right off of it. I do this from front/back and vise versa. Never up/down or sworls.

-Then I drive the car back to the garage, and if any bugs have hit it, I use a quick detailer and a microfiber to get it off. Again, fore/aft movement and many light passes vs. 1 hard pass.


Am I doing this right/wrong?

I don't use buckets, as I always spray the car. If is is particularly dirty, I will go through multiple microfiber cloths. I just take them home and wash them later, no buckets/rinsing used. Just the car-wash water/sprayer.

BT ZR1

I'm no pro,but I think you are essentially using dirty microfiber. A two bucket method would fix this. After each pass your microfiber has picked up surface contamination, dirt etc. So unless your rinsing it out each time your washing with dirty microfiber. Maybe I'm wrong.

Joz132

BT is correct, you should be using the two-bucket method. I would also suggest a grit guard for each bucket - best invetment in my opinion. You can order them from Autogeek

On a side note:
You may not have a choice, but if you do, stay away from DIY car washes, that recycled water is nasty.

BSSN

I will start using the 2-bucket method. How does that work? You rinse the cloth after every fore-aft motion? How long does it actually take to wash a car like that I'm thinking hours...

I always just rinsed the microfiber after the roof/windshield/windows/back-window, and then after the hood and rear deck, and then after each side, and then I did the rims/rockers and was done.

This is insufficient on a car with 2-300 miles of sunny-day highway dust/bugs?

Joz132

Take a look at this:
http://www.autogeek.net/car-wash-bucket.html

You can also "google" the subject for additional info.

The two bucket method will assist in keeping your vehicle free of light swirl marks & light scratches.

BSSN

Thanks!

0TH0001@properautocare.com

If your car isn't too dirty, then your method will work great. The problem is that dirt itself is abrasives, so as it adds up on the surface of the microfiber, the cloth becomes abrasive. This can cause fine scratching or surface marks that dull the paint over time.

A two bucket approach provides a lot of soap solution to float away the abrasives, as well as providing a secondary bucket to rinse the wash mitt in. Even blasting the towel/cloth/mitt with water will not remove as much debris/grime/dirt as simply submerging it in a bucket and wringing it out. Think of the rinse bucket as a trap. This is where all the dirt and grime is going to get stored. You wouldn't got to the beach and fill your wash bucket up with sand, but this is what happens if you only use one bucket.

Why use a bucket at all? Safely removing dirt requires a lot of solution. You want to let the soap work (by encapsulating, for a lack of a better term, the dirt). Wash one section at a time, flooding the surface with water/soap. Then gently wash with your mitt, squeeze as much water/soap from the mitt as you work. The dirt should dislodge and float downwards.

After you wash a section, dip the microfiber mitt into the rinse/water bucket and ring it out. All of the dirt trapped in the cloth will release into the second bucket and keep you from contaminating your wash solution.

By adding the soap to the mitt you are changing the dilution of the soap/water as you wipe across the panel. It starts off as very thick and thins out. Car soaps are designed to be used in certain dilutions (think of soap as a lubricant that makes water wetter) to be most effective.

I'm not suggesting your way of washing is wrong, but in my experience it can lead to the dulling of the paint over time. It does take more time to do the two-bucket method, but ultimately, it will help preserve your factory shine since most damage to the paint is done during the wash process.

0TH0001@properautocare.com

From this thread: How to Wash your Car using the Two Bucket Method

Frequent and proper washing of your vehicle is necessary to preserving that show car shine. Classic Motoring Accessories and Proper Auto Care have been teaching proper cleaner techniques since 1988. Sadly, most swirl marks and light scratches are caused by the wash process, as grit and road grime are scrubbed against the surface. Over time these micro scratches reduce the gloss by diffusing reflected light and will thin the paint.

Products Needed For a Proper Auto Wash.

Wheel Cleaning Supplies
2 Five Gallon Wash Buckets with 2 Grit Guards

High Quality, Wax Friendly Car Soap



High Quality Wash Media such as Natural Sea Sponge, Lamb's Wool Mitt, or High Tech UltiMitt



2 Big Blue Waffle Weave Microfiber Drying Towels

Optional: Quick Detailing Spray an Bug/Tar Remover



Basics

Proper Auto Care recommends washing the wheels, tires, and wheel wheels first. This prevents wheel cleaner from spraying on a clean surface. Properly cleaning the wheels is also time consuming can lead to water spots if the rinse water from washing the car is still on the paint. For proper wheel care please click here.

It is best to wash your vehicle in the shade when the surface is cool to the touch. A hot surface will dry up the water or soap solution, leading to water spots. If you have shade available take advantage of it. If you cannot find shade, try to limit your car washing to first thing in the morning or later in the evening when the sun is close to the horizon and sun's rays are much less direct. After washing and rinsing, the standing water needs to be removed as quickly as possible to avoid leaving mineral deposits that cause water spots, which will actually etch or 'eat into' the paint.

The Two Bucket Method

Most people wouldn't drive to the beach and fill their wash bucket with a shovel full of sand before adding soap and water. Sadly, most of the dirt removed during washing is released into the soap bucket each time the mitt or sponge is reloaded with soap. After washing a couple of sections the soap solution becomes gritty and contaminated, and that grit is scrubbed against the paint. Even rinsing out the wash media after effect section is ineffective. Flowing water may remove some of the grit, but most of it is pushed back into the mitt or sponge. It is much easier, and far more effective, to use a second bucket to rinse the wash media in prior to loading it with more soap solution. Two buckets: The soap bucket and the rinse bucket.

Grit Guards ™ are an ingenious design that uses a grate and vane system to allow released dirt to sink to the bottom and prevents them from remixing into the water or soap solution. Proper Auto Care recommends using one Grit Guard ™ per bucket to give the best possible protection against scratching the paint with contaminated soap solution. When rising the wash media out in the rinse bucket, you should lightly scrub it against the grating of the Grit Guard ™ to help release grit.



Use a High Quality Car Soap Designed for Automotive Finishes.

Automotive soap is designed to remove dirty and road grime safely from the paint, with stripping the existing wax or sealant and will out scratching. Automotive soaps use surfactants to break the surface tension of water, allowing the lubricated solution to penetrate and encapsulate the dirt, reducing the potential for marring. Soap's such as Eimann Fabrik's Auto Spa and Blackfire's Gloss Shampoo are gentle enough to use repeatedly without stripping wax.



Use 5 gallon wash buckets to ensure plenty of soap solution is available to flood the dirt safely off the car. Fill the soap bucket about 4/5th's or 80% full of water before adding the recommended amount of soap to the bucket. Adding soap first results in too many suds and not enough water! Finish filling the water bucket with a stream of water to mix the solution fully. Place a Grit Guard ™ in the bottom of both the soap bucket and the rinse bucket.

Before washing, pre-rinse your vehicle with a steady stream of water to float as much dirt away as possible before getting started. Pre-treat any bugs and tar with a light mist of 1Z einszett Ant Insekt and Pre-Cleaner.

Wash with a Clean High Quality Wash Media.

Classic Motoring Accessories offers several different types of wash media: Natural Sheep Skin Mitts, Natural Sea Spongers, and the ultra soft UltiMitt, as well as various microfiber sponges and boar's hair brushes. Three of the most popular:

Sheep Skin (Lamb's Wool) Mitts are extremely soft and provide a long nap that prevents removed dirt from scouring the paint. Sheep Skin mitts require a more thorough rinse because they are so effective at holding dirt. High quality Sheep Skin mitts last about 6-12 months on average. There ability to clean paint gently and prevent swirl marks has proven through out the years.

Sea Sponges are incredibly durable if washed out after each use. I personally know of several people who have been using the same natural sponge for over 3 years!! Sea Sponges are very soft and will not paint. They also hod a lot of solution, but can be bulky and difficult to get into tight spots.

UltiMitts are a synthetic foam wash mitt, and they are my personal favorite. They release dirty extremely easily and hold a HUGE amount of soap solution, ideal for flooding the paint with soap during the wash. Proper Auto Care's UltiMitt is made out select Lake Country Concours foam, which is the softest available

Wash your vehicle a section at at time, start with the highest areas. Wash in straight lines, from front to back on horizontal surfaces such as the hood, roof, and trunk, and up and down on vertical sections such as the doors, fenders, and rear bumper to minimize the appearance of any accidental marring that may occur. Flood the section with soap water squeezed from the wash media before lightly washing the section in straight lines, rinsing with water after each section. Rinse the wash media in the rinse bucket before reloading it with more soap solution from the soap bucket.



Make it wet to dry it faster!

After washing and rinsing your vehicle a section at a time, remove the nozzle from the hose and do a final rinse with a gentle stream of water. Water has a natural viscosity, and by flooding the paint, it is possible to sheet off a majority of the standing water.















Big Blue III Microfiber Waffle Weave Drying Towels.

To remove the remaining water after flooding the paint toweling the surface is necessary. While a chamois or synthetic chamois do a great job of removing water, they lack a nap. Any dust or dirt that has settled on the paint will become trapped and rubbed against the surface. Big Blue III drying towels feature a woven microfiber that gives them the absorbency of a chamois while featuring a nap of fiber that hold any dust away from the paint. Although optional, using a detail spray such as Meguiar's M135 Synthetic Detail Spray offers many benefits during the final towel drying of the car. A light mist per panel (while it is still wet) will reintroduce some lubricity to the surface an prevent surface marring. The synthetic polymers will make the water easier to remove and clean any water spots. Wipe gently in the same directions as you washed, to minimize the appearance of any marring that may accidentally occur. Quality quick detailers will also boost the shine of the paint, helping to maintain that just waxed look!

CLIFF NOTES

Always wash when the vehicle is cool to the touch and avoid washing in direct sunlight if possible.

Pre-rinse your vehicle to remove loose soiling.

Pre-treat any bugs or tar with 1Z Anti Insekt and Pre-Cleaner

Wash, using the two bucket method with Grit Guards ™, a quality soap, an a high quality wash media. Wash in straight line motions a section at a time. Thoroughly rinse the section before moving on to the next section. Rinse the wash media in the rinse bucket often to prevent contaminating the soap solution.

After washing each section of the vehicle, do a final rinse with just a steady stream of water. This will cause the majority of the standing water to sheet off.

Dry remaining water with a Big Blue Microfiber and a detail spray such as Meguiar's M135.

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

I too suggest the two bucket method and using Grit Gards as extra protection. If you cannot wash in peace, consider a rinseless product from Ultima, Optimum or DP in one bucket versus soap and clean rinse water in the other. When I use to wash outside the home due to water restrictions I use to go to those spray booths late at nite and two bucket wash without issue. I even once found that there was a plug in on the vacuum where I could plug my blower.

If you ever need help with tasks, this is a great area to bookmark.

http://autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

Rich Mickol

Not to hijack but I do have a question. Do you use the grit guard in just the rinse bucket or one in each bucket? Thanks.

Joz132

Grit Guards in both.

BSSN

Thankyou!

I wash the car every 1-200 miles and never drive in the rain, etc.

I know this may sound dumb/excessive, but I wash it every time I take it out at the end of the day. That usually means 2-300 miles at the MAX.

Is there a portable 2-bucket system or something you could recommend that I would be able to take with me to the car-wash that would fit in the car? How big do these buckets have to be to be effective? 5 gallons? I could put that in the pass. seat stacked on top of a towel no problem if that would work.

Normally I put WAY TOO MUCH soap on the rag. Every section I do ,I rinse/wring the rag (microfiber). THen I apply MORE soap. It unloads lots of suds/"lube" on the car. Still, I understand what you are saying and can see the physics of it. Is 5 gal. enough? Do I need to buy a dirt-trap for the buckets, or will 2 5 gallons from home depot do just fine? It looks like I need grit guards, but most of the "grit" I would get is almost microscopic and I can't see how the guard would help. I cannot even see the dirt on the car, and I think most of it is brake-dust as it is all on the lower parts of the car behind the front rims and diminishes as you go up.

PS> WHAT!? is that stuff that is black and hits the car and leaves about a 1/2" streak on it? IT wipes off so easy that I don't think it's tar, but I don't know. Wierd.

BSSN

So can I use a "rinseless product" in place of washing my car, as my car never gets "filthy"?

The worse part is the bugs on the front, which is all VentureShield. I want to keep it looking nice, but if it gets messed up in 2-3 years I will pay for another one and consider that it did its job.

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

You can certainly use a rinseless product or waterless wash. You will find it saves time, effort, and money. I suspect you will followup shortly suggesting you wish you would have tried this sooner.
(For best results, consider Ultima or Optimum or DP)

Rich Mickol

Thanks much. Never too old to learn.

0TH0001@properautocare.com

Your very welcome!

It's not excessive at all. I do the same thing with my car, but instead of doing a traditional wash, I do a rinseless wash using Optimum No-Rinse and Shine, a soft microfiber, and only one bucket. By washing it frequently I am able to avoid the accumulation of dirt that requires a more dedicated washing method.

If I am going to the spray car wash (what we usually do with my wife's car) then I will only use 1 bucket (with a grit guard) and a gamma seal lid top. The lid top allows me to fill up the solution/water at home and not worry about spilling. Two buckets are always ideal but if the car isn't too dirty then you can get away with it. If you have room on the floor for a smaller bucket to use as a rinse, then take advantage of it.

5 gallons is ideal, although you will probably have some left over solution. The grit guards main advantage is that the guard actually has 4 vanes on the bottom that prevents the water from moving around when you dunk your wash mitt. Since the water at the bottom (under the guard) stays stagnate, even the microscopic dirt will fall to the bottom and stay there.

Where are you getting the accumulation of the black stuff? All over the paint or only on the lower rockers?

my02cents

I will venture a guess and say it's tire wet/tire gel/whatever application you put on your tires to make them shine. This whips off the tires and whipes right off. At least that has happened to me, which is why I don't use it anymore.

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

very good guess indeed

TripleAstyle123