Post by scottd on Oct 17, 2008 20:27:45 GMT
Ok here we go have a look at this for a start
From all i have learnt over the years and all the mistakes i have made in my early years,leading up to perfectly a wash routine and care plan for the car,I'm posting what i would consider a workable routine and some of the do's and donts.
You would be surprised and forgiven for all the sins we inflict on a car.Its not exactly a taught skill,and by god it is a skill to know how to care for all the visible parts on the car.
Its become a big big thing more recently cos a lot of people want more from there products and many people show there cars and demand the highest standard they can achieve.
This depends on how much time you can give to the job,and ideally on a regular basis,and your budget.
Thankfully most of the products needn't be costly,some of the American brands your hearing about lately more and more,are actually very attainable via the Internet and the reviews detailers on the job give,is your guide to whats useful for "you".
Ditch the sponge
OK,so the first thing we need to understand is why does the car look swirled and scruffy despite hours of washing and polishing and cleaning etc etc???
The most simple reason above all is that big dirty sponge your using.Dirty being the key work cos there so openly porous ,the sponge holes and cavities brilliantly hide and retain small particles of grit and dirt.You cant always see on the surface and its a guarantee that the sponge is by far your worst enemy,so loose it.
In its place you can use a lambswool washmitt.They cost about £8-9 and will last a lot longer than a household sponge anyway.There even easier to use cos where its in mitt form,your hand goes exactly in all the places you want and you can feel how its being washed,not just dragging a big sponge over the car.
They wash well and are easy to maintain.
The other popular choice is the humble B&Q grouting sponge i kid you not lol.
2 buckets plus grit guard
The next key step is using 2 buckets.One full of fresh clean water,the other containing your water + shampoo mix.so for every shampoo plunge you take then over the car,you need to submerge the mitt into the fresh water before making another plunge into the shampoo bucket mix.this means you can wash and rinse off any dirt from the mitt.
It isn't an exact science and its not entirely possible to make sure every micron of dirt is separated so dont worry lol.
This alone is a massive improvement over a sponge and 1 bucket.its half your problem right there.
Drying time
That chamois leather you have.its holding grit,its coarse and it will swirl and scratch your paint.
replace it with a waffle weave drying towel.poorboys make a large drying towel for about £9 and once you use one of these you will never go back,that i promise.
with little pressure at all,gently move it over the clean wet car and it will absorb everything in sight.
Ploughing into the car with a chamois or less effective towel means pressure.and at all times in cleaning and polishing/waxing,pressure isn't your best friend here,light pressure and a little speed is.
once you have finished any session cleaning the car,wash this towel along with your microfiber cloths which we will come to later.
Pro detailers will even have leaf-blowers in there arsenal of tools to blow into the crevices and cracks.this is another good example of a pro doing his job and not a full on requirement for joe bloggs. if we implemented all the tools and equipment like a pro,you might as well be one lol.
That is part 1
From all i have learnt over the years and all the mistakes i have made in my early years,leading up to perfectly a wash routine and care plan for the car,I'm posting what i would consider a workable routine and some of the do's and donts.
You would be surprised and forgiven for all the sins we inflict on a car.Its not exactly a taught skill,and by god it is a skill to know how to care for all the visible parts on the car.
Its become a big big thing more recently cos a lot of people want more from there products and many people show there cars and demand the highest standard they can achieve.
This depends on how much time you can give to the job,and ideally on a regular basis,and your budget.
Thankfully most of the products needn't be costly,some of the American brands your hearing about lately more and more,are actually very attainable via the Internet and the reviews detailers on the job give,is your guide to whats useful for "you".
Ditch the sponge
OK,so the first thing we need to understand is why does the car look swirled and scruffy despite hours of washing and polishing and cleaning etc etc???
The most simple reason above all is that big dirty sponge your using.Dirty being the key work cos there so openly porous ,the sponge holes and cavities brilliantly hide and retain small particles of grit and dirt.You cant always see on the surface and its a guarantee that the sponge is by far your worst enemy,so loose it.
In its place you can use a lambswool washmitt.They cost about £8-9 and will last a lot longer than a household sponge anyway.There even easier to use cos where its in mitt form,your hand goes exactly in all the places you want and you can feel how its being washed,not just dragging a big sponge over the car.
They wash well and are easy to maintain.
The other popular choice is the humble B&Q grouting sponge i kid you not lol.
2 buckets plus grit guard
The next key step is using 2 buckets.One full of fresh clean water,the other containing your water + shampoo mix.so for every shampoo plunge you take then over the car,you need to submerge the mitt into the fresh water before making another plunge into the shampoo bucket mix.this means you can wash and rinse off any dirt from the mitt.
It isn't an exact science and its not entirely possible to make sure every micron of dirt is separated so dont worry lol.
This alone is a massive improvement over a sponge and 1 bucket.its half your problem right there.
Drying time
That chamois leather you have.its holding grit,its coarse and it will swirl and scratch your paint.
replace it with a waffle weave drying towel.poorboys make a large drying towel for about £9 and once you use one of these you will never go back,that i promise.
with little pressure at all,gently move it over the clean wet car and it will absorb everything in sight.
Ploughing into the car with a chamois or less effective towel means pressure.and at all times in cleaning and polishing/waxing,pressure isn't your best friend here,light pressure and a little speed is.
once you have finished any session cleaning the car,wash this towel along with your microfiber cloths which we will come to later.
Pro detailers will even have leaf-blowers in there arsenal of tools to blow into the crevices and cracks.this is another good example of a pro doing his job and not a full on requirement for joe bloggs. if we implemented all the tools and equipment like a pro,you might as well be one lol.
That is part 1
