Surface marring from washing...

[spudd73]

Does Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo have more lubricity than Megs GC Shampoo? And does anybody think this would help more with the scratches???

[Bill D]

I heard both about Pinnacle : very slick or not enough performance for the money

However,for OTC car washes:

EO Wet, NXT and Duragloss all seem pretty slick although I wash exclusively with a foam gun so that may skew their performance

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by spudd73
Does Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo have more lubricity than Megs GC Shampoo? And does anybody think this would help more with the scratches???

Yeah, but then GC isn't all that slick (at least IMO). I tried GC after reading all the that I read about it here and I thought it was crappy, not slick at all compared to what I'm used to. I gave it away to somebody who mars when they wash anyhow. Griot's works much better in this regard, and I hear that PoorBoy's is similar.

Even with Griot's now costing $40/gallon plus shipping, it's all I use. It does seem to help with wash-induced marring and it seems better in this regard than my previous fave, Meg's #62.

But using the foamgun and the "dislodge and flush" approach will be the best course of action

I recognize that none of this is cheap, but you can't get time and clearcoat back. I'd rather not have to polish out marring for that reason alone.

[opass]

Accumulator, Bill D and others,

I admire you guys researching the best way to wash car without marring, and pretty much I bought almost everything you mention. Griots water nozzle $100, foam gun $70, plastic shut off valve, 4 chenille mitts, 2 Sonus mf mitts, Griots's boar brush, many mf towels from Sonus and Griots. The only thing it need is the quality shampoo. I am planning to use PB SSS.

For extreme wash, with a lot of time, very dirty car, follow Accumulator non marring wash technique.

My goal is to minimize marring to wash on daily cars. Hopefully cut down the polishing frequency. This is what I have in mind about using the foam gun with the brush / mitt. Correct me if something is wrong.

1) rinse with water (wait 5 minutes for dirts to soak in)
2) rinse with water again
3) use foam gun mix with shampoo, spray on the entire surface and let the foam sit for a few minutes ( to loose and lift the dirt).
4) soak the boar's hair brush / chenille mitt with shampoo on one hand, the other hand with foam gun .
5) gently glide the mitt across the surface while the solution from foam gun is constanly running the surface that mitt is working on.
6) replace mitt if dirts are detected.
7) rinse with water and towel dry.

Did I forget something? Will it work?

[Accumulator]

opass- That sounds right A few "tweaks":

1. I don't let it soak that long but it sure wouldn't hurt.
2. OK
3. I do one/two panels at at time.
4. Use the BHB for the worst dirt and just *barely* touch the surface with it. Keep an eye on things in case your paint is just too soft for the BHB (not a problem with our Audis and the Mazda).
5. OK, but depending on your water pressure you might want to try my "mitt-balloon" technique, where the foamgun's nozzle is inside the mitt, inflating it and causing suds to flow out through the mitt (only works with chenille and MF mitts). I use the chenille mitts for the worst dirt then follow up with MF ones. I prefer multiple gentle passes over one/two harder ones. If something won't wash off, leave it there and clay it off.
6. OK, but wash/rinse one panel at a time and then rerinse the whole vehicle before you dry.

Don't think you've forgotten anything, now you just need to practice doing it. It does have a bit of a learning curve to it

And remember that the more frequently you wash the less chance that abrasive dirt will really *adhere* to your LSP, causing trouble.

[opass]

Originally posted by Accumulator

5. OK, but depending on your water pressure you might want to try my "mitt-balloon" technique, where the foamgun's nozzle is inside the mitt, inflating it and causing suds to flow out through the mitt (only works with chenille and MF mitts). I use the chenille mitts for the worst dirt then follow up with MF ones. I prefer multiple gentle passes over one/two harder ones.

It is raining right now and no chance to try the foam gun yet. Question about the "mitt-balloon" technique :

It seems the bottle (about 5" tall) of the foam gun 4" behind the mitt may be difficult to move around without touching the paint surface. Except tilt it up about 60 degree. Correct?

[Accumulator]

opass- Yeah, it takes a bit of doing to have everything where you want it. Doing the roof can be a challenge. If you tilt it too much you might get some leakage from the bottle or trouble with the pickup tube being out of the solution. Just gotta play around with it.

[opass]

Accumulator,

Got it.

I know Griots is your favoriate shampoo. $40 per gallon. Have to agree with you, it is the only product consider not over pricing. How many cars can you wash per gallon according to "mitt-ballon" method?

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by opass
How many cars can you wash per gallon according to "mitt-ballon" method?

Sorry, but I honestly have no idea That probably sounds ridiculous, but the truth is I don't pay any attention to the Car Wash jug or the jug of diluted mix except when they're empty. FWIW, I must go through quite a bit; I buy it four gallons or so at a time and I only wash our vehicles.

[Bill D]

NXT works rather well as does EO Wet.

[Accumulator]

Bill D- Don't you also like DuraGloss shampoo?

[Bill D]

Accumulator, yes, great lubrication even without the foam gun. In a pinch ,it's good for a quick debugging/removal of Bug Guard just straight out of a bucket.