I was just washing my car, making it all shiny for the first day of my last year at the senior high, and I was wondering, how does everyone else clean their car? Personally, I use the Mr. Clean Auto Dry Pro, i think it does a pretty good job, what do you guys use?
I hate cleaning my car. I will never buy another black car. I have yet to wash it without waterspots everywhere.
I bring it to the BP Subaru on Sat. for free (sorta had to spend 30k+ to get it) The rest of the week I just spray the brake dust off the wheels. Of course once in a while when I want it looking extra good I break down and wash/wax by hand. I have way to many products laying around I guess I don't have any preferances. ooh other than rain-x I fell in love with that stuff the first time I used it.
I wash my car with coral wash and wax soap, then I clean my wheels with black magic wheel cleaner by hand..... rinse it off, and wax the entire car with mcguires NXT wax.
I know what you mean I used to have a black car it is alot of work to keep clean but damn does it look nice when it is clean! Have you tried the The Absorber for drying? I just got one for my WRX and wow is it slick and doesnt leave any water spots. I usually wash my car every few days and wax like every two weeks or soo. When I am lazy between waxes I use that quick detailer it makes it looks really nice and doesnt take that long. I really hate driving my car dirty even if it is a suby and ment to be. Its nice my parents let me boot one of there cars out side so I can park in the garage!!!!
My current technique is rinse, sponge spap, rinse, shammy. I might have to look into one of those detail sprays.
Wow a wax every two weeks? I throw on McGuires Paint cleaner, paint polish and wax twice a year but thats it.
Rinse. Scrub with woolen mitt with Simple Green concentrate mixed in a bucket. Rinse again. Using a finger full of soap, I lubricate a small hand squeegie and pull the water off the horizontal surfaces. Then I pull it in the garage and wipe the entire car down front to back with a towel to dry every thing off. Open the doors and get inside there too. At this point I decide whether or not to claybar or not...which I know I need to do soon as it has been nearly 2 years since the last time I use NXT tech wax spray with the claybar. Next, I use Meguiars 26 Yellow wax and apply it with my bare hands. (I don't trust wax pads, they pick up crap off of the car or ground or even the air and press it into your paint) Make sure your hands are clean before you start...also keep a bucket of water or a cup or something damp near by to keep your hands moist...it helps the wax go on smoother. Then I apply a coat of Meguiars Gold Class wax the same way. After an hour of drying or so, I terry towel a majority of the wax off the surface. Following afterwards with a microfiber towel or a t-shirt rag (great for buffing wax off) For the black trim pieces I use ArmorAll CLEANER and scrub the black surfaces with it and a rag. Then I use a towel wrapped around my finger to apply Tire Wet to all the black surfaces...especially the black ABS stuff. Wheels are cleaned (when they don't look like total crap) with a bristled pipecleaner brush and Simple Green. Rinsed, then waxed with cleaner wax. Muffler is polished with NEVR-DULL wadding polish and buffed clean with a T-shirt rag. Then I apply Mother's Billet Polish to the muffler with a rag then buff it with a buffing flapper attached to a drill. Any residue is removed with a t-shirt rag. Mother's Plastic polish for the headlights. Although sometimes (as driftin240 has seen) a little wetsanding with 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper is necessary to get the dents out and bring back that clear clean look. Rain-X on the windows. ArmorAll CLEANER on the interior plastic and leather bits. If needed, a foaming fabric and upholstery cleaner is used with a brush to scrub it in. Use a Shop Vac to remove most of the foam when finished along with anything the brush brings up from the fabric. Then I follow over everything with a lint brush.
I love washing my car. I wash after most rains or 2 weeks tops. I wax 4-6 times a year. Like 1st sunny days above freezing, and the last, and then whenever in between. any event I do like a drive or somewhere where someone might see my car, i go ahead and wax. I use 2 buckets for washing, with Meguiars gold wash. i wash the top of my car, then switch buckets and to an older hand mitt to get the lower parts of my car and a spounge for my rims and tires. I keep the car real wet. I have never liked drying off my car with anything, So what i do now is hop onto 35w and drive about 5 miles at 90-100. gets the car dry with no spots at all. only a little water behind the scoop. I had a lot of Meguiars gold wax which I am just finishing up, and then ill switch to that NXT. It sounds nice. oh and I have picked up a lot of chips on my windshield, which i recently had 2 filled and a month later (last week) I had another crack down over a foot which my insurance then replaced my whole winshield for free... ooooh is it nice having a new windshield! RAIN-X + new shield ftw. ill have to try out that stuff your using for your pipe readymix. when i was washing my car last night I was pondering that one since I havent had my pipe for long. I just went on a long drive this weekend and wound up on a dirt road for 15 miles and got my car more dirty than its ever been. of which im thinking of getting an alignment after going thru a really bad pothole section. youch.
i JUst take mine to Mr. Wash over by the knollwood mall in St.louis Park. For $50 a month u get unlimited washes and the vacum out the inside, wa****, wax it, underbody spray, wheel brightner, and about 5 other things in their wash. then they hand dry it and armorall everything, spray a fragrance or your choice, rain x ur windshield, scrub ur tires and rims and spray the Black Magic for the wheel shine. I think thats a really good deal. I take it there like every other day
Took my car through a "soft touch" carwash before, and being a black car it came out with all sorts of tiny clearcoat scratches and swirls, i was so pissed that i had wasted that money i spent three hours with mcguires, and a buffer to fix it.
haha....I'm glad I don't care about my paint job!! soak, wash with dishsoap, water and a sponge, then rinse! it's like a 20 min job. I bet I could get it down to 10 or 15 if I did it more than once or twice a year....lol
most of the time I spray my cars on tuesdays for fifty cents a pop, but now that I've been making Mr. Car Wash signs, can you say "free car washes for a year?"
