Monsterliner
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How do you wash your car?

Discussion in 'Detailing' started by Flexin, Mar 4, 2013.

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How do you wash your car?

  1. Hand wash

    15 vote(s)
    60.0%
  2. Automated car wash

    5 vote(s)
    20.0%
  3. Self serve coin op car wash (pressure washer and foam brush)

    4 vote(s)
    16.0%
  4. I let mother nature wash my car

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. Send it to the detail shop

    1 vote(s)
    4.0%
  6. Hand wash at a car wash

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
Watchers:
This thread is being watched by 31 users.
  1. limcid

    limcid Member

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2013
    Messages:
    88
    A foam gun would definitely be handy. :) Karcher probably makes a wand attachment for that. Mine came with two different spray attachments. I might have to check the manual because it might already have this feature.
     
  2. Flexin

    Flexin Admin Staff Member Founding Member Top Event

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2012
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    4,656
    Occupation:
    Truck Driver
    Location:
    Nova Scotia, Canada
    They are nice. Here are some in action.





    James
     
  3. tabbyowns

    tabbyowns New Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2013
    Messages:
    5
    When I wash my car (which is rare) I do it myself. I just don't those machines, and anyways they don't get all the dirty spots. It takes me an hour to wash my car, and about 20 minutes to dry it. When I wash my car, it has to be perfect. Sometimes its annoying but at the end of the day its worth it. :)
     
  4. tabbyowns

    tabbyowns New Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2013
    Messages:
    5
    Dang that looks like fun to use. Whats the advantage of using a foam gun besides saving time?
     
  5. Flexin

    Flexin Admin Staff Member Founding Member Top Event

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2012
    Messages:
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    Occupation:
    Truck Driver
    Location:
    Nova Scotia, Canada
    Some do it on a car that isn't very dirty to give it a good cleaning without touching the paint to wash. This will save scratches.

    Some do it to pre soak the car to give the soap a change to work at the dirt. Once again they are trying to minimize scratching.

    Plus it looks cool. Lol. This are also 3 reasons why I want one.

    James
     
  6. limcid

    limcid Member

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2013
    Messages:
    88
    It looks like he's using the same model that I have. This looks like something I need to get some day. I would do a pre-spray to loosen up any grit and grime, then apply the foam. It definitely does the job.

    You could probably make a few bucks with it as well.
     
  7. Rivethead

    Rivethead Active Member Founding Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2013
    Messages:
    264
    I wash the vehicles by hand. Soap bucket, car wash mitt, and brush. :)
     
  8. iRichard

    iRichard Member Founding Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2012
    Messages:
    239
    I hand wash my car every Saturday. I was always taught that washing your car with regular dish detergent was a bad idea.
     
  9. BigBigFan

    BigBigFan Fan of Life Founding Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2012
    Messages:
    145
    I use the automated car wash because it costs 7 bucks when I get a fill-up and they have some decent wax at my local station. It's not the best wash but it does the job and the rain beads up off the car for three weeks or so afterwards. It's a cheap way to rustproof really.
     
  10. Rivethead

    Rivethead Active Member Founding Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2013
    Messages:
    264
    I have read that too about dish detergent. It apparently strips the polymers from the paint surface.
     
  11. kdlt

    kdlt New Member

    Joined:
    May 17, 2013
    Messages:
    28
    I almost always get it done through an automated car wash. Most of the time I go to the pressurized dryer ones, rarely I go to the ones where people come out and actually dry my car. Works well enough for me! I would love to get some fancy detailing done inside my Honda, though. It has a sun roof and it gets quite dusty inside the car after a while.
     
  12. Aurelio Bermudez Jr.

    Aurelio Bermudez Jr. Member

    Joined:
    May 1, 2013
    Messages:
    126
    I hand wash my cars at least once a week. I also vacuum and make sure to use armor all for the interior as well. The last thing I do after drying my car with a towel is place some tire shine on my tires for that wet look.
     
  13. Sabrehawk

    Sabrehawk Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2013
    Messages:
    62
    I usually use the coin-op, but to save money I give it a good once-over at home before I go. It's a beat-up '90 F150, so I'm not really concerned about getting a spotless job done; I just like to make sure the really obvious junk is knocked off. I'd need a new paint job and a little bit of body work before I went for one of those really fancy washes.
     
  14. caparica007

    caparica007 Active Member Founding Member Top Thread Chevy Truck Club

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2013
    Messages:
    441
    Most of the time I do the self serve coin op because it is cheaper. I live in an apartment, so there's no easy way to hand wash it for me. The last time I did it the expensive way, in a garage by pros because I bought a "cheap" voucher online, I think it was worth it, but it's already needing another washing.
     
  15. violetzoom

    violetzoom Member

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2013
    Messages:
    67
    Mostly car wash. We used to hand wash our cars, but for the past year or so we've been using automatic car washes because it's more convenient. And also because there were some 'rules' about washing cars in the last town I lived in because of a water shortage. Gotta love summer.
     
  16. justusforus

    justusforus Member Founding Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2013
    Messages:
    187
    I will only use a "touchless" automated wash and I do that when I am lazy or the birds were particularly on target and it's during the work week. Beyond that, I like to "bucket wash" with a "self regulating and shut off nozzle" (got to love California and the beaurocrats) but I do it red neck style on the lawn so as not to waste water (so there I am redeemed from my last aside).
     
  17. webgrind

    webgrind New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2013
    Messages:
    81
    I always wash my car by hand. I use microfiber towels/mits, 2 buckets(1 for soap, the other to rinse my mits), a good quality soap(Meguires Gold Class) and set my spray nozzle to the shower setting. I usually go over the whole car about 3 times starting from the roof and working my way down to the lower panels. After washing I hit it with a leaf blower and wipe down with a moist microfiber towel to eliminate any water spots. Car always looks amazing afterwards.
     
  18. ValiantPoe

    ValiantPoe New Member

    Joined:
    May 30, 2013
    Messages:
    15
    I always hand wash my car, because that's all I can afford. :( But, I do feel that I can do a better, more thorough job, versus an automated wash, or a power wash.
     
  19. nicola

    nicola Member

    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2013
    Messages:
    45
    for me washing a car is like me taking a shower . I first overhaul the car with water to ensure that when I apply the special soap it will be able to be impactful, while protecting the paint job .
     
  20. Trellum

    Trellum Active Member Founding Member Top Contributor 2nd Chevy Truck Club

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2013
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    Right now I'm on a really tight budget (trying to pay my credit cards!), so only hand wash for me. If things change in the future, I might be able to pay someone to wash it for me ;) why not? I might even buy a new car...
     
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