Am I missing something? First car wash didn't go well...

[ValleyEquine]

I'm new to the forum and new to car detailing. I have pretty much no experience whatsover! After trading in my first car, a beater, for a 2014 Chevy Sonic, I've been researching a lot about how to keep it looking good.

Since we brought my car home I've done several hose-only rinses with my hose nozzle set to the "jet" setting, to rinse off bug, bird bombs, grass cutting debris, etc. My car has stayed looking pretty nice doing this for about three weeks.

Yesterday I got my first delivery from the Autogeek store and was excited to try out some stuff, so today I did a real wash for the first time. It was sort of a disaster.

I bought supplies to do the thorough cleaning process...Cleansing soap, iron x, clay bar, polish, sealant, spray wax...but today I didn't have time to do that whole process so I just gave my car a bath using Meg's Ultimate Wash and Wax, which I also ordered from Autogeek and had planned on using as my "normal" car wash between full detailings.

First problem...I feel really wasteful rinsing my mitt when it is still full of wet soapy suds. Do I just need to get over this if I don't want to hurt my paint? How often I am supposed to rinse?
Now, the first time I dip my mitt into my bucket of clean water to rinse, my rinse bucket looks almost as soapy as my wash bucket. Am I supposed to change water in the rinse bucket with every rinse my mitt?

Next...when do I rinse and dry the car? I started washing from the top down, rinsing as I went...with free flowing water...but by the time I finished one side of the car and moved to the next the roof was already drying with ugly water spots. Or maybe wax spots? Do wash/wax combos tend to look spotty when drying?

So then I started over. Washed the roof, rinsed the roof, tried to dry the roof.

How the heck does the rest of the world use microfiber towels to dry cars? I started with cheaper Walmart towels...figured I could save some money but made sure the towels caught on the skin of my fingers, had soft edges, etc. Well, they were pretty much worthless for drying. So I got out the two gray Supreme 530 Microfiber Towels that Autogeek included in the clay kit I bought. They worked a little better. I was able to soak the majority of the water of my car, but I couldn't actually dry my car. As soon as any section of the cloth was just slightly damp, its like it would just spread around a thin film of spotty water on my car. Again, was this going on because of the Wash/Wax?

So now that I've got my roof washed rinsed and sort of dried I move onto a door. But wait! When I rinse my door, soapy water splashes back on to my roof! Which has already been sort of dried. This process continues pretty much the whole way around the car. It was like a never ending game of chase your own tail. My simple car wash took forever, and I don't really think my car looks any better.

I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. I feel like I need either need to hire 5 people to wash and sort of dry all parts of my car at once, or wash my car with a toothbrush and rinse with a waterpik.

Help please!

[PA DETAILER]

Car Wash Guide, Car Wash how to - easy steps to shampoo and dry your vehicle using paint-safe mitts and towels, plus sponges, the Grit Guard and (http://www.autogeek.net/exterior.html)

[Setec Astronomy]

Hose the car off to remove any loose dirt. Wash one section (say, the roof). Rinse that section. Move on to washing the next section (say, the trunk). Rinse that section AND the section you washed before, to keep the water from drying. Continue in that fashion, washing a section at a time and rinsing all washed sections to keep the water from drying.

When you are finished washing, do a flood rinse or consider some sort of blower, to get the bulk of the water off. You will want some sort of dedicated drying towel, either a waffle weave, or specific microfiber terry drying towels. Towels meant for other purposes frequently don't dry well.

As far as the rinse bucket, you are trying to get the dirt out of your wash media, not get the soap out of it. It's normal for the rinse bucket to become "soapy"; it doesn't need to be changed.

[ValleyEquine]

Car Wash Guide, Car Wash how to - easy steps to shampoo and dry your vehicle using paint-safe mitts and towels, plus sponges, the Grit Guard and (http://www.autogeek.net/exterior.html)

I did read that before washing my car. And after washing my car. But it doesn't go into any detail about the problems I encountered.

[Ryan509]

I'm new to the forum and new to car detailing. I have pretty much no experience whatsover! After trading in my first car, a beater, for a 2014 Chevy Sonic, I've been researching a lot about how to keep it looking good.

Since we brought my car home I've done several hose-only rinses with my hose nozzle set to the "jet" setting, to rinse off bug, bird bombs, grass cutting debris, etc. My car has stayed looking pretty nice doing this for about three weeks.

Yesterday I got my first delivery from the Autogeek store and was excited to try out some stuff, so today I did a real wash for the first time. It was sort of a disaster.

I bought supplies to do the thorough cleaning process...Cleansing soap, iron x, clay bar, polish, sealant, spray wax...but today I didn't have time to do that whole process so I just gave my car a bath using Meg's Ultimate Wash and Wax, which I also ordered from Autogeek and had planned on using as my "normal" car wash between full detailings.

First problem...I feel really wasteful rinsing my mitt when it is still full of wet soapy suds. Do I just need to get over this if I don't want to hurt my paint? How often I am supposed to rinse?
Now, the first time I dip my mitt into my bucket of clean water to rinse, my rinse bucket looks almost as soapy as my wash bucket. Am I supposed to change water in the rinse bucket with every rinse my mitt?

Next...when do I rinse and dry the car? I started washing from the top down, rinsing as I went...with free flowing water...but by the time I finished one side of the car and moved to the next the roof was already drying with ugly water spots. Or maybe wax spots? Do wash/wax combos tend to look spotty when drying?

So then I started over. Washed the roof, rinsed the roof, tried to dry the roof.

How the heck does the rest of the world use microfiber towels to dry cars? I started with cheaper Walmart towels...figured I could save some money but made sure the towels caught on the skin of my fingers, had soft edges, etc. Well, they were pretty much worthless for drying. So I got out the two gray Supreme 530 Microfiber Towels that Autogeek included in the clay kit I bought. They worked a little better. I was able to soak the majority of the water of my car, but I couldn't actually dry my car. As soon as any section of the cloth was just slightly damp, its like it would just spread around a thin film of spotty water on my car. Again, was this going on because of the Wash/Wax?

So now that I've got my roof washed rinsed and sort of dried I move onto a door. But wait! When I rinse my door, soapy water splashes back on to my roof! Which has already been sort of dried. This process continues pretty much the whole way around the car. It was like a never ending game of chase your own tail. My simple car wash took forever, and I don't really think my car looks any better.

I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. I feel like I need either need to hire 5 people to wash and sort of dry all parts of my car at once, or wash my car with a toothbrush and rinse with a waterpik.

Help please!


Problem #1: Chances are unless you vehicle is extremly dirty it won't hurt your vehicle. Over time you will get the hang of it, As for changing the water every rinse, no your not. 2 bucket method (2bm) for me includes 1 clean bucket with my wash solution in it (in your case your megs wash and wax) Then your second bucket would be your rinse bucket with grit guard. That bucket will always look dirty but as long as your not rubbing your mit or sponge on the bottom of the pail you shouldn't have any issues. With that being said if you haven't invested in a grit guard i reccomend one

Problem #2: As for drying, i personally use a waffle weave drying towel, Meguiars to be exact. But alot use the cobra guzzler from what i hear. I have tried walmart microfibre also and it's junk. Leaves alot of lint

Problem #3: As for water splashing. Before i switched to rinseless washing (i will rarley use a hose now unless i have to use iron X) i would wash the drivers side including roof and front and back windows and rinse. I would then dry the drivers side and roof. then continue with the rest of the vehicle. Never seemed to have issues but i also have a silver car. Keep in mind you don't need to set your hose to jet mode. The soap is meant to lift the dirt so it just flows off. Fyi, I recommend in the future switching to rinseless wash, as it is much easier, less water and i find it much more enjoyable because you dry as you go.

[PA DETAILER]

Hose the car off to remove any loose dirt. Wash one section (say, the roof). Rinse that section. Move on to washing the next section (say, the trunk). Rinse that section AND the section you washed before, to keep the water from drying. Continue in that fashion, washing a section at a time and rinsing all washed sections to keep the water from drying.

When you are finished washing, do a flood rinse or consider some sort of blower, to get the bulk of the water off. You will want some sort of dedicated drying towel, either a waffle weave, or specific microfiber terry drying towels. Towels meant for other purposes frequently don't dry well.

As far as the rinse bucket, you are trying to get the dirt out of your wash media, not get the soap out of it. It's normal for the rinse bucket to become "soapy"; it doesn't need to be changed.
:iagree:

[conman1395]

Old video and bad quality, but probably the best video on washing a car.

Starring Mike Phillips!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqdEVtOPKAM

[Recon 4th 502nd]

For the Traditional 2-Bucket Wash see the link by ValleyE and the other recs posted here.

Now this is what I do, so take this with a grain of salt...I could be an idiot lol.

I don't wash in direct sunlight.

If I have a quality lsp on my car (That's a constant) wheels included and it's a DD...that is to say, I'm not 4 wheeling in a Bog, I inspect the vehicle for level of dirty-ness. I then thoroughly rinse the vehicle with just water (Garden Hose Pressure, quality nozzle) really well then inspect again. Even my DD doesn't get all that dirty and with a Quality lsp, most dirt comes right off.

With beads everywhere, I then take a Quality Slightly Dampened drying towel (I use the Wholly Mammoth CG but there are many other Quality Towels) on Horizontal Surfaces... I lightly lay them out flat (Like a new bed spread on a Mattress) and just tamp the towel lightly to absorb the water off the surface. I do not WIPE the car dry under any circumstances. I fold the corners into the center and lift the towel straight up and off the car.
With the vertical surfaces, I have the towel folded in Quarters/8th's and Dab the water off....No Wiping.

I then get the D-114 WW/QD strength @ 128:1... along with 4 Quality Edgeless MF's (16 x 24), and "soak" each panel (One @ a Time) allowing 30 seconds to 1 minute to elapse before wiping in straight lines with different parts of the same side of the towel folded in quarters (There are a couple videos floating here and u-tube on how to do this effectively). Then I lightly buff each completed section with a clean MF. When the wiping towel gets dirty on one side flip to the other (you have 8 sides) then that goes in the used pile.
Those towels used for wiping do not get all that dirty...because of the Quality lsp and thorough rinsing as explained above.... Make sure you're watching and not day dreaming though, to assess after each wipe. Voila.

Caveat: (This has not happened yet) If when I'm wiping, I either feel or see what I deem as Slightly Excessive Grime....The Alarms/Cow Bells/Sirens go off...DefCon Level 1 (We were already @ DefCon 2 when the mere thought of washing the car took root) is Breached and Steps to the Foam Gun and 2 Bucket Wash is MANDATORY!

Wheels are either First Or Last...those are Different Towels/media and NEVER come into contact with PAINT Towels/Media. They couldn't Identify the other in a Line-Up :dblthumb2: save for any dirt stains on the Wheel/Tire Towels.

Remember Buyer Beware...but this technique works for me, even on Soft Paint. :props:

hope it helps

[Bunky]

Water spotting can be caused by rapid drying (paint hot, hot outside) and water quality. If you have to continue have water spotting while washing, you may want to invest in a water spot remover such as Duragloss. It will remove fresh spot especially those due to hard water without removing your protection.

[ValleyEquine]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I was feeling really lousy. Like jeez, if teenage cheerleaders in bikinis can wash a car, surely I, after my hours of research, should be able to successfully wash a car too!


Hose the car off to remove any loose dirt. Wash one section (say, the roof). Rinse that section. Move on to washing the next section (say, the trunk). Rinse that section AND the section you washed before, to keep the water from drying. Continue in that fashion, washing a section at a time and rinsing all washed sections to keep the water from drying.

Ok...I can do that! That sounds like a good plan!


Keep in mind you don't need to set your hose to jet mode. The soap is meant to lift the dirt so it just flows off. Fyi, I recommend in the future switching to rinseless wash, as it is much easier, less water and i find it much more enjoyable because you dry as you go.

I need to watch some videos on rinseless washing to see how that works. I assume that would be an especially good option in winter when hoses aren't available.

As far as the jet on hose, I wasn't using the jet today, only in the past few weeks when I was doing water-only rinses with no soap. I used the jet setting to "power wash" off more stuck on dirt and debris so I didn't have to actually scrub since I wasn't using soap. Is this in any way potentially damaging?

Today I was using the free flowing water hose, no nozzle, to rinse off the soap.


Old video and bad quality, but probably the best video on washing a car.

Starring Mike Phillips!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqdEVtOPKAM

Thanks! I will check this out.


I do not WIPE the car dry under any circumstances. I fold the corners into the center and lift the towel straight up and off the car.
With the vertical surfaces, I have the towel folded in Quarters/8th's and Dab the water off....No Wiping.


Why do you not wipe? What does wiping do (or not do) that this method does (or doesn't)? Does doing this actually get the car totally dry, like I was expecting but failing to, or still leave the car damp?


Water spotting can be caused by rapid drying (paint hot, hot outside) and water quality. If you have to continue have water spotting while washing, you may want to invest in a water spot remover such as Duragloss. It will remove fresh spot especially those due to hard water without removing your protection.

Sounds good. I will keep an eye on this to see if it seems to be a water issue. Thanks!

[asianisafish]

I use two buckets as usual. And yes the two buckets end up looking the same because the suds; that's normal.
I start by putting the wash mitt into the clean buckets and clean a panel. Roof and windows all together for me. Put wash mitt into rinse bucket and agitate, pull out and wring wash mitt onto the ground, then put into clean bucket. I do half the hood, flip mit, do other half. Do the wash mitt rinsing. Then do upper parts of the door, one door at a time, rinsing in between each door. Do lower body and bumpers, rinsing in between each and flipping the mitt

[Wurmmm]

For me, one of the most important things is staying out of the sun when washing. If I try washing in the sun, I will inevitably have water spots all over it when I am done. If that happens, a quality quick wax like AuquaWax will usually help minimize the spots.

[wing commander]

This sounds exactly like well water issues.I had this same problem and drove me nuts and made me sad to do all the work with such horrible results.I now have a 400 gal water tank for washing 2 Sprinter vans and love washing now.I drive to a city water fill location and get almost spot free washes now. I also use a waffle weave towel and dry from top to bottom.400 gallons will last a long time and is overkill but the price was right.I only use about 8-10 gals per wash and use a pressure washer with weeping gun made for washing with no wand just the gun and tip.I hope my post helps you with some ideas.

[Mp0wer]

Old video and bad quality, but probably the best video on washing a car.

Starring Mike Phillips!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqdEVtOPKAM


What is showcargarage ?

[StuDLei]

Switch to ONR and wash in the garage. So much better experience IMO. It's what I've done for years. I'd love to have access to a flow of deionized water, but that's expensive.