First Time QEW User Review

dgraupman · 07-21-03, 07:13

At the risk of adding what may well be known to veteran Autopians, let me add my experience with Protect All Quick and Easy Wash (QEW) to the forum. I encourage others thinking about using QEW to give the search function a try for even more information.

By way of quick description to the uninitiated, QEW is a soapy solution that when added by the capful to 2 quarts of water is all you need to wash a car. No rinsing required. Simply soak a MF towel in your bucket, loosely wring it out, wipe it across the car, and follow with a clean dry terry cloth towel and a dry MF to remove.

This almost waterless way to wash a car is ideal for me as I live in a townhouse with no garage or easy access to a hose. Since I'm at the mercy of waiting for the sun to go behind the building to provide shade, I have a limited amount of time after work to clean the car before dark. Using QEW allows me to clean one or two panels each evening without having to wash the entire car every time I just want to apply product to one section. I just go out in the evenings and use QEW on the hood, roof, and trunk for example, and in ten minutes I'm done with washing. Now I can spend the majority of what little time I have to clay, apply AIO, and SG.

The method I used to apply QEW was learned from other posts. Using 2 buckets, one with clean water and one with a capful of QEW and 2 quarts of water, I soak a MF towel in the QEW, wring it out to just wet enough but not dripping, then wipe it across a panel (half a hood for example), then dry with a terry towel followed by a pass with a MF. I then rinse the wet QEW MF in the clean water, and repeat. The QEW bucket stays clean, and the rinse bucket turns black. I don't start with a car that looks as if it just came back from four wheelin' with mud all over it. It's just mildly dirty from sitting outside 24/7 without being washed for about 10 days.

It takes me about a week, working a couple hours each evening, to cover the entire car with AIO and 2X SG, but it sure is a time saver over having to wash the entire car just to work on a couple panels. I don't find any scratching or marring from the QEW, and it's great on door jambs, as well as in the wells under the hood and trunk. I haven't tried it for wheel wells, but it does work wonders everywhere else.

It cost me $10 a bottle from Camping World, and when I ordered in June there was no shipping charge. Using just a capful at a time from a 16oz bottle will make it last quite awhile.

Nothing but good results on my 97 Lexus LS400, and a real good solution for Autopians with limited access to water spigots, or if you have limited time and want to work on a panel at a time without having to wash the entire car.

I've been reading a lot of great information on this site for quite some time, and thanks to all who have provided some great tips and insights. This post is my way of contributing a little something back.

permalink · 07-21-03, 07:26

thanks for the write up! i would think that draggin dirt across the surface of a car would just scream swirls or other micro scratches, but I guess not, huh?

oh, and

IndigoGTI · 07-21-03, 08:08

Wow, first post and an excellent one at that!

to Autopia!

Intermezzo · 07-21-03, 10:01

dgraupman,

Good post! Sounds like you found the perfect product for your situation. I also used QEW over the weekend and the more I use it, the more I'm impressed with not only the way it doesn't swirl your paint, but also in its cleaning ability.

I use a MF wash mitt and I'm able to wash 2-3 panels at a time. I dry with just a single waffle-weave towel and am able to finish the entire car in 15-20 mins. If done properly, I find that I don't even need to clean my windows afterwards.

A few things I noticed this time were that pre-soaking bird-bombs for a few mins makes them wipe off with no additional pressure or effort. Also, I mixed in an ounce of QD with the QEW (per Scottwax's recommendation) and that seemed to allow the wash to work better.

dgraupman · 07-21-03, 12:03

IndigoGTI - thanks for the welcome.

Intermezzo - thanks too for the tips on the MF wash mitt and mixing the QEW with the QD.

For those still sitting on the fence about QEW, read Scottwax's posts on the subject using the search function. That made me brave enough to try it. Using it for myself has convinced me. It has to be one of the most counter intuitive products out there. My neighbor came by just as I was trying it out for the first time, and when he saw me wipe on and wipe off with no rinsing, he thought I'd lost my mind. We both examined the results and that was the end of both of our concerns. It's beyond me how it suspends the dirt in the water solution and cleans as well as it does without swirls or scratching, but the results are there.

I got the same clean results on my windows as Intermezzo, which only goes to show if QEW leaves the windows clean, it's doing the same thing to the paint.

Since all my neighbors are equally challenged by spigot access, I pity the poor neighbor who spies me through the window and gets the impression that rinsing off "ordinary car wash soap" must be an optional step.

2500Hemi · 07-21-03, 03:30

I saw two people who had that same misconception this weekend while I was applying some Z on my truck. Three cars just sprayed some EO wax as you dry, then rinsed with a hose and all used the same nasty chamois to dry it off. Holy crap was the sight of that making me cringe. The ringleader yelled that I should let him detail my truck. LOL I politely declined. While they were doing this wash one of their friends did a powerslide in the gravel and threw dust all over their cars but none of them seemed to mind.

Scottwax · 07-21-03, 05:53

Quote:

Originally posted by WRXemALL

oh, and

4DSC · 07-21-03, 07:04

Welcome to Autopia dgraupman.

Great post, glad to see you did your homework!

Yes, QEW is both a great product and counter-intuitive to use. It's a bit disconcerting using the stuff, and yet it works very well. I'll have to remember the way you use it to only wash the panels you are working on, because I'm more used to using it to wash the entire vehicle. Nice "thinking out of the box" there.

MTO44 · 08-03-03, 12:41

I would think your method would swirl the paint also.. I would have a problem not rinsing any dirt off the car before washing or rubbing anything on the paints surface. Would think it would have to induce scratches. Does anyone use QEW as your car wash shampoo?

mx5gary · 08-03-03, 05:58

The two bucket method and QEW is great on vacation. Not the best place for detailing but you can not beat the view.

http://www.autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3840

4DSC · 08-03-03, 11:48

Quote:

Originally posted by mx5gary
The two bucket method and QEW is great on vacation. Not the best place for detailing but you can not beat the view.

http://www.autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3840

Wow, talk about serenity in detailing.

chewy · 08-04-03, 06:20

I used QEW yesterday for only the second time. I had planned a regular wash, but I got busy and my shade disappeared. I rolled the car into the garage and gave it a shot. I had forgotten how easy it was to use and how good the car came out. Finished the entire care in 25 minutes using the two bucket method and MF waffleweave towels to dry. Spent another 35 minutes and was able to put a coat of Mothers Sealer and Glaze on, as well as a coat of S100. Car looks great.