What's your car wash system?? Anyone overwhelmed?
 

Anyone overwhelmed with the complexity and amount of techniques for washing your car? I love washing the cars and am always looking for a more efficient and a better system for getting them clean.
I've got two big vehicles (Escalade ESV and a TRX) and one smaller vehicle...so I'm looking to find a way to take less time to wash all three. Right now, if I go quickly, I can wash all three in about 2-3 hours. That's getting everything out, spray cannon (adam's soap), 2 bucket system (adam's), wheels (colortec felgenr.), spray, blower, and then drying agent wipe down.

Any of you switch to rinseless/waterless?

Treat things different if ppf vs a car that doesn't have ppf? Or matte vs gloss?

What's your favorite drying aid? Can you use a ceramic like product like Gyeon Wetcoat as a drying aid?

There's just so many big brands: Gyeon, Koch, ONR, carpro, adams, nanolex...

I know there are a ton of videos and this has been discussed tons of times before. Just wanted to get everyone's latest system/thoughts.

I dont overthink it. High quality wash soap, high quality mitt, 2 buckets and blow it dry.

I use DI water via CR Spotless - there's lots of other options too. I leaf blower my car if I don't want water sitting on the garage floor but otherwise I'm done after rinse.

If you have a good prefoam, you can just foam and rinse. It's a 10 min contactless maintenance wash.

A good quality automatic car wash. Done! ;)

Whole car PPF + Ceramic + Ceramic maintenance spray makes washes super easy.
Dr. Beasley’s Matte products are gtg.

My only issue is the undercarriage wash. I haven’t got that figured out yet. I can’t take the car into an auto wash for just an undercarriage wash without running the whole cycle.

I wonder if I could back the car out of the wash before the full cycle starts… as long as nobody’s in line behind me.

If you have a pressure washer there are several different undercarriage attachments you can use. Not too long ago I picked up this one at a decent discount: http://clean-garage.com/mtm-hydro-un...er-attachment/

Works well, seems built well, and IMO worth every penny.

A few other examples:

https://adamspolishes.com/products/a...rriage-cleaner

https://a.co/d/3O5xyox

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/RYOBI-...89sVecmJOIbTWj

I don’t think I could own a car without PPF now, not having to worry about fussing when washing is just wonderful. Drive-through car wash, hand wash place, whatever, I can just get my car cleaned when needed without needing to fret.

I get a proper professional detail once every three or four months, Almost 2 years in car still looks amazing.

This would help with your undercarriage problem ?

http://https://m.media-amazon.com/im...X300_V1___.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N47F8DK

I went deep into research and products on my previous car. This time, I am going with a more KISS approach. I have a "starter pack" from chemical guys for the exterior and will pick up some sprays/conditioners for the interior. I know there are better options, but I did not want to feel like washing was a multi-hour chore. I find the easier the process the more likely I am to do it.

FWIW, 3 cars in 3 hours is pretty good. I'd say you're doing something right if you get good results.

For the brands, yeah there are lots of good ones, choose your personal favorites and go with it.

Ideally it's not a stressful thing, maybe remind yourself to relax a little and have fun with it? Easier said than done of course.

I'm old fashioned. I spray stuff on the wheels, brush them, spray them off. Get the car wet, wash mitt and bucket of soapy water, and get it done. Rinse off, hit with a leaf blower, break out the towels. Maybe a detail spray afterwards just in case it actually helps and because it's one more chance to look things over. Also takes an hour if I'm quick about it. Has been working well enough for decades.

Thanks everyone! How many of you use CR Spotless deionized water? I'm really interested in this...just never invested in it. But I do feel it's a rush to get everything dry before I get water spots...so maybe I should switch to it. Thoughts?

clemsondds, I assume you're a dentist like me. If so, this puts you in a dilema because we try to be perfectonists. I used to spend hours cleaning my cars. I'd take off wheels and clean the suspension twice a year. I used three buckets, two boarhair brushes. One for above the beltline, one for below. The I had an awakening. The previous owner had the front end PPF's, and the car ceramic coated. Man what a difference.

No I spend maybe 30 minutes washing my car. I only use one boarhair brush, one bucket, and don't clean suspensions anymore. And since I put on Akebono pads, I dont' bother scrubbing the wheels of the devil, 666M lol.

And, you know what, my car looks just as good as when I used spend hours cleaning my previous cars. :D

Good luck.

Get out.

A DI system in a great addition depending on the quality of you water supply and if you have to wash your car in the sun. I love my setup. I can either go contact or contactless depending on the vehicle and how dirty it is.

Attachment 1

DI water is the secret sauce for speed. Use it for rinsing after your wash, and you're good (depending on the PPM you end up at). Ceramic coating help a lot too.

My "fast wash" technique is foam.cannom, contact wash using the foam wither either a long brush for my big stuff, or a mitt for my smaller cars. Then rinse with DI water, and blast the air off with the electric leaf blower, don't have to go for perfect here, just blow as much off the horizontal surfaces as you can without worrying too much. The harder part is getting all the soap out honestly.

I just take her through an automatic car wash and call it a day. Maybe do a detail once a year. :thumbsup:

Thank you! Would you mind sharing your process for contact and contact list? And what product you use. Thank you.

+1 on 3 cars in three hours. I do have Mequiar's spray and wipe when I just want to clean up some bird poo without a complete wash. Also, having ceramic coating definitely cuts down on the frequency of washing as well as improves the drying time when I actually do a wash.

I have researched the DI system and believe in it. I just have not yet taken the plunge...

ive been working on having a fast but good wash system. mostly i've been doing this, assuming car isnt super dirty:
1. spray wheels with Wheel X, dwell, agitate, rinse
2. use pressure washer with foam cannon, rinse
3. one bucket wash with several mitts, wipe fast and gently in one direction, rinse
4. dry with leaf blower and do door jambs with towel
5. apply hybrid ceramic detail spray.

using either Feynlab products or Koch Chemie. AND key to this strategy is car is ceramic coated.

I've always found contactless wash just doesn't get the job done. It looks like it was washed a couple days ago, not immediately before. This may be because we get a lot of pollen, and that stuff sticks.

I find to works a lot better to just foam, then agitate if you want the car to actually look clean.

Depends on what I'm after and the state of the vehicle being washed.

Light dusting of fine stuffs: Rinseless Wash (ONR)

• Mix a 4gal bucket w/ warm water + ONR
• Fill Marolex sprayer from bucket and coat the car and wheels
• Contact wash w/ Big Red Sponge
• Dry using Gauntlet mf towel(s), occasionally using Griot's Speedshine in the process

Full wash: Foam cannon + Active 2.0 or garden hose

• If wheels are bad, Sonax Beast. Otherwise bucket wash.
• Gyeon Bathe or KC GSF for foam and/or contact wash. If car is real dirty, punch things up w/ a little KC GreenStar.
• Rag Company washmit for contact wash
• Same drying process as for a rinseless wash

I try not to go overboard w/ the process as it becomes too much a chore than it already is.

My latest endeavor is washing in the garage in the winter. Right now using rinseless wash for light cpeaning or, when the car is crusty, trying out an IK Pro 12, bucket wash, and Ryobi Power Clean (w/ bucket of clean water).

mine is not contactless. bucket with multiple mitts. using multiple mitts eliminates the need for a rinse bucket. but yes its not the last word in detailing, just meant to make the car look great in 30-45min without a ton of effort. getting some low dust brake pads really helps decrease effort spent on wheels.