Car wash in the dark

**lokerola** · 10-24-2014, 05:57 AM

You know you're into detailing when you wash your black car before work in the morning. In the dark. I'd show you pictures, but uh....it's a black car. In the dark.

It probably sounds crazy, but I've washed it so many times I know the exact routine (top, trunk, sides, etc) so I wasn't too worried about missing spots. I'm usually tired when I get home from work and my son wants to play and wife wants to watch TV together. By the time I'm free to wash the car in the evening it's pitch dark outside and all I want to do is go to sleep. At least in the mornings I start when it's totally dark and by the time I'm finished the sun is just rising.

Anyway - more power to my fellow in-the-dark-car-washers!

Mike Phillips · 10-24-2014, 06:24 AM

When I lived in Apple Valley, California, that's in the Mojave Desert, I would wash our black car early in the morning while it was still dark.

The reason being is because it would be the coolest time of the day. The temperature we be the lowest, 90+ and the wind the lowest so less drying via air movement.

My neighbor, a Police Officer, would always be up early to not being a "car guy" thought I was crazy.

But yeah... sometimes you have to do what you have to do...

Later I turned our garage into a car wash bay just to get out of the sun and the wind. (It's windy in the desert).

Here's my article on this topic... forgot I wrote this until I searched images via Google and found it,

Washing car in garage mike phillips

Originally Posted by Mike Phillips

Washing Cars Inside of Your Garage

When I lived in Apple Valley, California back when I was working for Meguiar's and before coming to work for Autogeek, it was difficult to wash your car anytime other than early morning due to the heat, sun and wind. Apple Valley is in the high California Desert, part of the Mojave Desert so it's always windy and VERY dusty.

Temperatures in the summer were always hot throughout the day and the night and the coolest part of the day would always be early morning.

This made washing a car difficult, especially if the car was dark in color.

The Solution?

I washed cars in my garage.

I had purchased a EZ-Up Canopy that came with 3 side wall curtains for mobile detailing and when I would take these plastic curtains and attach them to the sides of the walls to keep water from getting on all the stuff stored in your typical garage.

Worked for me...

If water pools on the floor instead of running outside then you can use a broom or get a floor squeegee and squeegee out the water after your final rinse, anything left will evaporate fast enough...

**HD.Detailing** · 10-24-2014, 06:30 AM

I always wash the cars in the garage, much easier than dealing with the sun.

Sent from my Alien ship

Mike Phillips · 10-24-2014, 06:32 AM

Little tidbit of car detailing history....

See the Dual Grit Guard Bucket System in the above picture?

Like most people back when I was using the dual bucket system with two wheeled-dollies, I contacted Doug Lamb at Grit Guard and told him my idea of finding a way to join the two dollies together so when I moved one bucket around the car I would move both bucket at the same time. Instead of wasting time and energy moving two independent buckets to follow me as I worked around a car.

Due having an artificial leg I tend to look at all the "steps" I take and try to arrange things to reduce steps, not increase steps.

A few weeks later he sent me what is now called and sold as the,

Diamond Plate Dolly Connector

Not a big deal but that's where the Diamond Plate Dolly connector came from.

I've been around so many different aspects of the detailing industry since the 1980's that I've collected tons of little tidbits of history on the detailing industry. Bob, (President and CEO of AG), told me I should write a coffee table book someday documenting all this stuff in my head.

**Setec Astronomy** · 10-24-2014, 06:47 AM

Dang Mike, I guess you invented that one before anyone else got up in the morning! Great story.

Mike Phillips · 10-24-2014, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

Dang Mike, I guess you invented that one before anyone else got up in the morning! Great story.

The underlying reason for the dolly connector would be called lazy....

**Setec Astronomy** · 10-24-2014, 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

The underlying reason for the dolly connector would be called lazy....

You're too modest, Mike.

**SilverRebel** · 10-24-2014, 08:00 AM

You should change the word lazy to efficient.
I was told quite a while ago, “if you want to find the most efficient way to complete a project; ask the laziest guy in the office for help”.

**Setec Astronomy** · 10-24-2014, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by SilverRebel

You should change the word lazy to efficient.

I think Mike already hit that in his original post:

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

Due having an artificial leg I tend to look at all the "steps" I take and try to arrange things to reduce steps, not increase steps.

Then he got modest and described it as "laziness"

**alanG40** · 10-24-2014, 08:45 AM

I'm guilty of washing my car in the dark.
But I had detailed it only a day previous and just got back from a late night drive on our wonderful parkway.

What was I going to do, leave the bugs on it?
As if!

I even broke out the flashlight afterwards to make sure I go it clean