My car washing stuff

[joebruin77]

Any recommendations on how to clean the inside of the windshield without creating tiny micro-scratches that in direct sun make it awful to see through? I'm hesitant to touch my MME windshield after previous experiences on other cars. I've used Turtlewax microfibers with some Windex in the past.

When I first got into car detailing, I also struggled with getting the inside of the windshield clean. I came across this really helpful video from a guy named Chris Fix (link is pasted below). He recommends a 3 step process to super clean the interior of your windshield:

1) Wipe down the interior windshield glass with a clean, dry microfiber towel. I find that using a towel specifically designed for cleaning glass works best.
2) Next, wipe down the interior glass with a wet, activated magic eraser or with rubbing alcohol. Dry with another clean microfiber towel.
3) Finally, clean the glass with your favorite automotive glass cleaner. Conclude with a final wipe with another clean dry microfiber towel.

Glass is actually really hard to scratch. Usually the only thing that scratches glass are rock chips that hit the windshield at a high rate of speed on the outside.

If you are seeing those annoying marks in direct sunlight, I would suspect one of two causes. Either those are little fibers left behind by previously used microfiber towels. That is why I recommend using towels specifically designed for glass cleaning (or as others have mentioned, newspaper). Glass cleaning towels and newspaper do not leave little fibers behind.

The other explanation is that the outside of the glass has tiny marks or scratches. If that is the case, you can try clay barring the outside of the glass. If that doesn't work , then you might need to polish the outside of the glass using a dedicated glass polish and glass polishing pad with a DA machine polisher.

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[Stang68]

I personally do rinseless washes exclusively. I haven't broken out the foam cannon in about 3 years. I find that rinseless washes clean the car effectively and safely with no scratches. And I can wash the entire car with about 4 gallons of water.

I agree with you that P&S Absolute is a great new rinseless wash. I love the scent. My only minor gripe about it is that I wish it had a little more color in it. It is hard for me to spot the fill line when diluting since the liquid has little to no color. ONR is easier to dilute since I can more easily see the fill line.

If you guys are looking for a great drying aid, I highly recommend Topper by Xtreme Solutions:

https://www.877askxtreme.com/store/p/paocd0c80bnpb6h6yvd58rjwqstiqr?rq=topper

This is a ceramic topper spray that can be used as a drying aid after every wash. Or it can be used on dry paint to boost gloss and slickness. I have tried multiple drying aids on the market, including the Turtle Wax Hyrbird Wet Wax and TW Graphene Spray. I think Topper is slicker, glossier, smells better, and, at $39 per gallon, is a much better value. For comparison, a gallon of the Turtle Wax Graphene Spray comes out to the equivalent of $140 a gallon!

I'm actually new to rinseless washes. I've used Meguiar's Waterless Wash in the winter when it's frigid out and hate using it, I just don't see how it's not bad for the paint.

Is a rinseless wash a good option for winter car washing?

 

[joebruin77]

I'm actually new to rinseless washes. I've used Meguiar's Waterless Wash in the winter when it's frigid out and hate using it, I just don't see how it's not bad for the paint.

Is a rinseless wash a good option for winter car washing?

I get your concern about waterless washes. Although you can do a waterless wash without scratching the paint, you do have to be really careful with your technique and process. Rinseless washes offer a lot more lubrication and therefore you are less likely to scratch the paint with a rinseless wash compared to a waterless wash.

I have done rinseless washes in the winter, but the winters where are live are very mild. If I were to do a rinseless wash in an extremely cold environment, I would only want to do it in a heated garage. Otherwise, I think your hands would freeze.

If you can only do a waterless wash in the winter, I would check out Ammo NYC Frothe. Larry, the founder of Ammo NYC has videos on youtube such as this one on how to do winter washes using Frothe:

 

[MetrowestZ]

And then it starts raining?

Rain IS my car wash technique

 

[Ajpeo3]

Those touchless car washes are very quick and convenient. But there are two things to look out for. 1) Because they don’t actually touch the paint with a wash medium like a mitt or sponge, they don’t clean as thoroughly. 2) To compensate for their more limited cleaning ability, they almost always use high pH soaps. These stronger soaps clean better than pH neutral soaps. But they also degrade or even strip waxes and sealants.

Many people exit a touchless car wash not realizing their wax or sealant has been stripped and their paint is unprotected.

1. It looks great to me and that's all that matters.
2. It probably takes about 50 years for that to happen. Lol . The sun will do the same thing in 1/10 of the time. Do you use a sunshade cover every time you park your car? If you don't your paint's being damaged. Something to think about.

The bottom line is my Mach E isn't a $300,000 Ferrari It's normal everyday car that gets me from A to B.
I have better things to do with my time than sit there and wash my car for 3 hours a day.

 

[Ochroma]

When I first got into car detailing, I also struggled with getting the inside of the windshield clean. I came across this really helpful video from a guy named Chris Fix (link is pasted below). He recommends a 3 step process to super clean the interior of your windshield:

1) Wipe down the interior windshield glass with a clean, dry microfiber towel. I find that using a towel specifically designed for cleaning glass works best.
2) Next, wipe down the interior glass with a wet, activated magic eraser or with rubbing alcohol. Dry with another clean microfiber towel.
3) Finally, clean the glass with your favorite automotive glass cleaner. Conclude with a final wipe with another clean dry microfiber towel.

Glass is actually really hard to scratch. Usually the only thing that scratches glass are rock chips that hit the windshield at a high rate of speed on the outside.

If you are seeing those annoying marks in direct sunlight, I would suspect one of two causes. Either those are little fibers left behind by previously used microfiber towels. That is why I recommend using towels specifically designed for glass cleaning (or as others have mentioned, newspaper). Glass cleaning towels and newspaper do not leave little fibers behind.

The other explanation is that the outside of the glass has tiny marks or scratches. If that is the case, you can try clay barring the outside of the glass. If that doesn't work , then you might need to polish the outside of the glass using a dedicated glass polish and glass polishing pad with a DA machine polisher.

Thank you for the recommendations and detail! I always had assumed I was damaging the inside of the glass somehow (like if there was an extra coating) but I probably just wasn't cleaning it properly. The marks only showed up when I tried to clean the inside so I don't think the outside is damaged.

 

[joebruin77]

1. It looks great to me and that's all that matters.
2. It probably takes about 50 years for that to happen. Lol . The sun will do the same thing in 1/10 of the time. Do you use a sunshade cover every time you park your car? If you don't your paint's being damaged. Something to think about.

The bottom line is my Mach E isn't a $300,000 Ferrari It's normal everyday car that gets me from A to B.
I have better things to do with my time than sit there and wash my car for 3 hours a day.

If you enjoy using touchless car washes and are happy with the results, by all means continue to use them. I never said that they should never be used. I just think when deciding whether or not to go to a touchless car wash, a consumer should be well informed with accurate information.

Actually, high pH soaps and harsh detergents used by many touchless car washes will degrade or strip waxes and sealants very quickly. This can happen in as little as 1-4 washes, which is a lot faster than, as you suggested, the car sitting in the sun. For example, this is from the description of Mckees37 Coating Prep Auto Wash, a high pH soap you can use if you want to remove waxes and sealants and prep the car for a new coating:

" McKee's 37 Coating Prep Auto Wash is a powerful detergent that strips remaining traces of previously applied waxes and sealants, leaving your vehicle squeaky clean for the next step in detailing. By breaking down old waxes and silicone oils, the next step you perform in the detailing process (clay, polish, coat) will produce superior results. "

It can take quite a bit of time and effort to apply a wax to your car. I would be bummed if my newly applied carnauba wax was destroyed by running through a touchless car wash and no one told me that would happen.

If you plan on using a touchless car wash frequently, I would recommend having a ceramic coating applied to your car. Ceramic coatings are more resistant to high pH soaps than traditional waxes or sealants.

Personally, I prefer to wash my own car. And it definitely does not take 3 hours. I can do a rinseless wash using Optimum No Rinse in 20-30 minutes.

 

[RickMachE]

2 bucket method. No gadgets. Ryobi leaf blower bought to blow leaves.

Spray wax when drying to not leave spots.

Collinite 845 1 to 2 times a year.

Towels washed with house rags.

Done.

 

[kindofblue]

Hi Mark, mine was only a single tank lol. I have a similar air dryer that can also be used as a vacuum cleaner. I use it as a vacuum cleaner only. I did not plumb my tank into water system in house; I was going to but then switched to rinseless washing. Great setup.

I've also read that the ionized water makes house window cleaning a snap.

 

[Xadion]

This is random., but I do not want to start a thread by itself... while washing my car (baby's first wash) I noticed one (driver side) headlight was developing a strange fog, like there was water vapor in it... the other side did not... and it dissolved by the time I was done drying and got my phone to take a camera.

Anyone else had this? I really do not want to approach Ford dealer with a warranty claim to get a new headlight...but...it seems odd...

Its time for another wash (poor baby lives outside and its Florida, while the wife's car gets to be in the garage)- I will have my camera available.

As for gear. I wanted one of those foaming blaster car wash thingi's and Walmart had the chemical guys one for 90$? wtf.. then autozone had one for 40$ but their credit card machines were down, so I ended at harbor freight and got theirs for 20$!

Got some normal "car wash" not "wash and wax" - and walmart had a nice large drying microfiber for 8$ only had 1, so I got another cheaper, thinner for 6$ - but when I got to Harbor Freight they had a big one for 5$ that was thicker than the cheap walmart, but not as thick as the more expensive walmart one.

So anyone looking for some decent stuff for decent prices, check out harbor freight, I didnt know they had car wash stuff.

Edit: as to why no wash n wax, is I eventually want to ceramic coat it and I want the paint to be as least-messed-with-as I can... but I may just go with a synthetic like The Last Coat or other synthetics then do a hybrid wax... but I have been lazy in contacting the guy I want to do the ceramic to see how much it would be.

 

[RickMachE]

This is random., but I do not want to start a thread by itself... while washing my car (baby's first wash) I noticed one (driver side) headlight was developing a strange fog, like there was water vapor in it... the other side did not... and it dissolved by the time I was done drying and got my phone to take a camera.

Anyone else had this? I really do not want to approach Ford dealer with a warranty claim to get a new headlight...but...it seems odd...

Normal. See your manual.

 

[Xadion]

Normal. See your manual.

Thanks!


RTFM? Haha perhaps I should.

 

[Xadion]

Anyone got tips or tricks for not staining the sound bar and speaker fabric while using armor all etc on the doors and dash?

 

[joebruin77]

Anyone got tips or tricks for not staining the sound bar and speaker fabric while using armor all etc on the doors and dash?

If you don't want to get interior cleaner or protectant on certain surfaces, the best thing to do is to spray the product onto a microfiber towel or applicator (instead of spraying it directly onto the door or surface you are protecting). Then apply the product exactly where you want it.

 

[Graction]

I also thought about that, but then realized it won't be necessary as California will likely ban all car washing soon. Sand washing is coming next, provided we don't run out of sand, which is not such a stretch to imaging in our progressive world.

We already are https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a39880899/earth-is-running-out-of-sand/

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