I need to wash my car!

[bluenose1940]

Yes I certainly do but it's too darned hot at the moment

I just happened to put my hand on the bodywork this morning and crikey, I could have cooked my breakfast on it but, the most alarming thing that I found was that the paintwork feels just like sandpaper.  If I was to wash it now, having not checked that, the paintwork would have been scratched like you wouldn't believe.

I'm not sure that a good hosing will shift the residue either, might need a good going over with a pressure washer.  What do others do when in this situation?

I'm glad that I didn't just drive into the local car wash (I don't usually use them anyway) but as I am off on a trip shortly, I might just have done it as a speedy option.

Perish the thought!!

 

[dutchie01]

i always always always hose it down with a high pressure water pistol before entering the carwash ( dont wash myself too much trouble). those little grains of sand will create damage to the paint for sure.

[capese21]

58 minutes ago, dutchie01 said:

those little grains of sand will create damage to the paint for sure.

The car wash brushes will to unfortunately

[Richard1200]

Tree sap?? Have you been parked under a tree shading from the sun. The sap comes off easy enough with hot soapy water. 

[bluenose1940]

2 hours ago, Richard1200 said:

Tree sap?? Have you been parked under a tree shading from the sun. The sap comes off easy enough with hot soapy water. 

Most definitely not tree sap. More like sand blown in from the Sahara, happens often but haven't seen it for quite a while.

[BigChange]

I have the same. Car is covered in yellowish gritty stuff; feels like sand.  Guess it has come from down South with our current heatwave. 

[RichyRich]

Anyone tried the waterless wash & wax yet?  I have a bottle ready to go but must admit am a little nervous it will scratch the paint!!  

[RichyRich]

Meguiars Wash & Wax is awesome, just tried it ans decided to do the whole car.  Took about 45 minutes.   To be fair the car didnt look that dirty but it felt quite rough just from the dust and now it feels silky smooth.   Happy with that.   Just need to see it in the light of day to see my handy work.   Thanks @michaelH for the right recommendation :) 

[Steve44]

We've recently moved into a new build house, the estate is still being built and my drive is opposite the builders main compound. I left the car last week on the drive for 3 days and came back to find it completely covered in fine dust, sand and cement powder. Car was virtually white from it! Tried a quick hose down, but had to do a full wash at the weekend. A day later and it's just as bad. 6 more months of this. :-( 

[RichyRich]

6 minutes ago, Steve44 said:

We've recently moved into a new build house, the estate is still being built and my drive is opposite the builders main compound. I left the car last week on the drive for 3 days and came back to find it completely covered in fine dust, sand and cement powder. Car was virtually white from it! Tried a quick hose down, but had to do a full wash at the weekend. A day later and it's just as bad. 6 more months of this. :-( 

Car cover maybe? 

[rayaans]

Just now, RichyRich said:

Meguiars Wash & Wax is awesome, just tried it ans decided to do the whole car.  Took about 45 minutes.   To be fair the car didnt look that dirty but it felt quite rough just from the dust and now it feels silky smooth.   Happy with that.   Just need to see it in the light of day to see my handy work.   Thanks @michaelH for the right recommendation :) 

Be careful with Meguiars wash and wax. It removes a lot of waxes and is actually worse than it makes out to be

[RichyRich]

Hmm,  is that from experience? 

I have read alot of user reviews and it seems possibily better than washing with soap and waxing.   I don't think it will work in winter but is ideal in the summer months where you get alot of water streaks.

I took a quick look this morning and was as happy as I could be with how the bodywork looked.   Will be examine closely for any swirls or light scratches later on today.  

[RichyRich]

Some pics in day light although a bit overcast.   Pretty happy there's no swirls or light scratches :) 

[alien1974]

On 7/20/2016 at 8:37 PM, RichyRich said:

Anyone tried the waterless wash & wax yet?  I have a bottle ready to go but must admit am a little nervous it will scratch the paint!!  

i use it all the time and have had no problems with it 

[RichyRich]

42 minutes ago, alien1974 said:

i use it all the time and have had no problems with it 

Seems to work but am new to the whole cleaning the car without water idea ;)

[rayaans]

13 hours ago, RichyRich said:

Hmm,  is that from experience? 

I have read alot of user reviews and it seems possibily better than washing with soap and waxing.   I don't think it will work in winter but is ideal in the summer months where you get alot of water streaks.

I took a quick look this morning and was as happy as I could be with how the bodywork looked.   Will be examine closely for any swirls or light scratches later on today.  

Yes from experience.  It also reads slightly acidic using pH indicator. It stripped wax off my car in less than 2 months. 

You prob won't notice on a light colour like ST. You'll need a high powered halogen light.  

 

[RichyRich]

20 hours ago, rayaans said:

Yes from experience.  It also reads slightly acidic using pH indicator. It stripped wax off my car in less than 2 months. 

You prob won't notice on a light colour like ST. You'll need a high powered halogen light.  

 

I can't find anywhere that says this stuff damages the cars bodywork but I am concerned at your comments about acidic qualities.   Would like to see proof it causes damage? 

[rayaans]

18 hours ago, RichyRich said:

I can't find anywhere that says this stuff damages the cars bodywork but I am concerned at your comments about acidic qualities.   Would like to see proof it causes damage? 

No damage to the paintwork itself but it takes wax off the car which therefore means the paint is unprotected. The wax in this stuff is not durable and only there for initial looks. AFAIK it's also loaded with gloss enhancers too 

[michaelH]

Rayaans, is your concern specific to the Meguiars product, or does it apply to all waterless washes and detailing sprays? I have been using them (various brands) for years on my cars and on those of friends and family (some cars with clear coat finish and some without, in silver, yellow, blue and black) and have been very happy with the results. If I spent hours applying an expensive hard wax twice a year (and I can see the merits of that), then I might want to reconsider my approach to waterless washes, but I don't wax like that, so it isn't such an issue.  As it is, a little wax goes on each time I clean the car. it may not last, but it is regularly topped up. 

The only visible imperfections on my current IS300h  (34 months / 40,000 miles) are of the front bumper / stone chip variety. Too many of those, to be honest. if there are other defects visible only under a powerful light with a magnifying glass then I can live with that. Out of sight, out of mind, and all that.

The only parts I wash with water myself are the wheels, although in winter I often take it to a hand wash place to get the worst of the road dirt off. With filthy roads and dodgy weather, there isn't much point in exerting one's own time and effort in a search for shot-lived winter perfection.

On the subject of wheels, can someone recommend a good product for removing traces of the black adhesive that they use to attach balancing weights? These traces look unsightly once the tyres have been changed and the weights repositioned.

[Venator]

@michaelH I've used tar and adhesive removers in the past to get rid of them, worked fine, some of the older ones took some elbow grease but got there in the end!

[200h]

i have to say i'm sceptical about the waterless cleaners i dont understand how they work, as in how they dont scratch the paintwork

when your using a cloth that is holding all the grime and grit surely there has to be an chance of grit at some point being on the top

of the cleaning cloth next to the paint ,i dont think its a chance i want to take.

[Rabbers]

Personally I have never gone in for convenience products such as waterless washes, preferring conventional shampoos followed by rinsing and hand-drying with cloths.   Recently, the water in my neighbourhood, apparently because of modified sourcing during the summer months, became so hard that my paintwork, despite being white, showed streaking in direct sunlight.  When looking around for a suitable water-softener, I was recommended a U.S.-made product called Optimum No-Rinse Wash & Shine, and have been very impressed with it.  Depending on the degree of dilution, it can have various uses including that of a quick detailer or clay-bar   lubricant, but if you add a small amount to your normal wash-bucket, it works as a rinseless wash.   You pass a soaked cloth over the car one section at a time and then immediately dry it off with another clean cloth.  In order to dry off the entire surface of the 300h you will need to wring out the drying cloth maybe five or six times.  The result would probably be less good with a very dirty car but, given a normal amount of dry-weather dust and dirt, I strongly recommend the product.

 

[RichyRich]

9 hours ago, Rabbers said:

Personally I have never gone in for convenience products such as waterless washes, preferring conventional shampoos followed by rinsing and hand-drying with cloths.   Recently, the water in my neighbourhood, apparently because of modified sourcing during the summer months, became so hard that my paintwork, despite being white, showed streaking in direct sunlight.  When looking around for a suitable water-softener, I was recommended a U.S.-made product called Optimum No-Rinse Wash & Shine, and have been very impressed with it.  Depending on the degree of dilution, it can have various uses including that of a quick detailer or clay-bar   lubricant, but if you add a small amount to your normal wash-bucket, it works as a rinseless wash.   You pass a soaked cloth over the car one section at a time and then immediately dry it off with another clean cloth.  In order to dry off the entire surface of the 300h you will need to wring out the drying cloth maybe five or six times.  The result would probably be less good with a very dirty car but, given a normal amount of dry-weather dust and dirt, I strongly recommend the product.

 

might give this a go when the car is particularly dirty :)  any pics of before and after? 

[rayaans]

The acidity comment was specifically aimed at megs. 

The scratches comment was for waterless washes. There is no way they don't scratch the paint unless you use tonnes of it on a 10k per year car which doesn't get washed for a month especially in winter. 

 

[Rabbers]

Sorry, Richard, but I have no before-and-after pix to show you.  Just visualize a fairly dusty car with customary minor summertime cosmetic

blemishes, a few insect splatters, small amounts of dirt-spray and brake-dust behind and inside the wheels, all quickly and effortlessly

removed (the brake-dust last) with a capful or so of product diluted in a bucket of water, and resulting in satisfactorily glossy, scratch-free

(at least to the naked eye), and streak- and smear-free surfaces.  Although I have not tried the product on a very dirty car , I would guess that

the application and drying steps may well need repeating with a second bucketful to get a perfect result.