Sharing Car Washing and Detailing Tips and Tricks

2045 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by nuclearlemon, 3 mo ago

SHCS

So did my first car wash today after a month of driving. Wondering if anyone wants to share Tips and Tricks on Car Washing and Detailing here. I'm kinda new to it.

Spent a bit on 'stuff' to get it done. Had had a Karcher pressure washer from a few years ago but found it wasn't super awesome to use. Soap dispensing was barely noticeable. The short 20' hose was too short to reach around the car and was stiff so it would kink.

After watching too much YouTube, to be honest I spent a small fortune on car wash stuff.

50' Uberflex Kink Resistant Pressure Washer Hose | $63 CDN
McKillans Pressure Washer Gun w/Extension and Quickconnects | $50 CDN
Pressure Washer Spray Nozzle Tips 5-Pack | $15 CDN
Amazon Basics Foam Cannon | $26 CDN
Foam Cannon Orifice Nozzle Tips 1.1 | $8 CDN
Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo 1.89l | $16 CDN
Chemical Guys Pro Grade Premium Microfiber Towels (12 16"x16") | $24 CDN

At $200 bucks, expensive, what worked and what didn't? What I'd do again, and what I'd do differently.

What worked

Chemical Guys towels I can't recommend enough. They absorbed a TON of water, dried the car with one and a half and likely coulda made it work with just the one. Super soft. And washed REALLY nicely. Would absolutely buy them again. Tip ... rinse them before putting them in the washer.

The Uberflex hose was a lifesaver compared to the stock hose I got with my Karcher pressure washer a few years back. Twice the length. Easy to maneuver. Would buy that again too.

Pressure washer nozzle tips. Pretty much need them cause the McKillans gun didn't come with any. Cheap. No complaints on quality or otherwise. Would buy these again as well.

Foam cannon orifice tips at 1.1 (whatever that means). Bought on YouTube recommendations. The default orifice on the Amazon foam cannon is believed to be 1.25. The smaller orifice is said to help make thicker soap foam. I didn't test this, just took their recommendation and went with it. For the $8 for two of them, I'd buy this again.

The Mequiar's soap. Made crazy suds. Would have no issue buying this again. It was also cheaper than some of the other recommended soaps. I'm not sure if you've seen what a foam cannon does but it basically covers the car in thick soap foam to the point you can't tell what color the car is. It's pretty crazy how good these foam cannons work.

On to what I might do differently if doing it again

The McKillans pressure washer gun. From reviews, not experience, my first choice had been the MTM gun. Reviews suggested the MTM gun had a grip that required less hand pressure to keep held. Why did I choose the McKillans? A sale put it at a price I couldn't ignore. $110 bucks on sale for $50. Came with some accessories, multiple length configurations (8", 23", and 38"), a quick connect coupler, and a 15mm to 14mm inlet adapter which I needed to connect the Uberflex hose to the Karcher. Worked out. But dollar for dollar if the prices had been the same I likely would have gone with the MTM based on reviews.

That being said, the McKillans gun needed FAR less pressure to hold than the original Karcher gun. My hand would cramp using the Karcher gun, this one was pretty good.

The Amazon Basics foam cannon. The problem I had with the foam cannon from Amazon wasn't actually how it worked. It worked phenomenally for the $26 CDN. It was the bottle size (1 liter). I found I'd get 80% of the car done and run out of foam. Now I may get faster with time and be able to correct that just with experience, but I would have liked to see it with a little larger bottle. Maybe one that flared out at the bottom for stability when sitting on the ground. And a larger opening. Doing it again I might look for a slightly larger bottle with a larger opening at the top to help facilitate filling the bottle when soaps in it. Suds are forced out the top when filling it, I think this may not be as big a deal with a larger opening. Speculation.

On looking for a replacement I discovered, that I may actually have the best option. I couldn't find one with a larger bottle and the ones that flared and had larger openings were significantly more expensive. What I may find myself doing as an alternative is buying a second Amazon Basics so that I can prep two bottles at the same time without having to go back in for more.

All in all I'm pretty happy with what I got for the money I spent. The soap is the only thing I'll need to replace anytime soon with those towels cleaning up so well, I anticipate a while before needing to do anything with those. Everything else I ought to be good for, for a good long while.

Keep in mind I bought this stuff to upgrade an existing pressure washer. If you don't have one you'll need to add that to your costs if you're thinking of doing something similar.

On to the disappointments

As far as the gear goes, I'm pretty happy with everything I ended up with. My disappointments are rather with the car, or the choice of materials KIA has chosen for the exterior.

I remember when I picked up the car that one of the things I almost immediately noticed was that the dealer had washed it but all the brushed metal trim had dirty water spots on them. I suggested in another thread that it looked like they'd washed it with a dirty rag.

What I found, and it was hot today, so things were drying quickly and again the brushed trim and all the black plastics were problematic when it came to water spots, thankfully not dirty water spots this time. The paint itself was fine, no issues there, but if I left it even ten minutes without drying it immediately we'd have some pretty visible and apparent water spotting on both materials.

I'm curious if anyone else has found this as well or if I'm either not doing it right or being picky. My old Suzuki had similar black plastic trim but I never had this problem with it.

I ended up rinsing it an additional time so that I could be quicker to get to the drying part. That resolved the water spots issue, but it was a pain in the ass.

Would love to hear what the rest of you are doing to care for your cars.

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Toddasaurus

· #2 · 9 mo ago

Soon after we bought my wife's Seltos I applied a ceramic coating myself. Washed it, then used iron remover, rinsed, then clay bar. After that I used Meguiars Machine Glaze polish to enhance the already nice finish and give it that tiny bit extra shine. Used a wax/polish remover that came with the ceramic kit, wiped it down in sections with several microfiber cloths.

Even before applying the ceramic the finish was SLICK. After I applied the ceramic the finish was literally SLIPPERY. Also, while there weren't many swirl marks to begin with, I was able to get it all looking smooth. It's been 2 years now and I'm not sure how much ceramic is left, but it's supposed to last 3 years. It's been a while since I've hand washed it, because my wife keeps taking it through car washes. 😐

Seems that ceramic is no longer the go-to, it's all about graphene coatings now (aside from PPF).

Regardless, I feel like it's easy to get carried away with exterior car detailing. I've seen a few pros just stick with basic stuff to wash, that is, foam gun, generic microfiber mits for washing, then rinse and either microfiber towels to dry or just use a leaf blower-like blower to dry. So, that's what I always do.

But in the end it doesn't matter what other people do, it's all about your style and what you like. Fact is, cleaning your car is a very individual thing - you do it to make yourself feel good, as it's something you can easily (and rightfully) take pride in seeing the results.

As for the water spots. There are some trim enhancer products that you can use on the plastic trim to help water bead off easier, but it also makes them blacker. In fact you can even apply it after the wash and after it dries, and it will remove the water spots during application (and help prevent them on the next wash). But speaking of water spots, it makes me kinda miss Mr Clean Autodry water filters. Haha. I'm sure you could find something very similar as a hose attachment, or even pressure washer accessory, to put inline to make the final rinse a one time deal where you don't even have to dry it.

EDIT: Ah, here we go. Something like this!

AQUACREST Car Washing Inline Water Filter With Flexible Hose Protector, Reduce Hard Water Spots, Soften Water, Upgraded Formula

Car Washing Inline Water Filter With Flexible Hose Protector, Reduce hard water spots, soften water, is ideal for car washing, yard, and fence cleaning

www.water-filter.com

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SHCS

Discussion Starter · #3 · 9 mo ago

@Toddasaurus Which Ceramic did you use?

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SHCS

Discussion Starter · #4 · 9 mo ago

Tip: When applying Rain-X/glass products don't use it on your external mirrors. It was IMMEDIATELY apparent that something was wrong. It immediately hazed over and nothing I could do with the towel would buff the product off. I only did the driver's side and the next day it was completely hazed over. I thought I'd have to replace it. The other side was fine.

A day or two later I was able to remove the haze with a scrub with a thumb. Thank goodness. Not sure what the deal was but my guess would be the external mirrors aren't glass. Maybe some kinda plexi? No idea.

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Toddasaurus

· #5 · 9 mo ago

SHCS said:
@Toddasaurus Which Ceramic did you use?

I used McKees 37 Sio2 paint coating.

Just tried to look it up and evidently they don't make it anymore. Looks like they switched mostly to graphene based coatings. Supposedly graphene is better in every way.

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SHCS

Discussion Starter · #6 · 8 mo ago

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peter47

· #7 · 6 mo ago

SHCS said:
So did my first car wash today after a month of driving. Wondering if anyone wants to share Tips and Tricks on Car Washing and Detailing here. I'm kinda new to it.
View attachment 1485

Spent a bit on 'stuff' to get it done. Had had a Karcher pressure washer from a few years ago but found it wasn't super awesome to use. Soap dispensing was barely noticeable. The short 20' hose was too short to reach around the car and was stiff so it would kink.

After watching too much YouTube, to be honest I spent a small fortune on car wash stuff.

50' Uberflex Kink Resistant Pressure Washer Hose | $63 CDN

McKillans Pressure Washer Gun w/Extension and Quickconnects | $50 CDN

Pressure Washer Spray Nozzle Tips 5-Pack | $15 CDN

Amazon Basics Foam Cannon | $26 CDN

Foam Cannon Orifice Nozzle Tips 1.1 | $8 CDN

Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo 1.89l | $16 CDN

Chemical Guys Pro Grade Premium Microfiber Towels (12 16"x16") | $24 CDN

At $200 bucks, expensive, what worked and what didn't? What I'd do again, and what I'd do differently.

What worked

Chemical Guys towels I can't recommend enough. They absorbed a TON of water, dried the car with one and a half and likely coulda made it work with just the one. Super soft. And washed REALLY nicely. Would absolutely buy them again. Tip ... rinse them before putting them in the washer.
View attachment 1486

The Uberflex hose was a lifesaver compared to the stock hose I got with my Karcher pressure washer a few years back. Twice the length. Easy to maneuver. Would buy that again too.

Pressure washer nozzle tips. Pretty much need them cause the McKillans gun didn't come with any. Cheap. No complaints on quality or otherwise. Would buy these again as well.

Foam cannon orifice tips at 1.1 (whatever that means). Bought on YouTube recommendations. The default orifice on the Amazon foam cannon is believed to be 1.25. The smaller orifice is said to help make thicker soap foam. I didn't test this, just took their recommendation and went with it. For the $8 for two of them, I'd buy this again.

The Mequiar's soap. Made crazy suds. Would have no issue buying this again. It was also cheaper than some of the other recommended soaps. I'm not sure if you've seen what a foam cannon does but it basically covers the car in thick soap foam to the point you can't tell what color the car is. It's pretty crazy how good these foam cannons work.

On to what I might do differently if doing it again

The McKillans pressure washer gun. From reviews, not experience, my first choice had been the MTM gun. Reviews suggested the MTM gun had a grip that required less hand pressure to keep held. Why did I choose the McKillans? A sale put it at a price I couldn't ignore. $110 bucks on sale for $50. Came with some accessories, multiple length configurations (8", 23", and 38"), a quick connect coupler, and a 15mm to 14mm inlet adapter which I needed to connect the Uberflex hose to the Karcher. Worked out. But dollar for dollar if the prices had been the same I likely would have gone with the MTM based on reviews.

That being said, the McKillans gun needed FAR less pressure to hold than the original Karcher gun. My hand would cramp using the Karcher gun, this one was pretty good.

The Amazon Basics foam cannon. The problem I had with the foam cannon from Amazon wasn't actually how it worked. It worked phenomenally for the $26 CDN. It was the bottle size (1 liter). I found I'd get 80% of the car done and run out of foam. Now I may get faster with time and be able to correct that just with experience, but I would have liked to see it with a little larger bottle. Maybe one that flared out at the bottom for stability when sitting on the ground. And a larger opening. Doing it again I might look for a slightly larger bottle with a larger opening at the top to help facilitate filling the bottle when soaps in it. Suds are forced out the top when filling it, I think this may not be as big a deal with a larger opening. Speculation.

On looking for a replacement I discovered, that I may actually have the best option. I couldn't find one with a larger bottle and the ones that flared and had larger openings were significantly more expensive. What I may find myself doing as an alternative is buying a second Amazon Basics so that I can prep two bottles at the same time without having to go back in for more.

All in all I'm pretty happy with what I got for the money I spent. The soap is the only thing I'll need to replace anytime soon with those towels cleaning up so well, I anticipate a while before needing to do anything with those. Everything else I ought to be good for, for a good long while.

Keep in mind I bought this stuff to upgrade an existing pressure washer. If you don't have one you'll need to add that to your costs if you're thinking of doing something similar.

On to the disappointments

As far as the gear goes, I'm pretty happy with everything I ended up with. My disappointments are rather with the car, or the choice of materials KIA has chosen for the exterior.

I remember when I picked up the car that one of the things I almost immediately noticed was that the dealer had washed it but all the brushed metal trim had dirty water spots on them. I suggested in another thread that it looked like they'd washed it with a dirty rag.

What I found, and it was hot today, so things were drying quickly and again the brushed trim and all the black plastics were problematic when it came to water spots, thankfully not dirty water spots this time. The paint itself was fine, no issues there, but if I left it even ten minutes without drying it immediately we'd have some pretty visible and apparent water spotting on both materials.

I'm curious if anyone else has found this as well or if I'm either not doing it right or being picky. My old Suzuki had similar black plastic trim but I never had this problem with it.

I ended up rinsing it an additional time so that I could be quicker to get to the drying part. That resolved the water spots issue, but it was a pain in the ass.

Would love to hear what the rest of you are doing to care for your cars.

Wow, SHCS, I just came across this post. Coming in late, I know, but in the interests of the future plans, especially if buying new, and for the benefit of other car owners, it might be worth me relating my approach to your experience. Sorry you spent so much on all that stuff.

In the past when we bought a vehicle we, like most, turned down the offer of the 'extra paint protection' offered, thinking it was a bit like those 'extended warranties' often offered but virtually useless. However, this time, being probably my last car, and paying for the top model, (Seltos GT-Line, Australia), I said, what the heck - it's only a few hundred more - so accepted them doing the full 'Autogard' treatment, inside and out.

Well - wow - just wow..! You washed your car after 1 month - I only did so after about 6 months, and even then it only marginally needed it. Why..? Because the dust and muck literally just slides off and disappears after only a modestly hard shower of rain. True..! I could hardly believe it myself. So good was the effect, it made the paint glow even more than the new finish - as if just polished with the best wax out there.

More to the point - it still looks and behaves that way now, three years down the track, and here in the rather harsh Queensland, Australian climate. I think I've only washed the car even now only about 5 times. I just use a special Enjo car wash cloth and a mild spray of water, then a wipe off with their finishing cloth. Comes up like new. I would never use a pressure wash on it, especially not with a detergent, as that tends to remove any protective coating applied, eg a wax. I have even had guys step off the footpath when parked and comment on the amazing finish. Never had that before..! Even when previous cars were freshly waxed, and with 'Meguiar's Wetlook', which is still one of the best. (Car painter tip).

The interior protection appears to be a bit like the 'Scotchgard' one might have sprayed on furniture to help prevent stains, and make stains easier to remove. Both work for me, and no regrets at paying for the extra. These days, being a bit lazy, I deliberately go for a drive in the wet - (free car wash), then come home, put it in the garage, and wipe the drops off with the special Enjo car wipe-down cloth. All done - looks like new. Sorry...I've tried not to sound smug, but honestly...how wrong I was in the past...

Just FYI...

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nuclearlemon

· #8 · 3 mo ago

@Toddasaurus

i also miss the mr clean filters...thanks for posting up a new option. i live on a farm which means well water...not exactly known for being soft

to the original poster, i'm a fan of adams polishes products. best things are the grit guard (a riser that goes in the bucket to keep your sponge from sitting in wet dirt at the bottom of the bucket and his throw-style drying towel.

hadn't ever heard of the autoguard that others mentioned, but i'm definitely peaked. i also hadn't heard of graphene until recently, but i ordered a bottle of adams graphene to try it out.

i've always washed my cars on a regular basis, wax them twice a year (before and after winter) and i clay bar before i wax in the spring so it's baby butt smooth.

foam cannons and a good soap are a great thing for car washing....as long as your car is foamed up, it shouldn't spot which gives you time to really clean the scuzzy spots before having to rinse off. i do it all the poor person way. bucket, good soap, a cheap pressure washer setup, adams throw towel and a couple of fiber towels. for wax, i love meguires, but we'll see what this graphene stuff does. claybars, i don't have a brand. for aluminum/chrome polish, i still have an ancient can of some sort of no longer made chrome polish and another old bottle of zephyr polish. i had a ton of other polishes (ex had a motorcycle so he tried them all), but these were the only two i liked. when they're gone i'll try adams again.

for interior, i haven't found anything i've fallen in love with. i'm using up a bottle of weathertech stuff that they sent me when i bought floormats for my tundra.

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