In the frequent washings of your car(s), what do you use? Dish soap. laundry detergent, pre-made car wash? Let's also ask your preferred drying cloth. Chamois, bath towel, microfiber? Don't Chamois pull the wax off? Bath towels sometimes leave lint.
Dish soap and laundry detergent removes dirt and grease but also removes wax,if you happen to use wax. HRP
I use meguirs soap and usually those yellow lint free cloths. Except in the trunk of the 57 Pops' old chamois (what are they-lamb? I guess I'm old- anybody else remember the fun sheepskins?) Maybe that is why the 57 needs a waxing? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
They say, (who's they?) that dish soap changes the PH in the water, and is really bad for your paint..... I sometimes use it, cause I'm cheap. I also have a chamois, but mostly use the air gun on the compressor to dry it off. Gets all the water outer joins and outer where it sits.
I rarely wet wash my car, usually dry wash them. Been doing it for years. I use a micro fibre and have never had a problem. Currently using Meguiars detail spray.
My car never gets dirty, just dusty, so I run one of those California Dusters over it every week or so and it looks good as new....
I also rarely wash with soap and water. I use a duster, ammonia free gl*** cleaner and this stuff https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...6BR5Pyc05HlqaEq**26lM-ZM7YF2ZGb9CQhoCoGrw_wcB
a lot depends on the quality of your paint job - some use name brand specific made liquid car soap and a bath towel that has been washed/tumble dried before use - others go route that chopped51 does - quality car wax is a big part of the picture too - so many products out there that could confuse most anyone - gets expensive too
Dish detergent will strip any wax right off. Don't ask how I know....Years ago we didn't have all of the "cool" chemicals we have today for auto detailing. I actually used to use brake fluid on a rag to blacken tires before the advent of Armor All and the many other tire shine products. Yeah, we were just dumb teenagers then. I really don't like to dry with microfiber towels 'cause I feel they pull off wax much like a chamois. I tell everyone to save their terry bath towels when they get too ugly for the house. They're nice and soft from hundreds of washings. This all pertains to daily drivers. I try to not ever let my hot rods get to the point where the dust mop and spray detailer won't clean 'em up. I do like to use the "spray and wax" products when I wash my dailys as I dry them. Don't ever let stuff air dry if your water is as hard as mine.
I use the cheap car wash detergent from walmart, takes me a couple years to go through a big jug of it. Since I drive my cars all over, they get really dirty.... and I dry them off with bath towels, and they usually have water spots, lint, etc on them when I'm done. But a week later, you can't tell. so it doesn't matter.
Car wash liquid soap on the paint, dish soap on tires, wheels, inner fenders with soft bristle brush, California water blade to dry with Terry cloth to finish. Blow out all the cracks with air and towel off again. Clay bar with soap water if it needs it, 3m imperial hand glaze if it needs it, mothers or meguiars wax. Any buffing is 3M compounds. Depends on the car and the condition of the paint. I don't have any $10k paint job cars. Been using the white no grit hand cleaner on tar and bugs for years now, wash well, wipe that on, keep it wet, dissolves tar well, not fast, but safely.
I don't wash my cars often, but when I do... I use; Maguire's car wash concentrate, micro fiber mitts (one for tires and wheels, one for paint and chrome - disc brake dust is not good for paint, wash wheels last), wash in the shade or in the garage, rinse asap with cold water (breaks up the suds faster than warm, if you only have cold water hose bibs on your garage ignore that part, if you are building a new home add them) dry with surgical silicon wiper blades, (will not scratch even brand new paint jobs) and a micro fiber drying towel to catch what the blades left behind, Spray on finishing one-touch (no silicone so you can use on gl*** and chrome without streaking), I buy a brand (not the one pictured) at the local paint store that is not for sale in the part houses (recommended), and buff with micro fiber polishing towels. I like the colored ones so you can remember interior towels from exterior and exterior from engine towels (gotta polish the aluminum). Always light colors so you can tell when they are soiled and need cleaning. WARNING: Never dry towels (microfiber or terry) with fabric softener sheets, they leave crystalline deposits that slice through paint like a diamond through your checking account.
My next door neighbor works for a chemical company that supplies many of the big-name car care product companies. I use whatever he brings me to test out. Dry with old bath towels. NO GREASY **** ON TIRES. that **** gets all over everything.
Bought this Turtle Wax car wash soap the same day we bought our 96 Impala SS in 1997. I think I got my moneys worth, it's quite concentrated. BTW @Bandit Billy I bought the car from one of your Couv neighbors.
Tires are tricky. I remember when I was a kid and I was tasked with washing the family truckster, I was ready for final inspection from the old man satisfied I had done a good job on the squire wagon only to be informed my job wasn't finished yet. I had neglected the tires which he said was like wearing dirty sneakers with your best church clothes. I never forgot that and I have paid attention tot he tires ever since. I don't go for the wet and shiny look, like flatheadpete said earlier I agree. And whatever you use make sure it is clear. Always amazes me when people use yellow Armor All on their tires then complain about the tires turning yellow over time. The last stuff I bought was low gloss And apply with a sponge so you don't spray it all over your wheedles or polished paint which will look like ***
I washed my car two and a half years ago...... Can't really remember what I used.... Probably car wash soap.
I have the same problem, water is so hard I bottle it and sell as Nature's ******. I have a shop vac that the top comes off so it becomes a leaf blower. Used it on my bike at first then tried it on the cars. Not a spot to be seen and it takes about half the time as towel drying. Had a black OT car that I used Dawn on for years. When I sold it you could still part your nose hairs in the reflection. I believe it does take off the wax but it doesn't hurt the paint.
- from calcarcover.com & others - California Dry Blade & California Jelly Blade really help with the drying process
Hello, In So Cal, there is/was a water shortage. Living in a converted desert climate area relies on yearly rainfall or imported water from other places in and around California. In the last several years, the shortage is/was so great that we could only water our yards 1-2-3 days from winter to spring to summer. Washing cars in the driveway or street was a no-no. First, the environmentalists in the area frown on stuff from car wash residue that goes down the drain into the ocean. They disregard the **** from golf courses and industry that do the same thing, but they are probably golfers. Second, for many, washing cars took a back seat to watering your yard once a week, so there were more “well used” cars driving around town. The local cities pushed for car wash places because they recycled their water. But, they did cost a lot of money for a car wash including a tip to the workers. So, what was one to do to keep cars, boats, and motorcycles clean and looking nice? Step up to the myriad of “waterless” cleaners on the market. Almost every big name company and many smaller ones brought out the m***ive display of liquid sprays that had some form of cleaner and wax built in to the compound. They were true spray and clean items that worked well on most surfaces. Meguiar’s had their famous pink “Last Touch Spray Detailer” compound that just murdered bird **** and left no scratches afterwards. For the rest of the car, a thorough spray before you wipe did a great job of cleaning and shining your paint job. But, caution is to be taken if your car is overly dirty or has caked on dirt from the long rainy/snowy season. A soft cotton cloth did the best job of wiping and keeping it clean. Jnaki Here is a fairly new product that works just as well as Meguiar’s and is less expensive. I have used this product on many waterless washes on surfaces from fibergl***, plastic, to painted metal surfaces. It gets surfaces clean and shines well. These waterless cleaner/waxes are not as good as a solid Carnuba Paste Wax for shine and protection, but will do to keep that shine going throughout the dry periods as per required in the neighborhood. OPTIMUM NO RINSE SPRAY AND SHINE: "Clean, shine, and protect in one step…without rinsing!" "Optimum has done it again! They’ve developed another product that marries car care and environmental responsibility – two things that are often treated as mutually exclusive. But, in this age of VOC regulations, Optimum is finding ways to enhance the beauty of automobiles and keep the environment safe." "Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine is a true breakthrough in car care. It’s a multi-purpose product that serves as a rinseless wash, a quick detailer, and a clay lubricant, depending on how much water you add. You don’t have to be a chemist to formulate your own excellent car care products; just follow the directions on the bottle! Plus, this product does not require rinsing. You can conserve water and still get your vehicle beautifully clean!" No, I am not a Optimum dealer... It is just a good product that works.
It's funny with my Rods. I don't drive them in bad weather. So a California dust buster and a little Meguiar's{Quik mist & wipe Detailer} is all it takes most of the time. But the old U.F.O. 29 coupe is usually outside, and driven in all types of weather. I even used snow tires on her years ago. lol When I came home from the Showdown, I took her to the Wishy Wash, and probably washed 10 lb.s of mud off. her. lol Ron...
I wash my cars with car soap in a bucket with a microfiber mitt. Rinse with a garden hose that has an automatic shut-off on the nozzle to conserve water. Dry with good old cotton towels or a large microfiber towel if it's handy. Excepting the microfiber and water conservation, it's just the same way my old man did it. Gary
I use liquid car wash from Walmart, autozone etc,etc,etc but I add a couple of cap fully of extra virgin olive oil to help the oils out in the paint it seems to work very well never had a problem with paint going bad Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app HotRod Harry
The Jalopy Journal
