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Car Washing: advice and suggestions

23K views 45 replies 21 participants last post by  Littlewig 
#1 ·
Stimulated! said:
I would also be interested.

As someone who has always washed my cars with a $1 bucket and a $2 sponge, I haven't actually dared clean the F-Pace yet as I don't want to make any mistakes!
So here is the advice for beginners. Doing this won't take you into the 'Detailers' Club' but it will ensure you don't damage your new car while washing it.....

Contrary to what we believe, washing a car without following a few basic rules causes more harm than good. The single biggest cause of scratching to the paintwork is poor washing technique because you pick up grit from the bodywork and then swirl it around under your sponge on other parts of the car. Your sponge becomes sandpaper!

So first rule. Ditch the sponge and get a noodle hand mitt or better still, a lambs wool mitt. Sponges are for washing old bangers not. Jaguar F-Pace.

Second rule. Buy two buckets of a different colour. This is called the 'two bucket wash method'. It's simple. Shampoo in one bucket and plain water in the other. Take nice clean dry mitt, dip in shampoo bucket, wash bodywork and then rinse out in the other bucket before starting the cycle again. That way the grit settles in your second bucket and the water you apply with your next wash is grit-free.

Third rule. Hose or power wash the car down to get as much grit off of it first before using your mitt. Getting the grit off the bodywork at the start helps reduce the sandpaper effect.

Fourth rule. Don't use a chamois leather, it's not 1977 anymore. Use a proper, big drying towel. They will dry your car if you pat it in one foul swoop. The chamois leather will also scratch your paint work.

As you can see, it's all about avoiding the sandpaper effect when washing. This is the biggest leap of progress a beginner can make, it doesn't cost much and doesn't add much time to the process. Beyond that you start to become obsessive, bit by bit. So decide where you want to stop - the 80/20 rule applies.

Finally, just use a quality shampoo. Never, ever use washing up liquid as it contains abrasive salt and will strip your car of its protective finishes.

If my cars are dirty but the weather is so poor that I cannot do this basic routine or I don't have time - they stay dirty. Better that than ruin the paintwork with a bodged cleaning routine.

The forgoing is particularly relevant if you have a dark coloured car as those scratchy swirly marks will show up faster.

There is much more to car detailing but this is my top tip for beginners who want to do the basic car wash without causing damage.

And of course, enjoy it!

Arianne.

PS. Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend car wash machines. Either roller or where you do the work - those cleaning brushes are probably full of grit from where the last person dropped the brush on the ground!
 
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#2 ·
Hi Arianne, great advice thank you.

I have a few questions before I dare begin!

Arianne said:
That way the grit settles in your second bucket and the water you apply with your next wash is grit-free.
I have seen recommendations to use "grit guards" in the buckets - do you consider these beneficial / necessary?

Arianne said:
Use a proper, big drying towel.
Can you give me an example? I actually don't know what I should be looking to buy. Like, maybe a link to a picture or something?

Arianne said:
Finally, just use a quality shampoo.
How do I know a shampoo is good quality - is it just "ph balanced" or are there any other characteristics I should look for? I would never use washing up liquid but I do have car was liquid I have used on previous cars - might not be good enough for the Jag though.

Thanks very much for your advice.
 
#3 ·
Happy to help...

The two bucket method is cheaper and superior to a grit guard in one bucket alone. The latter is better than nothing but you are still rinsing your mitt in the same bucket that you are then using to pick up your next swish of water & shampoo to apply to the car. As you swirl and squeeze your mitt in the single bucket, the water will disturb the grit and kick it up again. Two 99p buckets from B&Q with handles is the simple answer - one orange (clean water) and the other black (dirty water).

Regarding shampoo. My advice would be to always buy a shampoo without wax. You want a simple shampoo that helps lift dirt and acts as a lubricant to stop grit damage. I use a Poorboys product with a nice orange scent, see image below.

And here is the link to Polihed Bliss, an online supplier that I use for all my supplies. Be careful, it quickly becomes a habit and this online store has absolutely everything you could ever want.

When you're ready, I can provide some guidance on polishes, waxes, sealants and clay bars. But get started with the stuff I have recommended to begin with. You will want to apply a protective wax or sealant soon so the paint is protected from bird droppings and water will bead off of it. But let's start at the beginning!

Best wishes, Arianne

Polished Bliss online store... http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000007.pl?WD=drying%20towel&PN=pb%2dluxury%2ddrying%2dtowel%2dcat5%2ehtml#aPBDT0001





 
#5 ·
Apologies, despite the icon and your details in the location field, I didn't realise you were in Australia.

Take care and enjoy your new F-Pace.

Arianne
 
#6 ·
Arianne said:
Apologies, despite the icon and your details in the location field, I didn't realise you were in Australia.
All good, you have given me some good pointers as to what I should be looking for here.

Another question (sorry!) - what do you use for spot cleaning? For instance, if you had just done a full clean and then the day after a bird pood on the car or something similar.

Thanks!
 
#7 ·
There is an important step that Arianne seems to be missing... First jet wash to remove as much dirt as possible, but then use a quality 'snow foam', leave for 10 mins, then rinse again with jet wash, before moving on to shampoo/mitts....

I'm relatively new to these methods, but the snow foam really works in removing 90% of dirt & the less grit before wiping anything on the paint the better...

While the F Pace is ceramic coated, it works well on the other cars too.

I'm not convinced by the two bucket method & have now moved on to one bucket & 4 mitts!

Hope this adds to the food for thought!
 
#8 ·
Arianne said:
Apologies, despite the icon and your details in the location field, I didn't realise you were in Australia.

Take care and enjoy your new F-Pace.

Arianne
I know what threw you Arianne and that's Stimulated's reference to Aidensfield and Heartbeat in a previous post!

PS that's a very tidy garage you have there.
 
#9 ·
JLRnumber5 said:
I know what threw you Arianne and that's Stimulated's reference to Aidensfield and Heartbeat in a previous post!
Ha ha! Yes, ex-England. Bath, then Taunton, then Hampstead, then Shepherds Bush, then New Zealand, then Ruislip (where I owned my first Jaguar), then Australia.

Is Heartbeat even still on in the UK?
 
#10 ·
Stimulated! said:
JLRnumber5 said:
I know what threw you Arianne and that's Stimulated's reference to Aidensfield and Heartbeat in a previous post!
Ha ha! Yes, ex-England. Bath, then Taunton, then Hampstead, then Shepherds Bush, then New Zealand, then Ruislip, then Australia.

Is Heartbeat even still on in the UK?
Oh yes..... Just a country of endless repeats.... The more channels, the more they trawl the archives...

They've recently brought back The Persuaders too!
 
#12 ·
I would suggest warm water in the wash bucket. Two reasons for this:

1. Shampoo does not lather properly if the water is too cold
2. My hands do not work properly if the water is too cold (UK based people especially) !!!
 
#13 ·
Thanks for the help everyone - I successfully cleaned the F-Pace with my new shampoo, wash mitt and drying towel.

Now I need to go back to the detailing supplies shop for a little towel to work round the door handles etc.

I can see what you mean Arianne about it being addictive!
 
#14 ·
Stimulated! said:
Does it make any difference if you use hot or cold water to wash the car?
Will depend on the chemicals (shampoo) used for cleaning, some might not need warm water, but might also have improved performance with warm?

At the same time any grease on the vehicle might be loosened by warm water, raising it's temperature will likely lower it's viscosity making it easier to remove, note likely as depends on the rheological properties of what you are removing.
 
#15 ·
Good basic advise. I've never really thought about it much but I've ruined this cars paint.
I got mine ceramic coated and it's great but they put a sponge in the care pack so I stupidly used it.
Progressed to lambs mitt now and take more care but I have swirl marks in my black paint and also a hedge has made a few more scratches so I'm getting it detailed again properly and get the new wheels coated
 
#16 ·
I find it quite carthartic doing all the various detailing and seeing the results from paintwork decontamination to polishing.

Best advice is forget the crap in Halfords and check out the online stores with reviews from users for good quality products for your F-Pace.
 
#45 ·
H’mmm Not all of it is crap. They carry MeGuires and Chemical Guys products as well as the ubiquitous Auto Glym range. My experience has been not to become a slave to any one lable. Pick and chose what works best for you. I wouldn’t be without my MeGuires Quick Detailer but their Ultimate Wash and Wax, is the most over priced shampoo I have ever had the misfortune to spend my hard earned money on. But that is just my opinion. And opinions are like arse holes. We all have one 😄
 
#17 ·
corriescar66 said:
There is an important step that Arianne seems to be missing... First jet wash to remove as much dirt as possible, but then use a quality 'snow foam', leave for 10 mins, then rinse again with jet wash, before moving on to shampoo/mitts....

I'm relatively new to these methods, but the snow foam really works in removing 90% of dirt & the less grit before wiping anything on the paint the better...

While the F Pace is ceramic coated, it works well on the other cars too.

I'm not convinced by the two bucket method & have now moved on to one bucket & 4 mitts!

Hope this adds to the food for thought!
Be careful with jet washing a car.

The power of a jet of water can damage parking sensors, get under stone chips and lift lacquer and paint. It can also make its way into other sensitive parts of the car. A hose, bucket or water can is a gentler and safer way to pre-wash and rinse.
 
#18 ·
Littlewig said:
I find it quite carthartic doing all the various detailing and seeing the results from paintwork decontamination to polishing.

Best advice is forget the crap in Halfords and check out the online stores with reviews from users for good quality products for your F-Pace.
That's a bit of a sweeping statement about Halfords. They have some very good products for cleaning a car.

For example it stocks Maguiars. These are top quality products and if used correctly will give your car a lovely finish and preserve the paintwork, plastics, interior, glass, etc.

Maguiars Quik (yes it is without a c) Detailer is something I use a lot, and again if used correctly it works superbly.

The main thing is to research before you buy and take your time and ce careful.

Personally I think the best cleaning product you can get is common sense.
 
#19 ·
Arianne,some great advice there and fantastic to see another person who wants to look after their paintwork properly.

It's also something I do, and sell, and if it is ok with moderators I could make a couple of offers in the site.

A step Arianne left out, maybe intentionally as not everyone would have access to one is a 'snow foam' stage.

Foam by itself isn't a great cleaning mechanism, but when utilised correctly it offers longer dwell times and depending on your waxes / sealants may lead to a 'touchless' wash in which 90% + of dirt and contaminants are removed without the need to put a mitt near your cars body.

The washmitt lambswool vs microfibre debate is still ongoing. I myself have moved to Microfibre for a variety of reasons and still have a swirl free car 4 months after getting it (and it's washed at least 2 or 3 times a week!)

For drying, there are different techniques you can use also to minimise marring and these depend on your towel of choice.

I'm going to add a couple of videos I have (unprofessionally) made showing products (cloths etc) in use.

if anyone has any questions feel free to ask and I too will offer my advice and experience.

Thanks

Ross

A car wash demo showing cleaning steps (sped up) on my last RRS:


A demo of which drying towel to use on my F-Pace:


A foamy F-Pace (you know live got it bad when you're washing at night!):
Automotive lighting Flash photography Headlamp Gas Tints and shades


And my wash & dry bundle with some bumf from another forum I frequent:

***** Wash & Dry Bundle *****

Ok, so as this thread has continued to grow and evolve it's sometimes hard to keep up

Following on from a few successful trials with a new waffle weave towel (which is huge, very absorbent and is inflicting zero marring) I am making up a wash & dry bundle.

Included will be:
My Microfibre wash mitt. It's red and white and is made by the same UK manufacturer who make mitts with a lovely techniq ;)

Also included will be the wheel mitt which again, is a lovely soft Microfibre which allows you to get all spokes including rears done easily with all the dexterity of using your hand as opposed to brushes etc.

Finally included in the bundle is one of the new Microfibre waffle weave drying towels.
Outerwear Textile Sleeve Rectangle Font
 

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#20 ·
Great thread. I got the paint protection pack thrown in with the car so it was polished when I picked it up. Then have the bag with all the various bottles for cleaning and cloths as well. It is nice at the moment as the dirt seems to not sit on the wax and I gave it a quick jet wash with no soap and it came up well. I like my car clean but not obsessive. I have a nilfisk power washer and had a traffic film remover tub (which is now empty and needs replaced) and a foam soap by swarfega. I have never managed to get the ratio of soap to water in the bottle that attached to the power washer from what I can see.

Not sure what film remover and soap I should go fo?
 
#21 ·
Snow foam is something I would 100% recommend. Jet washing on its own only removes about 25% of dirt... Snow foam left for 10 mins gets 80-90% depending on how long it has been between 'full cleans'

I always laugh at the Karcher shopping channel demonstrations where they chuck muddy water over a clean car, then just blast it off..

I agree with Tim - be careful on the pressure setting and where you point it. Common sense is needed.

I initially tried 'foaming' using the detergent reservoir, but now given up & bought a proper nozzle - which is excellent & uses less 'snow'
 
#22 ·
Power washers are ok, but need a big warning: Always ensure that power washers are used at 45 degrees to avoid blasting dirt into the paint and never use on full power. Poor use may result in the damage previously highlighted and you certainly should not dwell around sensors for too long to avoid the risk of water ingress.
 
#23 ·
Okay, great thread. I have an opinion on a couple of points....

Firstly, water temperature. I have it cold but not freezing cold. I fill the bucket up from the bottom with a little hot before adding lots of cold water from the outside tap. I don't want my hands freezing but I also don't think applying warm / hot water onto cold bodywork sounds like a good idea either.

Power washers: I like them but remember that the machines are built to do lots of things, including blasting your patio clean! So go easy with the pressure, angle and jet setting otherwise you could do more harm than good. If all you want to do with your pressure washer is wash your car then you don't need the most powerful unit in the world.

Snow foam: therapeutic but take care. First, some snow foam concentrates are aggressive and may strip your car of its wax protection coating over time. The bottle is the way to go as the foam is perfect whereas the reservoir in the pressure washer doesn't do such a great job. I used it lots a couple of years back but now rarely use snow foam unless my car is very, very dirty. A few reasons. Time is a factor, it's another step and setting it up adds to the wash cycle. The second was that I noticed the spray when landing on my lawn and beech hedge was stunting growth - the lawn developed yellow spots and the beech hedge stopped growing! This was a mild snow foam! I am glad to say that, after ceasing to use the snow foam, both the hedge and lawn are doing well. The spray I am referring to was when rinsing with clean water - obviously I was not spraying neat foam into my lawn! It made me wonder what it might be doing to my hands?

Anyway, snow foam, power washers and the like are a thing that appeals to the Cave Man in me. Like BBQing.

Have fun,

Arianne

PS. IMHO, once you have perused and then invested in a water de-ioniser / purifier for your car you probably have OCD. Go carefully out there fellow forum members.

PPS. No, I don't own a water purifier!
 
#24 ·
why do I get the feeling your lawn looks like the grass on centre court before the first day of play at Wimbledon :)
 
#25 ·
Arianne said:
Power washers: I like them but remember that the machines are built to do lots of things, including blasting your patio clean! So go easy with the pressure, angle and jet setting otherwise you could do more harm than good. If all you want to do with your pressure washer is wash your car then you don't need the most powerful unit in the world.
If you haven't yet seen the clip, about 18 minutes in, on last Sunday's new Top Gear, then take a look . . . that's definitely not how to pressure wash your car!!! :shock: :eek: :shock:
 
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