Bummed !

[Mochamanz1]

First of all, I am not sure where to post this thread. Secondly, I searched, but did not find a similar thread to add to, but if I have duplicated this subject, please forgive me. I am sure some of you have had this experience...



Last night, there was a light sprinkling of rain. Pollen was medium. When I went out to get in my DD, I found it to have thousands of polka dots all over it ! Made my skin crawl ! The droplets of rain had evaporated leaving little pollen deposits ! So I decided that, since I didnt have much time, I would stop at the brushless car wash for a quick wash. Well, I gave them my $6.00 and went through the tunnel, things looked acceptable enough, until I was in direct sunlight and on the road. There was a "ghost" image of the spots faintly on the paint. I took out my Z6 when I arrived at my destination and quickly fixed the problem.

At home, it is a minor thing to remove this crud, but I would think that a high pressure machine would certainly do a better job than a couple squirts of QD and light buffing with a MF towel ! ! !:angry I have noticed this once before and have been told that the brushless wash "isnt for a really dirty car !" Hmmmm..

Dry pollen wouldnt come off under "high pressure", when light buffing with Z6 removes it !:nixweiss :nixweiss



So the brushless carwashes are for cars that do not need washing???

[RuffRyder]

Well they`re good for "touch up" washes, but it`s not going to get a really dirty car clean. Why not just a do a quick hand wash and then hit it with Z6 after it`s dry?

[JasonD]

Stay out of all automatic car washes!! :nono Just kidding, every now and then I find myself going through one just to get the million bugs off the front if I went on a road trip or something. Trust me, I try to *never* go through these but sometimes, even that is better than nothing.



Here`s what I`ve been told. The *brushless* high pressure washes use very strong detergents to attempt to get your car clean which strip off almost all protectants that may be on your car. After that, it sprays a liquid *wax* all over your car (windows included) that seals on anything that`s not washed off, including but not limited to: brake dust, bugs, water spots, dirt, etc. Then after that`s done, there is a spot free rinse with drying agents in it that again seal all the bad stuff in.



Bottom line: Stay out of them. If you can`t wash your car, qd it. If you can`t qd it, just wait.

[Mochamanz1]

I always get the "no wax" grade of wash.... I do not think these washes are of much use.... there is no provision for much (pre wash preparation ) or anything except to roll down an antenna or such. Like I said, I was panicking about having to go anywhere in such a spotty car... (my own fixation, I guess) I really thought the pressure would remove what usually takes almost no effort with just a QD and MF ! I will wash my car today when I get home though. I was thinking about recycled, chemical laden water as was QD ing my car, wondering about the long term effects would be if I went through one of those washes regularly. Luckily,I have Z2ProX3 on the car along with Z8. I am confident my car is protected as long as I do not abuse it with these washes often. My car is still gleaming the same even after the abuse.:xyxthumbs

[05Sleeper]

What about the "wash it yourself" car washes? That is usually what I end up having to use. dont worry, I NEVER USE THE BRUSH!



I will usually sray the car down with the high pressure soap, let it soak while I pressure wasmy rims/tires, then I go back over it all with the pressure rinse and call it a day. I have been getting some pretty good results with this.



I usually go home and do a QD after the wash. Sometimes, after the QD, I will add a layer of sealant/wax (depending on what I have on the car at the time)



Not "too" bad... :D

[JasonD]

Do you use any kind of wash mitt to get the dirt off or are you just relying on the pressure to remove it?

[Scottwax]

Pollen is sticky and really needs some agitation to remove. High pressure alone just won`t work.

[Mochamanz1]

Originally posted by JDookie

Do you use any kind of wash mitt to get the dirt off or are you just relying on the pressure to remove it?



The carwash is a no brush type car wash, nothing but the water pressure touches your car. It is supposed to be effective enough to clean the car, my main point is that - it isnt !

[the other pc]

Originally posted by Scottwax

Pollen is sticky and really needs some agitation to remove. High pressure alone just won`t work.

^ What he said!



Actually, almost every film sticking to paint is the same way.





PC.