Interesting car wash tips
Charles
Washing Your Car:
I will now take you through the steps of properly washing your car, and
how to make swirl marks and scratches a thing of the past. You will need a
few items before you start:
Two Buckets
One Soft Sponge or Mitt
One or Two Chamois'
Car Soap (NOT detergent or dishsoap!)
Plastic/Rubber Protectant (Armor-All, Etc.)
Two or Three Clean Rags (Material of rags not important)
Two Clean Terry Cloths
A Shaded Area (Never wash your car in the sun)
Once you have your car parked in a shaded area, you can begin by wetting
down the entire body, while applying small amounts of car-soap directly to
any spots that look like they'll be hard to remove (Bird droppings, road
tar, etc.). Now put about one teaspoon of car-soap in one of the buckets
and fill the bucket with water. Fill the second bucket with clean, clear
water. Dip the sponge in the bucket and be sure to completely drentch the
sponge. Working from the top of the vehicle down, start by washing the
roof.
Continue washing the rest of the car, making sure to wring out the sponge
often in the clean bucket of water, removing all small particles from the
sponge. When you are finished washing the body of the car, rinse it down
with water, being very sure that all soap is removed, and there are no suds
when done. Take the sponge and wash the wheel wells, rims, and tires. It
is important that you wash these things last, since they will get the sponge
filthy. Now rinse off the wheel wells, etc, and begin to dry the vehicle.
To dry your car, you should use chaimois, sythetic chamois, or a squeegee
that is designed for cars. Make sure that the chamois is clean, then soak
the chamois with clean water, wring it out and you're ready to go. Start
drying the roof, and working down. When the chamois begins to smear water,
wring it out. Once most of the water is off of the car, take the second
chamois, moisten it, and go over the car again. This will make sure that
your car is totally dry.
Take the terry cloths and dampen one of them via mist spray, or run clean
water over it and wring it out untill it is slightly damp. Start cleaning
the exterior windows, working in an up/down motion. After each window, take
the second (dry) terry cloth and buff out any streaks or spots.
Take one of your rags and spray some plastic/rubber dressing on it. Be
sure to wipe the rag over all plastic parts on the exterior, the tires as
well.
To finish washing your car, take another rag and wipe down the rims or
hubcaps, removing all dirt and grime.
90roadster
have a leaf blower, use it to clear all the major water off then use a
clean Terry towel for touch up. But you have to put up with a lot of
smart remarks from your neighbors, like "When did they make blow
dryers for Corvettes?".
Jim
Thud
find. I think it's basically a big squeegee or rubber windshield-wiper type
thing that you use to just swipe the water off.
Thud
1990 Black/black coupe
http://j.bruce.home.mindspring.com
90roadster <90roa...@dlhoward.com> wrote in message
<371212d7....@nntp.ix.netcom.com>...
Charles
My BMW dealer gives a free one with each new car purchase HOWEVER, if
anything gets stuck on the blade.... OUCH! (Ouch was what a friend said
after using it the first time on his new BLACK 540i).
Charles
Thud wrote in message <7et7cj$jnm$1...@camel21.mindspring.com>...
Charles
just in case something gets sucked in! Great idea however!
Charles
Kris M. Stucke
news:7et7cj$jnm$1...@camel21.mindspring.com...
> I've heard about a new "water blade" that I've been looking for, and can't
> find.
The new Corvette Central catalog just came out and they have it in there.
I'll look tonight and see what the price was. I am pretty sure it was
corvette central, again I'll look tonight or I believe they have a web site
also.
--
Kris
86 coupe
http://www.ssweld.com/users/corvette/
Bruce
>
> I've heard about a new "water blade" that I've been looking for, and can't
> thing that you use to just swipe the water off.
>
> Thud
> 1990 Black/black coupe
> http://j.bruce.home.mindspring.com
>
> <371212d7....@nntp.ix.netcom.com>...
> >Pretty good advice. I could add one thing I tried that works - if you
> >have a leaf blower, use it to clear all the major water off then use a
> >clean Terry towel for touch up. But you have to put up with a lot of
> >smart remarks from your neighbors, like "When did they make blow
> >dryers for Corvettes?".
> >
> >Jim
Eckler's sells the water blade. I've found that if the car has a good
coat of wax or polish on it, you can make the water sheet off it
anyway. All you have to do is take off the nozzle on the hose and let a
slow stream flow out. The water just sheets off and is easy to dry.
--
Bruce
99 Navy Coupe, 6spd,Z51,HUD,JL4,R8C
Dave
Just one problem with this. Never wash the wheels/wheel wells/tires with
the same sponge used for the body of the car. Use one sponge only for
the body and another for the rest. No matter how hard you may try to
rinse a sponge out, there will be some crud left in it for the next
time. (Just from my vast experience.)
Dave
JSR
sponge. Sponges will get just a little bit of grit in them and scratch your
paint. The best thing that I have found is a section of lightweight soft
rug. Yes I said rug, bathroom rug with a rubber backing. Works real well.
Just cut a 6 or 8 inch square and wash away. If grit does get on the rug it
will usually hide away down toward the base. Just be sure to wash it out
well each time.
Dave wrote in message <371237...@wctc.net>...
Charles
leather baking for the upper body, a regular mitt for the sides and one
(cheap one) for the rims.
I bought two sponges in the past, one is green and very high density.... I
hated it. The second one is a countered regular sponge and it's OK. I still
like better the mitts.
Lately I also tried another CRAZY thing: I bought a garden/deck sprayer, I
fill it up with car shampoo and water. I spray the whole car and as much
undercarriage/wheel wells as I can and wait a few minutes than rinse
everything. This helps removing all sand/debris stuck to the paint thanks to
greasy deposits and helps me clean up where I can't reach with a sponge.
Better yet use a 1000PSI power washer ($150 +) but do not use it on the
paint!
Charles
JSR wrote in message ...
JSR
solution of car wash.
Charles wrote in message <7eu9qk$2...@chronicle.concentric.net>...
atal...@my-dejanews.com
"Thud" <j.b...@mindspam.com> wrote:
> I've heard about a new "water blade" that I've been looking for, and can't
> find. I think it's basically a big squeegee or rubber windshield-wiper type
> thing that you use to just swipe the water off.
>
> Thud
> 1990 Black/black coupe
> http://j.bruce.home.mindspring.com
Thud,
I just tried one this last week. It worked great! A couple of swipes gets
almost all the water off the hood. I ordered it directly from the
manufacturer, California Car Cover Company (800-423-5525) which is the same
company that I bought my car duster from.
Tony Talbert
'96 CE ragtop
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
VanceRegan
stream of water break the beading effect -- GREATLY reduces the amount of
drying necessary since the water does, as he says, sheet off in large
quantities.
Vance
'89 Red Coupe
Ken King
start at the bottom and work up, 1st you can see where you are cleaning, 2nd if
you start at the top you just move the dirt down the car with the likely hood of
scratches,
Thats just my opinion and I could be wrong
Ken wifes 95 white/grey
Charles wrote:
Mike B.
There is no way to get the dirt off the top of the car other than to wash it
down, so if you start at the bottom, you will need to go over it again after
all the cruddy water from the top washes over it.
Also, the larger dirt particles are usually lower on the car.. .they are the
ones that have a greater tendency to stick in your mitt and scratch your
car... if you wash from the top down, they have less way to go (and less
paint to scratch) before hitting the ground.
Third, the mitt inevitably gets dirty when you wash... since the top is the
most visible part, it's better to clean it with the cleanest mitt at the
beginning, and then clean the less noticable parts (like rims, bottom of
doors, underneath of fascia) at the end, where miniscule scratches will not
be as noticeable when they inevitably occur.
-Mike
Ken King <kkin...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:37150BB9...@ix.netcom.com...
INFINITSYS
dirtiest part of the car. It should always be washed last with a separate mitt.
Secondly I cannot imagine how you are going to wash the top without putting
your body on the car. Do you want to get your clothes full of soap and dirt.
Ideally you should use three separate mitts. Use one for top, hood and trunk.
Second for sides, front and back. Third for lower portion of the car. And
always start at the top.
Andre
99, Z51
>I really disagree with starting on the roof while washing your car. You
>should
>start at the bottom and work up, 1st you can see where you are cleaning, 2nd
>if
>you start at the top you just move the dirt down the car with the likely hood
>of
>scratches,
>
>Thats just my opinion and I could be wrong
>
>Ken wifes 95 white/grey
>
JSR
I agree somwhat with both of you
--start at the bottom with wheels, tires,and rocker panels. Wash then go
ahead and rinse
--now go to the top and work you way back down to the bottom
Your actually washing the rocker twice but it is worth it. Also doing the
wheels last could splatter dirt and grime back on to the car.
INFINITSYS wrote in message <19990414224235...@ng147.aol.com>...
wstrow
I start the motor on the power washer and set it at 2000 lb pressure and do
the wheels, then reduce pressure to 1200 lb and do fender wells and lower
body panels. Next, I do the upper body panels @ 800 LB and finally the top
@ 400 lb.
Next, I dry it (after I shut off the pressure washer) with a good brisk bit
of air (wind) @ usually no more than 100-125 MPH for about 2-3 miles.
Always gets the dirt and seagull crap off the car and makes it look better
than it did last year, or whenever it was, I last washed it.
In between these immaculate cleanings I also perform maintenance cleanings
by letting it set out in Seattle's daily rain.
JSR <rous...@hiwaay.net> wrote in article
<62GxqPwh#GA....@newstoo.hiwaay.net>...
Ken Kelly
works really well) electric pressure washer for about $120 and it comes with
a soap bottle and spray nozzle. I pre-soak the car really well with car wash
liquid and then use a chamois-covered sponge to wipe it down with all the
soap still on it. Then I rinse it off with the big spray wand. I dry it with
some soft clean white terry towels that I bought just for washing the cars.
I've got a separate (regular) sponge for doing the wheels and rubber with. I
use S.O.S. (the steel wool with soap in it) for doing the lettering on the
tires; it makes the white lettering nice and bright.
For waxing, I bought one of those (again, from Wal-Mart) 10" random-orbital
waxer/polisher and a soft sheepskin pad for it. I squirt on some of the
liquid 3M wax and go to town. It seems to do a pretty good job for the
crummy paint I have on my '82.
Ken
Shaaaadoww
(great minds think alike)
Dick Kriss
to wash it however you want then get rid of the water by using a leaf
blower. i used to do that on the Vette until I got the California Water
Blade (from Ecklers catalog). I am now 100% sold on the water blade for
the vette and explorer but it is worthless on the motorcycle.
Dick
96 Black/black Coupe
Corpse
time...
--
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JSR wrote in message <62GxqPwh#GA....@newstoo.hiwaay.net>...