Car Washing...what are your tips and tricks

[stealth]

One bird's grit is another bird's invasive species of seed

@DeaneG @Worldwide Beagle
A moment ago tonight, I received in the mail a book from the UK I ordered called “Hand Wash Only.” I immediately began reading it and of course stumbled upon a section dedicated to bird poop removal. So far, it jives with most of what has been shared in this thread though with healthy doses of British humor. Attached.

 

[stealth]

Ah hello fellow black car owner. The only thing I can add to this otherwise helpful series of recommendations you can cherry pick from, is if you’re using a foam cannon/pressure washer, use a mixture of chemical guys black light (30%) and chemicals guys snow foam (70%) and your car will look like this obsidian mirror…..although most of the time I use ONR as does the detailing shop I use and that gets you most of the way there.

That is incredible. Gosh, well, now I need to get a foam cannon along with a pressure washer, etc… this has all escalated so quickly in just a few hours today. What have I done? The hard part will be how I explain all these packages that will be arriving at the house to my better half, who simply cannot fathom why I just don’t take my car to the $10 car wash down the street like she does with her car.

The new detail shop I found this week took two full days with the car, but delivered it with a similar mirror finish - I would say it exceeded how good the car looked at delivery. Getting my black Air to look like your black Air is the goal.

 

[scal_air]

That is incredible. Gosh, well, now I need to get a foam cannon along with a pressure washer, etc… this has all escalated so quickly in just a few hours today. What have I done? The hard part will be how I explain all these packages that will be arriving at the house to my better half, who simply cannot fathom why I just don’t take my car to the $10 car wash down the street like she does with her car.

The new detail shop I found this week took two full days with the car, but delivered it with a similar mirror finish - I would say it exceeded how good the car looked at delivery. Getting my black Air to look like your black Air is the goal.
View attachment 18607

After a paint correction, you should consider PPF and/or ceramic coat. Makes cleaning and keeping that shine alot easier...

 

[Bunnylebowski]

That is incredible. Gosh, well, now I need to get a foam cannon along with a pressure washer, etc… this has all escalated so quickly in just a few hours today. What have I done? The hard part will be how I explain all these packages that will be arriving at the house to my better half, who simply cannot fathom why I just don’t take my car to the $10 car wash down the street like she does with her car.

The new detail shop I found this week took two full days with the car, but delivered it with a similar mirror finish - I would say it exceeded how good the car looked at delivery. Getting my black Air to look like your black Air is the goal.
View attachment 18607

That looks fantastic! Yeah next step in this expensive obsession after the gear is PPF/Ceramic, sorry hate to break it to you. After getting the full XPEL PPF + OptiCoat ceramic, while not cheap ($9K), I’m already reaping the benefits of it, as it looks clean longer, is easier to clean, and no joke the XPEL + OptiCoat must have some serious hardness to it as I’ve gotten zero rock chips since getting the paint correct + PPF/Ceramic in spite of horrendous New England and driving behind salt trucks and literally hearing the debris pinging all over the car repeatedly. On my prior car, a Mercedes which was a silver/tan color and lease which had no PPF/Ceramic, it got numerous rock chips on the front end during a single winter. The XPEL/Opticoat really does make the car easily cleaned with Optimum No Rinse, I only use the foam cannon in warmer weather and maybe every 4th wash cuz it takes longer than ONR.

 

[kpbhat]

I have been using GLARE polish on all new cars and it has been worthy. Not as expensive as others and it’s simple to apply. Gives a deep rich wet look polish and what I love is how it’s easy to wash. All grime just washes out with little or no efforts. Just use their own car wash which also comes with same ingredients that enriches the earlier quote upon use. More importantly polish lasts for 5-6 years once done. It’s a 4 step process though. Have completed it on my GT and I love it. Attached pics of my 8 year old cars. I am yet to take good pic of our new GT. Will post it once I get a good pic

 

[no gas]

That looks fantastic! Yeah next step in this expensive obsession after the gear is PPF/Ceramic, sorry hate to break it to you. After getting the full XPEL PPF + OptiCoat ceramic, while not cheap ($9K), I’m already reaping the benefits of it, as it looks clean longer, is easier to clean, and no joke the XPEL + OptiCoat must have some serious hardness to it as I’ve gotten zero rock chips since getting the paint correct + PPF/Ceramic in spite of horrendous New England and driving behind salt trucks and literally hearing the debris pinging all over the car repeatedly. On my prior car, a Mercedes which was a silver/tan color and lease which had no PPF/Ceramic, it got numerous rock chips on the front end during a single winter. The XPEL/Opticoat really does make the car easily cleaned with Optimum No Rinse, I only use the foam cannon in warmer weather and maybe every 4th wash cuz it takes longer than ONR.

PPF saved me twice from large rocks that dented my hood, dent easily removed and not a single scratch on the paint. Totally worth it.

 

[thecodingart]

I forgot to post this, but this is an awesome professional grade pressure washer specifically made for car detailing. Love it.

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