More noob questions (washing)

[bennylava]

Got some more noob questions for you guys. I love reading the responses around here so even though this stuff could be looked up somewhere, I trust this forum a lot more. So here they are:

1. Which car wash do you use? I`m referring to plain car washing liquid, where you use two buckets, one soap and one water. Which one should I use? This will be for washing a car before polish and wax.

2. What do you actually use to wash the car with? Back in my detail boy days, they had me just using a mitt of some kind that went over your hand. Is that still used?

3. Not washing related, but I was looking at all the videos about Optimum Power Clean. It seems that its mainly used as tire cleaner. Is that anything I should be concerned about, when it comes to using it on seats and carpets/floor mats? Do you guys dilute it when using it on the interior? Or do you just use it straight?

4. Also not washing related. DA polisher pads: Is the color coding universal across all brands? Would an orange pad, be for the same job regardless of brand? Thus far I`ve seen orange, white, black, and red. Not real sure what the difference is in these pads, although I`ve heard some are rougher, for polishing or compounding, and some are finer, for finer polishes or (waxes?)

5. What do you guys think of the tornador? If I did end up buying one, I`d be buying the Tornador Black. Is this particular piece of equipment, worth the expense?

Thanks for reading.

[Bunky]

1, There are a lot of good soaps. Most anything sold here is very good. The preference is about brand, scent, cost, added wax, ease of rinsing, etc.

2. I think the noodle (dreadlock) is the best bang for the buck (inexpensive, durable, low maintenance).

3. Optimum Power Clean is an all purpose cleaner and can be used on a variety of surfaces and generally safe for most surfaces if you do not allow it to dry. The dilution is usually at 1:3 for general use (full strength ok too but why waste it if not necessary) but you can vary it. I would not use it on carpets since it requires good rinsing. It is not the cheapest all purpose cleaner but I find it is reliable.

4, Color coding is not standard., Buff & Shine, Griots, Lake Country, Rupes, Meguiars all use different colors. You have to rely on the name (like finishing, polishing, etc) but usually people will give you advice on which one.

[mjlinane]

Agree with Al.

1. Too many to mention. I like CG, BlackFire and OPT the most AT THE MOMENT.
2. I do not 2BW but use 660 GSM Eurow MF towel in a modified GDPWM. Excellent price and durability.
3. Would need to substantially dilute OPC for leather - and would only use on coated leather. (Note - tried ONR on my DD leather and plastics this week. Would highly recommend.) It goes without typing: TEST IN INCONSPICUOUS SPOT FIRST!!
4. Yep. RUPES Blue = cutting. LC Blue = no cut. RUPES Yellow = polishing. LC Yellow = Cutting. Megs even throws in Maroon.
5. Tornador needs a bigger compressor than I have room for. Otherwise.....

[Accumulator]

Some sorta-random thoughts follow, and/but note that I`m awfully extreme about avoiding wash-induced marring ("WIM") and that I`m leaving the foamgun out of the discussion:

-While others find differences in shampoos to be minimal and of no consequence, I find that high-lubricity shampoos make it far easier for me to avoid WIM. I`ve found some shampoos to be incredibly harsh on LSPs while others seem to have virtually no effect on them at all

-I finally tried the "dreadlock"/"muppet" type MF and I utterly hated it and can`t for the life of me understand why somebody would prefer it over something with finer/lighter strands

- Other than long/fine/soft-strand mitts, I`m a *BIG* fan of *high-quality* Boar`s Hair Brushes. AFAIK, the only good ones on the market these days come from Universal Brush (others sell their one model under the "Montana" name). IMO you simply *must* use some kind of BHB to get into tight crevices, I`ve never found anything else that can access and clean some spots

-I`ve done fine with cotton, MF, and sheepskin mitts, but the sheepskin seems best with regard to not retaining gritty diry and being the easiest to rinse out

-I never wear a mitt like a glove, but rather: fill it with shampoo solution, hold it shut at the cuff, and gently whisk it across the paint while the shampoo seeps out

-OPC is probably my favorite APC for aggressive cleaning. Undercarriages, engine compartments, interiors...when I have a nasty cleanup to do OPC is what I reach for. I use it straight/undiluted, if that`s more potent than I need I use something else instead

- While I do find some great uses for my Tornador Black, I somehow suspect that a lot of people would consider it a waste of $, a pricey gizmo that just sits on the shelf. FWIW, my primary use of it is to rinse/dry areas like jambs. If dealing with nasty interiors/floormats it might be great, but that`s not something I do very much

[FIDOAG14]

Just my two cents and if this bad practice call me out but...

1. I really like ONR right now but historically the Megs Gold Class that target sells has worked ok for me.

2. I bought the 3 pack of these Shine & Buff Waterless Wash Towel and I really like them. I just take extra care to really "scrub" the dirt out of the towel before returning to the soap bucket. I haven`t noticed any marring but my car also never gets more than a little road grime before washing.

3. Can`t help you there as I am new to them as well (just got the griots garage polisher this christmas) so I`m taking notes. I do know they ain`t cheap! So get it right the first time!

[JustJesus]

-I finally tried the "dreadlock"/"muppet" type MF and I utterly hated it and can`t for the life of me understand why somebody would prefer it over something with finer/lighter strands

I had the same experience. I hated it, and don`t know where in the garage it was sent to.

[bennylava]

Some follow up questions on the portions of the replies that I didn`t understand:

1. Too many to mention. I like CG, BlackFire and OPT the most

What is CG, and OPT?

2. I do not 2BW but use 660 GSM Eurow MF towel in a modified GDPWM. Excellent price and durability.

I assume you are referring to these? (hope the store here doesn`t sell them. Its kind of annoying to have to hunt through the store first and make sure its not being sold there, just to avoid posting a link to a competitor)

Amazon.com: Eurow Microfiber Double Density Towels 12 X 16 in 660 GSM Eurow Shag 10-Pack: Automotive

I use it straight/undiluted, if that`s more potent than I need I use something else instead

What is the other thing you use, if OPC is too potent? Maybe an APC from meguiars? I know people around here do seem to like their super degreaser for engines.

If dealing with nasty interiors/floormats it might be great, but that`s not something I do very much

I`ll be dealing with some that are pretty nasty lol. Found a pair of thong panties in this recent car I bought, that I accidentally grabbed with my bare hands and carried halfway to the trash can before I realized what it was. Yeah...

Just my two cents and if this bad practice call me out but...

1. I really like ONR right now but historically the Megs Gold Class that target sells has worked ok for me.

I`m afraid I don`t know what ONR is.

Thanks all for the replies!

[Bunky]

I still do not understand the dislike of the noodle style mitt.

[mjlinane]

CG = Chemical Guys
OPT = Optimum Polymer Technologies
2BM or 2BW = 2 Bucket Method/Wash
GDPWM = Garry Dean Perfect Wash Method
ONR = Optimum No Rinse (Rinseless Wash)

Yes, those are the towels I use.

Reference:
My wash technique (note - this as a full decontamination so more extensive that a weekly wash. Pick up from where I`m getting the towels out of the bucket for roughly a weekly wash)


For dirty interiors, I would recommend Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel

[mjlinane]

My rinseless technique

[mjlinane]

And FWIW my waterless technique

[Accumulator]

I still do not understand the dislike of the noodle style mitt.

For one thing, the thick strands don`t get into areas that thinner ones do, they`re just too fat (eh, guess that`s a "my vehicles-specific" complaint). More importantly (again, on my vehicles) the strands don`t conform to contours as well as my other media, at least not without far more pressure than I`d ever apply. And it seems to me that there`s less overall uhm...."wash medium surface area" in contact with the vehicle (a few big strands rather than a lot of thinner ones). And finally, though I discount this concept rather heavily, *if* dislodged contaminants migrate up into the nap and get safely trapped there away from the paint (big "if" IMO..) then it seems more likely to me that lots of thin/fine strands will facilitate that compared to fewer thick ones.

Note all the "seems to me..." qualifiers in the above!

Heh heh, you and I might just end up on different sides of this particular fence; I can`t understand why anybody would *like* them! Just one of those personal preference things I guess, and I`m sure that wash technique factors in bigtime along with the vehicle(s) in question.

[Accumulator]

Some follow up questions on the portions of the replies that I didn`t understand:




What is the other thing you use, if OPC is too potent? Maybe an APC from meguiars? I know people around here do seem to like their super degreaser for engines...

I`m not current on today`s APCs as I`m still using up my stash of Einman Fabrik Hi-Intensity. But the green-colored APC from 3D (or is it from HD, I can`t seem to keep their product lines straight ) also works well for me. Whatever`s working for you is OK in my book.

[JustJesus]

I still do not understand the dislike of the noodle style mitt.

For *me* - It didn`t feel all that great in my hand, err, with my hand in it. And doing the 2BW with Grit Guard, I saw some dirt on the mitt that I couldn`t seem to shake off. After several minutes of trying, I gave up. Since I couldn`t get it as clean as I would have liked, I preferred not to use it again.

But the green-colored APC from 3D (or is it from HD, I can`t seem to keep their product lines straight ) also works well for me.

That`s the same one I am using, i have bottles mixed in light ratio and heavy ratio. hehe.. You`re not the only one, Accumulator. I think that`s why people refer to them as 3D/HD

[bennylava]

Thanks for the videos mjlinane