Heavily Washed: 2009 Honda Element

[Emile]

This vehicle was just heavily dirty and was heavily washed. It is my brother's 2009 Honda Element, with a little over 12,000 miles on it and it has only been washed TWICE at a local car wash.

It doesn't look that bad but it was disgustingly dirty from all the highway miles and off-road driving from work, and it's only an exterior clean and quick wax because it was so dirty it took me the whole day. Plus I wanted to enjoy the nice weather so I took my time on it.

Here we go....super dirty car pictures.

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Karcher pressure washer hooked up and ready to go. Bucket filled with 4oz Optimum Car Wash and 2oz Optimum No Rinse w/4 gallons water, Karcher Detergent Foamer w/2oz Optimum Car Wash and 2oz ONR w/4oz water, Mothers FX Wheel Cleaner, another wheel cleaner, Meguiar's Super Degreaser 4:1 w/Tolco Foaming Sprayer, and bucket of wheel brushes!
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Sprayed Mothers FX Wheel Cleaner all over the wheel, tire, wheel well, and inner barrel.
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Rinsed!
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Pressure-washing the back wheel after spray Mothers FX Wheel Cleaner!
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All four wheels after a simply spray and rinse.
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Ready to break out the wheel brushes. Walmart Tire Brush, AutoZone Stiff-Bristle Wheel Brush, AutoZone "Fluffy" Wheel Brush, SM Arnold Spoke Wheel Brush.
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Optimum Car Wash/ONR mixture still foaming after a long time.
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Sprayed a different wheel cleaner on tires, wheels, wheel wells, and inner wheel barrells again.
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Brushin' that tire!
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[Emile]

Brushin' that wheel!
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Got some suds from the bucket of Optimum Car Wash (all brushes dwelling in there when they weren't being used).
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Bent the AutoZone Fluffy Brush in a L-shape to get behind the wheel spokes.
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Using the SM Arnold Spoke Wheel Brush to scrub the inner wheel barrels...good scrubbing power from stiff bristles, thin profile to squeeze between the brake rotor and the wheel, and easily reaches all the way through the wheel.
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Spraying down the wheel well with Meguiar's Super Degreaser 4:1 w/Tolco Foaming Sprayer.
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Nice coat of foam all over the wheel well.
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Pressure-rinsed the wheel, and did the same process with the remaining three wheels. Then hooked up the Karcher Detergent Foamer attachment and sprayed the Optimum Car Wash/ONR/water mixture on all four wheels/wells and the lower trim of the vehicle. Not much foam generated from the Foamer...worse foam than the foam cannon and it used up all the product in the little 8oz container way fast.
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Clean wheels and wheel wells! I did not have to use my wheel well brush, thank God. I did not want this car to ruin my brush!
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Loaded up my two foam cannon containers each with 2oz Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss and 2oz Optimum No Rinse. Bucket got filled with 8oz Citrus Wash & Gloss and 2oz ONR.
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Filled up the foam cannon containers to the rim with water, and then added 8oz P21S Total Auto Wash to the wash bucket.
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Back outside, I broke out two bottles of Surf City Garage Road Trip Grime Destroyer diluted 1:1, and two bottles of P21S Total Auto Wash at full strength.
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Pre-soaked the whole car (one side at a time, starting with this one below) with Grime Destroyer 1:1 and P21S TAW.
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Then pressure-washed it all off.
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Now onto the next side of the vehicle, in this case the rear.
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Vehicle had no wax protection left at all, but the glass was beading and sheeting water nicely thanks to semi-frequent cleanings with Stoner Invisible Glass and Optimum Car Wax.
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Beading of the water on the glass, and the rear wiper pattern outlines just how much disgusting crap was on the car that even P21S TAW and Grime Destroyer (working TOGETHER) could not remove.
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[Emile]

I let the vehicle dry up on its own and then did a finger swipe test ...still lots of dirt and grime but the pre-soak really helped a lot and helped loosen all the dirt.
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Wash Media! Walmart Wheel Well Brush for lower plastic trim and grill and wiper cowl and etc. etc., Lake Country Grout Sponge for most of the vehicle, Pinnacle Bug & Tar Sponge for door handles and trunk release handle, Microfiber Wash Mitt for lower trim and mirrors and other areas, and finally Walmart Extendable Wash Brush for the roof of the vehicle.
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Autogeek's Quick Connect Kit and Adapters!
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Makes switching from my pressure washer to my foam gun to my Firehose nozzle (not pictured) super easy.
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FOAMATION NATION!
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Washed the whole vehicle...soap was almost completely dried up on most of the vehicle, except for the front which is the last area I had washed.
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Pulled out foam cannon container #1 and popped in container #2 for a final foam-down...I'm like a child, I can't get enough of it.
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Went back to the pressure washer, this time using the rotating nozzle. Spins the water in a circular stream for larger coverage and better agitation.
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Dried the vehicle with a California Water Blade and a bunch of Waffle Weave Drying Towels.
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The finished product: pulled into the garage, did an alcohol wipe-down, cleaned the glass with Stoner Invisible Glass, spray-waxed with Optimum Car Wax, and applied Four Star Ultimate Tire Protectant Spray to the tires.
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[Emile]

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Vehicle came out nice and clean overall. But the paintwork definitely needs more TLC. If I had more time I would have clayed it, polished by hand, and then applied sealant but oh well, that's for another day.

The interior is filthy too, but that's also for another day.

Tomorrow is time to wash the G35. :righton:

[Blackfire]

Wow! :applause:

That's an impressively thorough wash, Emile.

And what an arsenal of tools and cleaners. I was taking inventory on the brushes. Thanks for listing and identifying what works best for you.

Thanks for taking the time to write this up. It's very educational and serves as a reminder to me, "get it clean before you move on to the next step".

One question for you. What product would you use on the lower plastic trim package?

[ryandamartini]

certainly alot of effort for a wash. I usually go the route of a cap of bug squash in a stronger than normal concentrated wash.

Good job nonetheless.

[Emile]

Thanks guys. The wash had excessive steps, it was more to just show the options and process and such for a heavily dirty vehicle. Only having had 2 washes over the course of 12,000 miles and a harsh NJ winter really makes the dirt build up.

Blackfire, if I really wanted that trim to be 100% clean, I would have sprayed Meg's Super Degreaser 4:1 or Meg's APC+ 4:1 and brushed it with the brush, and then rinsed it off. I'm still on the lookout for a good trim protectant that will actually last for a while.

[sal329]

That was an intense wash, looks a heck of a lot better

[nitro78]

good write up and i have to say the more i use ocw the more i love it. it is simply a great looking wax.

[killrflake]

You certainly put a lot of work the cleanup of that Honda and the results reflect the effort given it. Maybe its time to have a sitdown with the owner and explain the basics of car washing and the two bucket method and don't forget to mention a vacuum can be his friend also. Kind of makes me wonder why someone would buy a new car and then run it into the ground.

[harshest]

I'm just as impressed with your "garage" as I am with your washing process.