How to Properly Wash and Preserve Your Vehicle's Paint

[98SS]

I was browsing the detailing stickies and after reading, I felt that the following literature was a little better than what we currently have stuck in this forum. (I know there was a disclaimer following the picture, but even still, there is a bottle of Dawn in one of the threads. It also directly tells you to wash a panel and then redip your brush into the soap bucket, contaminating your wash water. WTF? )
The following was posted on a local forum by a detail guy who stays booked for several months out, and his business is spread strictly by word of mouth. He's so good that he doesn't have to advertise. He got started doing it on the side, and word got around so well, that he was able to quit his job and make a living detailing cars. He's constantly detailing high end cars for wealthy people, and IMO, he knows his stuff.


"I get a lot of PM’s from time to time from people who ask how to wash correctly without getting marring. I figured it would be easier to do a write up here and let everyone talk about what works for them and why. I will try my best to explain what methods and tools work best for me.

If you think about it, anyone can wash a car. A five year old can go out with a rag and some dish soap and get a car “clean.” One of the things that really separate the men from the boys in the detailing world is the ability to wash/dry a car without inducing marring and swirls.

So first we must define what marring is and how it is induced. Marring can be induced ANYTIME the paint is touched. Washing/drying tools and techniques are the most common culprits as they are done the most. Marring is basically a fine scratch that is induced into the clear coat; they also look like “spider webs” in direct light. Marring shows up the most in direct sunlight because the tiny micro-scratches refract light and catch the eye.

Here are some pics of washing/drying induced swirls.




Not to be confused with buffer swirls or holograms. These are whole other article.






^ These are about as bad as it gets. Some of this is actually clearcoat burn. The idea is to see the difference between washing/drying marring and buffer holograms.


I know people who “think” they keep their paint “clean” and they do, but it is marred up and looks like garbage in full sun. Next time you see someone you think takes good care of their paint give it a check in direct sun.

This is what I mean by direct sun:


Make sure you focus the sun on one area of the paint and move back and forth to examine the paint. Trust me on 99% of cars on the road it will not be hard to see.

So now that we know what these swirls, spider webs, marring look like, we can talk about how to avoid them.

NOTE: This is the method that works for me and on the cars that I take care of. If you have a method that works for you, use it. There is no real right or wrong, it is just what works for you and your paint.

You will need:
1) A sheepskin mitt for PAINT ONLY
2) A sheep skin mitt for lower panels
3) A mitt for WHEELS ONLY (I like to use microfiber for this)
4) A waffle weave microfiber drying towel

Here you see from left to right, lower panel mitt, paint only mitt, and wheel only mitt. Note that the cuffs of the paint only mitts are black and the wheel only cuff is blue. You can also mark them on the inside with a sharpie, "paint" or "wheels."


Here you see the inside of the mitt. It sould look and feel like leather. These mitts are a natural product and vary from mitt to mitt. I like to pick them like fruit, only the softest one pass the pass test and get to touch paint.



Here is one of the buckets I use. You can get them at Home depot for a few bucks.


Here is a pic of the waffleweave microfiber drying towel.




*This method works best if the car is in the shade*

Using sheepskin mitts allows the debris that is on the paint to be whisked away from the paint and into the mitt. With a sponge there is nowhere for the debris to go and it ends up getting grinded into your paint causing swirls and marring. You can buy genuine sheepskin mitts from Wal-mart for about $5.


WASHING

The first thing that I do is rinse the car THOROUGHLY, the more dirt you get off in this stage the better.

I then get 3 five gallon buckets. I fill one bucket with a car wash solution. Don’t get too hung up on buying expensive shampoos, just make sure it is formulated for cars, NOT DISHES!!!! The other two buckets are filled with ONLY water.

After rinsing I get my bucket of soap and start washing the wheels and tires. I make sure that I only touch my wheels with my WHEEL ONLY MITT. Why you ask? Because brake dust is metallic and tiny particles will inevitably stay in the mitt. Metal+paint= jacked up paint. So I wash the first wheel (clean the wheel well at this point with a brush of your choice), then the second.

After those two wheels I use my mitt that is for LOWER PANELS ONLY to wash everything below the molding. These areas collect a lot of grunge and road grime and are often the dirtiest parts of the car. I like to keep this mitt separate because I don’t like to ruin my paint only mitt with dirt and grime. I continue around the car cleaning the wheels and lower panels. The exhaust should be cleaned at this point as well. You can use an old towel to clean that.

So now the wheels, tires, wheels wells, and lower panels are clean. I now dump the soap bucket and rinse it out thoroughly. I get my PAINT ONLY MITT and remix another fresh bucket of suds. The other two buckets that are water only should be placed on either side of the car. I place my paint only mitt in the solution and GENTLY glide the mitt across the paint. Let the weight of the mitt and the car wash do the job. The goal is to remove ALL dirt without grinding it into the paint causing marring. If it takes two passes so be it. After I have done a panel, I place the mitt in the water only bucket and shake it vigorously. This will remove the debris and keep it from contaminating my wash water. I start at the top of the car and wash down, REWASH the lower panels. Washing from the top down keeps you from having dirty rinse water going over clean panels. Continue around the car until every panel has been washed THOROUGHLY!! Even the slightest dirt that is left can be picked up by your drying towel and subsequently grinded into your paint.

Now that the car is clean, grab the waffle weave microfiber towel. IMO this is the most gentle way to dry a car. Again, the idea is GENTLE, blot more than you drag. When you do drag just use the weight of the towel to absorb the water. You will not believe how much water these towels can absorb. If you drop the towel, DO NOT put it back on your paint!!!! It will need to be washed before using it again. If you miss some dirt in the washing process and your towel becomes soiled DO NOT continue to use it!! I like to keep several towels around for this reason."


As for getting the MF towels ....

www.premuimautocare.com
www.pakshak.com
www.poorboysworld.com

http://vaporcleanproducts.com/magic.htm < They have some pretty decent towels too, but you must buy in bulk.



Hope this helps.

[EYEOPNR]

nice how to... if the paint on my truck wasnt so far gone... id definitely use this advice... lol

[98SS]

Same with my truck. I did, however use this advice on my Civic before it got totalled, and I still use it on my fiance's car, because hers is new. My truck won't get this treatment until I repaint it. Right now there's no point.

[s10cyncrvr]

Quote: Originally Posted by 98SS

(I know there was a disclaimer following the picture, but even still, there is a bottle of Dawn in one of the threads. It also directly tells you to wash a panel and then redip your brush into the soap bucket, contaminating your wash water. WTF? )

Underneath the picture of the Dawn bottle is stated...


Soap – No, I don’t use Dawn dish soap. You should always use a soap made specifically for automobiles. Dawn and other household cleaners are far to abrasive to use on your paint. They will strip off the wax leaving a clear coat that is unprotected to the elements. The role of car soap is to help clean the paint and to provide a lubricant between the paint and the dirt to reduce scratching while you are washing. I use my own special brew of car soap and put it in the Dawn bottle. I could tell you what’s in there, but then I’d have to kill you.

Re-dipping into your wash water will not harm your paint, unless your vehicle is incredibly dirty. Any dirt that may have been on your brush will settle to the bottom of the bucket. This was the reason why grit guards were invented. It's safe to say that you would cause more scratching with the sheepskin mitt, then with me dipping into my wash water.

Substitute a boarshair brush for the wash mitt and it would be a very nice tutorial.

[rrray88sdime]

very nice! i mainly knew all this stuff(ive done detailing on the side).. but it will def help those of us that dont know. very nice write up. GREAT SUCCESS!!!(in borat voice lol)

[98SS]

I don't see dipping a brush into the water as being a very effective way of cleaning out the brush, nor a safe bet that it will "settle" to the bottom of the bucket, especially if you shake it at all to get the dirt out to begin with.

I like (and use) the method described in another sticky, where you wash it out with the spray nozzle. But I also dip in clean water bucket also, I just hit it with the nozzle right after.

[krebs]

i have these kinds of marks all over one of my bedsides, and the worst part is, it wasnt there until the DEALERSHIP repaired that panel. anyways seems like a good tutorial, but like everyone else my paint is too far gone, and i like to be able to wash my truck in an hour, instead of making it an all day project, maybe if it ever gets repainted i'll start doing this

[Sir Toad]

i use dawn dish soap on every car i wash, before i work on it....before paint and after compounding

i use it specifically to remove wax and contaminants.....although after polishing it gets regular car soap...

and if you are gonna wax your vehicle after washing it,there is no reason not to use dawn!

[LowTech]

Quote: Originally Posted by paint toad

i use dawn dish soap on every car i wash...

... if you are gonna wax your vehicle after washing it,there is no reason not to use dawn!

I wouldn't wash with dawn everyday or week for that matter but Ditto

[Shawn F.]

Only reason I see that Paint Toad does this is so that he doesn't use a wax based car wash. Wax and spraying paint don't go well together. As far as this write up goes, IMO it makes more sense to wash a vehicle starting from the top to bottom. Reason for it is first off you don't have dirt washing down your bottom panels you just washed, secondly you don't wash that dirty wheel and rocker panel and bring the dirt into your wash bucket or mit (even if you spray it out with a hose) and then wash the top. Everyone has their own way of doing it I understand. I am just throwing this out there for you to think about... I am open to any suggestions why NOT to do what I said though (never know, I can learn something). I wash cars just about everyday after we do body work or paint a vehicle and this is how I've done it.

[Sir Toad]

that's exactly why i do it

and i learned to wash from top to bottom also....i see that as a no-brainer!

[Mcfly Minis]

Quote: Originally Posted by paint toad

that's exactly why i do it

and i learned to wash from top to bottom also....i see that as a no-brainer!

exactly, i even wash from top to bottom in the shower

[greencactus3]

Quote: Originally Posted by 1lowGMC

exactly, i even wash from top to bottom in the shower

actually i start in one spot then go around, then go back to the original lol

[BobOnAir]

I've been washing cars for 17 years now,

Hearses, limos, lead cars, vans, flower cars, my vehicles, dad's truck, mom's car, grandmas car X2, and so on......

I probably wash 500 times a year easy!

Figure we get 100 funerals a year, hearse, van, limo, lead car,, that's 400, give or take, plus the others.

I wash the wheels and tire wells first. Then from top to bottom, I use water sprite chamois for drying,,, here's the catch, I have a wringer washer for my chamois, so there are alway agitating and I can wring them dry to dry the vehcile.

I use Cleanflo Wash n Wax soap for the cars, only Mother's waxes, and I use Fantastic cleaner on aluminum wheels and Mean Green on steels and chrome.

I have very little marring or scratches and our 1994 Hearse has 0 rust, even under the hood.

When we have a leased vehcile,, the dealership always wins when they get it back.!

[Sir Toad]

yeah...figure i wash each vehicle before i work on it.....before i paint it....after i compound it...and if the clean up kid is busy then once more for delivery......

if i paint 200 cars in a year that === 800 washes give or take in a year......now if i get a car buffed out and wash it and see spots that need more buffing then add another wash...

and i ****ing hate washing cars but no one can do it for me.....it's gotta be done my way so why spend the time showing someone what they did wrong everytime????

i just do it myself

put it this way....i may be a painter but i am a car washing mother ****er!

[Shawn F.]

Yeah I can say I do about 600-800 a year EASILY as well.. Same boat as toad with painting and buffing.

[Sir Toad]

Quote: Originally Posted by Shawn F.

Yeah I can say I do about 600-800 a year EASILY as well.. Same boat as toad with painting and buffing.

it will be funny......as you get more into your career...you will want to wash fewer vehicles....but you will continue to do it because you will know it's done right!