who hand washes their car?

[jdm-rhd]

I have 2 SUV's that get put through the car wash at least weekly to remove mud, salt, and debris. Twice a year and as needed, they get hand-washed and waxed in a fairly futile effort at paint protection. My Evora has PPF on the front, and it's always hand-washed and waxed. I use Blackfire shampoo and polymer sealant on the exterior, and Griot's interior cleaner for plastics and leather wipes for the seats, as well as some other specialty products, incl Poorboys' Bug Squash remover. Two buckets and a good tire brush and wheel woolies are essential. I have a lot of products, and I bought a wheeled garage cabinet for storage that I can just move out to the driveway on wash day.

I had PPF put on the front of my Z and the remainder ceramic-coated with Opti-coat. At the advice of the installer, I'm using Opti-coat products on this.

There's a car wash near here where I used to take my 350Z. You pulled into a bay, got out, selected the cycles you wanted (Rinse-Soap-Rinse-Sealant, whatever) and used a high pressure hose with a wand on it to wash the car. It generated a lot more pressure than my garden hose and was awesome at removing brake dust and pine needles from under the wipers. I don't think I'll do that with my new Z because I'd be afraid the water would lift the edges of the PPF.

thanks for the tips...

noticed you mentioned poorboys' bug squash remover, where do you get it from?

 

[jdm-rhd]

I wonder who takes there Z to a car wash?

I also use the 2 bucket method.
Ryobi pressure washer, mckillans foam cannon and spray gun … super easy to clean my Z . I enjoy it !

Foam cannon is just a device that attaches to a pressure washer which applies a foamy /snow type of soap on the car .
Many companies make them. I would say it makes washing the car more enjoyable honestly .

gonna start watching some videos to see how it's done properly. thanks for the info...

 

[MacCool]

gonna start watching some videos to see how it's done properly. thanks for the info...

The soap you use is at least as important as the hardware. Not all soaps foam the same. An actual car wash foaming soap is more important than the specific brand. A nice thick layer of soap provides more lubrication for your sheepskin wash mitt and keeps the dirt particles in suspension, therefore less paint damage from the scrubbing process (which is the entire point of using a foam cannon tp wash your car).. Adam's MegaFoam creates the most impressive foam layer IMHO but I'm not sure that it's worth the price. There are others that are a lot cheaper and almost as foamy.

 

[Brock]

I use Adams Polishes for all my detailing care. But no longer use the foam canon as the foam no longer sticks to ceramic coated care lol

 

[Mugzilla]

@Brock so you did the ceramic coating yourself? Did you do polishing beforehand? Claying? I have clayed and chemical deconned cars before, but am a little afraid of ceramic (And the consequences of messing up.) Adams is on my radar mainly for their reputation and the UV light to see if I missed a spot!

 

[Brock]

Yes Adams Polishes is a great company. They have a ton of YouTube videos to help you along the way. I washed, Clay bard
Then, used an Iron Remover. Then used a Strip wash. Then bought the UV Graphene infused kit. It comes with a UV flashlight that helps in finding where you missed in the application process. Then let it cure 24 hrs. Then applied a graphene infused wax. If you ever need it, they also sell a product that easily removes ceramic coatings! ?

 

[jdm-rhd]

Yes Adams Polishes is a great company. They have a ton of YouTube videos to help you along the way. I washed, Clay bard
Then, used an Iron Remover. Then used a Strip wash. Then bought the UV Graphene infused kit. It comes with a UV flashlight that helps in finding where you missed in the application process. Then let it cure 24 hrs. Then applied a graphene infused wax. If you ever need it, they also sell a product that easily removes ceramic coatings! ?

gonna check out their line of products and watch some videos.

 

[jdm-rhd]

@Brock so you did the ceramic coating yourself? Did you do polishing beforehand? Claying? I have clayed and chemical deconned cars before, but am a little afraid of ceramic (And the consequences of messing up.) Adams is on my radar mainly for their reputation and the UV light to see if I missed a spot!

that uv light detection is a cool idea...

 

[jdm-rhd]

unfortunately the highway i have to take is being repaved. as you might expect there is tar involved.

what are you guys using to remove it?

 

[SavedByFaith_]

unfortunately the highway i have to take is being repaved. as you might expect there is tar involved.

what are you guys using to remove it?

CarPro TarX
Or Trix (which is tarx mixed with iron remover)

 

[jdm-rhd]

CarPro TarX
Or Trix (which is tarx mixed with iron remover)

thanks...ill look into it.
just trying to find something that won't harm the finish.

 

[thesilverbullet]

hand wash only here - been washing cars since late 70’s and i have used many products over the years from turtle wax, DuPont's original version of rain dance, meguiar’s mirror glaze products - mostly #26, duragloss #111, mothers, collinite insulator wax, hybrid ceramics to name a few…

lately i have been using cerakote from walmart - i re-apply after every wash and i’m not getting build-up like i do with others.. easy to use - just spray and wipe. i use it on everything - paint, windows, wheels, trim, etc.

 

[jdm-rhd]

hand wash only here - been washing cars since late 70’s and i have used many products over the years from turtle wax, DuPont's original version of rain dance, meguiar’s mirror glaze products - mostly #26, duragloss #111, mothers, collinite insulator wax, hybrid ceramics to name a few…

lately i have been using cerakote from walmart - i re-apply after every wash and i’m not getting build-up like i do with others.. easy to use - just spray and wipe. i use it on everything - paint, windows, wheels, trim, etc.

thanks for the feedback.
what do you use for tar?

 

[MacCool]

thanks for the feedback.
what do you use for tar?

I think any of the bug and tar removers are pretty much equivalent, but I am inclined to give the edge to Adams Polishes "Tar".

https://adamspolishes.com/products/adams-tar?_pos=1&_psq=Tar&_ss=e&_v=1.0

 

[MacCool]

thanks...ill look into it.
just trying to find something that won't harm the finish.

All of them will harm the finish. The solvents necessary to dissolve the tar (or the bugs) won't affect the clear coat, but they will not play nice with the wax or other protectants you have put on car. Additionally, and probably more relevant, the rubbing and scrubbing needed to get the tar off will swirl and mar the clear coat and residue from the solvent will remain providing some dullness. After getting the tar (or bugs) off, you'll need to re-polish and then re-finish with wax or whatever. Ceramic coating or other types of polymer sealants might mitigate the rubbing damage by allowing you to scrub less, but you'll still have to re-finish.