Wax & Cleaner Recommendations

[shooterdude199]

for the most part cotton doesnt leave scratches. with that being said, i'd probably use a leaf blower over anything. my brother uses one for his car. he doesnt let me use it lol. joe dirt is right though, microfibers cant dry very well. they clean well but dont dry

 

[VinceL]

I bought some of the Zaino microfiber towels and the do drink up water. They are some fancy smancy (at least they claim) type, and cost a fortune, but I can tell a big difference from all of the other microfiber towels that I have purchased through the years (they all sucked for drying). I am not sure what makes them different, but they are incredible. I use them for the final walk around with my handy trigger sprayer of distilled water, policing all of those nasty little water spots that seem to creep out of every crack and crevice. I use a leaf blower, and it is amazing how much water it will chase out, but there is always the few drops that try to rebel, not repel

 

[KanewtZ]

What are people's experience with this:

http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Water-Magnet-Drying-Towel/dp/B0009IQZFM/ref=pd_sim_auto_1

Or what other types of Waffle Weave drying clothes do you use?

Cheers!
Matt

 

[TekMan05]

This is what I use.

http://driwashsolutions.com/

I discovered this from a guy that cleans up the cars at the airport where I work at. I haven't used any mequiar's waxes in over 2 years now.

 

[BobbyMarks]

The other day my gaughter shoot me this video from Ford and relates to car wash.

Bobby

http://youtu.be/njp3n0ue5tE

 

[robr2]

meguires gold class everything. wash with all microfiber towels and dry with only 100% cotton towels

I use the MF to wash and cotton to dry but use Zaino products instead.

The key to avoiding swirls is the rub horizontal surfaces back and forth and vertical ones up and down. Avoid circular motions.

 

[vurb]

Optimum No Rinse Car Wash. Best there is. Fastest to use. No hose needed. Eco Friendly. Wash the whole truck with 2 gallons of water, which means you can even wash it in the garage in the blazing summer/frozen winter. Use ONR once and you will never go back to old school hand washing methods. http://www.amazon.com/32oz-Optimum-Rinse-Wash-Shine/dp/B000E9TS6O

 

[foxtemple]

I use Turtle Wax Ice as well and am very happy with the results.

 

[VinceL]

I started using Turtle Wax Ice when we got the Explorer and so far I am impressed with it. It might not give quite as bright a shine as some products, but it seems really durable. It has survived 12 or so automatic car washings (touch and touch-free) and still beads like crazy. I'll keep with it a while and see how it holds up in the long run.

 

[Joe Dirt]

The key to avoiding swirls is the rub horizontal surfaces back and forth and vertical ones up and down. Avoid circular motions.

Contaminants (grit, dirt, etc) on a medium (sponge, mitt, MF) cause swirls. Two bucket washes are a must. Blower dry is best, nothing dragging over the surface is also key. It has nothing to do with what direction you rub the car. Are you saying that as long as I rub one direction with grimy wash solution and a cheap sponge that I won't have swirls?

 

[TekMan05]

Contaminants (grit, dirt, etc) on a medium (sponge, mitt, MF) cause swirls. Two bucket washes are a must. Blower dry is best, nothing dragging over the surface is also key. It has nothing to do with what direction you rub the car. Are you saying that as long as I rub one direction with grimy wash solution and a cheap sponge that I won't have swirls?

Directional rubbing does help when Buffing though when applying wax/polish/ Dri-wash,etc. It does help with me. I also shake my mircro's frequently and try to work from to to bottom then the inside of fender trims. I admit when I wash I don't use two buckets. Actually I have the mixing spray gun so I use none now. I just rinse off my wash sponge with plenty of water before continuing. I also don't apply alot of pressure since I never need to most of the time. I do have SOME swirls and feather lines that usually can only be seen under a high level of light for instance in a well lit parking lot.

 

[Joe Dirt]

It may alter the patch of the scratch as it relates to light reflection afterwards, but if there is a contaminant on the surface or in the nap of whatever you're using, it doesn't matter if you rub one direction or the other, you're going to scuff the surface. If you rub in circles, you get circles. If you rub in lines you'll eventually get lines. It all matters if there are contaminants in your cloth. There is theory to the straight line argument- circles will appear faster because with a circular motion, the contaminants are being rolled in the nap and given more chances to scratch. This is why MF towels are good, they "hug" the contaminants in the nap better. But, my contention with the post was the comment that the key to avoiding swirls was to not make circles. The key is to avoid swirls is to avoid surface contaminants that will scratch the surface no matter what direction your mitts are moving. But nothing will eliminate them for a daily driver.

The sad thing is that you can be religious about keeping the surface clean and contaminant free, but one lapse after a car wash or trying to dry-wipe a seemingly dust free car can result in swirls that look like they've been building up for years.

You've got to be careful when rubbing any painted surface. I inspect every MF after cleaning to be sure I can't see anything in the nap. I use approx 15-20 MF's when I wax any vehicle, whether mine or a customer- and i still see them eventually. Nothing is 100% foolproof.

 

[rmp301]

After washing the truck, dry it with your leaf blower to remove +95% of the water. Then finish with a quality waffle weave drying towel (Sonus- blue).

I use a leaf blower as well ..... It really sheds the water, although the neighbors tend to stare at you and walk on the other side of the street as they pass my driveway!

 

[VinceL]

Only thing with a leaf blower around here (we have hard water) is that if you try to blow it completely dry with it, you get tiny, yet nasty hard water spots all over. Lesson learned. Blow the cracks to get out the trapped stuff, knock off the big ones all over (95%ish is a good goal), and then hit it with the MF towels. She looks purty after that!

 

[TekMan05]

It may alter the patch of the scratch as it relates to light reflection afterwards, but if there is a contaminant on the surface or in the nap of whatever you're using, it doesn't matter if you rub one direction or the other, you're going to scuff the surface. If you rub in circles, you get circles. If you rub in lines you'll eventually get lines. It all matters if there are contaminants in your cloth. There is theory to the straight line argument- circles will appear faster because with a circular motion, the contaminants are being rolled in the nap and given more chances to scratch. This is why MF towels are good, they "hug" the contaminants in the nap better. But, my contention with the post was the comment that the key to avoiding swirls was to not make circles. The key is to avoid swirls is to avoid surface contaminants that will scratch the surface no matter what direction your mitts are moving. But nothing will eliminate them for a daily driver.

The sad thing is that you can be religious about keeping the surface clean and contaminant free, but one lapse after a car wash or trying to dry-wipe a seemingly dust free car can result in swirls that look like they've been building up for years.

You've got to be careful when rubbing any painted surface. I inspect every MF after cleaning to be sure I can't see anything in the nap. I use approx 15-20 MF's when I wax any vehicle, whether mine or a customer- and i still see them eventually. Nothing is 100% foolproof.

That is definitely true. Here in the midwest I just have to accept the fact that there will be SOME fine scratches and imperfecions. But I frequently inspect my MF's as well to avoid. Can't say though that I use 15+ towels on a single detail session. BUT I do shake and inspect my towels multiple times. Actually after every panel pass I will. So far I've done pretty good. I also wash and replace them frequently as well. Joe you ever thought about doing a video session to visually demonstrate some of your car wash/detailing techniques?

 

[VinceL]

Ooh, a Joe Dirt Car Washing Video Webinar...

I'll buy that for a dollar!

 

[robr2]

Contaminants (grit, dirt, etc) on a medium (sponge, mitt, MF) cause swirls. Two bucket washes are a must. Blower dry is best, nothing dragging over the surface is also key. It has nothing to do with what direction you rub the car. Are you saying that as long as I rub one direction with grimy wash solution and a cheap sponge that I won't have swirls?

I should have been clearer. When applying my polish of choice (Zaino) it's recommended to rub it on using directional strokes.

Of course when washing the vehicle, one always has to ensure the washing implement is clean - that's basic.

 

[deewan]

I've found some great results using the following products.

Wash - Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo
Spray Detailer - Pinnacle XMT 360 Spray Wax (After every wash)
Wax - Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 (Every 6 months). Then followed with the Spray Detailer

I use a 5-gallon bucket with a grit guard and a sponge. With a good shampoo, the debris will release from the sponge, into the water, and below the grit guard to help prevent damaging the paint.

Once I'm done shampooing an area of the Explorer, I use the flood method to remove the shampoo and that near leave no water droplets behind.

The little bit of water that does remain is soaked up my a microfiber towel. I lay the towel on the panel, pat dry, and left the towel up. No rubbing.

 

[JohnnyO]

Meguiar's Car Wash. About $5 at Wal-Mart. Dry it with a California Water Blade and it will bead water for a year.

 

[koda2000]

I've been using Turtle Zip Wash for most of my life. Good suds, inexpensive and doesn't strip the wax. Then i usually use a California Water Blade to get most of the water off and finish with cotton terry towels for the remaining water (although I've also used an electric leaf blower and even my shop vac in exhaust mode). Never use dish soap or laundry detergent on you car. They strip wax and are too harsh for the paint.

If you've never used a clay bar, it's the only way to get you're paint feeling like a brand new car and very fast & easy to use. Then follow up with a good quality wax (not cleaner wax or polish unless you need it).