The Aggressive Approach to Washing a Car

[Mike Phillips]

I've never used Iron X but think I'm going to add it to my next order,

when using it do you rinse after spraying the iron x or do you apply Iron X and then use the foam gun followed up my a rinse?

To your question..... and keep in mind my method is NOT in keeping with the official recommendations so use at your own risk,

BECAUSE any car I do this to either for my class or when I'm personally detailing a car is going to be thoroughly machine buffed and usually machine compounded, what I do is,

Wash and rinse wheels and tires first. (I always do wheels and tires first)
Spray dry car down with Iron X
After soaking for a few minutes - foam car with foam gun and wash with wash mitt.
Rinse --> THOROUGHLY
Foam car a second time. This time the foam is the lubricant for the next step.
Mechanically decontaminate using either a Pinnacle Clay Mitt, Griot's Garage Surface Prep Mitt, Nanoskin Autoscrub Mitt or Towel
Rinse again
Dry


Look at the above... now that's a recipe for getting a neglected car surgically clean and ready for major detailing session.

(I think I covered all of the above in the articles that is this thread?)

[Skimmer0220]

To your question..... and keep in mind my method is NOT in keeping with the official recommendations so use at your own risk,

BECAUSE any car I do this to either for my class or when I'm personally detailing a car is going to be thoroughly machine buffed and usually machine compounded, what I do is,

Wash and rinse wheels and tires first. (I always do wheels and tires first)
Spray dry car down with Iron X
After soaking for a few minutes - foam car with foam gun and wash with wash mitt.
Rinse --> THOROUGHLY
Foam car a second time. This time the foam is the lubricant for the next step.
Mechanically decontaminate using either a Pinnacle Clay Mitt, Griot's Garage Surface Prep Mitt, Nanoskin Autoscrub Mitt or Towel
Rinse again
Dry


Look at the above... now that's a recipe for getting a neglected car surgically clean and ready for major detailing session.

(I think I covered all of the above in the articles that is this thread?)

Gotcha, I believe those steps were covered, just didn't know if there was a rince in between

[Avgguy]

To your question..... and keep in mind my method is NOT in keeping with the official recommendations so use at your own risk,

BECAUSE any car I do this to either for my class or when I'm personally detailing a car is going to be thoroughly machine buffed and usually machine compounded, what I do is,

Wash and rinse wheels and tires first. (I always do wheels and tires first)
Spray dry car down with Iron X
After soaking for a few minutes - foam car with foam gun and wash with wash mitt.
Rinse --> THOROUGHLY
Foam car a second time. This time the foam is the lubricant for the next step.
Mechanically decontaminate using either a Pinnacle Clay Mitt, Griot's Garage Surface Prep Mitt, Nanoskin Autoscrub Mitt or Towel
Rinse again
Dry


Look at the above... now that's a recipe for getting a neglected car surgically clean and ready for major detailing session.

(I think I covered all of the above in the articles that is this thread?)

This thread has been ridiculously helpful on several fronts... and I only had to read it about 5-6 times to keep it all straight ! Thank you !

[Mike Phillips]

This thread has been ridiculously helpful on several fronts...

Good to hear... I'm always surprised that none of the other detailing gurus in the world ever explain simple topics like two very different ways to wash a car.

and I only had to read it about 5-6 times to keep it all straight !

Don't feel bad... I have to read my own writing a few times too so I can type it all straight...

Thank you!

You are very welcome...

[fightnews]

Bob has a good point... I realize this is the "aggressive wash" approach, but I personally would be to afraid to take the wash mitts to the foamed-over-iron-x product.

What do you do with the wash mitts later? Can they be washed (washer machine) and reused on vehicles that only require a gentle wash, or are they pretty much put in a box and saved only for the "aggressive wash" projects?

I haven't used Iron-X yet... I usually just wash, dry and go to clay... So I'm not exactly sure of the work-flow and when I would use it.

Secondly I got the foam gun, and enjoy it, but I realized I now have introduced a time-consuming second step to my process. So if I use a foam-gun, I should just forgo the 2bm? At present I do both... perhaps I'm wasting time?

i know im not mike but it depends how dirty the car is, i foamed and rinsed my fathers brand new white truck a couple weeks ago and it didnt take any of the dirty road film off the car

[fightnews]

Yes. It's not a convienent suggestion but one that should work if you want to use Iron X to decontaminate the paint on a car and that is to locate and use a do-it-yourself car wash.


Like the one I used in this article,


Blasting Bird Bombs at the Coin-Op Car Wash!

geez where did you find a coin op that's only $1.50? the one's around here are $3.75....

[fightnews]

Let me see if I can answer both of your questions at the same time....



First, there was no 2 bucket method or 1 bucket method... just the foam gun. I rarely use any bucket method as the foam gun replaces the bucket or buckets....


As for my method of using Iron X



First... when teaching a class on this topic I get a neglected WHITE vehicle as the bleeding effect is the most dramatic and thus has the most impact when using neglected and contaminated white paint and that's what I'm trying to achieve in the class.... impact.

The people that attend my classes will very likely use ALL the techniques they learn for the rest of their lives because they have impact. And because they have impact they remember them....


For TV, that is for My Classic Car, I also wanted maximum impact for the TV audience, many of whom I'm guessing will have NEVER seen or heard of a product like Iron X and it's function in car detailing. Richard, the cameraman captured this and it will air next year on My Classic Car....

See Richard.... and his camera?







Then as far as spraying on the Iron X and letting it do it's thing and then foaming the car instead of rinsing off the Iron X first....

Look at the title of this thread and the concept it teaches. This is the aggressive approach to washing a car and the point of the aggressive approach is to get the car surgically clean, not be gentle.

We're going to buff the paint out so any wash induced marring is inconsequential because we're going to buff out the car.


2002 SS Camaro Extreme Makeover! - Pictures & Comments







No had we already buffed out this car then we would have used the Gentle Approach to washing a car.

Make sense?


Function over form....

what if you want to use the aggressive method but the cars in good shape and you only plan on using an ultrafine polish? would it then be wise to avoid extra marring? maybe just by rinsing the wash mitt every panel or so?

[Mike Phillips]

i foamed and rinsed my fathers brand new white truck a couple weeks ago and it didn't take any of the dirty road film off the car

That's a sign the dirty road film has impacted ONTO the paint. That is it's not loose dirt. The aggressive wash approach will remove something but this is where you need to polish.


I love this article.... explains so much...

Road Film - If you drive your car in the rain your car has road film


And this article too...


Here's why you need to polish paint...

[Mike Phillips]

For anyone reading this article into the future....


I wrote this article in 10-24-2014, that's the time stamp of the first post.

Then in 2016 Yancy and I made this video and it shows, demonstrates and explains not only the aggressive approach but the gentle approach as well as waterless and Rinseless washes.



New Video - How to properly wash your car - Rinseless Wash - Waterless Wash - Gentle Approach - Aggressive Approach


This video shows 4 ways to wash a car. To my knowledge, this is the first time ever in a video that the Gentle Approach and the Aggressive Approach have been SHOWN and EXPLAINED.

[Mike Phillips]

what if you want to use the aggressive method but the cars in good shape and you only plan on using an ultrafine polish?

would it then be wise to avoid extra marring?

Yes.

If a car's finish is in "good shape", which is a relative word. Then use an iron remover or a fallout remover and then rinse it off the car. Then after thoroughly washing AND thoroughly rinsing, then LIGHTLY use a Nanoskin towel or mitt to mechanically decontaminate the horizontal panels. Follow with polishing and sealing.

maybe just by rinsing the wash mitt every panel or so?

That depends on how much loose dirt is on the car. There's a huge difference between washing a car that is garage kept and hardly driven and a daily driver driven everyday and always parked outside.