Washing my car

[JosephV]

So I've had my 2020 BRZ TS for about 4-5 months now and have been going to automatic car washes (quick-quack car wash in California). I've been told and also been looking up that those automatic car wash scratch and damage car paints so now I'm looking for car wash and detail products so I can wash my car at home. Can anyone give me recommendations to products that do infact work well and won't exactly break the bank. I would appreciate it if any product recommendations are available for purchase online or even major retailers. Thanks once again. And here is a photo I had taken of my car

[Windycitystig]

I highly recommend you watch the Rag company, Chicago Auto Pros, and Junkman videos on YouTube.

There are tons of different detailing products. You can keep things simple by sticking to the Ammo NYC products.

Pan the organizer on YouTube, does the best job at ranking detailing products. There are other channels which

I follow the two bucket car wash regimen most of the time using car soap. I use Ammo Frothe in the Ammo aerator to do rinseless washing during the winter.

Stay away from all automatic car washes or hand washes that do not follow the good practices you see in the Chicago Auto Pro videos.

[RToyo86]

Was it a touch or touchless wash? Touchless won't scratch the paint, but the chemicals are harsh.
I use touchless in the winter with no issues.


Basic stuff you need are
- 1-2 wash buckets
- 1-2 wash mitts
- Quality soap
- Clean MF towels
- Large drying towels
- Sealant/dry-aid.

If you want to get into wheel care,
- Smaller bucket
- Wheel whoolie
- An APC(like meguiars APC) diluted for wheels/tire
- Brissle brush.

I'm a fan of optimum products. They're highly concentrated which extends your dollar and they're not overly expensive.

Otherwise you could find most stuff at stores. Meguiars gold class car soap you'll find everywhere and is good stuff.

There are a shit ton of sealants on the market. You can take your pick, many are good. I value something I can use as a sealant and a dry-aid which doesn't need to be buffed heavily into the paint.
I've had a bottle of optimum hyper-seal for a year. I am down to my last few sprays of the bottle after using it probably 60+ times. One light spray per panel. Cost me $50. Less than a dollar per use is pretty good for me.

[JosephV]

Originally Posted by Windycitystig

I highly recommend you watch the Rag company, Chicago Auto Pros, and Junkman videos on YouTube.

There are tons of different detailing products. You can keep things simple by sticking to the Ammo NYC products.

Pan the organizer on YouTube, does the best job at ranking detailing products. There are other channels which

I follow the two bucket car wash regimen most of the time using car soap. I use Ammo Frothe in the Ammo aerator to do rinseless washing during the winter.

Stay away from all automatic car washes or hand washes that do not follow the good practices you see in the Chicago Auto Pro videos.

Thanks, I will be looking into those products and channels

[JosephV]

Originally Posted by RToyo86

Was it a touch or touchless wash? Touchless won't scratch the paint, but the chemicals are harsh.
I use touchless in the winter with no issues.


Basic stuff you need are
- 1-2 wash buckets
- 1-2 wash mitts
- Quality soap
- Clean MF towels
- Large drying towels
- Sealant/dry-aid.

If you want to get into wheel care,
- Smaller bucket
- Wheel whoolie
- An APC(like meguiars APC) diluted for wheels/tire
- Brissle brush.

I'm a fan of optimum products. They're highly concentrated which extends your dollar and they're not overly expensive.

Otherwise you could find most stuff at stores. Meguiars gold class car soap you'll find everywhere and is good stuff.

There are a shit ton of sealants on the market. You can take your pick, many are good. I value something I can use as a sealant and a dry-aid which doesn't need to be buffed heavily into the paint.
I've had a bottle of optimum hyper-seal for a year. I am down to my last few sprays of the bottle after using it probably 60+ times. One light spray per panel. Cost me $50. Less than a dollar per use is pretty good for me.

It was a touch wash i believe, they had big ol things that whip a car to clean it and other stuff

[dpfarr]

I parked under a tree at work this morning. It rained for the first time since spring? All the ash from the Northern California fires this summer got washed off the leaves and onto my car.

[Tcoat]

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42

[Decep]

you might want to get the swirls etc corrected by a detailer and then start DIY'ing. so you have a good starting point. those auto car washes with the flappy noodles swirl and scratch your clearcoat something fierce.

[spcmafia]

I always recommend Meguiars, all of their products do exactly what they advertise. You can search for bundles on Amazon that include everything that you'll need. Get the bundle, get a nice microfiber sponge, two buckets, microfiber towels, and wash away. Outside of that bundle, get their ceramic wax, it works like a charm (Its cheap and efficient too). Look for my IG page shrapnellbranches, and you can see how it turns out. There are plenty of brands out there, but I've used Meguiars for 10 years and it has never let me down.

[SUSPECT_BRZ]

I say go to local retailers in your area, no need to buy stuff online which are usually more expensive, and having to wait a week for car soap. Like spcmafia said, Meguiars is really good and usually readily available. We have Canadian Tire here in Canada and they started selling Chemical Guys, which is really good too. I would avoid automatic car washes if I were you, especially with a limited edition vehicle.

Plenty of DIY videos on Youtube.

[anticubus]

Paint's ruined, time for a new car.

Back in reality though, you'll want to stop going to touch washes and get your paint corrected soon. Taking care to wash by hand is something that will slow the damage but it won't undo the swirls. At the very least you'll need to do a full wash, rub it down with a clay bar, and then put some wax on. I have a similar paint situation because I've been lazy with salty winters and plan to hit it with a 5-step wash, clay, iron decontamination, hand polish, and then a few layers of spray wax to get back to "better than the econobox next to me."

I've got a ton of products that I like, but in general Dawn or Ajax for a strip wash is fine, then Optimum No Rinse for rinseless wash. I'm still working through my Mother's clay bars so I can't say it's the best, but it works well enough and was at AutoZone. Optimum No Rinse works as a clay lube if you dilute it less, but if I'm not polishing I use Griot's Best Of Show for more lubrication. After that I use Turtle Wax Ice Seal N Shine for protection. It needs a good technique to get on and look good, but it beads well and lasts a few months. Get some good microfibers, I have a bunch of The Rag Company Creature Edgeless 420GSM for washing, some Dry Me A Rivers for drying (not recommended, looking at Pluffle, Double Twistress, and Dreadnought now) and 6 Eagle Edgeless 600GSM for wax application. Also grab two five gallon buckets and a grit guard for the two wash method. I use the Garry Dean method so I just have a dedicated bucket of clean towels soaking in Optimum No Rinse solution that I cycle through.