do you:

a) add soap and water to a bucket, wash some of the car, constantly dunking the sponge into the soapy water to remove the dirt from the sponge and to keep the sponge soaking wet and sudsy

or

b) just add some soap directly to a moderately-damp sponge and clean your car, neverminding the filth that is trapped in the sponge and continue to clean your car with a filth-filled sponge


I think that method A is better, but that may just be me

6/9/2010 11:24:33 AM

C) take it to a bikini carwash

6/9/2010 11:27:06 AM

d)

[Edited on June 9, 2010 at 11:29 AM. Reason : d)]

6/9/2010 11:27:37 AM

I just buy a new car when mine gets dirty

FUCK y0 DIRTY CAR

6/9/2010 11:29:01 AM

I have a different method, the two bucket method.

bucket #1 - soap and water

bucket #2 - water

I wash the car with a wash cloth (any washcloth that you'd use on your face is fine). After getting the washcloth all soapy from bucket #1 clean a section of the car. Then rinse the washcloth in bucket #2 to remove dirt and grime. Repeat over and over again.

Also, to further prevent grime from building up on the washcloth wash the parts of the car more likely to be dirty last. I.e. the rocker panels, rear quarter panels and front and rear bumpers. I always wash those last.

6/9/2010 11:34:26 AM

well, that certainly seems like a good method to wash the dishes your car

6/9/2010 11:37:54 AM

1guy2buckets?

6/9/2010 11:38:44 AM

^ hawt

6/9/2010 11:39:35 AM

lol

It's time consuming, but you won't scratch your car at all. If you just use a sponge or whatever and one bucket over time tons of tiny tiny little scratches will appear on your finish (the type you usually only see under a flourescent light).

6/9/2010 11:42:09 AM

... makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you.

6/9/2010 11:43:22 AM

Method A

I normally dont do 2 buckets but I will take the hose occasionally and rinse what Im washing with. Also do bumpers and wheels last normally as they are dirtiest.

6/9/2010 11:45:50 AM

method A... seems to be your standard

wheels last for me too...usually have some sort of soft-bristled brush for those

6/9/2010 11:49:29 AM

it seems the consensus is that by going with Method A, your dishes car will have less food dirt residue than if you use Method B

6/9/2010 11:59:20 AM

^^I do my wheels first, with a soft bristled brush. But also with a different (3rd) bucket altogether

If the choices are A or B, DEFINITELY A. Water is your friend.

6/9/2010 12:17:18 PM

haha, someone seems to be a little OCD...either that or you just have a nice car

6/9/2010 12:18:33 PM

I rinse my car off in the sink to get the lose grime off of it and then throw it in to the dishwasher since I live in 2010 and not in 1953.

6/9/2010 12:32:18 PM

more often than not, your car comes out of the car washing machine with a significant amount of grime still on it. we all know that handwashing your car, implementing the proper methods, is the best way to clean your car

6/9/2010 12:36:56 PM

i have applied 200 coats of metallic sticker to my car when i got it ... i just peel one off when it gets dirty

6/9/2010 12:39:39 PM

Quote :

"haha, someone seems to be a little OCD...either that or you just have a nice car "

LOL, its a bit of both. I wash my nice car in that manner. But I also still have my old car, which just gets the sponge and one bucket!

^I do have the 3M clear bra on the front of my car. Covers the bumper, front section of the fenders and hood, headlights and side view mirrors. No scratches or paint chips for those areas.

[Edited on June 9, 2010 at 1:36 PM. Reason : shit's expensive]

6/9/2010 1:33:53 PM

I washed my car last summer, so I'm due for another washing in about 2 or 3 years.

6/9/2010 1:58:02 PM

I hope you leased your car, otherwise have fun with a shitty resale

6/9/2010 2:00:22 PM

Oh, I don't have plans on reselling. I figure when the time comes I'll consider parking it in the brickyard and charging people $1 per whack with a sledgehammer.

6/9/2010 2:19:29 PM

i use dawn+water in a bucket with a soft brush after rinsing it off first. brushie brushie brushie!

6/9/2010 2:20:55 PM

Brandon1 washes all my cars, I'm not sure what method he uses, but he's careful not to wash my ferrari with dirty rags.

6/9/2010 2:21:39 PM

^^Dawn as in the dishwashing soap? I'm pretty sure that soap removes car wax.

^lol

6/9/2010 2:34:48 PM

Quote :

"Dishwashing soap does not "strip" wax off cars. I use Liquid Ivory exclusively on all my cars. Several national champions, 40 year old original paint, and daily drivers. The act of washing with ANY product will take a little bit of your wax off. That is what it's designed to do! Wax is supposed to slowly wear off to keep dirt from embedding in your paint. That is why Carnuba is such a great product. Every time you wipe, wash, rinse etc your car, you strip wax. It's going to happen no matter what you use."

http://www.dccarcare.com/tipowk/tipowk7.html


i don't know who to believe anymore

6/9/2010 2:44:32 PM

Good info, nonapplicable to me though. I don't use wax, Zaino instead. And I use a Zano specific detergent to wash the car that's designed not to strip it. However, when I want to reapply the Zaino finish Dawn is the soap used to strip it off.

I figured it was applicable to wax as well...perhaps not

6/9/2010 2:51:49 PM

People can tell
When I Autobell

6/9/2010 2:55:25 PM

method A, and I wash starting with the roof and hood, finishing with the rocker panels and bumpers.

if the car is particularly disgusting I'll rinse the wash mitt off with the hose several times while I'm washing

Any time a car gets washed, some of the wax is removed. Any time I want to remove all the wax, I'll wash the car with dawn.
----
when you dry your car... do you use:

a) a moist chamois
b) a microfiber towel
c) a terrycloth towel
d) nothing, that bitch can drip dry

6/9/2010 5:14:13 PM

this thread is not about washing cars

6/9/2010 5:15:11 PM

Do method A. Pour a carwash soap in the bucket along with water, continually dip the sponge after washing a section. Work from the top down, and do the back 2nd to last, and the front last.

As far as Dishwashing detergent stripping wax, it will, no question. Dishwashing soap strips the wax, dries out the rubber seals and plastic bits over time, and is very harsh on headlights. Just buy some car wash soap. Its cheap, and its safe. Also make sure to use a good wash mitt or sponge. No dirty towels, washrags, t-shirts etc...you are just asking for swirls then.

Here is a write-up I did about 3yrs ago for another website on how to detail your own car using locally bought products.

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/detailing/78805-how-to-correctly-detail-your-auto/

6/9/2010 11:29:10 PM

I use method A with Meguiars old bullshit carwarsh on my cars.

I'm slightly more careful and dip more often on the 9.5k mileage Civic than I am on the 150k+ 4Runner, but not much.

6/9/2010 11:32:14 PM

^^^

6/9/2010 11:36:26 PM

How you gonna carrot your own post oh wait nevermind you created the thread.

[Edited on June 9, 2010 at 11:37 PM. Reason : l,]

6/9/2010 11:37:25 PM