Home Touchless Car Wash [Black paint]

[Mikeez]

Hey guys, I have made few researches and all I would like to share and get feedbacks on how I wash my car.


I have a black car and I am very picky on the paint. I believe that the less you touch the car, the better it will stay in its natural form.


I saw people washing their cars with pressure washers, the foam cannons and then drying with air compressors. That is what I am willing to do.


Material
- Pressure Washer (1900 PSI)
- Wheel Cleaner Solution
- Soap
- Wax
- Spoke Cleaner, MF Sponge and MF mittens (MF = microfiber)


1. Wheel cleaning
-- Pressure wash the wheel
-- Spray wheel cleaner (I use turtle was)
-- Clean with spoke cleaner and sponge
-- Pressure wash again


2. Soap in Foam cannon
-- Pressure wash the car
-- Foam the car
-- Use mittens if necessary
-- Wait
-- Pressure wash the car


3. Wax in Foam cannon
-- Same step as 2


4. Apply special turtle wax for black car
-- Pressure wash the car


5. Dry car with air compressor
I use a shopvac o.o


Questions:
1. Am I doing it right?
2. I have meguiar gold class and meguiar wash and was lol.. Do they work in a foam cannon? Do I need to dilute with water?
3. Is it recommended to pressure wash, I keep a distance and I go quick?
4. Which air compressor should I get, which gun assembly?

[WhiteFRS69]

if you have to touch the car when going to wash it,

two bucket method with grit guards will help you in the long run!

why are you putting wax into a foam cannon??
would deff reccomend using a nice sealant or Carnauba Wax

look into @stayfreshcarcare
http://www.stayfreshcarcare.com/

they have some nice products for a good price



when i wash my car, i try to not touch it as much as needed
but to answer some of your questions, yes you can pressure wash, ive never used meguiar in a foam cannon before, i usually use Adams or Chemical guys shampoo in an Uber Foamer http://www.detailersdomain.com/Uber-...nt-_p_204.html



when it comes to air compressor, anything that can handle i believe around 700-2000psi max for a foam cannon


steps i use
Pre-soak (let sit for 5-10 minutes depending on how dirty the car is) but never let it sit in the sun and dry out, the foam should be falling off the car

rinse off the pre-soak

if i have to touch the car,, starting at the top of the car and working my way down (cleanest to dirtiest)

rinse once more

dry one panel at a time with a microfiber towel, i like to use the Uber Super Drying Microfiber Towels

and apply sealents/wax after the car is 100% dry

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiGj5f0l5as"]Tutorial: how to wash your car (best car wash methods by Auto Obsessed) - YouTube[/ame]

[laura1]

If you want to know how to wash your car, check out this video: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sImOPQHN4eA"]Self-service car wax - Hydro Coating Wax - YouTube[/ame]

See also Mafra's products and blog: http://www.mafra.com

[Kaotic Lazagna]

You can look into Di water systems, that way after you clean your car, you can let it air dry without having to worry about water spots.

[Impureclient]

I use a 1600 psi electric pressure washer and Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo & Conditioner Car Wash through a foam cannon. I keep the tip about a foot away when power rinsing.
Pressure wash car and wheels of loose dirt. Foam cannon with the Meguair's, wait 5 minutes and rinse off. I put 1" of the soap in the bottle and fill the rest with water.
If the dirt is still there after the foaming, which it rarely is, then I actually touch the car with a Microfiber Chenille wash mitt to get a couple sticky specks that stuck by the wheels arches.
If you keep the car sealed/waxed properly, a foam cannon and rinse will clean the car about 98% of the way. Even the wheels are rarely touched since they are also getting
the same treatment as the cars paint. Then I use a gas blower to blow most of the water off. Then I use a edgeless very soft microfiber to wipe windows and the rest of the
spots of water that are left. The car gets a waxing with Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax No. 845 every couple months. Using that method, there's almost zero chance of scratching the paint.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Impureclient

Then I use a gas blower to blow most of the water off.

I've read that it's not good to use a gas leaf blower...something about the exhaust????

[Impureclient]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

I've read that it's not good to use a gas leaf blower...something about the exhaust????

The car's paint sees 100x more exhaust gases from driving down the road than 2-3 minutes of a newer eco-friendly gas blower. The exhaust is blowing out the backside anyways. I'm very picky about the cars paint but thinking that will be detrimental is going too far.
This guy is blowing off his GT3. I think we'll be OK doing the same on our cars: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nirkRQZvpa0"]Leaf Blower Drying Method | Safe and Effective - YouTube[/ame]

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Mikeez

Hey guys, I have made few researches and all I would like to share and get feedbacks on how I wash my car.


I have a black car ..................

For cryen out loud , Mikeez, the engineering student, I reckon you are waaaaay overthinking this whole car washing thing .......

People have been washing black cars for over a hundred years ....... it ain't rocket surgery.

Just use a clean rag and store bought car washing soap. Start at the top, work your way down ......rinse, dry off and wax from time to time.

See ........ how easy that can be ......


humfrz

[Impureclient]

humfrrz is right. I'd just grab a brillo pad, forget all this foam nonsense. The brillo padwill scrape off all the dirt and they are impregnated with soap to make things even easier.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by Impureclient

The car's paint sees 100x more exhaust gases from driving down the road than 2-3 minutes of a newer eco-friendly gas blower. The exhaust is blowing out the backside anyways. I'm very picky about the cars paint but thinking that will be detrimental is going too far.
This guy is blowing off his GT3. I think we'll be OK doing the same on our cars:

I dunno, if I were to use a blower to dry the car, I'd use an electric one just to be extra safe. Haha

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Impureclient

humfrrz is right. I'd just grab a brillo pad, forget all this foam nonsense. The brillo padwill scrape off all the dirt and they are impregnated with soap to make things even easier.

.......and, for the tough spots, use a little of this. Be sure to get the "scratch free" formula .....


humfrz

[Mr.ac]

Wow way over thinking washing a cheap Toyota.

You do you babe.

[adamg]

washing is the easy part. if you want your paint to be in good condition, it starts with prepping it correctly.

Clary bar the car
Polish (using a light or heavy compound depending on condition of paint)
then wax
then continue to build up the wax a few more times after washes to really build the base.

redo these steps maybe once a year or every other depending on how the car is affected by the elements. If you dont drive a lot and garage it, then you wont have to worry as much

[radroach]

You won't be able to clean the paint without touching it a little bit. Pressure wash all you want, the contaminants will still be stuck to the paint. I've tried it myself! You'll get better results, faster using proper technique.

I've tried being super soft on my paint, using wool-type mitts and they couldn't do enough work to remove small bits of sap, bugs, etc. You need at least a little bit of grab from a mitt to clean. After trying them all, the standard green, nappy microfiber mitt is best.

Don't worry about tiny, unnoticeable scratches from washing. If you're using a proper wash technique, it will be minimal. And if you get a scratch, get a nice DA polisher kit and take care of it.