I need to speed up my wash process like a pro ;-)

P

pingable

New member
My car washing can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hrs....



Dangit, just looking at the clock and I'm home today as I'll be heading to the airport in a short bit. I've got a hrs of play time but I don't think it's enough time....bearing as I need to clay the hood, entire left side of the car as well.
 
I guess I am an oddball. But def glad I am not from Meeechigan. :lol:



I tend to wash my car in about 15 - 20 minutes. Wash, Dry, Tires and Windows. I do this about 4 - 5 times a month.



I semi-detail my car once a month. Vacuum, inside and polish.



I complete detail my car about 3 times a year.
 
Egleone6 said:
I guess I am an oddball. But def glad I am not from Meeechigan. :lol:



I tend to wash my car in about 15 - 20 minutes. Wash, Dry, Tires and Windows. I do this about 4 - 5 times a month.
Click to expand...



Do you use two buckets and rinse your mitt after every panel?



I can get it done about that fast with QEW, but not with regular washing.
 
Egleone6 said:
I guess I am an oddball. But def glad I am not from Meeechigan. :lol:



I tend to wash my car in about 15 - 20 minutes. Wash, Dry, Tires and Windows. I do this about 4 - 5 times a month.



I semi-detail my car once a month. Vacuum, inside and polish.



I complete detail my car about 3 times a year.
Click to expand...





I have a hard time believing you can do all that that fast, unless your cutting alot of corners, even then i dont see how you can do it that fast.
 
Egleone6 said:
I guess I am an oddball. But def glad I am not from Meeechigan. :lol:



I tend to wash my car in about 15 - 20 minutes. Wash, Dry, Tires and Windows. I do this about 4 - 5 times a month.



I semi-detail my car once a month. Vacuum, inside and polish.



I complete detail my car about 3 times a year.
Click to expand...



What about tar, bug, and contaminant removal? Wheels? Wheel Wells? Jambs? Hood? Trunk? Setup and Teardown? I probably spend 15-20 minutes on my windows alone.



I, like Coupe, would have a very hard time believing that you could do a proper job in 20. I could swipe the dust away in 20, but not do a proper maintenance wash. I would say an hour is usual for a customer. Maybe a bit more for my car.
 
When I do a basic wash, the process that I do 4 times a month is not all that detailed. I don't drive much. Mostly I wash to wash the dust off the car. Or if it rained the last day or two. I have a good wax on my wheels, I just take my OLD mit and wipes right off. The windows, I just wipe off with Invisible glass.



This is not a complete detail, as I have already stated. When I do a complete wash and wax and interior, yes it takes me 2 - 3 hours to do. I only do that 4 times a year.



Now this is if the car is cool, I don't have any interuptions, and my beer glass is full. :lol:
 
I can hustle it in 15 or so, but only with a foamgun and a leaf blower. I foam the entire car, then go around it with mitt in one hand, foamgun in the other, and a bucket at my feet. It's foam-wipe-dip the mitt in a bucket. It also helps to have 2 or 3 mitts for this.



Then I take the nozzle off, rinse the car, blow out the jambs and some of the paint, and blot dry with a WW. If I try to do it in less than 45 without the foamgun, I always end up with heavy duty marring.



I can do cars that are getting fully detailed even faster - bugs, lower panels, tires, wells get pretreated with APC (5:1 for anything on the paint, FS for wells and tires), foam up paint, go over car with a mitt , hit the rims with Wheel Brightener after the paint is soaped up, hook up the pressure washer, and pressure wash everything. I let it drip dry since the whole thing is getting compounded anyways, and minor waterspots won't make the process any harder. I've done that in 10 before.
 
themightytimmah- I'd *REALLY* like to know how a foamgun/BHB combo would work out for you :think: As long as the vehicle wasn't too dirty, and it had a healthy LSP on it, I bet your "walk around foaming and washing" technique would go a lot better with the BHB as you probably wouldn't have to dunk/rinse it very often (the foamgun would keep it rinsed clean). I sometimes have to force myself to stop and dunk the BHB just on general principles...makes me feel like I'm not taking big risks, but I don't think it's necessary.



I initially felt I was really cutting corners washing that way, but then I noticed that the expected marring wasn't happening (I tested this approach on the beater-Blazer) and thought "hey, this isn't so half-@$$ed after all!" Man would I like your opion on this one...



I've decided the AutoGeek BHBs with their long bristles are just too gentle for effective cleaning of this nature, but I like the shorter-bristle BHBs like the Griot's/TOL ones. If I had a spare that I could live without I'd send it to you, I'm *that* curious about how well it'd work for you :D
 
A complete wash typically takes me 60 minutes. That's 2-bucket, panel-by-panel, hand dry, wipe all jambs, underhood, clean wheels & tires. A "quickie" could probably be done in 30 minutes. That's just a wash & dry -- with no special attention to tires/wheels/jambs.
 
themightytimmah said:
Then I take the nozzle off, rinse the car, blow out the jambs and some of the paint, and blot dry with a WW. If I try to do it in less than 45 without the foamgun, I always end up with heavy duty marring.
Click to expand...



If I may ask, how do you end up with heavy marring? If you are not using your foamgun what process are you using that would induce such terrible marring?



I've been using ONR and without the use of a foam gun and I haven't noticed any marring at all. If there is marring it's not very noticeable.
 
I find myself spending a lot of time "prepping"

Sitting there with my collection and evaluating what I want to use and do.

Mixing chemicals. Prepping towels and pads and then changing my mind and finally heading out to wash and then spending a lot of time cleaning up.



Wow it takes a lot of time.



Hopefully you can get into a system and do it quickly.

Then again, I enjoy sitting there with my collection and having fun :)
 
Do you want to do a quality, marr-free job....if yes, then that's normal time. I just washed my 04 cobra. Took 1hr, 40minutes from start to finish (geting stuff out to putting stuff away)
 
I do my cars in 40 minutes from filling the bucket to ww wipedown. after doing it for years you buzz right through it
 
for a quick wash on my car that is already spotless - 40 minutes doing a touch-less



pressure washer

foam cannon

spray wheels

soak - (while soaking i foam my truck)

rinse with soap (both vehicles)

rinse

dry with leaf blower
 
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