I have always used carwashes. Never gave it much thought. However now that I own a black car, I am more worried about scratches & swirls. I want to keep up w/ washing it because if you don't, well you know how it will look! For auto carwashes - I am assuming I should always go touchless? Are the softcloth automatic carwashes ever OK? What about the self-serve bays where there are the pressure hoses? Is the pressure too strong that it may hurt the paint? Lastly, I am thinking of handwashing when I can. I am not planning on opening my own detail shop or anything but just want to do a basic job. What essentials do I need for exterior and interior cleaning? What do you use on tires? Wax - is this an at home or detail shop job??? Sorry for such a basic question, but I am sure more then 1 person has messed up their paint thinking they knew what they were doing! TIA!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tofupriusgirl @ Oct 5 2007, 08:33 AM) [snapback]521677[/snapback]</div> I always wash by hand. Think of it as a bonding experience for you and your Prius. Here's what I wrote on a previous post: The brands don't matter as the basic consumer products are mostly the same in any major brand (i.e. Meguire's, Mother's, Turtle Wax, etc.). They all have a car wash, a wax system, and a synthetic polymer system. You can mix and match among the brands. Among the wax system you have 2 avenues to go - easier (1 step cleaner/wax) or more difficult (optional cleaner/compound, then optional polisher, then wax). The second system is better, but obviously takes longer with the optional steps. The synthetics generally have one or two steps. Anything with a cleaner will remove whatever is left of the previous application. This may or may not be a good thing as you can multi-layer wax for more protection. It also depends on how bad the finish is on the car. If it's real bad, use a clay bar to clean, then begin. If it's just sort of neglected, go with the cleaner/compound individual product. If it's average or not so bad you can use the cleaner/wax combo, and if it's still pretty good, just a gentle wash (that cleans but doesn't wash away the previous wax application) and a new wax will do. I find the synthetic route gives more reflectivity, but I don't think it is as thick on the metal so I believe wax gives more protection and a "deeper" shine. On the other hand, the synthetic will last longer especially in summer months when I believe the wax layer can literally melt away when a strong storm pours during the heat of the day. Toyota protects its new cars with a synthetic, and you may have gotten a bottle of synthetic cleaner/sealant with the new car. If you're into spending time taking care of your baby, I'd go with the longer wax route. Be sure to use a car wash that is made for washing cars, even down to whether it's a regular wash product or a synthetic one which will be careful not to wash away the previous top layer. Do not use dishwashing liquid to wash a car because the pH is wrong. For simplicity, wash it, then use a one-step cleaner/wax or cleaner/synthetic sealant combo product. That's what I used on my new Prius last week (4 weeks old).
Do not use dishwashing liquid to wash a car because it will take off the wax layers and just leave the clearcoat... I would use a soft wash mit or soft RV brush.
I just use a car wash specific soap, hot water and a soft brush on a handle. Some of this might seem really obvious but you are asking for "101" so here goes: 1. First, rinse the whole car with water only. Do not apply soapy water to a dry car. 2. using the brush scrub the car with the soapy water in sections starting from the top and working your way down. This ensures all the soap gets rinsed down. I go in sections and rinse often to avoid letting the soap dry before I have a chance to rinse, which can happen quick on a hot, sunny day. Start w/roof and windshield, rinse. Rear window and back end, rinse, etc. Usually a lot of over lapping of already washed sections. If it's a nice day I'll often go around twice paying special attention to the lower sections behind the wheels. 3. Hand dry with a clean chamois. 4. Crack open a beer (or tofu smoothie), stand back and admire. I typically only do a wax once a year before winter sets in. I just use Turtle Wax and follow the instructions.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bohous @ Oct 5 2007, 01:08 PM) [snapback]521834[/snapback]</div> 1. Agree with this. with exception of I use cold water 2. I wash the roof & all windows and rinse, then I wash front clip & rinse, then doors from bottom of windows down & rinse, then rear clip & rinse. Only takes 20mins.... 3. agree again. 4. Glass of water and cool down.
"Mr. Clean Autodry" works great for me. It really does dry spotless with no hand drying. Interior: Swiffer frequently, Windex and old cotton rags when needed. Use iosopropyl alcohol on the MFD. Wearing driving gloves and prohibiting food in the car I find that the MFD and plastic surfaces very rarely need cleaning.
Something not mentioned yet is using two buckets. Instead of sticking the dirty cloth back in the clean soapy water, rinse it off first in a second bucket of water. This method avoids concentrating the dirt and continually rubbing it all over your car. It also helps to wipe the cloth gently back and forth as the air would flow, instead of rubbing in circles, which causes swirls in the paint. Same idea when you're waxing. If the local avian squadrons have been using your car for target practice, rinse it off well as soon as you can, even if you're not washing the rest of the car. Bird poop can be very caustic, and will eat right through the clearcoat. It's also full of scratchy stuff, so don't just grab a cloth and wipe it off, or you'll scratch the paint.
I'm for handwashing, mostly out of necessity because I live in New York City and do not have access to a hose nor easy access to a car wash. That said, I understand that there are several all-in-one polymar car wash solutions out there that are favored by pros and enthusiasts. I heard that the Lexus chat site members raved about OPTIMUM NO RINSE Wash & Shine, so I ordered a gallon from Amazon.com (around $41 delivered) and I just finished trying it out for the first time 15 minutes ago. I'm happy to report that I think the stuff is fantastic. I was able to wash and shine my Prius with just one bucket of water mixed with 2 capfuls of Optimum No Rinse. I used a microfiber mitt to wash, and a microfiber sponge to dry (no rinsing required). Took about 20 minutes. The stuff went on easy --- super smooth and seemingly near frictionless. Then because the stuff is so silky smooth, drying was practically effortless (most of the wash solution had already beaded and dripped off the car). It cleaned well and left the car with a shine as if it had just been waxed. The stuff is also supposedly biodegradable and environmentally friendly. I highly recommend it.
In the Seattle are we have Brown Bear Car Wash which with a Costco deal costs only $8 for the Beary Best Wash. Car looks like new when it comes out. Washed it a dozen times in the past year. No scratches or swirls.
I'm for handwashing. The Prius takes maybe 15 ~ 20 minutes to wash. I found that Costco has a nice package of multi-colored microfiber wash mits and microfiber towels that I use. The mits soak up a LOT of water, and stay sopping wet while washing. I've heard somewhere that drying with a Chamois can take off the wax, so I switched to cotton towels, but the microfiber leave fewer frizzies and do a better job of drying.
Wash your car in the shade, either early morning or dusk. Try to avoid washing your car when it's really hot out. I use two buckets and I have grit guards in each. They prevent the dirt that sinks to the bottom from swirling up again. If you buy one thing I suggest The Absorber for drying your car. It is amazing. I was using Meguiar's Gold Class but have switched to Meguiar's NXT. I have a dual action polisher to take the muscle out of waxing. This is my long routine. Wash with NXT due to local hard water. Clean wheels last. Clay the car using NXT detailer. THEN Use Scratch-X if needed. Clean with NXT detailer again. Apply Deep Crystal Polish with W8006 Yellow soft buff foam polishing pad at speeds 3-5. Small sections. Remove while still wet with microfiber towel. Small sections. OR 1) #83 with an 8006 pad, pc at about 5. Remove by hand with a microfiber polishing cloth. 2) #80 with an 8006 pad, pc at about 5. Remove by hand with a microfiber polishing cloth. 3)NXT Tech Wax with a 9006 pad, pc at about 3. Remove by hand with a microfiber polishing cloth. THEN Do one of the following: -Apply G-118 ColorX with either W-8006 or W-9006 at speeds 3-5 -Apply Gold Class wax with W9006 Tan softbuff finishing pad at speeds 2-4. -Apply NXT tech Wax using either another W8006 or a W9006 Tan softbuff finishing pad at speeds 2-4. Try at 3 - 3.5. Do entire car and let dry. Remove with W7006 cutting pad and microfiber bonnet at speeds 2.5. Insane shine on wheels. Clean glass. Do interior. I've had bad experiences with car washes so I do it myself. I own the following. Absorber (2) bucket (2) Meguiar's: Grit guard (2) Sponge Lamb's wool mop Meguiar's Tire Brush Slide Lock Detail Brush Triple Duty Detail Brush PlastX ScratchX Gold Class Leather Hotshine Tire Insane Shine Tire Protectant wipes Dash trim NXT glass cleaner Microfiber towel (5) Microfiber glass towels (3) Gold Class applicator pad (6) NXT applicator pad Chenille applicator pad (2) G7101 Gold Class wash Gallon G7116 Gold Class wash G12664 NXT car wash Deep Crystal Polish NXT Tech wax Quick Clay white bar (2) NXT speed detailer #83 #80 G104 Dual Action polisher W8006 Yellow soft buff foam polishing pad (3-5) - for A2116 Deep Crystal polish W8006 Yellow soft buff foam polishing pad (3-5) - for NXT Tech Wax W9006 Tan Softbuff finishing pad (2-4) -for Gold Class wax W7006 Burgundy softbuff cutting pad with X4003 Gold Class Clear Coat Safe Microfiber bonnet (2) to remove wax. Target Christmas Car Care Collection I've got a nice little cabinet on wheels that I keep it all in.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Oct 7 2007, 12:43 AM) [snapback]522363[/snapback]</div> And just how long does all this take you? A Prius isn't all that big.
