The Cadillac has some defects in too afraid to attempt to correct any further but to park the Honda along side it certainly is a feeling of accomplishment.
The Cadillac has some defects in too afraid to attempt to correct any further but to park the Honda along side it certainly is a feeling of accomplishment.
Treat it like it`s the only one in the world.
Well, IMO you`re wise to know when to say "when". I have marring on every vehicle (yeah, even have one RISS on the S8 that can sometimes catch my eye) that most Autopians would probably correct, but living with over-corrected vehicles has taught me a thing or two about (truly) long-term cosmetics.
IMO it`s one of those purely subjective things...as long as *you* are happy with it that`s all that matters; Life`s not a carshow despite the Curse of Autopia which insists that every vehicle has to be perfect
Speaking of which..my good painter recently did a final touchup on the emerging-from-mothballs Jag that involved some buffing (mild Menzerna/Meg`s 8006/rotary), and despite his HIGH level of skill and decades of experience...he went a little too far and uncovered yet another area where the factory reshot part of it. "Lousy blend" doesn`t come close to describing what`s now visible on the LF fender but hey, it`s a 31YO Story Car from the dark days when Jaguar`s build-quality left a lot to be desired. Eh, what was awfully disappointing when "showroom new" (scare-quotes intentional!) is just "character" to me now that I`ve had it for so long.
Glad to hear you`ll be using the Jag again! I`m sure you might do one of your famous five hour washes on it if it calls for it!
Treat it like it`s the only one in the world.
Bill D- Well...the Jag`s about #4 in line and some of the ones ahead of it will take a while. At this point it`s definitely in *seriously* "before" condition having been stored/worked on by others for so many *years*. All my fault for not keeping closer tabs on in, but eh... priorities and all that. At least it`s back on-site where nothing else will happen to it. I`ve parked it so that I see its best side and it`s nice to have it around again.
And, heh heh...I don`t wash that one as quickly at the others.
It`s been about a week and a half since I washed the ST and it`s starting to drive me crazy. However my dealership does have a detailing bay that I may be able to use. NOW. I don`t wish to use their detailing tools other then their pressure washer.
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Personally I only find shampoos useful for lubrication during contact washing. Foaming (with a shampoo), then rinsing I find does little more than rinsing alone. However I am a fan prewash chemicals. This would be something like an APC that is higher detergency and low lubricity, a pure "cleaning" chemical that you would never consider using in your wash bucket. You would use it like this:
1. Wheels
2. Pressure rinse paint
3. Spray prewash (I prefer a garden sprayer over foaming)
4. Pressure rinse again
5. 2 bucket wash
I think this method is more popular in the UK than here in the US
That is a great point man and I would totally agree. I think the soap acts merely as a "cushion" between your hand/wash mit and the paint itself.
What would be a product that does something like this?
You would spray it on and hose it off then proceed with a traditional bucket wash ?
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Unless a vehicle is coated, I`d expect anything potent enough to do truly effective "touchless washing" will also be potent enough to strip any existing LSP.
There used to be a pre-wash/soak product called...oh, what was it?...PhaseII, think that`s it.. that was supposed to loosen the dirt the way people often expect a foaming to do. It did do that to some degree for me, and it was gentle enough on my LSPs, but I went through that one bottle pretty fast and never looked into getting more.
BUT...there does seem to be a *little* dirt-softening action from spraying my shampoo concentrate on (straight, not diluted via the foamgun) as I do when cleaning the wheels/wells/undercarriage, and it doesn`t seem to compromise my LSPs at all, so I guess I can argue this one from both sides of the fence, at least to some degree. Which is yet another reason why I seldom go farther than "that doesn`t work for me" when somebody posts how satisfied they are with [whatever doesn`t work for me].
Honestly I think you could get away with using any of the APC`s sold here mixed at their "general purpose" dilution. Ideally, you`d do what I posted above and rinse first to remove the dirt that will come off with water alone so you`re not "wasting" your prewash acting on this dirt. Then you`d spray the prewash and rinse again before the 2 bucket. However to be honest, unless I`m looking at a ridiculously thick layer of dirt or mud, I do what you said and just spray the prewash, rinse, then 2 bucket wash.
I will warn you though, many will suggest that doing this will strip/degrade your LSP. Will applying some dilute APC degrade your LSP more than water alone? Sure. But honestly I drive my car through the touchless wash a few times over the winter, and after my first bucket wash of the spring, I *still* have my sealant beading. I reapply the sealant then anyways so for me the point is moot.
Ah, but I`m not looking for a truly touchless wash. I`m looking for that "middle of the road" where I removed more dirt than water alone, but not enough to negate the need to follow up with the shampoo and mitt. (I`ll even argue that I would never towel dry a car after running it through a touchless car wash bay, even with their stronger chemicals)
You could equate your bhb/foam gun step to what I`m trying to accomplish with my prewash. In most circumstances, it`s just the first step of a multi step cleaning process. However I do think the bhb/foam gun method is superior for LSP longevity.
OP are you lost yet?
Up here in Canada, were often times in the - degree weather were a touchless may be the only option.
But I was always skeptical how bad they actually are for the car
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DetailZeus- Ah, OK...thanks for clarifying! Now I see what you mean
You folks who endure Winter weather without a heated garage have a tough row to hoe..I`m so spoiled, haven`t dealt with that since forever.
Not sure what I`d actually do at this point if I didn`t have my facilities, probably switch to leasing something and just consider it a disposable vehicle. In other words, I`d basically give up on the Winter Daily for practical purposes
Lol there are worse problems out there to have I guess.
I have a heated, insulated shop approximately 720 sq feet plus a loft. But I`d prefer not to use it as a personal pressure washing station.
Tools, work benches, shelving AND my trans am live there. Can`t afford to get stuff wet. I`d probably go crazy
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Striker- That`s what kept me from pressure washing for so long, and IMO you *would* have trouble keeping everything truly dry.
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