Washing Your Car!

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R.Y.K. LEE

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Hi guys,

Summer is almost upon us and with the weather looking better, I have decided this year to invest in some gear to wash my car.

The price of the hand car wash round the corner has gone up in price, and after witnessing a supermarket car wash guy use the same rag and bucket he used to clean the wheels to clean the bodywork of a car, I think I don't want to risk it.

I have a Karcher pressure washer that I use in the garden, but that's about it. So I'm just trying to get some advice on what you guys use, and recommend.

Snow Foam - Yes or no? I have heard good things, but is it too good to be true. Someone said just get a TFR as it does the same thing for cheaper. Is this correct. Would you only use one or the other, or would you use both? Would using both be overkill?

Mitt, sponge, or Karcher brush attachment? - I know the brush is designed to be used to clean a car, but what has your experience been? Has the bristles scratched the paintwork before or left swirl marks?

Waxing - How often do I need to wax the car? Would waxing it after each wash be overkill and even detrimental to the paint? What to choose? I was in Halfords and was left confused by the selection available. Some were in multiple stages, natural waxes, polymer wax? Also, would a detailer spray/liquid wax/demon shine be just as good as a regular wax? Would you apply by hand or use a rotary polishing mop etc to do the job?

Last question, waterless washes - yes or no? Can one bottle do the whole car?

I know there's a lot of questions, but I really don't have a clue lol :D Thanks in advance!
 
I use a Karcher and snow foam. Cover the car in foam, let it soak in for 10-15mins then rinse off. Don't need to use the Karcher brush unless the car is completely manky.
Works a treat. I use a spontex cellulose sponge for drying.
 
Be very very careful with the pressure washer, ours took the paint of the sills on Mrs Gubbys Fiesta :(
 
Anything that comes into contact with the paintwork surface has the potential to mark it!

First off, how old is the car. If its not new then it will have been the subject of someone elses (in)attention, which may already have damaged it.

Had a Karcher, which certainly wasnt cheap, but nowadays I let the guys down the road do it for a £5.
 
If it's a nice looking car get a clay mitt and clay your car after washing, rinse it off and apply protection after. You will be amazed at the difference claying your car makes. It takes off ingrained dirt that makes your paint dull and rough.
 
I use a pressure washer to wash the car down initially, then clean it with wash'n'wax in warm water and a soft sponge. I rinse off with the pressure washer, then dry it off with microfibre cloths so there's no streak marks. Our pressure washer is a cheap Karcher one that doesn't actually develop a lot of pressure, so it's safe on the paintwork. Don't use it anywhere near parking sensors though, it can ruin them.

I also use Collinite polish a couple of times a year, it makes the car easier to clean and gives a really good shine.
 
Good quality wash / wax, hosed off or pressure washer - be careful not to get too close to the body etc if using pressure washer and very careful around any parking sensors etc...

Waxing - again, good quality wax, I do ours when the weather improves after a winter (and before if I can) and repeat if the smooth, polished feeling doesn't feel as good as it did (hope that makes sense) end when the feeling takes me (if it doesn't need a polish)...

There's nothing like a nice shiny car :D

If you car is a little faded / in need of a really good polish, then you can clay bar it - read the instructions carefully...
 
Don't use brush if your car is nice and new/shiney, the britsles will mark it and there's too much chance of small bits of grit getting caught up in them.

I'm always on the lookout for a nice easy spray on spray off spotless shiny finish that lasts 6 months, if you find one let me know :)
 
Snow foam is a prewash/crap softener. Spray on, leave for 5-10 min and rinse off. It won't replace a bucket of shampoo and a mitt, but makes it easier to get the dirt off. It also helps to remove the small grit particles, before you create some pretty swirls all over the car :)

One handy tip is to use the open end of a hosepipe (with a slow flow) to rinse from the roof down, this will have a better effect after waxing as the water will 'sheet' off.

If you really want to go mad, pop over to the Detailing World forum and see how addictive it can be :)
 
I tend to only use a hose pipe. I've got some snow foam and a pressure washer but I haven't used either.

I've got some waterless spray clean and wax stuff. That's quite good but works better on a not filthy car. It gives a decent shine that seems to last reasonably well. Only any good for light dirt. I'd think you could probably snow foam. Rinse and then use this for a reasonable shine on a dirtier car.
 
I rarely pressure wash (unless really caked on mud) I prefer to hose it first, then a bucket of car shampoo with mitt or sponge.
Best to get a decent wax free shampoo. Dry with a large microfiber cloth. Simples & takes 15-20 mins.

I wax 2 or 3 times per year. Get a decent wax eg Bilt Hamber.

I bought a clay-bar, just to try it out, before I waxed the 1st time & was amazed at the sh!t it got off! Works a treat on the windscreen too.
 
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ImageUploadedByTalk Photography Forums1460581977.159121.jpgImageUploadedByTalk Photography Forums1460582000.543179.jpg

Snow foam then hand wash with wash mit

Then either clay bar and machine polish after the winter months
 
Thanks guys for the replies! Much appreciated :D

My car's not amazing, but I am proud of it lol therefore I do want to look after it well.

From the info provided, I will try snow foam and keep well away from the parking sensors. Will get a noodle mitt too.

Which snow foam do you guys use/recommend? Is Demon Foam a true snow foam? I was looking at it in Halfords and I was a little confused by the instructions. As mentioned here, I heard that snow foam was a prewash thing. Demon Foam says it can be sprayed like a snow foam, or added to a bucket and used as shampoo.

Also is Demon Foam the same product as Carplan Trade Hi-Foam Wash, which Halfords also stocks?
 
Downton Mini said:
View attachment 62056View attachment 62057

Snow foam then hand wash with wash mit

Then either clay bar and machine polish after the winter months
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Lmao! I had to do a double take on those pictures. I saw the classic mini under the foam and thought it transformed into a new mini when you rinsed it off! :D

Do you not need to wax if you use clay bar? So you apply the clay, then buff it off with a machine polish?
 
ChrisH said:
I use demon foam, same as snow foam.

Pink demon shine spray is a good finish for general bird poop and the like.
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I thought Demon Shine was a liquid pour on wax? Does it have cleaning properties too, like a waterless wash?
 
View: https://youtu.be/7wzIAtA1TMY


Demon shine comes in a spray bottle too, it's a waxy protective coating but is good a shifting muk as well.

Claying your car removes grime from the paint, the above demo will give you the idea. You must reprotect your paint with some kind of finish after claying.
 
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Avoid waterless wash, clue is in its name, good way to swirl your paintwork.
Snowfoam, super snow foam from cleanyourcar.co.uk has been best performance vs value ime, gtechnic or bilt hamber a close second but double the recommended doseage especially with gtechnic.
Hard to beat Collinite for wax both price and longevity, also used on boat hulls in saltwater so pretty robust stuff.
 
R.Y.K. LEE said:
Lmao! I had to do a double take on those pictures. I saw the classic mini under the foam and thought it transformed into a new mini when you rinsed it off! :D

Do you not need to wax if you use clay bar? So you apply the clay, then buff it off with a machine polish?
Click to expand...

Ha Ha!

Yes sorry I normally buff the clay off by hand then apply wax and polish after with a da polisher and hand buff each application!
 
Whatever you do, don't go to detailingworld.co.uk for information. I did and I now spend up to 5 hours when Im doing a "big" wash and that doesnt include the interior.

The holy grail of cleaning/washing is not to let any grit, dust etc thats on your car get wiped round all over it when washing. It is this grit that causes all the swirling, fine scratches.

In your case a very basic idea might be:
Snow foam, dwell
Hose/wash off
Two bucket method to wash the car with noodle mitt. Noodle mitt in wash solution bucket, wash part of panel, rinse off in rinse bucket to get any grit off mitt, back into wash bucket and so on to complete entire car.
If buckets get exceptionally dirty during, empty them and refill and carry on.
Rinse car off after wash with hose/washer.
Dry car off, do not use chamois or rub. Get a large microfibre cloth and simply lay on surface and pat in place, lift off and repeat. I can get my golf dry using two large ish MF cloths this way.
Personally I wouldnt worry about clay yet, its a bit advanced (if you do want to get a G3 clay mitt to use, but you'll need clay lubrication spray to use with it as well)
After wash and dry, then you can polish, buff off then either a wax or a sealant, buff off.
I get my stuff when Halfords have a 3 for 2 sale on car stuff.
Try Auytoglym super resin polish followed by autoglym extra gloss protection for sealant.

For your wheels Ive found the simoniz alloy wheel cleaner really good. Use a different mitt (or a sponge on the wheels, but not the bodywork) I also use a wheel brush which can be found cheap in TK maxx quite often to get between the spokes and really scrub. If you're doing wheels, do them first, nothing worse than wheel grime flicking up onto your nice clean paintwork.

The above is what Id call a "big" wash.

For an interim wash I'd do snow foam and rinse, two bucket clean, rinse, dry off then apply a quick detailer (or waterless wash as they're sometimes called but you dont want to be applying this when the car is covered in dust/dirt as the dirt will mark the paint as you wipe).

Hope this helps. Any Q's feel free to ask.
 
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I use a similar method to Dorset dude.
Things to be aware of; polish is actually like a mild T-cut and removes a small amount of paint or lacquer.
Wax or sealant does the protection. I've been using Armor-all shield sealant which is very good and easy to apply. I put it on my car in october but it's now beading less and I'm going to try Gtechniq C2 Liquid Crystal (v3).
This is another sealant but can be diluted and used as a quick detailer to top up the sealant protection.
Clean your car.co.uk worth a look for products and for the forum/advice.

Oo-er missus, my fonts gone all funny....
 
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Nikon_Nick said:
Drive to local industrial estate. Give Polish man £5. Drive home again in lovely sparkling car.

My routine, anyway ;)
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Hmmmm and as he's not on a concrete base area where he operates you are driving through puddles and on mucky ground with your lovely clean sparkling and wet car as you head home on dusty roads.
 
camerassassin said:
Hmmmm and as he's not on a concrete base area where he operates you are driving through puddles and on mucky ground with your lovely clean sparkling and wet car as you head home on dusty roads.
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Blimey...what do you want for a fiver?!?! :D
 
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It was a fiver where I am too, until a few weeks ago when it went up in price.

Is a sealant the same as a wax? I understand that a polymer sealant is a synthetic wax, am I right?

Or do I wash, dry, seal, then wax?
 
It's gone up to £6 price since end of last year around here!

Since then, I've been keeping my eye on a cheap pressure washer and *thought* about washing my car myself. Excellent information in this thread.

If I haven't got a pressure washer, is it worth getting for snow foaming and blasting dirt off the car? I drive 50 miles motorway per day, the back of my silver car becomes grey every few weeks. Could I just snow foam it then a quick blast for a weekly clean?

What's the cheapest, laziest way to do it? :p
 
R.Y.K. LEE said:
It was a fiver where I am too, until a few weeks ago when it went up in price.

Is a sealant the same as a wax? I understand that a polymer sealant is a synthetic wax, am I right?

Or do I wash, dry, seal, then wax?
Click to expand...


You don't need to seal & wax unless you've got OCD (Obsessive Cleaning Disorder) :LOL:

One or the other is fine although you can do this but need to make sure the wax/sealers will work together.

I owned my last car from new for 11 years, it went through a car wash once and I think I took it to a DIY Karcher clean park a couple of time when it was REALLY dirty and I didn't have time to give it a proper wash.

Owned my current car for just over 4 years, only ever hand washed it.

I'm pretty anal about car cleaning/detailing. I own a machine polisher and give it a decent polish once a year and wash it pretty much once a week (although the frequency has been less since my little'un came along 2 years ago :LOL: )

As mentioned above, the two bucket method using a wash mitt/microfibre mitt will be fine but don't use a sponge or a brush. If you want a really nice finish then clay the car after washing (I wash it again after claying to make sure its free from residue) then dry, polish (if it needs it) then wax/seal.

****EDIT****

Top tip...... Once you've given it the initial wash/clay/polish/wax, when you wash it again on your final rinse just use an open hose (no spraying), work from the top down and the water will literally pull itself off of the paint work leaving little to mop off with a drying towel :)
 
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