Author Topic: Question on Washing rather than full on detailing  (Read 13996 times)

Offline CraigW

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Question on Washing rather than full on detailing
« on: 01 August 2017, 22:15 »
Right guys here's a question for all of you

What is the best method to use to wash the car if you don't have several hours available to really do a thorough detailing job? I'd imagine that quite a few of us perhaps have kids or other things in life that take up a great deal of our time. So what are best tips if you only have an hour or two spare so you still can get great results without causing any undue problems. I.e. Swirls on the paintwork

Cheers

Craig


Offline Booth11

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Re: Question on Washing rather than full on detailing
« Reply #1 on: 02 August 2017, 03:52 »
Right guys here's a question for all of you

What is the best method to use to wash the car if you don't have several hours available to really do a thorough detailing job? I'd imagine that quite a few of us perhaps have kids or other things in life that take up a great deal of our time. So what are best tips if you only have an hour or two spare so you still can get great results without causing any undue problems. I.e. Swirls on the paintwork

Cheers

Craig



Hi Craig,

A normal wash sound only take between 1 - 2 hours max. It's only when you start adding sealing, waxing etc that time gets expanded, and I think most of us spend much of our time doing maintenance cleans, it's not always full details every week.

IMO, best method is as follows

- Pre wash such as snow foam or citrus pre wash, either applied with snow foam lance (Bilberry sprayed on wheels of desired)

- Pressure wash rinse

- Wash wheels with dedicated shampoo bucket and wheel mitt/wheel woolies

- Wash bodywork using lambswool or microfibre wash mitt.  Start top and work down - roof - upper panels - lower panels - lower front, lower rear etc.  Mitt action should be gentle (pre wash should have brought loose dirt off) and side to side action, NOT circular motion.  Use a decent shampoo with good lubricitywhich means the mitt will glide better over the paint and much less friction required between mitt and paint.

- Pressure wash rinse whole car

- Final open ended hose rinse. No spray or lance attachement for this, just a free flow of water, which massively reduces the amount of standing water left on the car to dry off.  Drying is often when swirls are inflicted.

- Dry car (top down again) with either a hot air blower, or microfibre drying towels.  Dab gently with towel, do not drag or pull over paintwork.  Dab, lift towel off, dab, lift towel off, dab, and so on. Start with towel very slightly moistened by laying it in damp front windscreen first as a very slightly dampened towel is more absorbent than fully dry one.  Once towel gets too wet, either wring out, or switch to fresh towel.  Use separate towels for wheels, can use cut down towels or dedicated wheel towels which are smaller towels so they don't drag on the floor.  Remember to do door shuts (open doors) and boot lid (open boot and allow water to run off then dry) and inside fuel flap.

That's the basic wash.  Then if desired:

- Dress tyres with tyre gel

- Polish tailpipes with metal polish

- Clean glass - glass cleaner

- Quick Detailer on bodywork to refresh Gloss in between proper sealing or waxing


There's some useful washing guides here.

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/car-care-advice.html

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27

http://www.autogeek.net/exterior.html

Hope this helps.


« Last Edit: 02 August 2017, 03:57 by Booth11 »
Black Beauty: MK7 R 5dr DSG, DBP, 19" Pretoria, DCC, Vienna leather, Keyless, Dynaudio, DNS Pro, Rear camera, HBA
2012 MK6 GTI DSG
2008 MK5 GTI DSG
2005 MK5 GTI Manual

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Offline CraigW

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Re: Question on Washing rather than full on detailing
« Reply #2 on: 02 August 2017, 13:17 »
Thanks for the great response Becs, very much appreciated. I just don't have the time nowadays due to my 2 year old taking up most of it. Whereas before washing the car was a labour of love and therapeutic its now become a luxury I can ill afford spending much time on. However, I don't want to rush it and end up destroying that lovely lapis paintwork. I'm good to go with most things except for a foam lance so that's next on the agenda  :smiley: :smiley: 

Offline Watts

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Re: Question on Washing rather than full on detailing
« Reply #3 on: 02 August 2017, 14:32 »
I sometimes split the job mainly as my wheels take up so much time. I'll spend an hour doing those plus the lower plastic parts and the tailpipes. Then do the bodywork the next day. Takes the pressure off me a bit especially on warm days when the body starts to dry whilst I'm busy with the wheels.
2019 Oryx White 5dr TCR.

Was - 2015 Tornado Red 3dr GTI PP, manual, Santiagos, Audi short shifter.

Offline deltarikk

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Re: Question on Washing rather than full on detailing
« Reply #4 on: 02 August 2017, 19:19 »
Next time I wash mine I hope to remember which one my wash bucket is and which is the rinse one  :whistle: .....can I ask Rebecca what your dilution of the Bilberry is please, on CYC it says 10:1 general maintenance but also 5:1 for lightly soiled? They never get really really dirty, lightly soiled is normal.

Offline Booth11

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Re: Question on Washing rather than full on detailing
« Reply #5 on: 02 August 2017, 19:35 »
Next time I wash mine I hope to remember which one my wash bucket is and which is the rinse one  :whistle: .....can I ask Rebecca what your dilution of the Bilberry is please, on CYC it says 10:1 general maintenance but also 5:1 for lightly soiled? They never get really really dirty, lightly soiled is normal.

I use it at 10:1 or 8:1 for maintenance washes, which is perfectly adequate for lifting a week's or fortnight's dirt.  I think at 5:1 it will degrade any wheel protection significantly quicker, so would save that for more soiled wheels when you intend to top up the protection afterwards.  It's also superb on tailpipes too. Squirt on at same ratio as wheel at same time you do your wheels.
Black Beauty: MK7 R 5dr DSG, DBP, 19" Pretoria, DCC, Vienna leather, Keyless, Dynaudio, DNS Pro, Rear camera, HBA
2012 MK6 GTI DSG
2008 MK5 GTI DSG
2005 MK5 GTI Manual

https://www.flickr.com/photos/booth11

Offline SRGTD

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Re: Question on Washing rather than full on detailing
« Reply #6 on: 02 August 2017, 19:55 »
Next time I wash mine I hope to remember which one my wash bucket is and which is the rinse one  :whistle:

Yes, it's easy to forget which is wash and which is rinse as the contents both look the same after a few rinses of your mitt!

If your buckets are a light coloured plastic, you can write 'wash' and 'rinse' on them with a permanent waterproof marker pen. My buckets are black, so I've stuck some red electrical insulating tape on my 'wash' bucket so I don't mix them up. It works for me.

Edit; Off topic, just noticed this was my 1,000th post on the forum :smiley:
« Last Edit: 02 August 2017, 19:57 by SRGTD »
2020 Polo GTI Plus; Pure White, DSG (because they all are)
Gone but not forgotten;
2016 Polo GTI; Blue Silk
2011 mk6 Golf GTD; Carbon Grey
2007 mk5 Golf GT (2.0 170bhp TDI version); Deep Black Pearl
2002  mk4 Golf GTI (the 150 bhp diesel version); Deep Black Pearl

Offline deltarikk

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Re: Question on Washing rather than full on detailing
« Reply #7 on: 02 August 2017, 20:47 »
Thanks Rebecca I'll try 10:1 & see how it goes  :wink:

@ SRGTD they are light coloured from CYC and why didn't I think of that!!.....top tip, cheers & congrats on your milestone post  :cool:

Offline Watts

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Re: Question on Washing rather than full on detailing
« Reply #8 on: 02 August 2017, 21:50 »
Next time I wash mine I hope to remember which one my wash bucket is and which is the rinse one  :whistle:

Yes, it's easy to forget which is wash and which is rinse as the contents both look the same after a few rinses of your mitt!

If your buckets are a light coloured plastic, you can write 'wash' and 'rinse' on them with a permanent waterproof marker pen. My buckets are black, so I've stuck some red electrical insulating tape on my 'wash' bucket so I don't mix them up. It works for me.

Edit; Off topic, just noticed this was my 1,000th post on the forum :smiley:

Landmark post!
2019 Oryx White 5dr TCR.

Was - 2015 Tornado Red 3dr GTI PP, manual, Santiagos, Audi short shifter.

Offline SRGTD

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Re: Question on Washing rather than full on detailing
« Reply #9 on: 02 August 2017, 22:48 »
@ SRGTD they are light coloured from CYC and why didn't I think of that!!.....top tip, cheers & congrats on your milestone post  :cool:
Landmark post!

Thanks guys!
2020 Polo GTI Plus; Pure White, DSG (because they all are)
Gone but not forgotten;
2016 Polo GTI; Blue Silk
2011 mk6 Golf GTD; Carbon Grey
2007 mk5 Golf GT (2.0 170bhp TDI version); Deep Black Pearl
2002  mk4 Golf GTI (the 150 bhp diesel version); Deep Black Pearl