criticize this wash system?

**yeti** · 01-21-2011, 01:45 PM

My friend and I love to have shiny clean cars. And we are hoping to give others shiny and clean cars. We`ve been thinking about our system and I`ve decided that it would be helpful to ask the autopia community. The steps are:

1. Get 3 buckets each with one gallon of water and two of those buckets with car shampoo (we use warm water for the buckets)

2. Rinse the car outside (This is what I`m worried about, I live in IN and it gets anywhere from 10 F to 40 F in the winter. I don`t know if this can damage the car?)

3. Pull that bad boy in the garage (usually 50 F to 55 F)

4. I start cleaning the tires and wheels with one of the shampooed buckets and my friend starts on the body with the other shampooed bucket (while dipping his mitt in the clean one every so often)

5. We pull that beast out of there and rinse her off (take the hose and put it in the garage so water doesn`t freeze in it)

6. Put her back in the garage and wipe her off a squeegee and get the rest with a MF drying towel. (we obviously have more to this system, this is just the area I`m concerned about)

So what I`m concerned about: rinsing the car off in winter weather and something getting frozen or cracked, using warm water (from the buckets) on the car and glass cracking. I guess that`s all I`m worried about.If there is anything else I should be worried about just holla. Help would be appreciated.

**03z71** · 01-21-2011, 02:02 PM

You using cold water to spray off with??

**yeti** · 01-21-2011, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by 03z71

You using cold water to spray off with??

Yes we are

I forgot to mention we rinse off after washing it, then we pull it in and dry it off.

**Street5927** · 01-21-2011, 06:45 PM

Provided that you are just pulling it in right after washing to a warmer temp, for the most part, you should be ok. Anything above freezing will not freeze, so your 33* to 40* will not be an issue. I have washed cars in 35* temps, and while it is not fun, it is alright. The other times...provided you can get it rinsed without soap or water freezing to it. The ice should not be a general issue, but it will be if you have to continually wait for it to thaw so you can dry, plus you may not be adequetly rinsing foreign matter off if it freezes too quickly. I would make sure you also blow dry all crevises, etc, especially in key holes, around windows, etc.

**Kean** · 01-21-2011, 06:50 PM

....well, it may just be me but I typically use at least 4 gallons in each bucket (soap and rinse) for starters. Also, (personally) a "squeegee" wouldn`t be my first choice for drying. ....or even on my list to be honest.

I really have no experience in your type of weather (considering my location) so I can`t really comment on what works well in those temperatures. If I did live in that type of environment though, I might consider using a pressure washer to help knock off the big stuff and then a product like ONR that I could use indoors (i.e. a heated garage). ....it really depends on the situation.

**Dubbin1** · 01-21-2011, 07:57 PM

Why not a try a rinseless wash. Spray off what you can then pull it in and finish the job.

**dmw2692004** · 01-22-2011, 12:17 AM

ONR is the best way to do what you want to do. Just make sure you refresh your ONR rinse/wash buckets often if you are washing a really dirty/large vehicle.

**gocubbies** · 01-22-2011, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by dmw2692004

ONR is the best way to do what you want to do. Just make sure you refresh your ONR rinse/wash buckets often if you are washing a really dirty/large vehicle.

what he said

**tssdetailing** · 01-22-2011, 01:16 AM

Originally Posted by yeti

My friend and I love to have shiny clean cars. And we are hoping to give others shiny and clean cars. We`ve been thinking about our system and I`ve decided that it would be helpful to ask the autopia community. The steps are:

1. Get 3 buckets each with one gallon of water and two of those buckets with car shampoo (we use warm water for the buckets)

2. Rinse the car outside (This is what I`m worried about, I live in IN and it gets anywhere from 10 F to 40 F in the winter. I don`t know if this can damage the car?)

3. Pull that bad boy in the garage (usually 50 F to 55 F)

4. I start cleaning the tires and wheels with one of the shampooed buckets and my friend starts on the body with the other shampooed bucket (while dipping his mitt in the clean one every so often)

5. We pull that beast out of there and rinse her off (take the hose and put it in the garage so water doesn`t freeze in it)

6. Put her back in the garage and wipe her off a squeegee and get the rest with a MF drying towel. (we obviously have more to this system, this is just the area I`m concerned about)

So what I`m concerned about: rinsing the car off in winter weather and something getting frozen or cracked, using warm water (from the buckets) on the car and glass cracking. I guess that`s all I`m worried about.If there is anything else I should be worried about just holla. Help would be appreciated.

Don`t squeegee paint-that`s for dealership hacks.

You will be fine. consider that the car itself will be 40°-50° and that the warm soapy water will quickly chill once you apply it to the cold car. Lately, if I`m servicing a vehicle in my garage, i`ll run a hose into the basement utility sink-instant bath water on tap. Garden hose pressure + an adjustable nozzle inside of a garage will hardly splash on the walls b/c it has so little velocity coming out and you`ll be directing it at the car. This avoids all the in and out crap.

**Accumulator** · 01-22-2011, 01:15 PM

yeti- Welcome to Autopia!

If what you`re doing now works for you, then it`s OK. If not, then there are ways to sort it out.

I can`t help but wonder how much wash-induced marring you`re getting with that regimen...if you start with a perfect black vehicle, and wash it [however many] times, it oughta still be perfect. For me to be able to do that, I have to use a wash method that`s a whole lot more complicated than what you`re doing.

**yeti** · 01-22-2011, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

yeti- Welcome to Autopia!

If what you`re doing now works for you, then it`s OK. If not, then there are ways to sort it out.

I can`t help but wonder how much wash-induced marring you`re getting with that regimen...if you start with a perfect black vehicle, and wash it [however many] times, it oughta still be perfect. For me to be able to do that, I have to use a wash method that`s a whole lot more complicated than what you`re doing.

Well, I think it`s okay as of now but if I can find a way to improve it, that`d be great. Could you tell me what you do that`s complicated?

**tssdetailing** · 01-22-2011, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by yeti

Well, I think it`s okay as of now but if I can find a way to improve it, that`d be great. Could you tell me what you do that`s complicated?

something like 4 buckets, 2 wash, 2 rinse, all together different buckets for wheels, multiple sponges for top/side/bottom of car, air-blowdry.

**yeti** · 01-22-2011, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by tssdetailing

something like 4 buckets, 2 wash, 2 rinse, all together different buckets for wheels, multiple sponges for top/side/bottom of car, air-blowdry.

Eh...seems like an overkill almost.. Can you really see a big difference between 2 and 4 buckets? I may try that if so, with multiple mitts.

**Accumulator** · 01-22-2011, 02:58 PM

tssdetailing- Heh heh, you forgot the foamguns

yeti- My wash regimen is too involved for me to repost here (I`m supposed to rewrite it as an article some time, never get around to it

). You might check out the thread titled "Accumulator`s Non-marring Wash Technique", search on threads that I`ve created, there aren`t all that many of them.

Basically:

-Prewash with siphon-feed sprayer (you could substitute a pressure washer)

-Wash with foamgun/Boar`s Hair Brush ("BHB") combo to get the "big stuff" off

-Rewash with foamgun/mitts

-blow most water off with airwand

-dry with Waffle Weave MicroFibers ("WWMF") after spritzing on some quick detailer ("QD")

-blow water out of nooks and crannies with air compressor, blowing it into a WWMF

All washing is done with short interrupted motions (ditto for drying). All washing is done with foamgun output dirtected at point of wash medium/paint contact. Wash media are either rinsed while in use via the foamgun (I have boosted water pressure that makes this possible) or else rinsed as frequently as they get soiled (with a mitt that would be serveral times per panel). Nothing dirty gets pressed or dragged against the paint any more than necessary.

The general idea is "dislodge and flush" so that abrasive stuff never gets trapped in the wash media and thus pressed against the paint. IF you press dirt against the paint, and then move it, chances are you`ll cause marring.

Even when doing a winter-filthy vehicle, the water in my rinse buckets remains quite clean. Thus I know that dirt isn`t getting dragged across my paint by the BHBs/mitts.

I dunno if most people would find my regimen worth it. I`m pretty fanatical about minimizing marring and I can`t avoid it unless I go through all that I do. The point being that I want to maintain basically flawless paint (emphasis on "basically"; nothing is gonna stay 100% perfect if you drive it year-round) without having to polish every year or so.

As I often say, I don`t want people to look for problems that they don`t think they have. But not too many daily drivers look all that great when inspected in a dark shop with something like a SunGun