who hand washes their car?

[Georges1]

I have my system down so washing my pickup takes about 30 minutes, same for the Jeep Summitt. My 240 takes about 15 minutes to wash. Waxing on the truck is a 3-4 hour affair. Haven't waxed the Jeep as its basically new. The 240 can be waxed in about an hour, usually less, but I take my time and savor every nook and cranny. It is actually fun especially when you see the finished product. None of my vehicles see a car wash but I live in Houston so we can wash our vehicles on the driveway pretty much year-round. If I was up north, I would probably have to be a car wash guy in the winter, of course except for my Z.

 

[Brock]

AdamsPolishes the best! Also they have a ton of videos on applying finishes on cars.

 

[AlanZ]

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 !

 

[MacCool]

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

Well, here's the deal that has become the standard marketing hook among the increasing number of detailing marketers. ...the gloss and shine that a car gets is a matter of the way light is refracted when it hits the paint. If the paint has a lot of micro-swirls etc, as is inevitable from daily use, brushing against it, hand-washing, car-washes etc, then the finish looks dull because the micro-scratches refract the light badly. The surface looks dull. You can limit that by waxing it, which adds a layer of wax on top and it will refract well, although the depth of shine is impaired, as long as the wax remains...but it does wear off, and the better the wax, the faster it wears. The best thing is paint correction...removing the micro-swirls with a buffer....then waxing. Or sealing/glazing/waxing...or ceramic coating or some other such technique. IOW, just putting wax on a swirled-up clear coat is a poor half measure and it will look ok for a couple of weeks. And then there's the issue of oxidation. Bottom line....just laying down wax is a half-measure. The first time I ever buffed then waxed my Black Cherry 2011 Z, I was shocked at the difference in depth of shine, and I became a believer. If you don't correct the micro-scratches and swirling, it doesn't look nearly as good no matter how much wax you lay down.

Google "paint correction" detailing, or peruse the many detailing videos on YouTube. I've always liked the Adams Polishes videos...really excellent

https://www.youtube.com/@AdamsPolishes/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0

 

[jdm-rhd]

what is this foam cannon you speak of?
guess im old

 

[AlanZ]

what is this coam cannon you speak of?
guess im old

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 .

 

[MacCool]

what is this coam cannon you speak of?
guess im old

The idea relates to the idea that when you wash your car, you want a thick layer of soap between finish and your microfiber wash mitt so that you don't add to the swirls and micro-scratching. Best applied with a foam gun on your hose vs a foam cannon on your pressure washer. With a good foam soap, from a good foam cannon, your car will look like a birthday cake after you foam it and before you start scrubbing, thereby minimizing clear coat damage while scrubbing during hand wash.

Here's the story...

 

[Go2ZZZ]

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?

I take it to the coin wash and use pressure washer. Dry it with a nice microfibre cloth and get every inch of water as I can get. Very therapeutic for me

 

[Supremekai]

The idea relates to the idea that when you wash your car, you want a thick layer of soap between finish and your microfiber wash mitt so that you don't add to the swirls and micro-scratching. Best applied with a foam gun on your hose vs a foam cannon on your pressure washer. With a good foam soap, from a good foam cannon, your car will look like a birthday cake after you foam it and before you start scrubbing, thereby minimizing clear coat damage while scrubbing during hand wash.

Here's the story...

Isn't it the other way around? better to use foam cannon w/ pressure washer. As it produces more foam.

I'm doing one bucket wash.
Foam
Rinse
Foam
Hand wash with one bucket
Rinse
Drying agent - dry off with towel
Ceramic spray

 

[MacCool]

Isn't it the other way around? better to use foam cannon w/ pressure washer. As it produces more foam.

I'm doing one bucket wash.
Foam
Rinse
Foam
Hand wash with one bucket
Rinse
Drying agent - dry off with towel
Ceramic spray

Yes...IMHO foam cannon is superior. Looking at my post, I see why you misinterpreted...sorry for not being clear.

On a full detail day, I use a two-bucket wash with grit guards. I dry the car with a 4hp Master Blaster (admittedly not a cost effective device, but I also have three dogs at home ) and microfiber drying towels. I then use a glaze, followed by some carnauba wax...real carnauba, not the crap they sell at big-box stores. I use Adams Americana. It's not as good at their Patriot wax but is noticeably more durable.

I only do that a few times a year. In between, I use the local touchless car wash, going for the wash only and skipping the useless "waxes" and "UV protectants".

 

[Fanatic]

I let the rain naturally wash my cars.

 

[bpeckham]

I let the rain naturally wash my cars.

I do this too in the San Diego winter. It's amazingly effective.

 

[bearingexpert]

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?

I hand wash, blower dry and then apply a ceramic booster product, my car has PPF on all the impact areas and ceramic paint treatment.

 

[jdm-rhd]

I hand wash, blower dry and then apply a ceramic booster product, my car has PPF on all the impact areas and ceramic paint treatment.

don't know much about ceramic treatment...how long does it last?

 

[bearingexpert]

don't know much about ceramic treatment...how long does it last?

I have a Lexus with the ceramic treatment since 2018 of course you have to wash it with a balanced PH soap and use the booster from time to time to keep up at 100%