Just a little more help to finish my wash regimine

G

G37

New member
I want to start by saying I dont mean to get on everybody nerves asking questions, Its just I am like a little kid at the candy store.



I had a decent wash regimen before but after spending some time here at autopia I believe I am improving my technique everyday I learn something new.



There is still two things that bother me about my washing regimen.



First is my drying media:

I am from the old school I use to use a synthetic wash mitt but now I use a sheepswool mitt and I still continue to use a water sprite (synthetic chamois) I know I know if its not broke dont fix it....the water sprite works great I just see almost everyone uses WW MF drying towels. For those of you who know please enlighten me the beefs I have with thw WW MF is that I dont need anymore towels to look after and they have edges dont these edges increase the risk of scratching swirls etc..??



The million dollar question Pak Shak or Cobra WW MF drying towels?



For MF towels that are paint duty Pak Shak or Cobra?



I thought it was safe to apply very light pressure and wipe and blot dry?



What about the edges on the WW MF towels?



Second is my wheel cleaning media:

I have heard plenty of times treat painted and cleared wheels like car paint. Well I have seen brushes like ez/daytona and I would not use thos on my paint so I dont think its best to use them on my painted wheels. I want to use a cellulose sponge to clean the wheels and keep a good eye on the contaminents it picks up and rinse it really well or use my overstock of quality synthetic wash mitts but again most say stay away from synthetic mitts and stay away from sponges. I gues I just have to use a sheepswool mitt but it hurts me to use something like that on thewheels the mitt is going to be full of contaminents and end up being black??



Thanks again to everyone for the help...
 
after you've sheeted as much water off as possible on your final rinse, you can use a waffle weave (blot technique) and/or a leaf blower to dry the car and get in the areas where water tends to hide such as the seams/gaps, side mirrors, windshield cowling/wipers, emblems, gas cap, wheels/tires, etc, and use a soft microfiber towel with some QD to wipe any remaining droplets left behind. i wouldn't use the absorber/water sprite/chamois to wipe the car dry, it can marr/scratch the paint. for the wheels, you can use a grout sponge and cut it in half (if it's too big) to your liking and they rinse out easily...



YouTube - How to dry your car
 
BigAl3 said:
after you've sheeted as much water off as possible on your final rinse, you can use a waffle weave (blot technique)...
Click to expand...



Heh heh, while I fancy myself pretty high on the self-discipline scale, I find blotting gets old really fast :o Maybe my big vehicles have something to do with it though...



.. i wouldn't use the absorber/water sprite/chamois to wipe the car dry, it can marr/scratch the paint.
Click to expand...



I've never had marring from those unless some grit got trapped between them and the paint (sorta the same as with a CCW). My big criticism of them is that they always seem to leave a tiny bit of water behind so I have to go over the vehicle with something else that's more effective (e.g., a WWMF) anyhow.



If/when I use a synthetic chamois type medium, I do try to avoid the long, sweeping arc-type motions that I'm always railing against anyhow; if you're gonna get a scratch, better it be a short little thing than some 8" long one. Guess that goes against the contentional technique for using chamois-type media, huh?
 
G37 said:
I There is still two things that bother me about my washing regimen.



First is my drying media:

I am from the old school I use to use a synthetic wash mitt but now I use a sheepswool mitt and I still continue to use a water sprite (synthetic chamois) I know I know if its not broke dont fix it....the water sprite works great I just see almost everyone uses WW MF drying towels. For those of you who know please enlighten me the beefs I have with thw WW MF is that I dont need anymore towels to look after and they have edges dont these edges increase the risk of scratching swirls etc..?? ..What about the edges on the WW MF towels?
Click to expand...



IME the WWMFs get *all* the water off and the chamois-type things don't. And the WWs work well with blotting and/or short, interrupted motions (that "avoid long scratches if something goes wrong" thing).

Yeah, more maintenance, and WWs seem to lose effectiveness over time no matter what I do.



The better WWs have satin edges that are pretty soft, and/but you can fold 'em so the edges don't come in contact with the paint. I can't think of any instances where they've caused marring for me.

The million dollar question Pak Shak or Cobra WW MF drying towels?
Click to expand...



While the PakShak Ultra-soft WWs are my standard recommendation, I have other WWMFs from other vendors that are *absolutely* identical except for being a different color. Just buy "the best" from a reputable vendor and you should do OK.

For MF towels that are paint duty Pak Shak or Cobra?
Click to expand...



Same answer.

I thought it was safe to apply very light pressure and wipe and blot dry?
Click to expand...



In the absence of any abrasive contamination, it *is* OK. Sooner or later something'll go haywire though...just how life is.



FWIW, here's how I dry:



-flooding rinse if possible (my current shop's water setup doesn't do it well :( ) or CRS rinse

-blow off most water with my AirWand

-mist on QD and dry with WWMFs using short interrupted motions and/or blotting

-blow water out of nooks and crannies with air compressor, trying to blow it into the WW as best I can (you could try doing this before the preceding step, but I like to get almost all the water off first to minimize spotting)

Second is my wheel cleaning media:

I have heard plenty of times treat painted and cleared wheels like car paint. Well I have seen brushes like ez/daytona and I would not use thos on my paint so I dont think its best to use them on my painted wheels. I want to use a cellulose sponge to clean the wheels and keep a good eye on the contaminents it picks up and rinse it really well or use my overstock of quality synthetic wash mitts but again most say stay away from synthetic mitts and stay away from sponges. I gues I just have to use a sheepswool mitt but it hurts me to use something like that on thewheels the mitt is going to be full of contaminents and end up being black??
Click to expand...



I share your concerns with the EZ Brush/etc. and won't use it on certain wheels. Eh, I don't like it much for wheel duty anyhow but that's just me.



I do most of the cleaning with BHBs made for wheels, using swabs as necessary for very tight spots. I clean the barrels/back of spokes with the little sheepskin mitts from Griot's made for wheel duty (pn 10209), using "big swabs" as necessary (Griot's pn 10241 but others have 'em cheaper). Note that smaller BHBs are good for around exposed lugs and for cleaning calipers.



Gee, you haven't asked about wheelwells and the undercarriage yet...... ;)

 
G37 said:
The million dollar question Pak Shak or Cobra WW MF drying towels?



For MF towels that are paint duty Pak Shak or Cobra?
Click to expand...



Pakshak all the way. Cobras will give you a major headache with linting.
 
Accumulator said:
Heh heh, while I fancy myself pretty high on the self-discipline scale, I find blotting gets old really fast :o Maybe my big vehicles have something to do with it though...







I've never had marring from those unless some grit got trapped between them and the paint (sorta the same as with a CCW). My big criticism of them is that they always seem to leave a tiny bit of water behind so I have to go over the vehicle with something else that's more effective (e.g., a WWMF) anyhow.



If/when I use a synthetic chamois type medium, I do try to avoid the long, sweeping arc-type motions that I'm always railing against anyhow; if you're gonna get a scratch, better it be a short little thing than some 8" long one. Guess that goes against the contentional technique for using chamois-type media, huh?
Click to expand...



what works for one may not for another, i'm not a fan of the formentioned. i'll take a ultra-soft waffle weave or x-large microfiber drying towel instead. blotting has worked well for me, but using the leaf blower i find not having to dry all that much and just having to use QD with a soft microfiber towel to follow up...
 
BigAl3 said:
what works for one may not for another, i'm not a fan of the formentioned. i'll take a ultra-soft waffle weave or x-large microfiber drying towel instead. blotting has worked well for me, but using the leaf blower i find not having to dry all that much and just having to use QD with a soft microfiber towel to follow up...
Click to expand...



Heh heh, yeah...actually I can't remember the last time I used a synthetic (let alone a genuine) chamois. And I *do* stick with the blotting when I wash something like the Jag ;)



When you do the QD/MF follow-up, are you stil blotting or just wiping very gently? I have to do a fair amount of buffing to get the QD off just right; if I don't do it properly the vehicle seems OK until I get condensation on it (e.g., pull out into cold, pull back into warm garage) and then I see "QD wiping artifacts" until the condensation's gone, whereupon it looks OK again.



I do a pretty thorough post-wash QDing (almost like a spray-wax session) most of the time, maybe that has a lot to do with it compared to what you're doing :think:
 
Accumulator said:


IME the WWMFs get *all* the water off and the chamois-type things don't. And the WWs work well with blotting and/or short, interrupted motions (that "avoid long scratches if something goes wrong" thing).

Yeah, more maintenance, and WWs seem to lose effectiveness over time no matter what I do.



The better WWs have satin edges that are pretty soft, and/but you can fold 'em so the edges don't come in contact with the paint. I can't think of any instances where they've caused marring for me.





While the PakShak Ultra-soft WWs are my standard recommendation, I have other WWMFs from other vendors that are *absolutely* identical except for being a different color. Just buy "the best" from a reputable vendor and you should do OK.





Same answer.





In the absence of any abrasive contamination, it *is* OK. Sooner or later something'll go haywire though...just how life is.



FWIW, here's how I dry:



-flooding rinse if possible (my current shop's water setup doesn't do it well :( ) or CRS rinse

-blow off most water with my AirWand

-mist on QD and dry with WWMFs using short interrupted motions and/or blotting

-blow water out of nooks and crannies with air compressor, trying to blow it into the WW as best I can (you could try doing this before the preceding step, but I like to get almost all the water off first to minimize spotting)





I share your concerns with the EZ Brush/etc. and won't use it on certain wheels. Eh, I don't like it much for wheel duty anyhow but that's just me.



I do most of the cleaning with BHBs made for wheels, using swabs as necessary for very tight spots. I clean the barrels/back of spokes with the little sheepskin mitts from Griot's made for wheel duty (pn 10209), using "big swabs" as necessary (Griot's pn 10241 but others have 'em cheaper). Note that smaller BHBs are good for around exposed lugs and for cleaning calipers.



Gee, you haven't asked about wheelwells and the undercarriage yet...... ;)
Click to expand...



I used my Griots lambswool wheel mitt today for the first time it works outstanding but how is its durability?
 
Accumulator said:
When you do the QD/MF follow-up, are you stil blotting or just wiping very gently? I have to do a fair amount of buffing to get the QD off just right; if I don't do it properly the vehicle seems OK until I get condensation on it (e.g., pull out into cold, pull back into warm garage) and then I see "QD wiping artifacts" until the condensation's gone, whereupon it looks OK again.
Click to expand...



i lightly mist some QD and wipe gently, using a few microfiber towels. using just one it starts getting saturated from the water you're picking up and QD which leads to having to wipe more...
 
G37 said:
I used my Griots lambswool wheel mitt today for the first time it works outstanding but how is its durability?
Click to expand...



IME the durability is great.



If you don't mind it getting pretty ugly/ratty/gross it oughta last a *LONG* time. I'm still using my quite old first one for undercarriage duty and while it looks awful it hasn't fallen apart yet.



That said, I have a second one that I use on wheels and it's holding up fine. Lost a little plushness compared to the one I reserve for the S8/etc. but still works great.



And I don't do *anything* maintenance-wise except clean them out with Dawn/APC/whatever when they're looking really soiled.



But you know how sheepskin goes....YMMV always applies.
 
BigAl3- OK, copy that. I was doing it that way too (gee, seems intuitively obvious huh? I mean, how else would you think you'd need to do ti?!?) but got the condensation effects. Now I'm doing a lot more of a buffing job, pretty much treating it like a spray wax. Never noticed a need for this except this time of year and never bothered doing anything about it until recently.
 
Accumulator said:
IME the durability is great.



If you don't mind it getting pretty ugly/ratty/gross it oughta last a *LONG* time. I'm still using my quite old first one for undercarriage duty and while it looks awful it hasn't fallen apart yet.



That said, I have a second one that I use on wheels and it's holding up fine. Lost a little plushness compared to the one I reserve for the S8/etc. but still works great.



And I don't do *anything* maintenance-wise except clean them out with Dawn/APC/whatever when they're looking really soiled.



But you know how sheepskin goes....YMMV always applies.
Click to expand...



I was thinking of using one on my plastic painted pieces beneath the doors(side skirts) they get pretty dirty
 
I think I might be able to help. I'm Kevin with K & C Solutions Auto Detailing and Lot Washing in Kansas City. My wife and I have been in the business for 10 yrs and know your pain on drying off cars. So that's how Shamerrific was invented. We know from experience that washing and drying off cars leaves hair line wash marks. Car washes are even worse. No matter what marks will eventually happen especially more visable on darker vehicles. This might sound crazy but using soaps without waxes will strip the wax off the vehicle faster. Also washing the bottom of a dirty vehicle and then washing the top drags the dirt stuck in the mit or sponge all over your vehicle. That's what we've noticed as we wash over 50,000 vehicles a year. Make sure whatever you use that you use either soaps with wax in it and als that you keep you cleaning and drying towels clean. Also apply wax with microfiber and remove with microfiber even if you use a buffer. If a polisher use a white foam pad. Now we have tested Shamerrific for over 3 years on over 200,000 vehicles. I wash our 2008 black Altima coupe with no soap just water for 2 years except yesterday when Christina and I made a video to show how to wash with soap with the Shamerrific. And I have noticed alot less marks on the clear coat plus less time washing and drying. Shamerrific is a combo of microfiber and water sprite pva. It will wash and dry in one motion but you have to keep it clean like any other towel. We have videos on youtube.com/shamerrific. No matter what you use just keeps your cleaning and drying tools clean. You can youtube yesterday's video with "best microfiber chamois car wash towel shamerrific". Hope this helps.



Kevin and Christina
 
Shamerrific said:
... We know from experience that washing and drying off cars leaves hair line wash marks. Car washes are even worse. No matter what marks will eventually happen especially more visable on darker vehicles...washing the bottom of a dirty vehicle and then washing the top drags the dirt stuck in the mit or sponge all over your vehicle..
Click to expand...



Welcome to Autopia! Sounds like you've put a lot of research and field-testing into your product.



I must, however, say that I disagree with the portion of your post excerpted above.



Dragging soiled media across the paint is a basic no-no. Many of us would argue that dirt should never be "stuck in the [wash medium]" in the first place (let alone dragged across the paint), but rather dislodged and flushed away.



If washing/drying results in obvious marring ("obvious" meaning clearly discernable without magnification or specialized lighting such as the SunGun), then something is seriously wrong with the wash/dry regimen. Many of us here wash utterly filthy vehicles countless times without inducing enough marring for a non-expert to ever notice, and even an expert would have to really work at it to find any flaws.



I'm posting this not as a :argue: but rather because I don't want any newbies to get the idea that there's no way they can develop a properly marring-free wash/dry regimen; I don't want people to give up in the belief that that goal is unattainable.
 
Even though the initial questions on ww and wheel wash media have been exhaustively discussed by Acc and BigAl, I will just give my take on both based on whatever little experience I have.



1) ww. Haven't tried PakShak, I own the cobra guzzler ww (satin edges) and I am very happy with it. I start with the windows first to moisten the towel. It works better then I have noticed. I use a combo of blotting and sweeping with no marring issues as far as I can tell. You may use a spray wax as drying aid along with air drying or even follow with an mf and qd/spray wax once dried. I have seen that all work if applied sensibly and that time is the constraint in most cases.



2) wheels. Like everyone I dread swirling them. I have found the following to be effective. PW, cleaner of choice, agitation with dedicated mf mitt, PW, wash with dedicated sponge and normal body shampoo, free flow rinse. This weekly regime, along with claying and sealant application every couple of months keeps my Borbets happy, shiny and swirl free.
 
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