Car Washing...what are your tips and tricks

[joec]

Wanted to stick this here and further add on:
Utah is super cold, a ton of salt, a lot of tar, road debris, rocks, you name it..
You track so much dirt and crap into the car it's very hard to keep the interior clean, not just the exterior.

I bought this adhesive carpet protectors and it has really done wonders

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J8PCKH8?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

And when winter is over, I plan to just tear it out, leaves no residue, and it's very durable and thick. There's also a large amount of it, so it'll last you many years to come.

But I did scotchguard around the corners where it doesn't reach, and then this plastic adhesive in the middle, and so far interior is looking spotless!!
Also a quick note, I got very thin seat protectors for the front and back, that way I'm not blocking airflow, heated seats, or massagers, but protecting excessive rubbing against the leather seats.

Call me overprotective, but I am really babying the car lol

Nice. Shame it has the writing on it.

I’m trying to avoid ugly rubber winter mats. Especially black ones. The whole point of getting a nice beige interior is to keep it light and fresh. Clear is definitely the right idea.

 

[Volund]

Nice. Shame it has the writing on it.

I’m trying to avoid ugly rubber winter mats. Especially black ones. The whole point of getting a nice beige interior is to keep it light and fresh. Clear is definitely the right idea.

There are alternatives, but I didn't mind the writing as it's just for the season, you can put these on the ground and stick your mats on top of it.
But rating, performance, adhesion, and professionalism wise, this product was superior to the others I bought that wouldn't stick well at all or left behind some residue I had to wipe more to get off

 

[CarolinaMind]

On one hand the Lucid manual says to use Touch less car washes but not use car washes that use acids. It is my experience that the reason touch less car washes work is because they use harsh chemicals and acids in place of brushes.

How do you know if a car wash uses acids? I have no idea which places use no, or less harmful, agents.

 

[blueice89]

I use a regular full service car wash that is right next to my house and have done so for any EV I own whether it’s work 50k or 100k.

I have ppf on the whole front and ceramic on the rest. Ppf on the rockers. And then for maintenance I just go to a regular car wash.
My car is just a car I don’t know about all this swirl paint and stuff cause I have chosen colors where it’s very easy to maintain.

At the end of day time is my greatest asset. Drive through have these folks put on finishing touches in and out and shiny in maybe max 25 min

 

[BruceH]

Was finally able to give her a proper bath today! The only thing better than driving my Lucid Air Grand Touring is driving a CLEAN Lucid Air Grand Touring!

 

[inthewoods]

A clean will go faster - less drag.

 

[emoylv]

I've used Meguiar's Yellow Wax for years until my neighbor told me about GTechniq Liquid Crystal C2V3. Much easier to put on, incredible finish and doesn't seem to attract dust as easily as wax. It's become my go to product. You use so little that a spray bottle lasts a long time.

 

[Bus Driver]

Was finally able to give her a proper bath today! The only thing better than driving my Lucid Air Grand Touring is driving a CLEAN Lucid Air Grand Touring!View attachment 10952View attachment 10953

I swear there’s something meditative about washing a car with foamy soap and water. Therapeutic even.

 

[hydbob]

I swear there’s something meditative about washing a car with foamy soap and water. Therapeutic even.

That's why I love going to those bikini foam washes too. Very therapeutic, thank you for reminding me @Bus Driver

 

[Daniel2022AT]

IMHO, please not not use a pressure washer. It will cause micro scratches. Please do not use a heated leaf blower. It will age your clearcoat.

Somebody asked in a prior post, why use soap? It reduces the surface tension of water which allows dirt to be released from the paint surface without scratching.

If anyone is interested is taking really good care of your car, I recommend talking to Frank at Car Care Specialties. He is a Lucid shareholder! A true car enthusiast.

I have purchased car care products from him for years. There are tips and how-to videos.

New technologies like ceramic-based products for washing, protecting, and detailing are very exciting. My current favorite products are McKees. More expense than Chemical Guys or Griots but far better technology.

Plus, Frank promised he would take good care of any Lucid owners. My car is posted on his website.

www.carcarespecialties.com

If you have questions:

[email protected]

 

[Canyonero!]

IMHO, please not not use a pressure washer. It will cause micro scratches.

The nozzle I use results in a very "soft" cloud of water if you are at least 12" away from the nozzle.

The spray from a hose has a higher mass flow and "feels" harsher to me, unless you have it set to "mist" in which case there isn't enough flow for a good rinse.

 

[TotalDetailingPA]

IMHO, please not not use a pressure washer. It will cause micro scratches. Please do not use a heated leaf blower. It will age your clearcoat.

Somebody asked in a prior post, why use soap? It reduces the surface tension of water which allows dirt to be released from the paint surface without scratching.

If anyone is interested is taking really good care of your car, I recommend talking to Frank at Car Care Specialties. He is a Lucid shareholder! A true car enthusiast.

I have purchased car care products from him for years. There are tips and how-to videos.

New technologies like ceramic-based products for washing, protecting, and detailing are very exciting. My current favorite products are McKees. More expense than Chemical Guys or Griots but far better technology.

Plus, Frank promised he would take good care of any Lucid owners. My car is posted on his website.

www.carcarespecialties.com

If you have questions:

[email protected]

Thats a first that I've ever heard anything about not using a pressure washer. Maybe a high-powered gas pressure washer with a 0* tip could do that but any electric pressure washer isn't going to do that. At all.

A heated leafblower doesn't provide any significant amount of heat. It comes out of that dryer at MAYBE 100*. The car itself and the panels get up to 180-250 in direct sunlight. His website literally sells heated car dryers.

Sorry - none of this makes any sense.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

How the plot thickens is Lucid’s own manual says not to use a pressure washer, however if you’re a sensible person you’re going to hold it far enough away from the car where I seriously doubt it is going to cause a problem. I mainly just use ONR now though cuz less water use and it’s faster and easier, however the car does look a bit better when I use the foam cannon/pressure washer.

 

[lsbuffs]

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a heated leaf blower. Why would someone need that?

I only do a two bucket rinseless wash using McKee's N-914

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a heated leaf blower. Why would someone need that?

I only do a two bucket rinseless wash using McKee's N-914

What’s funny is a lot of this self healing PPF is heat activated, so maybe this heated leaf blower thing is a good idea hahaha.

 

[lsbuffs]

What’s funny is a lot of this self healing PPF is heat activated, so maybe this heated leaf blower thing is a good idea hahaha.

Right. I mean I know there are heat guns, but trying to understand why you'd need a heating component in a leaf blower.

 

[TotalDetailingPA]

How the plot thickens is Lucid’s own manual says not to use a pressure washer, however if you’re a sensible person you’re going to hold it far enough away from the car where I seriously doubt it is going to cause a problem. I mainly just use ONR now though cuz less water use and it’s faster and easier, however the car does look a bit better when I use the foam cannon/pressure washer.

Yeah, I imagine a pressure washer at 6" away is typically not a fantastic idea on any vehicle LOL.

 

[Canyonero!]

I clicked on the link for the deionizer (way back in this thread) and saw this picture:

Now that's dedication to detailing! Spousal unit would never approve the pex over steps.

But now I am getting ready to build a similar setup in my garage.

 

[Electrified]

The AGT is my daily driver and the GMC Sierra is my wife's DD and both get the Fuller's treatment, and both get the Ceramic Pro Bronze treatment once a year. Our summer cars get hand washed and they have a Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra ceramic coating.
It just isn't practical to hand wash a DD in the Chicago area, especially if you're like me and you always want to drive a clean car.

The Lucid gets this at least once a week:

 

[blueice89]

From all my reading it seems you could use a pressure washer but mostly have to be carful it’s a lower pressure setting like less than 2000 psi with 40 degree angle tip. Also be careful on towels cause it can embed the dirt and create micro scratches

I started buying couple items to just experiment:
Green works 2000 psi electric pressure washer
Foam cannon
Greeen car soap
Electric 530 cfm cordless leaf blower

I do normally just take to wash but I started noticing they don’t get all the bugs off so going to play with some of these devices. In the end to me it’s a car and to say no to this and that seems a little silly. I think if I keep pressure lower side and avoid direct towel coverage via blower that results will be good.