Hand washing vs Touchless

[dinosaur1]

I found an interesting article. I always hand washed, but now I might just do the Touchless, take it home to wax it and do the final prep.

http://www.fullservicecarwash.us/car_wash_questions.htm

[ricco750]

I would say consider the occupation of the author of the article. He has a "vested interest" in the "information" he presents. As for me, I will continue to hand wash.

[Dante's Taco]

I am lucky enough to own a low-end Karcher pressure washer, with two different soap dispensers. So I do this:
1) pre-wash with just hi-pressure plain water to blast off grit & dirt (so that I DON'T scratch the pain in the next step
2) soap spray & gently "scrub" with the the soap & brush head. The brush head has multiple holes in it so the soap mostly trickles out at low pressure. I use a name brand automotive detergent (I think it might be Macquires, sorry I'm out so can't go look at the jug)
3) switch back to plain water & rinse off
4) using clean chamois cloth, polish dry.

Note I always take my brush attachment indoor & wash it thoroughly & store it in a closet to keep it dust & grit free. It is the only thing that touches the car except the chamois rags, and you can get a bundle of 20 for no too much at Canadian tire.

I do this in sections, as it is not good to let automotive soaps dry on your paint, and unless it is a dull, cold day (so not likely a day you're going to feel like washing a car on since the supermodel across the street won't be washing hers either ), you cant get all the car soaped before some has dried.

In the winter, I follow the same steps, but at at indoor wand wash place. *BUT* before I use the soap brush, I very, very thoroughly blast it clear with the hi-pressure nozzle, as I don't want the last owner's grit on my ride.

Up here, we have to do a lot of winter washing, because of all the salt they use on the trans Canada & in Banff National Park. And we ski a lot

EDIT: also moved to the Care Care & Detailing forum, where you will get a lot more reads

G

[dinosaur1]

Originally Posted by Dante's Taco

I am lucky enough to own a low-end Karcher pressure washer, with two different soap dispensers. So I do this:
1) pre-wash with just hi-pressure plain water to blast off grit & dirt (so that I DON'T scratch the pain in the next step
2) soap spray & gently "scrub" with the the soap & brush head. The brush head has multiple holes in it so the soap mostly trickles out at low pressure. I use a name brand automotive detergent (I think it might be Macquires, sorry I'm out so can't go look at the jug)
3) switch back to plain water & rinse off
4) using clean chamois cloth, polish dry.

Note I always take my brush attachment indoor & wash it thoroughly & store it in a closet to keep it dust & grit free. It is the only thing that touches the car except the chamois rags, and you can get a bundle of 20 for no too much at Canadian tire.

I do this in sections, as it is not good to let automotive soaps dry on your paint, and unless it is a dull, cold day (so not likely a day you're going to feel like washing a car on since the supermodel across the street won't be washing hers either ), you cant get all the car soaped before some has dried.

In the winter, I follow the same steps, but at at indoor wand wash place. *BUT* before I use the soap brush, I very, very thoroughly blast it clear with the hi-pressure nozzle, as I don't want the last owner's grit on my ride.

Up here, we have to do a lot of winter washing, because of all the salt they use on the trans Canada & in Banff National Park. And we ski a lot

EDIT: also moved to the Care Care & Detailing forum, where you will get a lot more reads

G

My issue is this, I can only hand wash it when it's not sunny.....combined w/ my limited time that I have means I also don't want to wash it in the sun. Touchless saves me time, but the other thing I don't like is when I get home it has dust on it so I don't want to wax it right away either.

[gideon1331]

I have yet to see ANY car washed with either a commercial touch-free car wash, or with a pressure washer (my Dad has a commercial-grade pressure washer with car wash nozzle) take off anything but the outermost layer of grime from a car. They are all FILTHY after being washed touch-free.

I'm also worried by how hard the 'soft' cloth car wash strips can slam into the car, and how much grime builds up on them over time (I do still go through them sometimes...I am a lazy American after all) I'd rather have a paint finish free of dirt and grime with some micro abrasions than a paint finish covered in contaminates gradually eating through the clear coat and paint, and I would much rather do it myself.

And when was the last time anyone went through a car wash that constantly sprayed the car while it was being washed as the article suggested? In 20+ years I'm at a grand total of 0...