who hand washes their car?

[jdm-rhd]

so are you having it done or doing your own vehicles? what is your routine?

curious as to what products everyone is using. what do you avoid?

 

[Who.Am.Eye.2716]

I use a pressure washer, foam cannon, and 2 bucket method with the 3rd bucket for wheels

I use multiple products from Griots, Adams, McKees37, etc. Still adding to it. Site I go to for purchasing is www.autogeek.net

I avoid Chem Guys. Most of their products are the same, with some tweaks here and there with a name change

 

[MacCool]

I use a pressure washer, foam cannon, and 2 bucket method with the 3rd bucket for wheels

I use multiple products from Griots, Adams, McKees37, etc. Still adding to it. Site I go to for purchasing is www.autogeek.net

I avoid Chem Guys. Most of their products are the same, with some tweaks here and there with a name change

Me exactly, but mostly Adams. In fact...back in the day, my Black Cherry 2011 370Z was the car on the webpage header at the Adams home page for a few months. I'm a Junkman adherent.
I have a Flex polisher but almost entirely rely on the good ol' Porter Cable for a small car like the Z. For day-to-day washing, I do hit the local convenience store touchless car wash (confess that I've gotten lazy) but never anything with brushes. On any given nice Saturday however it's the good old two bucket wash for me with the foam cannon, pressure washer,clay bar, real carnauba, and the two-motor Master Blaster.

\

 

[jdm-rhd]

^ thanks for the response guys...

what are you using on wheels/rims?
what about your tires?

 

[Who.Am.Eye.2716]

....I have a Flex polisher but almost entirely rely on the good ol' Porter Cable for a small car like the Z....

Good looking Z

Do you use a Flex Orbital or Rotary. What sizes do you have for a small car? Im looking to start this new hobby

I use a Sealant for high gloss. I have an Ego 670 with a stubby nose

 

[Who.Am.Eye.2716]

^ thanks for the response guys...

what are you using on wheels/rims?
what about your tires?

I use PB Brake Buster dilluted to clean the wheels and tires. Gyeon wet coat after wash. Spray on and rinse off helps bead the water. I use it on the wheels after every wash

Tire shine is Chem Guys VRP. Yep, I just contradicted myself lol. I just like the cream liquid and has a medium shine that doesnt sling onto the paint

 

[MacCool]

I have a Flex Orbital, but it's aggressive enough that it will burn the paint if you're not careful. I almost entirely use the good ol' 6 inch Porter Cable 7424 on a small car like the Z. Almost impossible to damage the paint.

 

[SavedByFaith_]

Hand wash
Wheels and tires first then
Foam canon and one bucket wash, hand dry with towels and a topper/booster.

Using the entire CarPro line of products
With a cquartz ceramic coat for entire car, wheels and calipers.

(If really bad, some bugout, trix, echo as part of the prewash. But typically start with: Rinse, retyre, tire brush, reset foam canon, rinse, reset foam canon, reset bucket, microfiber car mit and wheel mit, rinse, dry towel, spotless and finally elixir or echo as topper. Sometimes will use hydro2lite during final rinse and skip the topper. If I want I use Perl for tireshine

Using clarify for window cleaning with dedicated glass MF. CarPro Inside or InnerQD for interior stuff)

Was a bit of an investment into the products and hardware, but it's become like therapy for me. Cost is a drop in the bucket compared to the overall investment into my Nismo!

 

[MacCool]

Bugs are bad on the front of Z's and were impossible to keep ahead of on my 2011, so I went with a clear bra on all subsequent Z's. The PPF now gets a regular coat of Rejex and bugs just wipe off with a wet microfiber. If the bugs are really bad, I'll use some Plexus (hard to find these days). The rest of the car gets sealant, glaze, then carnauba. The microfiber is, of course, Korean, borderless, tagless, and from The Rag Company.

 

[Who.Am.Eye.2716]

I have a Flex Orbital, but it's aggressive enough that it will burn the paint if you're not careful. I almost entirely use the good ol' 6 inch Porter Cable 7424 on a small car like the Z. Almost impossible to damage the paint.

What kind of pads do you use for Flex and Porter Cable?

What size tool do you use for the skinny area around the lower part of the front bumper and trunk lid?

 

[bpeckham]

I had my car paint corrected and ceramic coated at https://cedetail.com/. They did a great job, and I'd highly recommend them if you live here in San Diego.

I'm following the recommendation of the detailer for washing. I hand wash in my garage with

This wash https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-NR2010Q-Rinse-Wash-Shine/dp/B00DB3OEOQ/

This sponge https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078DPCYFV?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_Y0EGFHJE3PX07TGFDBMD

5 or 6 of these towels (per wash): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q6PLX4V?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_NJGKXKKQN7AVKSE9BGCK

I follow the instructions on the bottle to wash and dry a section at a time. I keep the sections pretty small (half the hood, half the hatch, a door, etc.) so that the wash doesn't dry before using the towel. The key, I think, is changing towels often. Yesterday I washed both cars using 8 towels.

I use the same thing to wash the wheels and tires. The tires get clean, but not glossy.

For the windows, I follow this procedure:



When I'm all done, I mop up the few drops and drips that make it to the garage floor.

My wife's Jag gets the same treatment.

I must say that there's a bit of danger using this method. I'm somewhat addicted to how clean the car is after a wash, and now I'm washing her about once a week. After a week, the layer of dust starts to get on my nerves, and I need to wash her again. Beware.

 

[MacCool]

What kind of pads do you use for Flex and Porter Cable?

What size tool do you use for the skinny area around the lower part of the front bumper and trunk lid?

I use Adams polishing pads...same pads for both Flex and Porter Cable...6 in diameter velcro backing. There's been a substantial evolution in pads over the last 12 years. I don't know if the technology is better or if they keep changing so people will buy the new ones. I seriously doubt that any one particular quality brand pad is better than another, and 6 inch velcro pads from all the detailing companies are common. I haven't bothered to buy very many new pads. I wash the pads in the washing machine, which works fine, but I do it while my wife is out and don't mention it. Still using some pads from years ago. For smaller areas or focused deep scratches, I use similar pads 4 inches in a cordless drill, but only rarely have I seen the need for that. I haven't polished my 2024 Performance Z yet so don't know the various nooks and crannies.

There are a lot of random orbital polishers out there now and I confess that I've been looking hard at the 18volt Milwaukee even though there are lighter and sleeker new polishers out there. I haven't pulled the trigger because, really, that Porter Cable is really good utterly reliable, and completely safe for the paint. I do have the Flex Orbital polisher. Its advantage is that it's really fast, but a moment's inattention will burn the paint. Not worth it to me and I've relegated that Flex polisher to sanding wood. It excels at that.

 

[Who.Am.Eye.2716]

... I wash the pads in the washing machine, which works fine, but I do it while my wife is out and don't mention it.

... I've relegated that Flex polisher to sanding wood. It excels at that.

 

[Georges1]

I've been doing my washing/waxing the old-fashioned way using application pads for wax & microfiber towels to polish. Never been a buffer guy although I have many friends that use & like them. To me there is nothing like good old hand polishing a car. I also clay bar every few years. I use a microfiber sponge to wash with turtle wax cleaner that I mix with water. I've always dried my glass & chrome using a soft towel. As you can see my car care is not too technical LOL

 

[jdm-rhd]

I've been doing my washing/waxing the old-fashioned way using application pads for wax & microfiber towels to polish. Never been a buffer guy although I have many friends that use & like them. To me there is nothing like good old hand polishing a car. I also clay bar every few years. I use a microfiber sponge to wash with turtle wax cleaner that I mix with water. I've always dried my glass & chrome using a soft towel. As you can see my car care is not too technical LOL

wow...old school
how long does that take?