need help teaching a friend to wash his car

[white996c2]

I have a friend that owns 2 Lexus` and with both of them, he will just spray tap water on them & rub them down with a towel, then towel try it... no soap, no wax, nada... oddly, his cars dont have excessive swirls or anything...



Anyway, I want to convice him to at least use some car wash detergent so that he wont be "sanding" his car down every time he does his hose down... sometimes he will just use a towel & wipe down the entire car without water!



He is stubborn, i have tried to tell him the correct way & have even kind of scolded him before, its not really any of my business, but I feel sorry for the cars, esp the SC430 which I really like.



Any advice?

[White95Max]

You need to explain to him that the dirt particles are abrasive, and the soap is meant to provide lubrication to get those particles off without harming the surface. Water will provide *some* lubrication, but not enough.



I can`t believe that he doesn`t have excessive swirls. Would these vehicles happen to be light colored by any chance?

[JohnZ3MC]

Tack 1:

Take him the stuff he needs and start simple. Add the complexity in small steps.

Start with a quality shampoo, maybe the NXT shampoo or my fav. the DP extreme green stuff for foam guns or without foam guns.

Add a good lambswool mitt.



When he feels the mitt gliding over the surface and sees how well the shampoo helps remove dirt, he`ll be sold. (maybe)



Tack 2:

Take him the stuff he needs to start this tack.

Start with a lambswool mitt and ONR and two pails, and a MF towel or two.

He`s very near the minimalist technique with ONR anyway so show him how to save even more water and increase his shine at the same time.



Show him the benefits of doing it your way, benefits like more shine with the same time, more cleaning with the same time, less swirls with less time, you get the idea.



Let us know how successful you are,

-John C.

[white996c2]

Yes one car is white, the other is silver, so maybe that is why i cant see the swirls, however he is planning on buying a dark colored 2007 Mercedes S-class soon and I already feel bad for the car...



Good suggestion guys, I have had the talk w/ him, but he doesnt care.

I`ll try buying him the stuff, maybe that will make it easier for him.. I think he is just lazy... even too lazy to take it to a good hand car wash.

[the other pc]

Here’s the important part:

… but he doesnt care. …

Just walk away.





It’s his car. If he’s happy letting it rot that’s his choice.



There are plenty of ways to alienate friends and trying to convince them “your way is the right way,� whether it’s religion, politics, sports or automotive hygiene is somewhere near the top.





PC.

[mikebai1990]

Does he mind the swirls? If not, you probably won`t have much luck changing his habits.



If he does care about the swirls, then let him mar up his 2007 dark colored S-class Mercedes and ask him how he feels looking at it. Then you can use a PC and clean it up for him

[BMW335i]

Here’s the important part:





Just walk away.





It’s his car. If he’s happy letting it rot that’s his choice.



There are plenty of ways to alienate friends and trying to convince them “your way is the right way,� whether it’s religion, politics, sports or automotive hygiene is somewhere near the top.





PC.

+1, if he doesn`t care, its useless. There needs to be a motivating factor for him to put in the effort to learn. I would leave him alone. Let him swirl up his cars real nice.

[Authrom]

I gotta agree with these other guys, if he doesn`t care why should you?

[imported_DieselMDX]

damn that is just cruel and unusual to do to a car

[the other pc]

Cruel, yes. Unusual? Hardly.





PC.

[mikebai1990]

damn that is just cruel and unusual to do to a car

Agreed. But most people out there just don`t care about their cars, even if they`re top-notch luxury cars or whatever. It`s a shame.

[imported_DieselMDX]

Agreed. But most people out there just don`t care about their cars, even if they`re top-notch luxury cars or whatever. It`s a shame.

agreed I am the only person i know who takes taking care of things I purchase. I mean I am the guy cleaning the granite,SS,floors and carpet everyday i mean **** it only takes a few minutes to ensure your money doesnt go to waste





I am amazed that people buy the second most expensive thing they will EVER purchase and then let it look like crap all the time

[mikebai1990]

I am amazed that people buy the second most expensive thing they will EVER purchase and then let it look like crap all the time

Couldn`t have said it better myself. My parents keep telling me I`m wasting my time washing the car and waxing it all the time because if it`s involved in an accident and the car is totaled, all the work has gone to waste. (My uncle recently had a little car accident, so that`s why they were saying that). But I keep telling them, the car is a $30,000 investment, second only to the house. Why would anyone just decide to let their car get all dirty and swirly and badly maintained when they spend that much money on it? So I`m the one who takes care of detailing and maintaining the car.