Winter wash or lack there of ....

[Accumulator]

Even after cleaning, isn’t their areas of grime and crud that Ed up on the final drying towel? Sooo many nooks and crannies... getting caked every drive.

Things don`t really get all that "caked", especially if you clean it whenever it gets dirty. The first step (undercar wand) does a lot all by itself so it`s usually not that awful by the time I get underneath and start doing the real work.

I have dedicated "undercarriage and drivetrain" towels for areas that might not get perfectly clean, but it`s not like I miss much by the time I use all the brushes/mitts/swabs that it takes to do the job right. I think of it as "the first and last hours of the wash", and can usually get it nice in that amount of time if I work really fast (I have the system pretty well sorted after decades of doing it).

Note that we don`t need to drive most of the vehicles in lousy weather, what with only two retired people in the household. While my wife drives the A8 all the time for her tutoring, I usually either schedule things so I can borrow it (since it`ll need cleaned anyhow) or just stay home. So it`s not like I have to deal with two/more vehicles all the time. Basically, her A8 and the Tahoe are the only ones that need to go out in the wintery stuff, although I do have winter wheels/tires for the other Audis (the Jag and Crown Vic don`t go out in salt these days).

 

[Accumulator]

DetailZeus- You`e lucky you don`t have (keeper) vehicles that rust out in areas that collect salt, like around the fuel filler cove or the rocker panels. Some will rust out in no time if you don`t keep those areas clean, I was shocked how fast my neighbor`s F150 rusted out in all the obvious (well, to me..) places. Ten minutes with a hose every now and then would`ve prevented his needing a new truck so soon.

On a lease I can see it...just lease/neglect/replace and never have to care. If I ever get *totally* tired of doing this stuff I could go that Disposable Car route myself like all our friends do. NOBODY else I know cares whether their Dailies last more than a couple years, nobody. And yeah, I still find that weird...

Surly- I`m sure glad the FK1000P is working out for you! After the way I praise the stuff, I`d hate for somebody to get it based on my recommendation and then be disappointed.

 

[WaxAddict]

I have had my Mustang for a 1.5 years and I’ve washed it with water and buckets just once. It looks amazing and I dare you to find a swirl. Have a nice day.

 

[Coatings=crack]

I have had my Mustang for a 1.5 years and I’ve washed it with water and buckets just once. It looks amazing and I dare you to find a swirl. Have a nice day.

What’s your routine?


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[PA DETAILER]

Nothing like a proper hose & bucket wash. Nothing against WW, but no way they get out all the dirt and grime hiding. In the winter months, I will wait for a day like today. 50 degrees out. And do that wash. We have been lucky in PA so far. A really mild winter.

 

[Accumulator]

Nothing like a proper hose & bucket wash. Nothing against WW, but no way they get out all the dirt and grime hiding.,.

And it`s gonna be one of those variable things that just depends on what the vehicle goes through...when my wife takes a multi-week trip (especially during the winter, though a few weeks of bug impacts during the summer comes to mind too), by the time she gets home the car is far too filthy for a RW/WW no matter who`s doing it.

OTOH, somebody (else ) could probably keep my Crown Vic OK with a RW/WW since it doesn`t go out in the salt. They`d just have to do it a lot more frequently that I want to. It would also require figuring out how to flush out areas related to the drains (dirt harbors moisture leading to rust), and full disassembly of the cowl at the base of the windshield (areas you simply cannot get to on my S8, period, so they`d never get cleaned with a RW/WW) every now and then , which`d be a *much* bigger job than just flushing those areas out.

I dunno...there are just so many areas that`re most feasibly cleaned by flushing..how do you RW/WW the insides of the sideview mirror housings (I can`t do it with just swabs and I`ve sure tried)? The recesses on the back sides of the bumpercovers? Can you *really* get to every inch of a car to RR/WW it? Guess it depends on the vehicle, but I don`t see how it could be done on ours. But hey, if those areas don`t get dirty in the first place then they don`t need to be cleaned so I guess *that* depends on how the car is used.

 

[tom p.]

Yeah, minimal need for washing this winter. Very little snow/salt to deal with and the temps always seem to be cooperative in terms of getting the hose out, etc.

 

[Lonnie]

....

Once you`ve spraywaxed the undercarriages a few times while drying them (only takes an extra moment), they clean up a *LOT* easier and quicker. And if you do that every wash it becomes the norm after a while. (That`s on the ones that don`t get a proper LSP under there )

Accumulator:
What are you spray-waxing the undercarriages with (IE, specific car-care manufacturer and product name?? When you say drying, are you drying with the Black Tornado (AKA, compressed air) or physically wiping the undercarriage down with a type of drying microfiber??

I ask, because this process MIGHT apply to off-road ATV`s and UTV Side-by-Sides that many of my wife`s side of the family are getting into for trail riding in Wisconsin. They get REALLY muddy everywhere and if something can be done to make the mandatory washing/clean-up easier, I can suggest it to them. I know there is a company called Slick Products that make an aerosol silicone-based spray called Shine and Protect for ATV carriages, but if I can find a suitable car-care-based product, I am open to it.

 

[Accumulator]

Accumulator:
What are you spray-waxing the undercarriages with (IE, specific car-care manufacturer and product name??

When I`m "doing it right" I`ll use UQW (which I get for Xmas from the in-laws). Otherwise, as I did on the `93 yesterday, I just use up old QDs (this time it was the old EFCP..anybody remember that one?!?) which plays nice with the 845 I use on its underneath.

When you say drying, are you drying with the Black Tornado (AKA, compressed air) or physically wiping the undercarriage down with a type of drying microfiber??

The Tornador isn`t all that great for drying other than some kinda-oddball situations. If I want to blow things off I`m much better off using a regular blowgun on the airhose instead.

But I almost always just wipe it off with my Undercarriage Towels. Yeah, I undoubtedly miss some stuff, but hey, these are Drivers.


I will *sometimes* use my old WWMFs for this, but only if I`m confident they won`t get too contaminated. Otherwise I do *NOT* use MFs but rather cotton (especially this time of year with all the grit I`m dealing with). I envision nightmares trying to get plush MFs clean again if/when I hit something nasty, which is always a possibility. Cotton works fine and in this case I`m (sure) not worried about micromarring/etc. No matter what gets on `em, I`m confident it`ll come out OK with regular laundering, which is more than I can say about my Plush MF Drying Towels. I don`t use the WWMFs all that much because they simply don`t perform as well for me as plush towels (either MF or cotton).

I ask, because this process MIGHT apply to off-road ATV`s and UTV Side-by-Sides that many of my wife`s side of the family are getting into for trail riding in Wisconsin. They get REALLY muddy everywhere and if something can be done to make the mandatory washing/clean-up easier, I can suggest it to them. I know there is a company called Slick Products that make an aerosol silicone-based spray called Shine and Protect for ATV carriages, but if I can find a suitable car-care-based product, I am open to it.

I looked up the Shine & Protect. For your application I think it`d work better than what I do. *I* might not use it due to its being all Silicone-based, which I generally consider too messy...but that`s just me and I`m not dealing with the stuff offroading brings into play. People who like silicone-based stuff will probably be very happy with it, maybe you`ll be among them!

 

[WaxAddict]

What’s your routine?

Three years ago I posted a decent how-to. I just looked it up, and the pictures (or the links to them) have since been deleted or broken.

In summary, my process will of course depend on how dirty the car is.

Not too dirty:
I use a combination of pre-soaking with ONR and then spraying and wiping with a second WW with Eagle Edgeless towels or similar. The first wipe is always with NO PRESSURE. Another spray then *some* pressure. And the final spray and wipe with whatever pressure I feel necessary.

Road-film, rain spots, drool marks:
I do the dirty bottom panels first with lots of ONR and a microfiber soaked in WW (Gary Dean style). I`ll spot clean bad areas such as mirror weeping with a strong WW like ProLong WW & Shine. Then I do the rest of the car.

Dirty, visible dirt, mud, sand, poop, sap:
I pressure rinse the car first at the U-Squirt-It. I just pay the minimum amount and rinse the panels and flood (Accumulator) the door jams and mirrors, etc. Then race home and do the procedure above.

So, dear reader, if you want to be a champion of waterless/rinseless washes, take your towel budget and double it, then add 50%. I go through 20 towels easy, sometimes 30 if I follow up with a QD or spray wax.

My favorite and timeless WW products are ONR, Wolfgang Uber, and Ultima WW+. For spot cleaning once the car is clean, PB Spray & Wipe or ProLong WW & Shine.

 

[Coatings=crack]

So, dear reader, if you want to be a champion of waterless/rinseless washes, take your towel budget and double it, then add 50%. I go through 20 towels easy, sometimes 30 if I follow up with a QD or spray.

Yes MANY towels a must. I still dont have enough and i have ALOT. Kinda addictive.... MF towels.

I have 2 large 3 medium and 8 16x16 still unopened PFM’s i got on the AG MF sale yet the gauntlet thread got my wanting to try some of the differnent twisted loops on the market even though I doubt any will perform better.

For rinseless Only N 914and Griots BS rinseless, I’m really liking Fenylab Pure rinseless for deep cleaning and road film on my coated car.

Ammo frothe and Ech20 as waterless although i really only use Ech20 mixed merlin stylefor A finishing wipe down.


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[WaxAddict]

... and Ech20 as waterless although i really only use Ech20 mixed merlin stylefor A finishing wipe down.

Yeah, I love Ech20. The look it leaves behind is as if you washed AND applied a QD. It`s great as a stand-alone QD too.

When my Uber runs out, I`m goona try that N 914. So many good things on here about it.

 

[Accumulator]

...[I basically RW/WW but when it`s really]...
Dirty, visible dirt, mud, sand, poop, sap:
I pressure rinse the car first at the U-Squirt-It. I just pay the minimum amount and rinse the panels and flood (Accumulator) the door jams and mirrors, etc. Then race home and do the procedure above..

Glad to see I can nod my head in agreement regarding what a RW-using Detailer is doing For somebody who doesn`t let `em get too bad (well, not as awful as *I* do ) you`re obviously on the right track!

 

[Coatings=crack]

Yeah, I love Ech20. The look it leaves behind is as if you washed AND applied a QD. It`s great as a stand-alone QD too.

When my Uber runs out, I`m goona try that N 914. So many good things on here about it.

I like it better than uber but in actuality they’re work very similar but 914 leaves nothing behind. I think Uber feels more lubricious prolly because polymers left behind.

At first not impressed with 914 as doesn’t feel like anything special and didn’t make paint pop. Then after couple uses you realize it just cleans very well.

I also “top” my car a lot and if i want a waterless that adds shine im using ech20. I use 914 mainly as a rinseless but keep a waterless bottle in the car for light clean up and pird poop.




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[Lonnie]

Lonnie,

Do you just wipe down out of the touchless or do you use a waterless?

Sorry for taking so long to get back on this Coatings=crack.
I wipe immediately right out of the touchless tunnel wash. My tunnel washes are at convenience store gas stations, so I just park the vehicle out of the way and wipe it down. Depending on the outside ambient temperature, I can wipe it off in about 5-7 minutes. If it is below 15°F, I do the windows first, then the door jams next, as that is where the excess water will begin freezing, then the hood, roof, and truck of the car. By then the excess water is pretty well frozen everywhere else. I have learned to wear thin leather gloves while wiping in cold weather. Otherwise, wet bare hands will suffer from the initial stage of frostbite and it hurts like the dickens when you go back inside a vehicle and try to thaw them out by the interior dash vents set to high.

I cannot stress how important it is to get excess water out from door and rear hatch/truck lid jams in sub-freezing weather to keep them from becoming stuck frozen shut. This is also one of the reasons many of you Autopians dress your door seals with protectant and wax/seal/coat the paint on jam areas on wither-driven vehicles to mitigate this freezing or or at least make it easier to open the door when it happens (like during a snowfall and after driving in it, you park the vehicle for a while, like going to work in the morning, where vehicle residual interior heat will melt the snow and allow it to drip into the door jam, only to freeze when the interior cools off to the ambient outside temperature. Those of you with remote starters in your vehicle are laughing...heated seats and the heater set to high and a toasty-warm vehicle to get into and drive... after you have cleared of ALL the snow from the windows, mirrors, headlights and tail-lights, right?? You are a safety "bear", Captain Obvious; you know that?!)

 

[William_Wallace]

My Daily driver was coated with Kenzo 6/2019 and was looking amazing.

Due to time and weather I last washed it thanksgiving weekend. The rain has been doing an ok job of cleaning it up. Boy do I need a good rain tonight. It’s just filthy.

I’d rather have a dirty car than swirl it up with a less than Autopian wash. What are your thoughts.

so hard to resist I wish could do this it’s smart

 

[Accumulator]

I’d rather have a dirty car than swirl it up with a less than Autopian wash. What are your thoughts.

Taking that to a bit of an extreme I just washed the `93 Audi after [I won`t say how many months]. No problems at all, the FK1000P looks just-applied. Though I do think I`ll redo the UTTG+ on a few things that don`t really need it, just to stay ahead of the curve. Hey, it`s been nearly a year since I did anything but wash it,

And I`ll soon be washing the Tahoe after even longer! I haven`t redone its FK1000/etc. for well over a year but it still self-cleans just fine in the rain. I`m only washing it properly to remove the salt. The only things on it that look neglected are where I use SprayWaxes and Exterior Trim Slime (just the running boards with the latter).

OK..I do clean the wheels/tires on those when they need it But the rest of the vehicle simply rinses clean in the rain.

Hey, as long as nobody touches `em and causes some marring....(fingers crossed, lucky so far).

 

[STSInNYC]

I rinse the car during the winter when I can, the body and especially underneath. Driving in the Adirondacks and New England we get salt, sand, sludge, cinder grits etc. Whatever I can get off with water.

 

[Accumulator]

Since I was last on this thread, I *finally* gave the Tahoe a proper wash, first in many months (I doubt anybody but we could notice though). Everything cleaned up just fine and/but I put another quick coat of the FK1000P on it just to stay ahead of the curve. I haven`t rewashed the `93 since that time in Feb., but it simply doesn`t need it as it hasn`t been rained on (I have done the wheels/tires/glass as needed).

STSInNYC- That`s *so* much better than not doing anything! I commend you on going through it, must be a chore to say the least.