How to Wash a Vehicle.  (there really is more to it than you might think)

     This is a job you've done since your father used to make you do it on Saturday before he'd let you go out and party...and you did it mechanically...methodically (albeit begrudgingly,..you still did it and you got proficient at it by sheer repitition).....till now you have the process down and it's like breathing in it's simplicity.  Guess what,...some of us (including yours truely at one time) need a refresher coarse if not a total re-briefing on the proper proceedure  Truth of the matter is, if you want a good job, one worthy of your time, it's going to take a bit of effort and determination, and there is a right and wrong way to do it, you can actually do damage if you don't follow a few basic rules.  

          Believe it or not, proper cleaning of an automobiles (or motorcycle) painted finish is very important, due to all the new and improved kinds of nasties that fall on it....some in their very nature are either very hard and abrasive, others extremely acidic and or have a harsh composite that can eat the paint right off your vehicle.  Short cutting this job such as a car wash or just hose it off and wipe it down,  can not only do damage to the paint, but this type of "bandaid" is worse than not cleaning it at all,....also car washes, sometimes use harsh deterdents and they do NOT rinse the soap from the surface effectively, and once the soap dries on the paint, it can begin to create problems...especially the soap some wash services use, and on top of that, the spray on wax they put on in thier "Deluxe" wash, traps that stuff against your paint giving it time to do it's dirty work  (they also recycle the water so they don't have such a tremendous water bill,.also high water consumption will have the tree huggers on them real quick, so there is alot of junk in the water that is being used to clean your car), not to mention the extreme high air pressure used to dry it off in "No Touch" washes...the weather stripping in certain areas on your vehicle are not designed to take such abuse and they can be damaged) A hose off and towel dry may get some of the dirt off ..but it will scratch the paint as you will see in the next few paragraphs.

*NOTE* the finish on most boats are a colorized "Gelcoat" with the color within the fiberglass and not so easily effected by harsh cleansers and there are marine cleaners to clean the surface of these boats especially those that are left in the water for extended periods and accumulate heavy debris on the hull.   THAT BEING SAID....The finish on show type boats that have painted finishes on thier exterior have the same problems that any other vehicle has with a painted finish, and perhaps more dependant on a high quality wax for protection even if removed from the water after each use.

Preparation

     To begin, gather the materials you'll be needing;  bucket for soapy water, sponge, implements for cleaning the tires & wheels...such as a brush for the tires or a tooth brush for the little places on the wheels, hose (connected and turned on...duh!), wheel and tire cleaning chemicals,  towels or a shammois to dry the vehicle off with.  (another good idea,  for taller vehicles like trucks, SUV's, etc., you might want to have a step or a short ladder to reach the top of the vehicle)  You want to use a soap that is automotive approved "..." not dish washing detergent, or "Mr. Clean"...or any other industrial strength cleaner for household or commercial use...the painted surface of your vehicle is not delicate, but it won't fare well using strong cleaners on it...it'll expose the surface to airborn contaminants (depending on if it gets waxed after the wash is finished, see my guide on waxes/Carnauba) or other nasty things that can damage your paint over time, killing off any chances of keeping it looking good  (those cleaners can actually dull (ruin) the finish).  Some of those heavy duty cleaners can also damage the structure of the paint and begin the process of seperating the bond between the layers that hold it all together (clear coat to base color/ color to primer) and onto the surface of the metal, which will ultimately cause it to begin to lift and peel.  (also, never ever use a degreaser or anything that claims to disburse grease,...they will remove the wax and possibly etch into the top layer of paint, also making it dull and possibly needing to be compounded or at least machine buffed, if it is even salvagable atfter that)...OH,...and before you begin, try to find a shady spot to work in so your not in direct sunlight..the sun will play havoc on keeping the vehicle wet and will make the soap dry  on the surface before your ready to rinse it off.

Getting the Job Done

     Now that you have your stuff together, it's time to apply the special cleaners for the wheels and tires. before they are wet, (usually...they work best starting from a dry surface...check the instructions on the bottle to be sure). Something I found is that these cleaners whether or not they say they're safe for all types of wheels, do not react well when the wheel is hot even if just sitting in the direct sun...try to make sure they have cooled down before applying these chemicals in order to save you from an afternoon of polishing wheels that have been dulled by the heat reaction and the cleaner. (don't ask me how I know this...it wasn't pretty) Then, hose the car down generously (time it so the wheel cleaner is on long enough to do it's job, rinse the cleaner from the wheels first to see if they are cleaned to satisfaction before continuing on)...this step is to wet the surface dirt and soften it...take care not to rub or brush it while dry so as to not scratch  the painted surface, also spray water on the inner fender wells to dislodge road debris and/or mud that may be accumulated there, also look for spots that are going to be tough, such as bird droppings...try to spray the water at them with force to dislodge it before any action is taken to wash them away...(you really don't want to spread the acids from these spots all over your paint).  Once you have the surface good and wet....(and after you've put a proper amount of auto cleaning soap into the bucket and filled it with water according to instructions) take your sponge and wet it in the bucket, then spread it (the soapy water solution) all over the vehicle..taking care still not to rub it hard...just get the soapy solution on the surface, further softening the dirt that is laying on the paint. 

     After your satisfyed that the solution has set into the surface dirt, begin to gently scrub the surface with the sponge, keeping it generously soaped up continuously (anything stuck to the paint, such as bird droppings and bugs, allow them to soak a bit longer to soften them up before going into full scrub mode (soap doesn't actually do the removal of the dirt..it's function is to make the water "WETTER" so it can get under the dirt and allow it to loosen from it's perch...it's those harsh detergents that dissolve the dirt and that process is what will damage the paint, but this is another topic for another tiime) and working in circles from top to bottom, and front to back (never go from bottom to top or back to front, this will drag road film and grit up onto the top of the vehicle, and possibly scratch the paint, if you feel grit under the sponge when your cleaning the bottom, rinse it and soap it up again so you don't contaminate the rest of the soapy solution with the road grit)  Do the windows last so you can see if they are clean..caution here...look for areas on the surface that may have started to dry while you were busy elsewhere, if there are such spots...which I'm sure there will be, working quickly, re wet them with the sponge (it may be a good idea to rinse the roof first, then continue on down the rest of the vehicle so as to keep the soap from drying on the roof) and then, it's time to rinse the rest of the car.   Again working from top down, so the soap runs off and doesn't pool in areas on the top, hood, or any area where it has a place to sit, and use a spray so it makes the water flood down the body of the vehicle and allowing the soap to roll off.  

   *NOTE*  There are a few instances that mandate using a heavier duty cleaner, such as road tar and stubborn bugs.  Take special care not to get carried away with the process of cleaning and scrub the spot with some real force and permanently scratch the paint, check and see if your local supply store has a cleaner that is SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR THE PROBLEM YOUR FACED WITH.  Using a cleaner that may remove it but will wreck the paint (409, MrClean, Windex, Comet, Ajax...don't laff, I've seen it done!)  in the process is hardly worth it...take some extra time and get the right cleaner so you can do the job correctly.  Also with the road tar,...before you use the tar remover on the area that has been spattered, first and very important...wash the grit off the tar and get it as smooth as you can before you apply the cleaner, if you don't, the grit can do the damage your trying to avoid.

Almost Done

     Once the vehicle is rinsed off, get the towels out and start to dry it off....and I don't care how a company advertises how their product does not leave water spots...if you live in an area like where I do and they issue warnings, not to give the water to children or small animals, there is stuff in the water that will dry on the surface (chlorine, calcium, lime, acids, etc.),  leaving a ring where it once sat...so you need to dry the painted surface (and the windows and chrome).  Avoid using compressed air to dry the vehicle, especially on Motorcycles and vehicles where you'll be cleaning near mechanical (moving) parts (wheels, brake calipers etc.)....the pressure can push water past seals and gaskets and get it into the working parts and cause rust and eventually part failure..and it'll be a real messy repair with the rust element. (read expensive)

     Starting from the top again....spread the towel out on the surface and drag it by the corners nearest you, down the vehicle in a sweeping motion, keeping the corners down and close to the surface so the towel will pull the water with it and not come up from the surface...you want it to feel sort of "tight" against the surface of the paint and giving you a good pull to move the towel (if you have a shammy this is the proper way to use it as well) drag it from the corners to "squeegie" the water down in the direction of the way your pulling the towel...try not to EVER drag a dry towel over dry paint as it can scratch it almost as bad as the dirt from before you washed it.  A good soft "terry" towel is great for this step...and when you wash them use fabric softener so they stay soft and won't scratch.  If the towel is stiff or dried hard...it probably isn't a good idea to use that particular towel,...find a soft towel that will be more absorbant and kinder to the painted surface, do not reuse a towel after it has been used to dry your vehicle once already....wash it before you use it again.

Now the washing is finished but........

     One little trick for those of you with "T" tops that have accrued some water spot stains over the years.....use a decent cleaner wax to remove the spots...they can be a bit troublesome even with help but it won't scratch your glass and the glass will shine like never before, also there is a chrome/metal polish called "Blue Magic" that does this job well also. 

     Your job won't be complete without the wax....we can always talk about wax...just email me and I'll fill you in on the ins and outs of a good wax, or check the Gliptone of Arizona store here in eBay or this link for my guide on carnauba wax http://reviews.ebay.com/Canauba-the-Tried-and-True-King-of-Shine_W0QQugidZ10000000001892192   you can contact me at Gliptone of Arizona and ask me anything you need to know on the subject of cleaning and maintaining your vehicle, and you can expect an honest answer.  (read my feedback if you like,...people trust what I have to say and they comment on how I've helped them in the feedback they leave)

     Just remember, never take a shortcut...follow directions on the can or bottle in order to get the best results from the product your using...and here are some basics to use as a guide when choosing a wax product 1)  If it claims to be "easy to remove, just wipes on and wipes off" ask yourself a question...if it comes off that easy,..just what is it that stayed on the paint to protect it if the stuff just wiped off)  2)  There is no easy way...any product that claims that you'll never have to wax your car again, is out to empty your wallet and you'll never see that kind of performance...if it were true...the wax companies would be gone. (and I'd be selling the stuff that works)  3)  No decent wax job is sprayed on.....you need to apply wax, and buff it to a shine, no protectant is sprayed on.....again you need to apply a bit of "Elbow Grease" in order to get good results..there are products that make the job miserable, and if you havn't found that one product that works for you.... you need to be re-educated on what it is that will do the job correctly, not that your methods aren't good, it's just that there is a better, more efficient way (and/or product) that will earn you better results.  

Gliptone of Arizona/Excalibur West ......... come see our eBay store

bye for now

Gliptone, ....Try it Once, Use it Forever !