Wash method direction on sides of car

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pgp

Member
I wash my car in the direction of air flow. I go front to back swipes. ( for example bumper to windshield ) I was reading another post from a high end detailer that did front to back on the hood and up and down on the doors. Which seemed strange to me. I do the top of the doors first and the bottom half which are more dirty last. How do you do it and why ?
 
pgp said:
I wash my car in the direction of air flow. I go front to back swipes. ( for example bumper to windshield ) I was reading another post from a high end detailer that did front to back on the hood and up and down on the doors. Which seemed strange to me. I do the top of the doors first and the bottom half which are more dirty last. How do you do it and why ?
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I got front to back motions for washing as well.

For sealants, I go front to back on hood/roof/trunk, and on sides and doors I do both. Something I heard years ago is that it changes the look a little bit to appear to have the "jetting" appearance of a wax.
 
I usually wash exactly how you wash, front to back, and I always clean from the top (the cleanest part) all the way to the bottom (dirtiest part), so I don't rub the dirt around and create scratching/marring. The only reason I could think of why that professional detailer washes the car like that, is because he/she is doing a paint correction after washing and doesn't care about marring the paint, since the paint is going to be corrected.
 
If you're able to avoid marring then the direction doesn't matter when you wash. So there are times when I don't worry about it simply because I'm confident that I won't be marring the paint.

BUT, washing marring-free is a tall order and if you *do* get marring I find that front-to-back scratches are less obvious on the sides than up-down ones are (it's a question of the viewing angle).

I find it hard to believe that direction can matter with regard to LSP application, though I've read that about the jetting too (sounded like bunk to me). I don't think of any of my LSPs as having a "grain" to them that could affect the appearance and I've *never* noticed any diff with regard to what direction I used when applying. When using a RO to apply, IMO the whole idea seems moot anyhow.
 
I remember over a decade ago Sal Zaino saying that all application of products on the vertical (sides) panels should be "up and down" only..
Something about the side verticals looking better when the rubbing was also in a vertical plane vs horizontal plane..

Another thing - Detailers that do this for a living are Never going to do anything that will cause them more work at the next stage.. :)
Dan F
 
Like Dan said, if you're marring the paint, you're marring the paint. Direction is irrelevant and the only argument is that scratches in a certain direction are less visible then others in certain lighting, to which I say SO! They're still there. How often is the vehicle in the same light?

IMO the whole "direction" deal was simply a marketing idea used to make an individual or product stand out as being "special". Rather then worry about direction I would suggest focusing on not causing marring.

Just my $.02
 
RaskyR1 said:
Like Dan said, if you're marring the paint, you're marring the paint. Direction is irrelevant and the only argument is that scratches in a certain direction are less visible then others in certain lighting, to which I say SO! They're still there. How often is the vehicle in the same light?

IMO the whole "direction" deal was simply a marketing idea used to make an individual or product stand out as being "special". Rather then worry about direction I would suggest focusing on not causing marring.

Just my $.02
Click to expand...


Though you and I are (predictably ;) ) on the same page here, I *will* say that circular scratches are just *so* much more obvious than straight-line ones that I do try to avoid circular motions when washing/drying/claying.
 
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