Trailer full of detailing kit has to be a luxury. I probably have as much kit, but it's spread out on many shelves and hidden in corners to avoid and comment from the ever spending MrsCJ.
the trailer i bought when friends kept asking if i could do there car etc and i can do my wifes car when she is at work (dark nights etc) just makes it easy to do, i have a tow bar on the Jag anyway.
i have never done the two bucket wash, i know and understand it but i do find the snow foam takes most of the dirt of the car and with a bucket and grit tray, it does the rest.
The drying is massive, as it at this time when you see what need doing.
i dry my wheels with a blower this leaves them ready for dressing and if need more sealant on the wheel it self.
You don't happen to run any master classes do you James??
I picked up my car on Saturday and had to take it to Solihull and back today - put 100+ miles on it and thoroughly enjoyed every mile, but I can see the grime from the M1 and M6 and it's depressing!
James, if you don't mind me asking, if you were going to merely do a quick wash and dry i.e. no time for the full monty, what equipment and products would you use? I'm thinking external only - paintwork, glass and wheels.
My one big worry at the moment is getting swirls in the paintwork. Mine is less than a week old and has now been exposed to a 150 mile motorway trip in wet weather, plus lots of rain the last couple of days too.
I don't do Charlie's way as I do dry my car but as it is winter I don't get to do it as I would like as it rains and it is cold, detailing in summer is great fun but in winter not so much.
Your biggest friend here is the winter prep so what I want you to do is this, wash your car and dry the bonnet then put your hand flat on the paint work and move your hand across it (rub it) now if you hear a noise and you can feel bumps under your hand the paint has contaminates on it and you really do need to clay it but if it feels ok then you can do this that will get you though the winter time
I will keep this simple
Go to halfords and get Megs NXT wax, get a good polishing sponge and a good microfiber. The Megs will last about 2 to 3 months and the result will look great on your new car with little effort. Colonite is better but let's keep this simple. By doing this you have add some protection to your car and this will help no end in keeping it clean.
As for the wash.
Get a snow foam lance, get this from the net for your power washer it will last you year so get a good one £50 plus and get snow foam, you could ring up Ultimate Finish and get every thing from them with some great advice too.
The wash it self
Snow foam let it sit for 5 mins or so then rinse
Bucket with grit gard at the bottom full of warm but not hot water and I am using just now NXT wash with a good wash MIT
Start at the top and work your was done, do not do your wheels with the MIT, use a dood wheel clean and wash of with your power washer.
I will then dry the car, but this does depend on the weather as if it is very cold or damp there really is no point. For me the drying process tell me if I need to be looking at anything.
So what do you need
Good wax
Bucket and grit guard
Snow foam lance for your power washer
Snow foam
Car shampoo
Wash MIT
Drying tower
Full quick wash about 40 mins but if you don't dry then 25 mins. If you live in a hard water area the you will have to rinse the car off, rainwater is good or you will have to dry, I did a friend car in Cambridge this summer and OMG was that a pig with the water.
I hope this helps but if you need any more help I can always ring you and chat about it.
I will help here if you want.
Snow foam car allow to dwell , rinse off.
Then wash car, rinse and apply Demon shine to disperse any excess water.
Dry car with towel and admire.
45 mins at most.
The more polish on the car the harder it is for the dirt to take hold.
Once the roads are covered in winter crap and when the grit and salt has been dropped I adopt a non contact approach to cleaning the cars.
But maybe it's the pre winter preparation that helps..
I simply snow foam the car and jet wash it off and repeat if needed.. No drying is really needed or done through the winter cos as soon as a few miles are done the car is often filthy again anyway ..
If a car is well prepped before winter almost all the dirt and grime will wash off with the above method ..
The least I can touch the car the better during winter ......
A good way to test the smoothness of paint is to throw a microfibre down the bonnet.. If it slides right off or way down the bonnet its pretty good.. If it stops dead its in need of attention....
Realistically the only way to get a car to the standards so a touchless wash is possible is to machine polish the car and then give it a couple of coats of a durable wax. If this is done the a touchless wash is very possible and is more than enough for the winter months.
I like most of us like to see my car in perfect clean order. But lets be realistic here what is the point of getting the car concourse show ready for it to be spoiled within a couple of miles ?
A car still needs a wash during these winter months.. More so than in summer once the gritters have been out. This is why I keep up with cleaning the cars. But drying by towel is diminishing returns and is almost a waste of time for the reasons above.
I do understand Jameses compulsion for an absolutely perfect job ! But lets be honest is it worth swirling the car just so its dry before it goes down the road ?
It is possible to do the job without the risk of inflicting swirls but how many want to spend a couple of hours outside if its cold only for the work to be undone so quickly ??
Wheel cleaners....
I only use wheel cleaners on really dirty wheels.. Wheels are like body work. Once treated and sealed they should power wash off easily. The use of any proprietary wheel cleaner even the non acidic ones will strip of any wheel sealant in an instant which means re sealing after the wheel clean.. Not a pleasant job on some of the more complex larger wheels often found on the XF....
When power washing the car do not spray directly at the car.. Aim for about 45 degrees from centre as this will remove any dirt and grime grit ect and not drive it at the paintwork..
My wash process for winter takes ten to fifteen minutes at the most including setting up the kit.
Water to prevent spotting.. You can get a water filter to purify the water if light spotting is an issue or bothers you.... Fill a watering can and swill the car with the purified water. Rainwater is often dirtier than tap water due to the acid rain effect.
I have never added swirling to a car Charley. I do not see any difference in winter or summer if the car is clean then you can dry it with out adding any marks if however people think what is the point in the bad cold weather well that is a different thing all together, when the weather really turns I will not wash the car at all, more for my comfort than anything to do with the car.
As for the rain water, well this was advice I picked up from many detailers who live in hard water areas, I do not, so have never needed too, but I can see the logic so offered the advice. This was talked about in length when the drought was on for some people.
I could not agree more about the pressure washer, water should hit the car at an angle and at the end of the stream to direct the soap away.
You will always find Plymothian that if you took 100 detailers and ask your questions 50 would say one thng and 50 would say another and all could be correct and every one would use different products, it is the way it is. Charley is correct and can prove it with the condition of his cars and I have proved it with the condition of mine but there is one thing, we are both passionate about what we do. You need to deside what you want to do, take every ones advice and then experiment to find what you are happy with.
I will add this if I may, I know I am not very good at articulating myself but I will always try to add to the forum in any way I can, including some stuff I am in the process of doing right now for detailing and advanced driving but I do not know how to add video. I wish and ask for feed back, advice and criticism on what I do, after all we are all learning, I will respect every ones view and offer the same response as i would wish for. I know the things I will be adding will produce some interesting debates in the months to come.
November/December are definitely the worst months for keeping a car clean. I just rinse off the grit and s*** and use lots and lots of clean rain water to wash it with. I always clean the wheels though, because even if the body isn't perfect, clean wheels make a lot of difference. I always wax the car prior to this period, to give some protection for winter.
Generally, unless there is snow, January/February are much better for keeping the car clean. Then start looking at more rigorous detailing work come Easter, when it will probably be ready for the next wax.
You sound like my dad he always told me if you can not afford the best shirt and tie you can always keep your shoes clean, a close shave and you will always look smart. And it was good advice to
James I think you misunderstand my point ?
The swirling results from the washing of the car if you are employing sponges or mitts.. Its not so much the drying but any contact with the paints surface....
Not to wash the car at all leaves it liable to the salt that very soon gathers on any car one the roads have been treated..
Also bear in mind that swirling that would be invisible on colours like white or your silver car would stand out like a sore thumb on a dark blue or black car !! Different paint colours show up swirling and marks in a totally different way ...
Plymothian asked
if you were going to merely do a quick wash and dry i.e. no time for the full monty, what equipment and products would you use? I'm thinking external only - paintwork, glass and wheels.
UnQuote
And that formed the basis of my input to simply foam and rinse with no damaging contact.....
I did misunderstand, point taken it is not always easy to wright down and make total sense LOL well not for me anyway.
I know what you mean about darker colours as i detail 3 black cars once a month and they can be a pig to get right but boy when you do, i found Mercedes to be the worst though a friend has asked me to do his ford, it is all a learning curve.
the main problem i think plymthian has is there is no protection on the car? and this make a contact free was not really possible, does it?
If you dont have any detailing tools etc i would think blow most of the dirt of with a hose pipe the wash mitt with a good car shampoo using a different mitt for the bottom of the car and wheels, then dry or dont depending on the weather.
as for winter if the weather stays as it is now in my area for the next 4 weeks it is unlikely i would wash my car (maybe) and if it get to near freezing then i can not wash it as i dont have a heated karcher
just one thing i have total respect for your feedback and i thank you for it.
Gents - thanks for the comprehensive replies - both have been extremely useful indeed
My car was fresh from the dealership last Saturday and I didn't opt for the PureGuard as I'd heard some negative things about it, and the experts really are on this forum so I'd rather follow your advice.
My car was fresh from the dealership last Saturday and I didn't opt for the PureGuard as I'd heard some negative things about it, and the experts really are on this forum so I'd rather follow your advice.
With the weather the way it is at the moment I would just get a couple of coats of Collinite 915 on it asap & something like Rimwax on the wheels. The more muck you can powerwash off before shampooing, the less damage you will do.
I know I'm going to sound like a tight arse here and a salesman for a certain product but I have been sealing just the two wheels on our Rav which believe me gets a hard life with ...... You guessed it colinite...
It's brilliant for this purpose .. After all our wheels have a painted finish and the best product I have used durability wise is working absolutely brilliantly on the wheels with amazing durability and so easy to clean with just a foam and a light jet wash !!!
Plus it's just so cheap !!
It is easily out performing the jet seal 109 I have on the other two wheels ...
Plymothian, it looks like all you need is one tub of Collinite 915 for everything.....even better. If you do it now with a couple of coats, it should last well into January.
I did my wheels the other day with colinite 915 and at the last wheel wash the dirt came off real easy.
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