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What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Summer is approaching, so the main things that will get on my car are dust / dirt / pollen / bug splatters.
I have a wash system that works well right now. The car is coated with a layer of Dr Beasley`s Plasma Coat. I rinse the car with a pressure washer to get most of the dirt off, then foam with Meguiar`s Hyper Wash, then wipe with a wet, folded microfiber towel. The surface is slick enough that I only need to go over an area once to get everything off. Rinse again, then dry with a leaf blower (need to get a more powerful one),then go back with a microfiber drying towel to get some last wet spots.
Is there some other final step that I can add that will make the car somehow pick up dirt more slowly? For example, some of the sprays that claim to be anti-static? However, they will need to last thru at least 2+ washes or so, because otherwise it would not be worth my time to add the extra step.
I also saw that there are some spray-on hydrophobic treatments, like Car Pro Hydro 2 and other similar products from McKee`s, Gyeon, etc. I expect them to last approx 2 months. But unless it is the rainy season, why would I care if it makes the car even more hydrophobic than it already is? (Currently, the car has ok, but not great beading) The other thing is that I am skeptical that these spray on rinse off products can get an even coverage. How about spray on, wipe around with a wet microfiber, then rinse off?
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Using Carpro ech20....learn to do a garry dean rinseless method, you wont be disappointed - on you tube.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
beanbag
... I rinse the car with a pressure washer to get most of the dirt off, then foam with Meguiar`s Hyper Wash, then wipe with a wet, folded microfiber towel.
It`s always interesting to hear about wash methods, and what works for YOU, and your paint/car. The wet microfiber towel is strange to me, but I`m sure my method is equally bizarre.
The above recommendation of ech20 is a good one, and somewhat of a happy-medium between waterless/QD/and Sio2 Sprays. Ech20 adds a bit of protection, but what I`ve been enjoying is the LOOK it gives. Even when the car is dusty or has a thin layer of road film, the car still glows. That`s what all this mail-order, special-product, special-processes does for me, it makes my car look good when it`s dirty. My point being, maybe it`s not so much keeping it clean between washings, as it is making it look great between washings.
Some people claim to use LSP`s that have a self-cleaning aspect to them, but I`ve never been sold. Some LSP`s are more prone to attracting dust (like pure wax), but literally keeping your car cleaner? Not sold. And yes, including coatings.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Regarding McKees Hydro Blue, I noticed lest dust / pollen attracted to my wife`s car after a fresh application - Compared to mine with an after-wash rubdown of some spray wax over FK1000p.
My totally random hypothesis is that using a MF towel on dry paint to spread/apply the spray wax induces a little bit of a static charge - thereby attracting dust/pollen.
Just my opinion and observations - hope this helps.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
MK37 Hydro Blue sounds like the perfect fit. Quick and easy way to add protection without touching the coated paint, very hydrophobic and lasts around 3 months (I`ve heard 4 months but I`ve never waited that long).
I`ve never had a problem with even coverage...but you can always use the 10 Minute Paint Sealant on its own or along with Hydro Blue (which is what it was formulated for originally).
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Keep it in the garage with the door closed
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Coatings are the way to go. Last month before I coated my fife`s car (she had WG DPS sealant on it) a black Scion XB, I washed her car, dried it, then took a 2` x 2` section on her roof and applied an SIO2 spray to it. I had taped it off so it was basically a perfect square. The next week I checked it out. She drives daily to and from work and parks outside at work. The WG area was as dusty as usual, but the SIO2 square was considerably cleaner. By a lot. The sharp straight lines on the edge of the square easily showed a cleaner square. In this case I used Gyeon Cure. No prep at all, just a wash. It`s now 100% coated with Gyeon CanCoat.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
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Originally Posted by
re-tired
Keep it in the garage with the door closed
Or one of those drive in bubbles that filters the air. Lol.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rlmccarty2000
Or one of those drive in bubbles that filters the air. Lol.
my wife has always wanted one of those
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
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Originally Posted by
re-tired
Keep it in the garage with the door closed
That sounds far too much like a "Captain Obvious" remark!!! (Thoughts of being a smarta$$, rude, impolite, thoughtless, mean-spirited, and uncaring person may be conveyed here.)
I was going add, "If you are THAT concerned about it getting dirty, don`t drive it!", but I digress to the above statement....
Hey, a vehicle used and driven as daily transportation is going to get dirty. I highly "dislike" uncooperative weather after spending all day detailing a vehicle to the nth degree, and then having to drive it someplace because, well.. that `s what it I have vehicle for. While it may sound sarcastic (see statements above), sometimes you just learn to live with getting a vehicle dirty and having it stay that way, despite your best efforts. If there is one curse of a professional or hobbyist detailer it is having a customer pick up their vehicle in the rain (or snow or dust-storm or insect hatch) that you`ve just detailed (unless, of course, the show up with a large covered trailer!).
I will hijack this thread however , and ask if anyone uses Finish Kare 425 Extra Slick Final Body Shine that is suppose to have anti-static properties to keep a vehicle`s finish from attracting dust and how good it does in doing that??
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
I`ve found for me that no matter what vehicle or LSP I`ve worked on, a quick spray and wipe with Kenotek SRS. helps keep down pollen and dust. Also I seem to be able to just spray them down and look great again ( obviously not cars driven thru rain and mud)
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
re-tired
Keep it in the garage with the door closed
With 2 black cars, sometomes not even that helps.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
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Originally Posted by
BudgetPlan1
With 2 black cars, sometomes not even that helps.
Owning two black cars....I have to agree with you.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Just because of how I am, I would still end up washing the car even if I pulled it out of a vacuum sealed bag. Oh well I like spending time with the cars anyway.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
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Originally Posted by
Lonnie
That sounds far too much like a "Captain Obvious" remark!!! (Thoughts of being a smarta$$, rude, impolite, thoughtless, mean-spirited, and uncaring person may be conveyed here.)
I was going add, "If you are THAT concerned about it getting dirty, don`t drive it!", but I digress to the above statement....
Hey, a vehicle used and driven as daily transportation is going to get dirty. I highly "dislike" uncooperative weather after spending all day detailing a vehicle to the nth degree, and then having to drive it someplace because, well.. that `s what it I have vehicle for. While it may sound sarcastic (see statements above), sometimes you just learn to live with getting a vehicle dirty and having it stay that way, despite your best efforts. If there is one curse of a professional or hobbyist detailer it is having a customer pick up their vehicle in the rain (or snow or dust-storm or insect hatch) that you`ve just detailed (unless, of course, the show up with a large covered trailer!).
I will hijack this thread however , and ask if anyone uses Finish Kare 425 Extra Slick Final Body Shine that is suppose to have anti-static properties to keep a vehicle`s finish from attracting dust and how good it does in doing that??
Yeah Lonnie, I`m just about done with my 2nd 31 ounce bottle of FK425. I didn`t notice a lot of difference.
However, I use FK108AS for the interior, and it provides a good month of anti-dust attraction, so their anti-static additive has some cred in my book, but just don`t see it in action with the QD (Fk425).
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rottenII
Owning two black cars....I have to agree with you.
It always seems like such a good idea at the time...
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lonnie
I will hijack this thread however , and ask if anyone uses Finish Kare 425 Extra Slick Final Body Shine that is suppose to have anti-static properties to keep a vehicle`s finish from attracting dust and how good it does in doing that??
Like WaxAddict, I never noticed that with FK425 (a member here joked that I must be "applying it backwards" :D ), but I *do* think that switching from FK425 to IUDJ helped keep `em cleaner between washes.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
FWIW, when I`m not gonna do one of my usual Maintenance Washes, I just spray it off with deionized water using the pressure washer, and then blow it dry with the AirWand and the compressor. NO, it`s not Autopian-perfect, but it still qualifies for Best in Parking Lot.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
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Originally Posted by
Accumulator
FWIW, when I`m not gonna do one of my usual Maintenance Washes, I just spray it off with deionized water using the pressure washer, and then blow it dry with the AirWand and the compressor. NO, it`s not Autopian-perfect, but it still qualifies for Best in Parking Lot.
Right here is the simplest solution. Especially with a well coated, sealed, or waxed car.
Accumulator, have you ever tried a quick wet down/pre-soak with a rinse less or waterless wash, then hit it with the deionized water, and then air wand and compressor?
I always have either a pump sprayer or multiple spray bottles of D114 or Uber around. I wish I had a the deionized water flowing through a pressure washer. I would like try this method myself if I was able to.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
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Originally Posted by
LEDetailng
Accumulator, have you ever tried a quick wet down/pre-soak with a rinse less or waterless wash, then hit it with the deionized water, and then air wand and compressor?
Slightly different approach, but same idea- I always use the pressure washer first, period. If it`s really nasty I`ll do it with regular softened water with some confidence that by the time I`m done I`ll rinse it all away (if I`m lucky). If the pressure washing isn`t enough, I use a siphon-feed sprayer to do the IUDJ. Sorta a combination presoak/prewash/touchless wash. One of these days...as I keep saying :o ...I`ll try the Lonn Cleaning Gun instead of my old/weak sprayer and I expect that to work better.
I tried spraying the IUDJ on as a presoak with the regular pump-up garden sprayer I use with it, but that didn`t seem to do much...like the dwelling of regularly applied (i.e., no foamer/etc.) IUDJ wasn`t of much benefit.
I like the idea of trying to do as much as I can with just water. When more is required I start to think it`ll soon be time for a real wash.
Quote:
I wish I had a the deionized water flowing through a pressure washer. I would like try this method myself if I was able to.
The CRS is *really* beneficial for me, but !oh man! do the associated costs add up. Fortunately, with the filtered/softened water going into it, I don`t have to replace the resin very often.
Eh, I`m just, uhm....in a situation where I gotta find ways to make the whole Detailing thing go a certain way or else it won`t get done. With what it takes for my Maintenance Washes, I can`t be doing that all the time but I still want the dailies to be decent.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
What I can`t figure out is why the above stuff, and my FK1000P experiences in general I guess, seem to be unusual. Unusually *good*, but gee what`s up with it? We use our dailies hard all year-round and I just hardly ever have to do much with `em other than those Big Deal Maintenance Washes, and I really only do that to my wife`s A8 on a regular basis. Extreme Autopians simply wouldn`t believe, let alone condone, how infrequently I wash anything else, how infrequently I LSP or clay (I go *years* between full-vehicle clayings). I do windows *all the time*, almost daily, and vacuum/QD-wipe my interiors very frequently, but that`s about it.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
I quit trying to keep my car clean between washes. When I first got my car I used to use a California duster and/or detailing spray and even though it looked great when done I ended up putting more marring into it. After a few times at this keeping it clean in between I could never figure out where the swirls were coming from when I would do a full wash. Turned out I traced it to the duster. I haven`t used it or detailing spray between washes in at least 4 years and I also haven`t had to polish my car in that time and even thought it has a little bit of micro marring it was no where near what I was inducing with the extra cleaning.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
skibik- Smart move, not touching it between washes any more.
Some folks sure love their CCDs...even claiming it doesn`t mar their paint at all. OK, whatever works for you...glad you`re happy. I used mine to dust some things in the shop, with predictable results on certain surfaces, finally deciding that I just wan`t gonna dry-dust stuff any more.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Conerning the original question...I combated the same dust issue. To-date, the new EcH2o from Carpro is best I`ve used for keeping dust off. FK425 never really seemed anti-static as they claim, but I used it all the time. In comparison (which the same coating in place), the EcH2o product has WAY less dust...way less. It otherwise works really well in all other aspects (after getting the hang of it). I`m going to go with it for a while.
Additionally...I use a CCD and have never had marring from it. I don`t use it when the car has more than 1-days dust. When I use it, I make sure it`s shaken out, I move it in lineal motions (windshield to nose on top surfaces and from window to wheel on the sides), and I NEVER put any weight into it (if the duster cannot grab it without pressing down. I know many, many people are against them; but they`ve always worked for me well. I buy a new one for each car...and I`d never use on black.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Mine had 8 to 9 hours dust on it from work. And yes, it is black and it shows big time. Maybe if it was a lighter color and with just a few hours dust at a car show then I might use it but I haven`t done a car show with it in 4 years. It does have some swirls but 4 years worth and even in that time it looks quite nice for not being touched other than washing int hat time.
It is time for a polish and plan to do it this spring once it gets a little warmer. I need to get it looking pretty because it is on it way out and in for something news.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Hello folks,
So I tried the McKee 37 Hydro Blue. I washed the car as usual, and while still wet, sprayed it on half of a panel that gets the most dust. (Rear trunk lid). Then rinsed off with pressure washer. Then I went for a long drive. There was zero difference in dust accumulation between that and 2 week old Beasley`s Plasma Coat. (Maybe this is a praise for the Plasma Coat`s anti-dust properties?)
I guess there are still some things that this might be good for:
Maybe the surface will be slicker on my next washing.
Maybe I can put it on my wheels to make the brake dust come off easier.
Maybe during the rainy season, I can use it to re-hydrophobic-ize the Plasma Coat, since I know that won`t withstand even a few hours worth of road water spray.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cobrar97
Additionally...I use a CCD and have never had marring from it...b[but]d I`d never use on black.
I *don`t* want this to come across wrong; I`m not challenging you and I recognize that "all dust is different" in that some is abrasive and some isn`t...that said, so I`m hopefully not giving offense..
Why wouldn`t you use it on black if you`d use it on anything else? With almost all vehicles being b/c I figure that "clearcoat is clearcoat no matter what`s under it. (Heh heh, well...other than BMW Jet Black, which I`d never own.) If the objective is to not mar the paint, I don`t see the basecoat color factoring in.
Again, I`m not being critical..just don`t understand how others do something like this that I can`t do. I mean, gee...not like I didn`t consider/cover all the variables. Guess it`s like washing without [all that stuff I do], sure wish I could make things easier on myself without compromising my results!
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
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Originally Posted by
rottenII
Owning two black cars....I have to agree with you.
OWNING 3 BLACK cars, I also AGREE!
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Accumulator
skibik- Smart move, not touching it between washes any more.
Some folks sure love their CCDs...even claiming it doesn`t mar their paint at all. OK, whatever works for you...glad you`re happy. I used mine to dust some things in the shop, with predictable results on certain surfaces, finally deciding that I just wan`t gonna dry-dust stuff any more.
ANY DUSTER WILL MAR the paint. First off, it will pick up dirt... not just dust.... This will be spread all over the paint..... creating damage. The only reason some don`t see any damage is because they have harder/ceramic clear coats.
Looking at some darker colored cars can cause marring.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
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Originally Posted by
killerzee
... The only reason some don`t see any damage is because they have harder/ceramic clear coats...
Heh heh, some people think my Audis (and even the Chevy) have hard clear..but IME *no* paint is too hard for most anything to mar it. Gee, folks used to say that single stage white is soooo hard, but I had cars in that and never even noticed any diff except that the correction took a little longer.
I`m too, uhm...diplomatic...to suggest that perhaps people who "don`t see damage" don`t inspect the way I do ;)
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Looking at some darker colored cars can cause marring.
Heh heh, sure seems like that, huh? [Note that for years Accumlator drove *only* black cars, back in the days of single-stage lacquer.]
IMO "clearcoat is clearcoat" and the dark colors (like my `93 Audi) just make flaws more obvious. My big gripe with dark colors is that they look dirty when they are dirty so they need washed all the time, with each wash a gamble marring-wise (yeah, even for me).
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
I have two CCD but after reading and using the PC. Just told the GF to not dust. Grab a micro and the griots best of show detailer to get the dust of.
She says I need to simmer down with the car detail craze. Lol.
Just got my 4th order delivered between amazon and eShine. Ahaha
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
phatkid77
... Grab a micro and the griots best of show detailer to get the dust of. ..
Oh man, I wouldn`t do that under any circumstances imaginable; it`d trash my paint for sure. But OK...I gather plenty of people do it...
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Hahah. Seems wrong to me too .. watched some tutorials of guys spraying dusty car then wiping off. Haha 🤷`♂️
What I’ve always done is a quick California dust. But now will likely use the best of show detailer and microfibre too
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
phatkid77- Eh, I don`t *touch* the paint with anything between washes. Ever. It invariably mars things up.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Damn lol.
Guess it’s a reason for a full wash and polish one way or another.
Dusty or touched with CCD. Lol
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
phatkid77
Damn lol. ...
But OTOH...such stuff only matters if it matters to *you*. I know this is Autopia, but some people here (like Yours Truly) can act like marred paint is a bigger deal than it needs to be ;)
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
True! Lol
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
People don’t want to mar because it impacts the looks. Some people don’t want a dirty car for the same reason. To each their own. I prefer a clean car and occasional light polishing and trying new LSPs since that’s the part of this hobby I really enjoy. The alternative of trying to never touch the car to avoid the slightest swirl while letting it remain somewhat dusty and dirty *isn’t* my idea of a hobby, but that’s just me.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
See how different people are, even Autopians!?!
Heh heh, to me, Detailing isn`t my idea a hobby, it`s another chore that needs to be done properly. Actually, I find it almost perfectly analogous to caring for clothing and footwear, or better yet, housecleaning. Not marring the paint is just like not damaging any other surface..one of life`s constant challenges.
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Re: What can help keep a car cleanest between washes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Accumulator
See how different people are, even Autopians!?!
Heh heh, to me, Detailing isn`t my idea a hobby, it`s another chore that needs to be done properly. Actually, I find it almost perfectly analogous to caring for clothing and footwear, or better yet, housecleaning. Not marring the paint is just like not damaging any other surface..one of life`s constant challenges.
Well said.
The older I get, the less I want to,ahem,"bust my ....." detailing. I don`t mind doing it,I just want the results to be there when I`m done.
I have a pile of half-empty bottles of stuff I`ve tried in the quest of easier, better results.
You`ve mentioned the AirWand. I couldn`t find any reviews on it. If you get a chance, would you please elaborate on it?