I do not have a garage or driveway. The only way I can wash my car is at coin-op car washes with the pressure hoses which I really dislike because it's difficult to clean the car.
Normally, I bring a bucket and a car wash solution, usually Meguiars Gold Class or Mother's California Gold and clean the car with that. However, it's starting to get warm here and I want to wash my car before summer rolls around. The daytime temperature is 84 deg F or thereabouts. In June, July, and August, the temp will be 120 deg F during the day....
I've been having a problem with water spots on the car because of the dry air and warm temperatures here. What can I do to avoid these water spots. Also sometimes, it seems like I'm smearing the dirt rather than washing it away. When the dry the car off, there's dirt streaks everywhere. My guess is that the two bucket system will help with this. Ie one has soapy water, and th eother has only water and I use the water bucket to clean off the wash mit before dunking it in the soapy bucket.
To expedite drying, I use a California Water Blade.
After drying, I apply wax by hand. I'm currently using Meguiar's NXT paste - the type in a metal tin- but open to other suggestions. I have a tin of Mother's Gold Cleaner Wax somewhere also. My main priority is durability over appearance. Though appearance is important to me, I only have time to wash and wax my car once maybe every 3 months or so, if that. The last time I washed my car was in the beginning of February and it's really dirty since it got snowed on a couple weeks back - yeah, it got cold enough to snow a few weeks ago and now it's 84 deg F :/ That's the desert for you.
This is what it looked like after the last time I cleaned, clay barred, polish, and waxied it. I was visiting my parents so I had a driveway, hose, and garage to work in.
I thought it was really wicked how I can see the reflection of that Corolla across the street.
Im my opinion, if your going that long between waxing and in the hot sun, I'd pick up some Klasse All-In-One and lay down a layer after you clay bar. It lasts and will help protect you paint longer than just waxing. My 02 cents.....nice pic BTW.
For durability and gloss, everyone is raving about Klasse All-In-One. For extra protection you can put Klasse SG. Both are acryllic sealants which are more durable than wax. I think AIO has some polishing and conditioning components to it, and the SC is a super glaze. Acryllic is the most durable.
You can always put some carnuba wax on that for layering but the wax only lasts 2-4 weeks.
I just used AIO on my tacoma for the first time yesterday. I am putting on a coat of P21S carnuba today and I'll take some pics.
As for the water spots...one thing I do is regularly re-wet all the panels with my hose each time I move on to the next panel. I do this to move the water around to try and mitigate spotting. I think with one of the Klasse products you should have less spotting...
I use The Absorber for drying and it is fantastic. It is a synthetic chami that is thick and super absorbant. Instead of rubbing dry, I lay it over a section and pat it with my hand, then touch any little spots that still remain. I use it almost like I am applying a sticker, and i think it minimizes any scratches from drying.
If you haven't read PBtotheMax's detailing thread, stickied at the top of this forum, you should, as it has a lot of good links for products as well. PB is our moderator in the Tacoma 2005+ and he has been amazingly helful on everything from mods to detailing.
Have you been to www.autopia.org ? You may know all this stuff, and I myself am new to it. I let my 1999 Jetta go to crap, particularly the exterior, and I am determined to keep my new Tacoma in great shape.
Going to an automated place puts at a slight disadvantage, becuase the clock is running, you need to hurry, plus it's hard to control the water flow.
When I wash my vehicles outside I always try to wash the side that's in the sun last, and then I dry that side off first. The heat from the sun will make the water dry a lot faster on that side of the car.
To reduce water spots at the end of the wash I turn the pressure real low and just let the water flow over the car, which will create more of a sheeting action and leave less water drops on the paint. Then dry the car right there. Don't try to let the wind blow it off as you drive home from the car wash. Dry it off ASAP.
When you say that you are "Smearing the dirt", what kind of mitt are you using? I don't really like those thin mitts. Use a big thick mitt that will hold lots of water and soap. You really need to get the car thoroughly clean before you dry it off. Leaving dirt on the surface will cause lots of marring when you go to dry the car off. You might want to increase the amount of soap you're using too. And always wash from the top down.
Unfortunately, the car washes out here do not have any pressure settings and the water can only come out in a straight line pattern - not a stream but a flat straight line. There is also no way to control the flow of water, it's either off or high pressure on. At home, I would take the nozzle off the hose but no such luck here...
After I finish washing the car, there is still dirt that streaks all over the car. I usually spray instant detailer on there to clean it off, but it sucks because that means I have less towels to dry off the car. I am using Meguiars Gold Class wash and I use the recommended ammount, if not more.
I will be ordering a 500ml bottle of Klasse AIO. It doesn't seem like I can get it locally. All I have out here is Autozone, Kragen, and Wal-mart :/
This is my mit, I think that was the best looking one they had at Autozone.
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2007 Camry 2.4L 5M
Last edited by touringcamry; 04-16-2006 at 04:42 PM.
I would get a better mitt. Get a lambs wool mitt and use that thing for the tires.
Klasse AIO is applied very thin so a small bottle goes a long way. No need ot get a big one...I am estimating my small bottle will last me a feew years...
to maintain the cleanliness of my wheels i frequently wash it with mild soap and water solution. i also use wax to protect it from rusts and tar staining.
dude touring...how could you do all that in a day? the claybar etc...after 2 hours i only finished a sort of wash and clay...havent even gotten to the wax part and im totally drained. lol
i envy those who can do all this properly in one day, especially in one sitting.
oh and do you have more images of your car, like i said before i like your rims and may get them so im kind of interested in seeing how they really look.
Seeing you are bringing a bucket to the car wash anyway, I would recommend bringing your own soap too. Just use their sprayer. I do mine either at home or at the Air Force Base car wash near where I work because of the soap they use.
A guy I once knew ran a car wash. They often use a "special" soap that is difficult to rinse off so you have to use more water. The easier it is to rinse, the better off you are. The car wash is in the business of selling water basically. That's why a lot of them have signs that say no buckets.
If it is nice and clean and you have a nice coat of wax on it, you should be able to use a soft chami and avoid the spots.
My wife's Celica is black and can be tough to keep clean. I wax hers in the garage when it's hot. See if you can find a shady place to wax it in the summer. Under a bridge or in a parking garage might work if there is no where else to go. As long as you are out of the direct sun and work one panel at a time you should be fine.
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"The normal make a living. The deranged make history." -Christopher Titus
nodrogkam: It took me over six hours to wash, clay bar, polish, and wax my car. It was probably closer to 7 yeally, and I was exhausted by the end of the day.
I bring my own bucket to the car wash because I don't like using those hairy brushes they have at the car wash where to soap comes out. I used it once and it smeared the dirt around and took really long to get the car reasonably clean. I think I spent about $15 worth of quarters that time. Every time after that I brought my own bucket and Meguiars Gold car wash and spent less than $5.
There was a car wash in town that had a spot free rinse mode that would spray water at lower pressure and didn't leave as many water spots, but that one is closed now. I think they probably filtered the water somehow.
I contemplated washing my car on base at the hobby shop, but I realized that if I did that, I would flood all the other bays since there isn't any drainage in the bays. I was flushing my radiator when I realized that the water would flood. Outside the bay it's slightly graded so that water drains, but the bays themselves are flat.
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