I get so tired of going to the car wash and the 6mt is some grand experiment for the kids. When they stall it they laugh and I cringe. One day I'll move from the condo and the first thing I'll do is wash it myself.

 

Hootie, just go to a spray and wash..bring a bucket and do it yourself. One time I had "kids" wash my car...not my TL btw...and they used a dirty sponge with grit or something, and scratched my paint. Try going back with a claim..lots of luck!! Let the kids wash their own cars, I'll do my own. From what I've seen, a car wash on saturday is just one big party for most kids, they could care less about your paint, and most don't know squat about car care anyway.

 

You're a brave one. I don't let anyone drive but myself at the moment. Let alone a kid at a car wash. I'd be afraid of what they'd do...

 

To wallaceoh;

I'm with you for sure on that.


To hootie;

If you must use a carwash, take it to a brushless one (nothing but liquids touch the car). Find a good one and use it, not one that uses rags or brushes, or kids who take your car through the thing.

As a word of caution, though. Be careful even of these. Try to find one that doesn't have one of those "ramps" your driver's side tire has to be driven up on. I have had one tear a 1/2 inch cut in a tire in a former car once.

 

The best thing to do is spend 30 minutes to wash it yourself..

its great, nice to be outside..you can inspect your car, fall in love with it again, and i find it very theraputic and a nice break from being in the office all day.

come home in evening when sun is going down so you dont get evaporated water marks...

it costs 10-25 dollars for a car wash around bay area, and it often takes 15-20 minutes to do, while you could spend a little bit more time at home and do it yourself...

If you dont have an area to do it yourself, go to one of those car wash places where you can park you car there and use their water...and their high pressure hoses (not that dirty ass brush however...dont even think about using that)

 

I would never let anyone besides myself wash my car and I would suggest the same for you. Touch free drive through washs are good. G'luck!

 

I actually love washing my own TL, but, when winter sends the temperature down to the low 20's - forget it! I'll use the touchless ones then. Washing it yourself also gives you a chance to look for new dings - that's the bad side of doing it yourself.

 

30 minutes to wash a TL? It takes me almost that long just to do the tires and wheels. About 1.5 hours is the amount of time I take when washing my car. I can't seem to get that down much.

 

I take 4 hours to go through the whole detailing process...no interior.

 

Washing car vs detailing car are two different activities... Here is my process...

(fyi i hate swirls or watermarks)

During morning or evening (not in full sun)
1 Spray down car really well, get as much off as possible
2 get soapy lambskin mit and bucket
3 starting with top of car wash it using vertical lines with car, (NO CIRCLES...DONT DO CIRCLE ONLY STRAIGHT LINES WITH THE CAR)
4 start at top and as moving down the car, switch to a sponge
5 spray wheels with wheel cleaner, do not touch
6 spray down car
7 use window wiper to get as much water as possible off windows (about 90% is ok)
9 get chamois and dry car (AGAIN DO IT WITH THE LINES ITS SOOO IMPORTANT)
10 clean off wheels, hose or sponges are ok...
11 dry car off perfectly

this should be done pretty quickly...i wash my car often so its not a big deal, and I keep it well waxed, that helps it to stay clean.

dont spend so much on wheels, they get dirty in 1 hour of driving from break dust, dirt, and general grime...

 

Jerky,
what type of wax do you recommend?

 

Takes me the same amount of time to do the outside as well.

 

when I had to go to the car wash in colder weather I would take a bucket filled with warm water and soap with me from the house. So I would'nt freeze my hands off washing!

 

Is it possible at all to scratch with Cali waterblade ??

 

ONE TIME. That's all it took. In desperation I took my TL to a soft brush car wash, the kind that pulls your car through. I asked the guy if the tire guide rails would be a problem for my rims with the low profile tires. "Naw, we do it all the time" he said. The car came out and the rims were scraped all the way around and only on the side with the guide rails. I raised hell, they said they were like that when I brought the car in and gave me the number to their attorney.
I'll have the rims repaired when I change to winter tires but I would STRONGLY recommend staying away from ANY car wash. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than you do collecting for damage from a car wash.

 

Acura dealers clean it for free, if you're lucky they clean it by hand ( i have had nothing but the best experience with my dealer)... free car washes for life save me lots of $$$$

 

I use the waterblade and it's great! Cuts drying time by at least half ... (As well as the number of towels I go through.) Just be careful when you're working curves that you don't scrape the side of the blade (where the silicone meets the plastic) against your paint and you should be fine.


edit: Hey mods is there a reason why some of my text keeps falling off the end? It doesn't happen all the time, but alot .. it looks like I'm wrapping text off screen. Is there a setting I'm missing?

 

Moving to Wash & Wax

 

I dont use the nice stuff, just meguires Gold brand...

I take good care of the car, but I dont use Zaino...

 

You can scratch the car with a kleenex if the car is dirty...
remember its usually the dirt that will scartch the car.

i dont use the Cal wiper blade, i prefer the nice soft chamois

You should never use the cal wiper blade if there is just a remote amount of dirt on the car...

I hear the best way to dry car is with a leaf blower...

 

I totally agree, no one touches my ride except me.....

go to a spray wash and bring your own shit.... or if you let stupid kids wash it, go buy a cheap $1 sponge and then give it to them to wash your ride...

 

~One man’s opinion / observations~

Protectalls Quick & Easy Wash (QEW) is non-abrasive; it safely loosens then its dirt-encapsulating ingredients will lift the dirt from the surface eliminating the need to use a water hose. QEW is as effective as a regular wash, whenever there is a water shortage, cold weather washing, as it takes less time, or a water hose is not available (condominiums, car shows, etc)

(QEW) Application Methodology:

a) Mix 2oz of QEW thoroughly in the wash bucket.
·After saturating mitt, wash one panel at a time, wiping in the one direction only, and no circular movements.
·Work from the top down (i.e. cleaner to dirtier surfaces)
·Wash a section at a time then just chamois, towel or squeegee dry
·Use a Microfiber waffle weave towel, rinse in warm, clean water and wring out as much moisture as possible, fold the towel in half and then half again
·Dry panel with towel while allowing the first mitt to soak in wash solution and proceed to the next panel.
·Alternate mitts ensuring that they are rinsed toughly and wrung out before placing them in wash solution (this will avoid dilution of solution)
·Work your way around vehicle until all panels have been cleaned / dried
·Clean glass surfaces by using a damp Microfiber glass cloth on both inside and exterior surfaces.

b) If your car is very dirty use a higher concentrate of QEW solution (2.5-3.0oz)
·After soaking mitt in solution, put solution into a spray bottle, spray panel with QEW
·Let panels soak before using the method outlined above
·Change water as often as is necessary (dependant upon need/availability)


QEW dries clear but for a just detailed look, once washing / drying has been completed spray panel with a quick detailing spray with a clean damp towel and finally buff with a Microfiber buffing towel.

I would advise taking the vehicle to a facility that has an underbody spray, or use your pressure washer to remove road salt /dirt from the under carriage

~Hope this helps~

Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]
justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM

 

sounds like you've never heard horror stories with dealer washing....oh well good luck

 

It IS possible if you washed and did not soap. The soap suds lifts the dirt and grime from the paint and you end up washing it off during the rinse. A next to invisible film of grime remains in the clearcoat until the soap suds softens it up an and lifts it especially on those with minimal wax or sealants on their finish.
A friend of mine who never cares for his Audi's appearance just blasts his car with the hose then uses his CWB to dry it off without soaping or scrubbing. His CWB believe it or not, has scratches on the part that touches the car.

 

Simple answer, YES you can... I've done it.. Innoying as hell.... one scratch across the hood.. I had to buff the scratch out with the PC... I was a firm believer in the Cali blade until that one day I scratched the paint, since then it has been used for windows only!!!



enjoy

 

I have never had a problem with any squeegee, Cali blade included.

I use hair shampoo for car wash - it is very mild, and effective, without stripping wax. It uses the same coconut extract that P21S uses, but is far less expensive. I got a hge bottle of Tresemme for a few bucks in the clearance section of a drugstore. The shampoo is very concentrated - a little produces lots of suds, and floats off effectively.

I posted on the active ingredient preciously -search for the details if interested.

 

~One man’s opinion / observations~

Car Duster:
The best known brand (California Car Duster) it can be used to remove pollen or light dust without causing scratches by applying very little surface pressure with the duster, dusting with long strokes in one direction only. Shake the duster occasionally to ensure any particles picked up will drop out rather than come to the surface while your using it.

It important to use the duster only for the removal of dry surface dust, if the vehicle has oily road film, road tar, damp pollen or dust, etc it should be washed.

When the duster is first purchased it should be wrapped in newspaper to remove any excess paraffin wax, the duster should not be washed, the dirtier it gets the better it works (I've been using mine now for almost five years without it being washed)

~Hope this helps~

Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]
justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM

 

TO, your close, but hes inquiring about the CWB, not duster ! Good advice nonetheless.....!