Car Washing...what are your tips and tricks

[Bel]

Can you use a car wash sponge -- i always have?

Carrand 40102 8.75" x 4.75" x 3" Giant Bone Sponge, Yellow https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RMMHHE/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_SYK6HT61N6CC002VWH1S

 

[hydbob]

Can you use a car wash sponge -- i always have?

Carrand 40102 8.75" x 4.75" x 3" Giant Bone Sponge, Yellow https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RMMHHE/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_SYK6HT61N6CC002VWH1S

I think detailers tend to shy away from those because you could get dirt and grit trapped inside? Not sure though! The mitts are more fun because you can pretend to be a monster

 

[Bunnylebowski]

The wax ones I've always washed just on hot, does that mean my washer has a wax buildup?!?!

Since you wash on hot maybe it’s ok if it’s wax only? I don’t wax, so can’t tell from experience, but do know from experience and pro detailers that ceramic, graphene, etc likes to stay in the wash tub and get on other things that are washed later.

 

[EVCar]

The wax ones I've always washed just on hot, does that mean my washer has a wax buildup?!?!

Now I know why your washer has been looking shiny of late.

 

[hellolucid]

so do you guys use a pressure washer? i was thinking about getting one but not sure if it's going to be too harsh for the car (soft paint).

 

[Volund]

so do you guys use a pressure washer? i was thinking about getting one but not sure if it's going to be too harsh for the car (soft paint).

I ride a bullet bike harshly up canyons here in Utah, this means I get tons of dead insects on my visor and headlights and all over the front of my bike.

As long as you wash it with a microfiber pretty quickly after it being dirty and not letting it dry in the sun and getting caked on... Then I think normal soap and water should do the trick.

I personally wouldn't pressure wash it unless at a car wash that had a manual hose because pressure washers you buy in store can go really low or very high in pressure and so one small mistake and I think you could damage the paint.

Maybe only the wheels or rims if dirt gets on it but even then I'd just hose it down and wipe it with a cloth or use soap and water if that doesn't work.

But that's just my experience with my vehicles

 

[Bunnylebowski]

so do you guys use a pressure washer? i was thinking about getting one but not sure if it's going to be too harsh for the car (soft paint).

I use one, just don’t get it too close to the car, like have the nozzle back a few feet. The guy who did my PPF said it was ok. He said the paint isn’t that soft, said it’s waaay better than Tesla.

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

What about ammonia? One of my first jobs in college wash washing cars in the universities vehicle pool. They had us use ammonia to remove bugs from the front of the cars. I have used it recently only when I had a heavy coating. This seems to have disappeared due to "windshield phenomenon."

 

[hmp10]

In the "Maintenance" section (subsection "Vehicle Care") of the Lucid Owner's Manual they give advice about hand washing, automatic car washes, and pressure washing:

https://publications.infotainment.p...tml?document_type=OWNERS_MANUAL&version=0.0.1

It seems many posters here (myself included) ignore one or more of these recommendations, but my guess is that most of our cars will still have decent paint on them when we sell or trade as long as we don't get really careless.

 

[MPawelek]

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.

 

[Volund]

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.

The touch less car wash I go to makes you put your car in neutral and grabs your wheel in a track like way.

My cousin had his car damaged by it a few months ago. I get very weary of car washes for that reason and liability

Also Lucid doesn't have anything like sentry mode yet or any way to download footage of cameras (what's with that??)
So I would hate to get damage/scratches and not know about it until it's too late

Do you guys inspect your vehicle every day?

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

In the "Maintenance" section (subsection "Vehicle Care") of the Lucid Owner's Manual they give advice about hand washing, automatic car washes, and pressure washing:

https://publications.infotainment.p...tml?document_type=OWNERS_MANUAL&version=0.0.1

It seems many posters here (myself included) ignore one or more of these recommendations, but my guess is that most of our cars will still have decent paint on them when we sell or trade as long as we don't get really careless.

We have a Dirt Buster car wash that uses a conveyor belt. Only way to clean here in Midwest when it gets cold. The owner recently changed so I have to inquire if its "acid free." I haven't seen a touchless car wash in years. I see gentle touch, no more rotating brushes. Just those flaps, not sure what they are actually called. I have to look up "circular jet."

 

[MPawelek]

The tips on circular jets have a tiny ball bearing inside that rotates quickly in a circular motion that causes the water coming out of the tip to swirl rather than make a cone or flat pattern.

 

[Maverick]

I use one, just don’t get it too close to the car, like have the nozzle back a few feet. The guy who did my PPF said it was ok. He said the paint isn’t that soft, said it’s waaay better than Tesla.

I use one as well and haven't had an issue. They use them at my PPF too. Same advice on not getting too close.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

In the "Maintenance" section (subsection "Vehicle Care") of the Lucid Owner's Manual they give advice about hand washing, automatic car washes, and pressure washing:

https://publications.infotainment.p...tml?document_type=OWNERS_MANUAL&version=0.0.1

It seems many posters here (myself included) ignore one or more of these recommendations, but my guess is that most of our cars will still have decent paint on them when we sell or trade as long as we don't get really careless.

Interesting, it seems they updated the manual as I don’t recall the manual previously saying avoid pressure washer above 1200PSI.

 

[Volund]

In the "Maintenance" section (subsection "Vehicle Care") of the Lucid Owner's Manual they give advice about hand washing, automatic car washes, and pressure washing:

https://publications.infotainment.p...tml?document_type=OWNERS_MANUAL&version=0.0.1

It seems many posters here (myself included) ignore one or more of these recommendations, but my guess is that most of our cars will still have decent paint on them when we sell or trade as long as we don't get really careless.

Thank you for this link. I went through each page thoroughly.

Couple questions.. Has anyone had their Lucid towed?
I think a small part of the Towing guide has an error. The reason why is because it mentions that after you load the Lucid onto the tow bed, you should engage the vehicle in Park or remove it from Vehicle Towing mode.
Most tow providers will NOT allow you anywhere near your car once it's on the bed of the truck due to liability, dangers, hazards, etc..
There should ideally be settings on the app to enable Towing mode, disable it, and enable or disable Park/neutral


Also in the car wash section, it mentions to not directly aim water or a hose at the windows/body etc?
Wouldn't it dangerous at a touch less car wash then because it's basically higher pressure jets aimed directly at most angles of the car.

One of the bullets under hand washing

 

[MPawelek]

Lucid is just trying to cover the bases for the minuscule portion of folks that will use a high pressure washer inches from seals. There are some real idiots out there with no common sense.

 

[HC_79]

so do you guys use a pressure washer? i was thinking about getting one but not sure if it's going to be too harsh for the car (soft paint).

I use one with a different nozzle that the manual says is ok for cars. Even with that though, I just keep it at a decent distance away from the car. I ended up having to get an inline water filter because our water is dirty and left dirt spots all over the car.

 

[hydbob]

Hah, I make sure to spray my seals with a hose to get the soap out of those areas...maybe I should stop...

 

[MPawelek]

Hah, I make sure to spray my seals with a hose to get the soap out of those areas...maybe I should stop...

There is a difference in a water hose and water from a pressure washer hitting the seals at 200 mph. You can slice skin and cause bleeding on a body part with a pressure washer. Not so with a water hose.