Wash and wax on a hot day

[natewood70]

I've washed mine and my wife's car in direct sunlight for quite some time now. Once I get the hose out, foam gun ready, and buckets filled up (2BM + 1 for the wheels/tires) I can perform a complete wash & wax with D156 on one vehicle in about 35 - 40 minutes.

If the sun is really cooking, I just continue to wet the panel(s) that are getting hit the hardest frequently to help reduce the potential of water spots.

The steps I take are as follows:

1. Wash/Rinse wheels & tires
2. High pressure rinse the car
3. Foam gun the car and let dwell for about 2 minutes (this gives me time to rinse out and clean my wheel/tire washing gear)
4. Start top down washing the car and after both sides of the wash mitt have been utilized, hit the rinse bucket and then re-invigorate with wash solution
4a. (If Necessary) continue to hose down panels in direct sunlight during mitt rinses
5. High pressure rinse the car
6. Perform "flood" method rinse to reduce the amount of standing water beads
7. Spray D156 on panels in direct sunlight & dry those and windows first
8. Work my way around the car lightly misting the panels with D156 so I essentially wax as I dry

Hope this helps out!

[Scottie Brown]

I live in Phoenix and have this problem. Even in the winter the sun makes the paint too hot to work with in direct sunlight. Honestly, the easiest thing to do is to wax in shade so if a carport or garage isn't available, an EZ Up type canopy is really handy (as mentioned above).

I started using Optimum No Rinse with distilled water, a chenille microfiber wash mitt, and good quality microfiber towels to dry. This allows you to easily, throughly and quickly wash your car with little mess and no water spots in direct sunlight.

I then try to move the car into the shade and let the paint cool down while doing the door jambs or vacuuming in the meantime. I then use HD speed AIO when it is hot. You need to make sure you are using a pad conditioner or quick Detailer to keep it from drying on the warm surface. McKees might be better in direct sunlight, as someone else mentioned. I honestly stopped trying anything in direct sunlight here. If I must do it, though, I use a wet chamois on the panel I am about to work on and quickly use my DA polisher on that side while moving the chamois to the next panel.

I've also become a huge fan of Menzerna Power Lock as a paint sealer in place of a wax. You can wax before and top it with this, but for most cars, it isn't really needed as the Menzerna is easy to apply with a DA polisher and easy to wipe off after 30 minutes. Just make sure you apply it in a thin amount or it can be a bear to get off. In direct sunlight it applies pretty well but I think the cure time is cut in half to about 15-20 minutes.

That's how I've been doing it here in The Valley of the Sun anyway. I hope that helps a bit. Others might have better advice but after a lot of trial and error, this method has been working well for me.


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[ducksfan]

Meguiars Ultimate Paste Wax is a good sealant that can be applied in the sun.

[Scottie Brown]

Meguiars Ultimate Paste Wax is a good sealant that can be applied in the sun.

I second that. It does work pretty well. Since it is a polymer wax and not a carnauba wax, it spreads well and doesn't dry too quickly. I have used it a couple of times in the sun and it did well.


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[Route246]

McKee's 37 360 Corrects, Cleans, Seals 360 corrects, cleans, and seals auto paint! 360 is more than a cleaner wax, its a swirl remover, polish, and

McKee's 360 AIO direct from the product description: "Polish McKee's 37 360™ until it disappears. It leaves no stubborn haze. Even when applied in the sun, McKee's 37 360™ is a breeze to apply and remove."

I don't waste time with finicky, perfect-conditions-required products anymore. I can't control the weather, the time of day or the amount of sun. 360 works under the sun. It will remove any new water spots you have at the same time.

[Scottie Brown]

McKee's 37 360 Corrects, Cleans, Seals 360 corrects, cleans, and seals auto paint! 360 is more than a cleaner wax, its a swirl remover, polish, and

McKee's 360 AIO direct from the product description: "Polish McKee's 37 360 until it disappears. It leaves no stubborn haze. Even when applied in the sun, McKee's 37 360 is a breeze to apply and remove."

I don't waste time with finicky, perfect-conditions-required products anymore. I can't control the weather, the time of day or the amount of sun. 360 works under the sun. It will remove any new water spots you have at the same time.

Wow. Sounds like a great product! I need to give that a try myself. It's the one problem I have with HD Speed. In direct sunlight it hazes quickly and is hard to remove - even with ONR spray.

How does it hold up as a sealer, though? So,e products claim to seal as an AIO but only last a few days to a few weeks. I know McKee's makes some quality products, though some I'm guessing it does a job, right?

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[Route246]

Wow. Sounds like a great product! I need to give that a try myself. It's the one problem I have with HD Speed. In direct sunlight it hazes quickly and is hard to remove - even with ONR spray.

How does it hold up as a sealer, though? So,e products claim to seal as an AIO but only last a few days to a few weeks. I know McKee's makes some quality products, though some I'm guessing it does a job, right?

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Not sure how well it holds up on its own but I top it with Collinite 476S paste and use CG V07 as a drying aid when I wash. Washing is a dream, nothing sticks with all three of these layers. 3-yo Prius parked outside in the California sun.

[Scottie Brown]

Not sure how well it holds up on its own but I top it with Collinite 476S paste and use CG V07 as a drying aid when I wash. Washing is a dream, nothing sticks with all three of these layers. 3-yo Prius parked outside in the California sun.

Nice one. Thank you for the info and your experience. I'm always looking for the best way to get the job done right in these extreme Phoenix elements.


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[LSNAutoDetailing]

Nice one. Thank you for the info and your experience. I'm always looking for the best way to get the job done right in these extreme Phoenix elements.


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Plus the thing I'm learning after moving from New Hampshire to AZ is there is no humidity. So how one product may work in NH or FL (with humidity) doesn't mean it will work the same with a stronger angle of the sun and 12% humidity. Good idea to use a conditioner with Speed, I'm sure it will dry up on the pad pretty quickly out here.

[PaulMys]

Plus the thing I'm learning after moving from New Hampshire to AZ is there is no humidity. So how one product may work in NH or FL (with humidity) doesn't mean it will work the same with a stronger angle of the sun and 12% humidity. Good idea to use a conditioner with Speed, I'm sure it will dry up on the pad pretty quickly out here.

I was just going to say this Paul. Here in NY, I can work with HD Speed in the noon sun with zero worries.

Out in AZ?? Sheez. And like you said, FL has almost as hot weather but with 110% humidity. Lol
Hard to believe that any kind of product would work in direct sun where the temps are 110+.