When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I don't think people realize the damage that can be caused every time you physically touch your paint. The bag helps minimize friction and it really does feel different than using your hand.
I would never run my hand over my paint... That's just me. I only use the bag method to determine if the car needs claying. Otherwise, I don't touch my car at all.
Im not saying your wrong, because I dont have proof or tested it...but you'll really have to explain how a plastic bag is LESS harmful than skin... Again, I didn't say jam your hand down the side of your paint - just a light touch will either make the sound or it wont. If you care to explain the science behind the plastic bag - this old dog is willing to learn a new trick for sure!
Im not saying your wrong, because I dont have proof or tested it...but you'll really have to explain how a plastic bag is LESS harmful than skin... Again, I didn't say jam your hand down the side of your paint - just a light touch will either make the sound or it wont. If you care to explain the science behind the plastic bag - this old dog is willing to learn a new trick for sure!
A plastic bag just glides over the surface easier and you barely have to use any pressure. There is a big difference in feel (to me at least) between using the bag and your hand or fingers. You should try it sometime. You can really feel the grit on a car loaded with contaminates using a plastic bag.
Even clean hands and fingers have oil and rough spots. Again, I only use the plastic bag to determine if the car needs claying, otherwise, I don't touch my car at all. Yes I use the metal door latch every time I close my door
I am a huge Junkman fan. You can find him on YouTube. I never realized the damage I used to do to my paint and not even realize it! In fact, I thought I was doing a great job! Lol
I'd like to caution everyone about the practice of throwing a used towel on the floor. I'm not picking on you, Slynky, it was my first thought when I put this method into practice. Why not? I'm going to wash it later anyway. Simplest reason is that the dirt picked up adds to the towel cleaning process. Toss them into another bucket or something that keeps from adding to the dirt on the towel. Check for debris stuck in the towel's fibers after washing and drying. Things stick in the fibers and you don't want to accidentally scratch your paint with a particle that you could have found and removed while folding the dried towels.. Also, keep the wash towels, and drying towels too, from touching the ground as you work. If you drop a towel then get another one. Just like with clay bar, if you drop it once then it's too dirty to continue using.
I didn't invent this method, its a combination of things I've picked up as I've tried to improve my methods. My expectation is as near a show quality finish as I can get without expensive paint correction and professional detailing. Cleanliness is a base to build on. Substitute 10 clean towels for a mitt, substitute one clean bucket of soap for 2 buckets and mid-wash rinsing of your wash mitt or towel. Overall wash time is pretty quick and there's very little chance of scratching your paint with unclean solutions and mitts/towels. Add in a few minutes to wash and dry your towels and you're done. Better if wifey will wash and dry the towels for you.
If you're really serious about cleaning and detailing, then try this test. With your car clean, must be clean, place you hand inside a Walmart bag or some other thin plastic bag and gently wipe your hand across the paint. Pressure isn't needed, just enough to feel the paint. Is it as smooth as clean glass or does it feel like there's little bits of dirt on the paint? Mine, just a couple of months from the factory, had the little specks that could be felt. I had to clay bar and polish. But that's another story.
I've shown my car, a '15 Shark Grey Stingray, twice in a local Corvettes Only shine and show with over 100 Vettes on display and won an Award of Excellence both times. One guy accused me of having as garage queen until I showed him 30K on the odometer.
No offense taken. You made a good point. It’s funny. I didn’t mind throwing towels on the garage floor when done with it but if I dropped one I was using, I’d get a new one. I assumed since they were going in the washer it didn’t matter. Thanks.
The commercial products and extensively exhaustive instructions as Kennykeyboard and a few others are using is why your finishes are not as shiney as my Arctic White C7 is. Unfortunately, some of your color choices will handicap your results. One thing ALL of your commercial products contain is oil. You must be nutz to use oil on your C7s! #lol. Blade Silver is one of those with diminished shine on the spectrometer. Arctic White is one of the brighter colors offered on the C7. The ease and simplicity of the bleach/laundry detergent/water method has employed for longer than most of you have been buying Corvettes. One additional tip would be to add 4 oz. of fabric softener to the mix. This ensures easy removal of any residual dirt, grease or grime. It also ensures high water spit resistance. In some cases, chamois use won't be necessary, because water spots
cannot form. A "3 hour wash ordeal" is just krazy. The C7 is a 20 minute task - tops. I'm on the road in 30 min. after my start. No exceptions! 😗😗😗
Last edited by Skid Row Joe; 10-22-2018 at 12:17 AM.
It might take me 45 minutes, and 15 of those are spent driving to and from the nearest coin-op high pressure car wash. But then, I actually drive my cars instead of owning garage art being saved for the next owner.
This!
same way its been done for 100 years. Know the more you rub, buff and clay bar that paint the faster you wear through it.
I actually waxed right throuhg the paint on a then 3 yr old 5.0, factory paint isnt very thick. Your car doesnt know what brand it is, paint is paint.
A "3 hour wash ordeal" is just krazy. The C7 is a 20 minute task - tops. I'm on the road in 30 min. after my start. No exceptions! 😗😗😗
Actually there are several exceptions... There's nothing wrong with a 20 min, quick waterless wash and wax - I do it all the time...but that's when the car is basically sitting in the garage, getting dirty from dust, etc. Its quite clear, you do not SHOW your car...and that's fine, but dont say "No exceptions" cause although I know you think your Vette is the ONLY Vette on the planet and that anyone without your EXACT Vette is wrong...but there is ALOT more to clean on a Vette then just the exterior. Ill also say that there are folks who just enjoy cleaning their Vette...it just gives them a sense of pride.
I guarantee you dont take your wheels off to clean the back...probably the most dirty area(s) on the car and you neglect it. You must cause it takes more than 20 min just to remove/reinstall all 4 wheels. Now Im not saying I do this every time...but I do when going to a show. If you're only taking 20 min - you are not detailing your engine at all. That must look like absolute crap on your car as well. Then again, you barely pop your hood since you believe in oil changes every 2 years. What about your interior, your leather, your carpet? Still 20 min? No way... What about your convertible top? Using even the simplest of kits (like RaggTop) can take 10 to 15 min just to clean the convertible top correctly.
So Joe - I have no issue with your idea of clean...but please dont post "no exceptions" when it comes to only taking 20 min to "clean" a Vette... Nothing wrong with a quick cleaning if your not the super **** type or the type that attends a show...but please stop thinking that your way is the only way to buy, own, maintain and/or care for a Vette - cause quite honestly...99% of what you post makes me cringe as to how you (dont) care for your car.
One last thought. Bright colored cars (for the most part) look clean. White and Silver rarely look dirty even if minimally cared for... Now I know according to you there is no other color but white for a Vette and all other colors are wrong - but if you owned / maintained a darker color Vette the way you do with your white one...you would not think a 20 min cleaning would look as "clean"...
Eh... It's hard to make someone care about something they don't find important. Doesn't matter to me what they do to their car, but if I'm in the market for a used car, I inspect the outside very thoroughly and if it's in rough shape, I'll pass. Also makes me wonder about how the rest of the car was cared for.
But for people who do care, maybe threads like this will educate and change some old habits (which die hard).
All I know is that I spend 45 minutes a day detailing mine. Fortunately It doesn't rain where I live. But if we go on trips, which are plentiful, I don't do any touch up until I get home and it gets a good washing and detailing (except for bugs). 2 hours and maybe more for a washing of my car. I fret over the appearance of the car when we travel. It would take too much time.
Last edited by joemessman; 10-22-2018 at 11:44 AM.
Great video! Exactly how I wash mine, except I use a different wash mit for the lower half of the car as that's where most of the dirt and grime will be. And I always use the mits for the same job each time.
Here's my lazy-man's 20-minute wash system:
1 - Rinse with Kranzle K1122TST pressure washer
2 - Wash with Adam's soap using microfiber mitt and 2-bucket method
3 - Rinse off with pressure washer and CR Spotless water deionizer
4 - Let air dry (even in direct sunlight) and have a beer
So, with all the concerns about creating swirls, etc., I understand about washing but...
What do you do about bugs?
You go out for a while, come back, park her, and see 10+ new bug guts on the front. Do you do a full wash or what? How do you clean them off without a whole lot of rubbing with some sort of chemical which--presumably--leaves swirl marks...?
So, with all the concerns about creating swirls, etc., I understand about washing but...
What do you do about bugs?
You go out for a while, come back, park her, and see 10+ new bug guts on the front. Do you do a full wash or what? How do you clean them off without a whole lot of rubbing with some sort of chemical which--presumably--leaves swirl marks...?
I successfully used a wet microfiber towel with slick detail spray sprayed on the towel and that gets the job done. I use Duragloss 952 Aquawax as detail spray. It is really slick. So you won't scratch the paint while rubbing to get the bugs off. A lot of good slick detail sprays out there. Just use the one that works for you.
So, with all the concerns about creating swirls, etc., I understand about washing but...
What do you do about bugs?
You go out for a while, come back, park her, and see 10+ new bug guts on the front. Do you do a full wash or what? How do you clean them off without a whole lot of rubbing with some sort of chemical which--presumably--leaves swirl marks...?
Ya that's a tough one because bugs will etch the paint but not a lot of people want to wash their car every time they drive it...
Couple options (and this works for bird poop too)
#1. If the bugs cover the entire front end, properly wash only the front end. Should be fairly quick. And will save you time in the long run as the only way to remove etching (if at all) is to cut/polish.
#2. Saturate (and I mean liberally!) a microfiber with car soap and water and lay it directly over the area(s) and let it sit. This should soften the junk. After the bugs, poo, what have you, is softened, take off the rag and spray with detail spray. Again, saturate the area. Now use a clean, microfiber, spritzed with detailing spray, and using as light pressure as possible, wipe downward with a flick upward at the end. Almost an upward roll as you complete your wipe. Lubrication is the key, so if you need to reapply detail spray before you wipe again, do that.
I think most of you spend more time washing your car than you do driving. I use the cheap MF towels from Costco and usually just wash with a bucket of plain water in my garage and then go over the whole car with Meguires Ultimate Quick Detailer. I don't bother washing the towels but just throw them away or use as a rag. The only exception is if it's really dirty from driving in the rain I'll hose it down and use soap. I don't have any swirl marks and can wash and detail in 30-45 minutes including doing the windows with Sonax Window Cleaner.
Ya that's a tough one because bugs will etch the paint but not a lot of people want to wash their car every time they drive it...
Couple options (and this works for bird poop too)
#1. If the bugs cover the entire front end, properly wash only the front end. Should be fairly quick. And will save you time in the long run as the only way to remove etching (if at all) is to cut/polish.
#2. Saturate (and I mean liberally!) a microfiber with car soap and water and lay it directly over the area(s) and let it sit. This should soften the junk. After the bugs, poo, what have you, is softened, take off the rag and spray with detail spray. Again, saturate the area. Now use a clean, microfiber, spritzed with detailing spray, and using as light pressure as possible, wipe downward with a flick upward at the end. Almost an upward roll as you complete your wipe. Lubrication is the key, so if you need to reapply detail spray before you wipe again, do that.
Hope that helps...
Yeah... there is no "magic bullet". Looks like a drawn-out process. And when traveling distances, say I go to the mountains, would like to clean her up then if it could be done quickly but looks like there is no hope. I remember the "impressions" left in my 370Z paint at the end of the day or by the next day.
Yeah... there is no "magic bullet". Looks like a drawn-out process. And when traveling distances, say I go to the mountains, would like to clean her up then if it could be done quickly but looks like there is no hope. I remember the "impressions" left in my 370Z paint at the end of the day or by the next day.
If you are traveling, and the bugs are bad, find a high pressure car wash and hose the front end. Done. Just don't let them sit more than 24 hours.
And for those of you who swear you don't have swirl marks... Let's see it! I'd bet money you do! Take it out in the sun and walk around the car. There is no way, with the Vettes' soft paint and improper washing techniques, that you don't have some level of swirling.
I daily my car and gets a bath about once a week if the weather is nice (normally true in sunny FL) and if I'm not busy with a honey-do-list. My steps are:
1) Pressure wash: 1800 PSI electric with a wide angle nozzle - this removes like 75% of the crud without touching the car, gets rid of brake dust easily
2) Foam canon with soap that has some wax in it - this removes another 5% of grime and water just beads off afterwards.
3) Wash mitt and 2 bucket method gets another 10% off because at some point you have to physically wipe any road build up / bugs / crap off the car
4) Quick detailing spray or a wax and dry product - this gives the car a nice shine with some limited protection and gets things another 5% closer to perfection
Getting that last 5% for a professional show level finish requires a clay bar and paste waxing but I only do this once or maybe twice a year since its very labor intensive.
If time is limited then I skip steps 1 & 2 and just use the garden hose during step 3 with step 4 drying with microfibers to finish up.
However I have to say the little pressure washer has really improved my routine - it removes so much stuff without touching the car and uses very little water doing it.
10-21-2018, 05:26 PM
