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Auto washes are a terrible idea if you care about your paint or your rims.
If you're new and want to learn detailing try Ammo NYC or Obsessed Garage, both on YouTube.
There are different types of auto washes, and I agree if talking about the kind with brushes that touch the car, but what about touchless washes? There's one I liked for my previous cars that used a lot of foam to trap the dirt and seemed to work well.
My new S4 is in a shop getting Suntek ultra ppf on whole front end, and a ceramic coating for the rest. I'm hoping this will make washes easier, because I just don't have time to spend an hour+ a week hand washing (it's illegal to wash a car in your driveway in Germany any way).
I use Griot's products for the most part but there are tons of different high quality ones out there. I do the two-bucket hand wash. The closest, reputable detail shop is selling 2018 wash "deal" packages of one wash per month for $600. This car is so small the first and only time I've washed it so far I had it dry and back in the garage in about 30 minutes - and that was with my 3 y/o "helping" me. The math doesn't add up for me there and I'll gladly do it myself.
My rule: nothing touches the paint unless it's a clean and soapy sponge on wet paint or the drying towel. Of course this is impossible in reality, but it is the best way to avoid swirl marks and lots of paint correction down the road.
The only thing I'm considering with this car that I haven't done before is a DIY ceramic coating. I do annual paint correction on my cars (clay/polish/wax) and this is very time consuming that could potentially be offset over time by applying a 2-3 year coating when the car is still pretty new (you'd still want to clay and lightly polish).
This is sound advice.
Personally, I'm a Meguiar's guy, and I LOVE the NXT Polymer Wax.
Keeping a good coat of wax or protectant on the paint is the best form of prevention and maintenance you can do.
Stay away from Sketchy car washes, especially those with drty brushes frequented by muddy trucks, and handwash whenever possible. (two bucket method)
An ounce of prevention....
Auto washes are a terrible idea if you care about your paint or your rims.
If you're new and want to learn detailing try Ammo NYC or Obsessed Garage, both on YouTube.
Good sources if you're into that kind of thing, which I used to be before my time became more valuable than caring about the inevitable paint imperfections on a vehicle I'll have about 5-7 years. A good auto wash is a 90% solution that coupled with periodic manual attention can keep the car looking great. This is all subjective and based on personal preference, and the OP asked what our preferences are.
Edit: I also have 3M PPF up front which makes a bit of difference as well
SunTek PPF up front, CQuartz all over - do a power rinse at a self serve with an air dry once in awhile, a quick CQ Ech20 spray and wipe for a quickie, and a 2 bucket handwash with CQ Reset when I have the time.
Gave up on keeping the rims clean
Now keeping the interior clean, ugh I wish I was better at doing the damn windshield! I'm cursed with leaving streaks visible only once I drive directly into the sun... I suck at that.
After years of using my simple shop vac tools, I finally ponied-up and bought the Rigid Car Cleaning attachment kit.
Mostly i got it for the "slim jim" attachment needed to get between the door sills and front seats, as I had trouble finding anything to fit in that
tight space.
What i found was, I used every single tool in the kit and they work great! The softer brush for carpeted corners is a must, and the softer bristled brush for lifting dust
off the dash, vents, and center console is simply perfect! A little pricey, yes - but the smaller diameter, longer flexible hose that's in the kit is almost worth the price ALone.
For that pesky windshield, I'd suggest some invisible glass. This stuff is the bomb, and it's ammonia free for cleaning tinted windows.
I use newspaper when handy, or some type of packing paper that doesn't have print to transfer color to my hands. Using paper eliminates streaks
and hazing. I'll also turn the defroster on while I wipe to help evenly dry the glass.
There are different types of auto washes, and I agree if talking about the kind with brushes that touch the car, but what about touchless washes? There's one I liked for my previous cars that used a lot of foam to trap the dirt and seemed to work well.
My new S4 is in a shop getting Suntek ultra ppf on whole front end, and a ceramic coating for the rest. I'm hoping this will make washes easier, because I just don't have time to spend an hour+ a week hand washing (it's illegal to wash a car in your driveway in Germany any way).
I’m a fan of Meguiars products. Things like Gold Class soap, interior detailer and their polishes.
In the warm months I do a bi-weekly hand wash. This time of year I use Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine. This allows for washing in the garage and no need for a hose. If the car is really dirty I’ll go to a local coin car wash with the hand wand and pre-rinse before using the no rinse.
Polishing is a whole other thing. I’ll evaluate the paint each Spring and determine if a polish is needed to correct defects and bring out the gloss. It’s a lot of work but I love the results and find the work somehow therapeutic.
12-10-2017, 06:26 PM
How do you guys keep it clean?
