Do it your self drive thru car wash HORROR!!

[mwoolfso]

I think most people will wind up dismissing feedback because of how "personal" a car is to them and secondly, how much they really care about "cleaning" their car. To the vast majority of folks, "detailing" is a fancy word for "clean", and of course everyone knows how to clean. lol

[david11g35]

I sometimes do give tips depending if the person looks friendly and they won't take it the wrong way...

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[Blackthorn One]

Originally Posted by Jennytay

My step dad has washed his car with dawn dish soap and called it a day. I tried to explain to him what it can do to his clear coat and why he should use wax after washing. He let me know he worked in a body shop and that what he used and his paint will be fine. I don't know if its because I'm 20 or a woman but he thinks he knows way more than I do when it comes to detailing. I hate what he puts his car through to where I bought him tons of products to use on it. All of my friends go through automatic car washes or dry it with bathroom towels if they don't just leave it in the sun after they wash it. No aftercare for the paint at all. People don't know the slightest things they do are hurting their paint.

I must say that there is no point to buying such a man a ton of products. This seems like a man who likes things simple. A lot of old timers just washed cars with water, without soap. This was before clear coat, though. They believe just because they have so much experience that they know better. Not necessarily.


The best thing to do with him is to buy him only a FEW basic, quality products and show him how to use them, and how they are better.
Something like a grit guard bucket, hose nozzle, car wash soap, drying towels, vinyl rubber protectant and foam applicators for same, perhaps a boar's hair wheel brush (Because they make wheel cleaning so much faster and easier) wheel cleaner, and perhaps some interior cleaner. I doubt he would even use the two bucket method.


Teach him to rinse the mitt with the hose before putting it back into the wash bucket. I have been doing it that way for over 20 years, and the proof of the effectiveness of this method is that the wash water is almosyt as clean as when I stsrted, with about a third of a dime sized amount of grit at the bottom when I am done. The wash water itself is clear. In conjunction witha grit guard bucket, the rinse the pad between panels before putting it back in the wash bucket method should prevent any major damage.

I would not expect him to clay, and I doubt he likes to wax, either. If he was willing to wax, get him a sealant , perhaps like Opti Seal, or maybe you should Opti Coat it for him. I suspect you would end up doing the waxing if it is to be done right.

[psnt1ol]

I witnessed this today even though it was not drive thru Car wash related.

I was at a client's house doing some maintenance work on his 911 today. His neighbor across the street pulled up to her driveway in a BMW and motioned her gardener to come over. A few words were exchanged and the next thing I know.... the gardener emptied out his bucket of dirt and filled it with water. The gardener then proceeded to wipe down the car. This was out in the open and in the hot sun with no lube of any sort.

My client and I looked at each other in disbelieve. I made the comment " Wow!!! A gardener who is also a detailer. God Bless America". We chuckled a bit after but at least the gardener used a clean towel.

[Blackthorn One]

Originally Posted by mwoolfso

I think most people will wind up dismissing feedback because of how "personal" a car is to them and secondly, how much they really care about "cleaning" their car. To the vast majority of folks, "detailing" is a fancy word for "clean", and of course everyone knows how to clean. lol

It's true. Almost everyone can clean a a car, except for those people who miss huge spots because they are too lazy to overlap their strokes, and then when it is time to dry, they don't rewash those areas, they just wipe the dirt off at the same time they dry the car.
I saw my parent's daughter do that once. I told her she missed a spot and to rewash it. She was too lazy. It didn't matter to her. Of course, dish soap was used, or maybe laundry detergent. At least she used soap.

Almost anyone can clean a car, but can they clean it SAFELY, while preserving the finish and the value of the car? Are they thorough enough to clean all the crevices? That is what a detailing wash is.

Sure, you can clean a car with a brillo pad, and it's really easy to do, the FIRST time. The second time and every time after, it gets more and more difficult, because the dirt and grime are getting trapped in the scratches that they put in the finish by using the brillo pad, which only gets worse every time they clean it. It is more difficult to wash because they don't wax enough. They think the time to wax is after the car looks dull.

This is why people's clear coat fails, because it take a LONG time for a clear coated car to get dull, so by the time they get around to waxing then, it is too late.
Because people are used to waxing after they wait too long, it's very difficult to do , they loather it, so it only puts off waxing even longer.

There are other people who have the opposite problem. They wax their cars 4 or 5 times a year with cleaner waxes that contain polish, so after a few years, they have worn the paint down to the primer on the fenders.

At least the person at the car wash didn't use the widow squeegee on their paint....

[VISITOR]

i've seen people use the window squeegie on the paint, nothing surprises me anymore. maybe i'll come across someone doing this one day...

How not to wash a car - YouTube

[Blackthorn One]

There are even commercials advocating poor washing techniques.

Kid Wash - YouTube

I posted this elsewhere also.

[Jennytay]

Originally Posted by BigAl3

i've seen people use the window squeegie on the paint, nothing surprises me anymore. maybe i'll come across someone doing this one day...

How not to wash a car - YouTube

This happened when I was rinsing the mud off of my truck at a car wash. He was rinsing underneath his 4runner and it got away from him.

[stangfreak]

I have seen my neighbor use the same wash mit to wash his wheels and tires and then his car. At least he did have two buckets lol

I then witnessed a car wash at hooter's that they set up with car club's. Nice to watch but I didnt let them wash my cobra. I saw the girl dry the car off with a towel, then place it on the GROUND, picked it up and continued to dry the car with that towel. I had a heart attack watching it

[rockinrandall]

Reading these posts has brought a smile to my face. It's funny how some people think driving through a car wash is "detailing" a car. My family wants car details as birthday and Christmas presents. It makes me feel great to do it too!
My Pops and I used to have contests to see who could get his own car the cleanest. He was(is), after all, my teacher. He's 70 now and we still get together for a skirmish. The best thing in the world was showing him how to polish out headlight lenses. Well, that is until he showed me how to wet sand them out....almost had him.
I think telling someone at a car wash they're doing it wrong is best handled like Klass Act said. It's all how you carry yourself. You come across like a know-it-all and people can take offense. Come across like you're trying to help and show them, entirely different results.