I recently had my car compounded,waxed and so on by a professional and let me tell you the car looks better than a new car(at least that's what my neighbors say)
he also washed my engine,i'll post pics once i upload them.He also gave me advise on "how to wash the car",so 2 days ago I did as I was told,I used a pressure washer and gave my car a good rinsing(about 10 mins)make sure all the loose dirt was gone(no soap or anything,wax will last longer) ,then just dry the car.I did this by removing most of the water with a shamy and the finish off with a terry cloth.

 

:gheywave:

 

Washing as defined by Autopia:
Not saying it's the wrong process, just pointing out other options. If you feel comfortable with it and like the results, that's all that matters. I don't know how much grime and film can be removed by using just a pressure washer.

Anyway, most of the car wash solutions or shampoos are gentle, will not remove or degrade any type of protective layer (sealant/wax) and has the strength to clean road film and grime. A simple method to rinsing and drying is to hose it off with a steady stream of water and let it sheet over the surface. There isn't that much residual water and simply finish it off with a MF WW towel. BTW, did your detailer mention what he used and was anything recommended to maintain the vehicle i.e. wax/sealnt, QD, etc.? And are you using anything particular to maintain that "just washed" look other than washing and dry?

 

^ ^ Yeah. Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist here, but based on your post, my cynical guess would be that he gave you that advice to ensure he'd get a call back for more polishing business.

 

that's what i thought,i'll try it out this way and see what happens. He used carnuba wax,should i use a polymer next time?

 

As stated in numeorus threads, polymers have longevity and durability over most 'Nubas and can match them in shine and reflectivity. Topping off a polymer with a 'Nuba has become an accepted practice and the results have been no less than stunning. I would say give it a shot and see if you like it. You've got nothing to lose. FYI, most of the products that are mentioned are purchased from online detail sites.

 

What polymer is highly recomended?

 

There are a number of polymers on the market like Klasse, Poorboys, Four Star, Wolfgang, Optimum & Zaino just to mention a few. I personally, as do a few of the other guys, favor 4 Star UPP. Browse through some of the posts by JackieO, VroomVroom, Sweet Jazz, Exceldetail, NSXNext & joerockt to get an idea of what folks use.

 

What are your thoughts on Mequires Gold?

 

Meguiar's Gold is a carnauba blend if I am not mistaken.

 

Im aganst powerwashing a car that has a good layer(s) of protection on it. I've see what it can do to carnuaba.

The only time I break out the PW is when Im going to do a head to toe exterior detail.

 

I dont use a pressure washer either, I have one for a year now and probably only tried it out once. Do you really think pressure washing a car will keep the wax on longer? What happens when you still have specs of dirt that was stuck on and now you're wiping the car dry with that spec of dirt. It'll scratch the paint and you'll have to come back to the guy to get a nice polish again.

 

you're doing the same thing with that spec of dirt washing with a mit.

 

The combination of the car shampoo and the plush nap of the wash mitt removes the dirt and embeds it in the mitt. When you rinse the mitt, you do it in a separate bucket of water so that the dirt loosens and falls out of the mitt. THen the mitt is ready to be dipped into car shampoo again and used on the paint

It's different from drying paint that still has dirt on it.

 

just make sure you dont use dawn or any dish detergents on the car. itll strip the wax.

 

And dry your paint and trim.

 

Use pressure washers to save time and conserve water.

Got a silver car. Half the time, go to the self-serve, 2.5 minutes work, and air dry on the highway. The car is not clean, but looks clean. I don't use towels for this type of wash. The self serve has big volume in gallons per minute, but not high pressure. Self serve has water conditioning, reducing spots. Friend owns the wash, this is what he does for his cars between details.

Bucket washing, use a lame Sears washer a big distance from the car. Not hitting the car with high pressure, just saving water. Tires and wheels, pound up close. Probablly using 2 gallons per minute instead of 10, works for me.

Sorry, total thread hijack