I`m scratching the paint - how?

[shiny]

I`ve looked them up now, definitely getting one soon. Wish I knew earlier!

[dcjredline]

How hard are you pushing on the wash media when washing? That could be causing it too.

[Mary B]

Rinse off.
Foam Gun Yesssssss ! Rinse
Then 2 BM, rinse, dry.
You should look at a couple quick releases, so it`s easier to swap nozzles.
I have a nice sheeting sprayer for the final rinse.



Quick release at each end of nozzle, plus a heavy duty shut-off valve at hose end, with it`s own QR.

[Lonnie]

Mary:
I sounds like from your description above that you are actually "washing" the vehicle twice:
1) A "touchless" soap soak and rinse, for the "big easily removeable stuff"
2) A 2-bucket wash with some type of wash media (sponge, microfiber chenille mitt, wool mitt, boar`s-hair brush), rinse (see question below), and then a dry (blow-off? and waffle/fluffle weave microfiber towel) for the "smaller adhering stuff."

What are you using (or doing) that acts as a "sheeting sprayer" for the rinse step??

[Accumulator]

I probably wash the vehicle at least three times per wash, and that`s if each stage only requires one pass (seldom happens that way). Well, four if you count the pressure washer pre-rinse. Pressure washer rinse; foamgun/BHB; foamgun/mitts; rinseless.

How hard to press? NOT enough that the shafts of the BHB bristles bend over and touch the paint. With mitts, I`d *NEVER* wear one like a glove, but rather I fill it with soap solution, hold it shut at the cuff, and gently whisk it across the panels. I have to do the numerous passes because each one is so gentle that the cleaning happens very incrementally.

And I *ALWAYS* have foamgun output spraying at the point of wash medium-to-paint contact whenever I use a BHB or a mitt. (Well, not when using a little BHB in the doorjambs and the back sides of wiper arms..). It`s all about "Dislodge and Flush".

Dirt in my rinse bucket indicates mistakes on my part.

No Sheeting Rinse capability in the current shop, the water delivery is just wrong for that. Don`t really miss it actually.

Other foamgun-centric stuff that regulars here are probably quite familiar with:

I find foamgun resoaks do little actual cleaning, but they do prime the panels and probably soften up the contamination a little bit.

I replace the pistol-grip sprayer on the foamguns (I like the one with the sliding brass mixing bar) with a shutoff valve that I operate with my thumb. Far more comfortable, especially while doing the "spray foamgun while moving BHB/mitt a certain way".

Wash media is moved in short, interrupted, jiggling motions so the foamgun`s output can better flush the dislodged dirt away and also so that any marring that *does* happen will be short little scratches rather than longer (hence more obvious) ones.

I mix up a few gallons of concentrate (~7oz. shampoo + ~121oz. water) and fill the foamguns from that.

The more spare foamgun bottles you have the faster the reloading goes.

[bcgreen]

How hard is your paint? Some years ago I was pulling the hair out of my head until there was none. So I came here to get an answer and received lot of the information almost all did not help. I remember saying that even a cotton ball would scratch and it got to the point from chasing the fine scratches, that very faintly red primer was starting to show. Accumulator made a great suggestion. Buy some Opti-coat. The coating was a another level of clear that was harder than the factory paint and my problem was solved. The primer was almost impossible to see unless you knew where to look. Now the Audi was the opposite situation and since then I`ve gained an appreciation for hard paint.

[Mary B]

Mary:
I sounds like from your description above that you are actually "washing" the vehicle twice:
1) A "touchless" soap soak and rinse, for the "big easily removeable stuff"
2) A 2-bucket wash with some type of wash media (sponge, microfiber chenille mitt, wool mitt, boar`s-hair brush), rinse (see question below), and then a dry (blow-off? and waffle/fluffle weave microfiber towel) for the "smaller adhering stuff."

What are you using (or doing) that acts as a "sheeting sprayer" for the rinse step??

Yep, sounds about right. I rinse it first too.
I did upgrade the gun on the foamer to a rubberized Gilmore.
Think I`m gonna try some of Accumulator`s
Detailed wash stages.
My sheeting sprayer is the shower setting on my Target slide trigger.





Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk

[Accumulator]

bcgreen- Soft paint drives me nuts! I have some on the Jag (old ss lacquer) and the `93 Audi (overthinned/missing clear = very soft), but otherwise I would simply sell a vehicle with what I call "stupid-soft" paint. Life`s too short...but yeah, a good coating would make sense too.


Lonnie- Ever try the Sheeting Rinse without any nozzle on the hose? That worked well for me at the previous shop.

Think I`m gonna try some of Accumulator`s Detailed wash stages.

Oh gee, it`s like I almost feel guilty reading that. We spend enough time/effort on this stuff as it is..I bet most people here don`t let their vehicles get as dirty between washes as I do, nor care as much about minimizing the marring to the point of hardly ever having to polish.

[Swanicyouth]

All you guys keep talking about using a foam gun, but I started using a foam finger as well...



Seriously, pressure wash paint before you touch it and you`ll be good.

[Accumulator]

Seriously, pressure wash paint before you touch it and you`ll be good.

Well, it`s a great start at least. That cheapie pressure washer I got as a Christmas gift was a real eye-opener.

[Lonnie]

Pollen can strip wax. I`ve seen it completely obliterate a 6-week old Collinite application. So to that point, like the new guy said, getting the hose out is mandatory.....

At first I thought this statement was somewhat of a myth or "misguided" but after experiencing this phenomenon on my wife`s black Freestyle waxed with 2-week old Collinite 915 first-hand, I have no reason to doubt this any more. We were "Up Nort` " in Marinette County (Northeast Wisconsin) at my wife`s brother`s place for the Memorial Day weekend. The tree pollen, mostly pine and birch, was excessive, to say the least. With the weather being sun in the morning and rain in the afternoon for four day we were there, the water spotting was terrible. I knew the pollen was terrible after the obligatory wiping off of plastic tables and lawn furniture to sit in outside between rain episodes, and the white wash rag was pure yellow-green every time.
Needless to say, when we got home, I washed the black Freestyle and noticed that the paint no longer had that Collinite wax signature "extreme beading" I was used to when I did the initial spray-rinse to remove the dirt and debris before a 2-bucket wash. The water was `flat" on certain areas where the water spotting was. It still beaded, but not like I was used to with Collinite.
So yes, pollen, especially pine and birch mixed with rain water, will "diminish" Collinite wax in my experience.

[Accumulator]

So yes, pollen, especially pine and birch mixed with rain water, will "diminish" Collinite wax in my experience.

Come to think of it, I did have that happen with 476S back when I parked the last Volvo Wagon outside!

But, noting that not all pollen is the same, I`ve had absolutely *ZERO* problems with pollen on FK1000P. Don`t give it a second thought, utter non-issue for me.