*** Car Wash / Valet / Detailing Thread ***

ShiWarrior said:
same one you use on the car body
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The main thing on the shelf, although not applied to this car yet, is Collinite 476 wax, a bit like poor boys, suspect that would be not to easy to apply to the wheels.

Maybe I need a plan to do that when I do the wheels properly, then an interim top up product.
 
Gave the car a wash and used the undercarriage sprayer. Works quite well, although I couldn't get it under the front of the car as the wheels were a touch too tall for the front undertray. But still allows me to move more easily around the sills. For 20 quid, a useful little tool.

I also reinforced my respect for BH Autofoam. I usually spray it on a dry car, but today decided to try and pressure wash with plain water first as it was covered with that thick winter grime. Pressure washer alone barely touched any of it. Sprayed on the Autofoam, let it dwell for 5 minutes while I sorted shampoo buckets then came back, and this time the grime just sprayed off almost immediately. I'd been wondering lately whether snow foam was a bit of a pointless exercise as a lot of people say, but it was a good demonstration of why a good one is worth it.
 
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I will say this though

Snow foam on a dry car because the water is acting as a barrier to the dirt, and thus your diluting the snow foam down even more
 
Yeah I know and usually I do. But I've found that my wheel cleaner (BH stuff again) works a bit better if I get the worst off those first. So I ended up just doing the whole car as it was so utterly filthy.
 
Any recommendations on shampoo to use via a foam lance? Round 1 is BH Auto Foam and instead of two buckets afterwards thinking to blitz the car in shampoo and have one bucket to dunk the mitt into when making my way around the car. BH Auto Wash only needs 5ml in a bucket but reckon I might need something better suited for a foam lance?
 
ddoubleep said:
Any recommendations on shampoo to use via a foam lance? Round 1 is BH Auto Foam and instead of two buckets afterwards thinking to blitz the car in shampoo and have one bucket to dunk the mitt into when making my way around the car. BH Auto Wash only needs 5ml in a bucket but reckon I might need something better suited for a foam lance?
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I dont think you get the same affect without touching the car, most shampoo is quite thick compared to dilute. If the car is ppf'd and/or ceramic coated you might get away with it but i think it will depend on how bad the car is.. Ive found that there are always parts that i think i need a mitt for and then just end up doing the whole thing anyway.
 
mrlizard said:
I dont think you get the same affect without touching the car, most shampoo is quite thick compared to dilute. If the car is ppf'd and/or ceramic coated you might get away with it but i think it will depend on how bad the car is.. Ive found that there are always parts that i think i need a mitt for and then just end up doing the whole thing anyway.
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I would be touching the car with the mitt but was more thinking to blast the car in the shampoo so it all suds on the body and then just go over with the mitt panel by panel and dunk in the mitt in the water bucket? I had order this Ava canon kit and thinking about what to put in the bottles. 1. BH Auto Foam 2. Shampoo 3. Koch-Chemie ProtectorWax
 
I think you have him confused, he's still touching the car/doing a contact wash. He's just saying he'll apply the shampoo via lance and then contact wash with the mitt, using one bucket to rinse the mitt out every now and then.

Firstly, I don't personally like this method because you're relying on the foam on the car to provide lubrication. That foam is running off the car, so your lubrication will be dependent on how quickly you get around the vehicle.

Any shampoo will do, just ensure you know how to convert the dilution to be used in a snow foam lance. For example, the usual 40ml to 5 gallon dilution is 0.2%. My pressure washer and snow foam lance setup means it takes 12ltrs to empty a 1 litre foam cannon. Therefore it's 24ml of product to 976ml of water for the same 0.2% dilution.
 
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ddoubleep said:
Any recommendations on shampoo to use via a foam lance? Round 1 is BH Auto Foam and instead of two buckets afterwards thinking to blitz the car in shampoo and have one bucket to dunk the mitt into when making my way around the car. BH Auto Wash only needs 5ml in a bucket but reckon I might need something better suited for a foam lance?
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Im using Halfords Advanced Snow Foam for stage 1, then Autoglym Polar Wash goes on the entire car and I have a fresh Chemical Guys bucket with a small amount of Autoglym Shampoo Bodywork Conditioner in it which I use to dunk/rinse the mitt as I work my way around the car. Seems to work pretty well.

Last stage is like you - Koch Chemie PW. I then run an open ended hose over the car to dry it using water and finally towel dry any water left.

Takes bloody ages though, but gets the job thoroughly done :)
 
ddoubleep said:
I would be touching the car with the mitt but was more thinking to blast the car in the shampoo so it all suds on the body and then just go over with the mitt panel by panel and dunk in the mitt in the water bucket? I had order this Ava canon kit and thinking about what to put in the bottles. 1. BH Auto Foam 2. Shampoo 3. Koch-Chemie ProtectorWax
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ah sorry, yes im with you - i have in the past snowfoamed, rinsed, foamed again and used a mitt with the foam but a good shampoo doesnt really need it and as mentioned you are against time a bit depending on the weather... if the shampoo isnt foaming enough or needs reactivating i put the pressure washer lance about an inch above the water line and then very quickly creates a load of suds for me to put on the car
 
Even applying the shampoo first with a lance it is gliding off the body, applying first with a mitt (and a warm bucket of shampoo on a cold day is nice and probably more effective)
you are using all the contact pressure foam has ..
using a lance for pre-wash too, means cleaning bottles, or 2 bottles, though (although I think a garden sprayer was just as good for pre-wash application)
 
ddoubleep said:
Any recommendations on shampoo to use via a foam lance? Round 1 is BH Auto Foam and instead of two buckets afterwards thinking to blitz the car in shampoo and have one bucket to dunk the mitt into when making my way around the car. BH Auto Wash only needs 5ml in a bucket but reckon I might need something better suited for a foam lance?
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if your using a lance, i would do this :

BiltHamber snowfoam straight onto the car, rinse, apply again, then you can either rinse again, or contact wash


This is what i do :

I don't have a foam lance, so i use a garden sprayer to put rinseless wash on car, if its really bad, i then go over it again to wash off, then i contact wash, then dry
 
yep - garden sprayer has a 5/6L capacity will easily cover a car once, with the it's lance handle too, easier to get into wheels/arches/sill-edge (as much as you can w/o removing wheels)
I found it a lot more accurate and easier than foam gun on pressure washer, which had a lot of overshoot, more economic on the pre-wash - not as sexy as the foam gun though.
 
Only vaguely cleaning related but I had some fat tub of lard describe my car as a "******* filthy piece of ****" today. I think because he ended up brushing against it and getting his clothes mucky:p Not sure if he realised I was sat in it at the time.

Three things edit 4 things;
1) he chose to park there
2) it was the end of a row so there was nothing stopping him going down the other side of his car to get to the boot
3) it was pristine when I washed it on Sunday. Unfortunately if you trek up and down the UK for your job your car gets a bit dirty in the process :D
4) the guys girth was probably a factor as I was bang in the middle of the bay
 
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Any recommendations for a shampoo to be used on a ceramic coated car?

I was using GTechniq G Wash for years but since they changed to the Version 2 it just seems like all they did was dilute the product down and charge twice as much for it.

Perfect time to find something else thats does the same job at a reasonable price. Something that can be bought in the 5L option too.
 
Aspecto said:
Any recommendations for a shampoo to be used on a ceramic coated car?

I was using GTechniq G Wash for years but since they changed to the Version 2 it just seems like all they did was dilute the product down and charge twice as much for it.

Perfect time to find something else thats does the same job at a reasonable price. Something that can be bought in the 5L option too.
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safe on ceramic coatings

diydetail.co.uk

DIY Detail Incredible Suds Shampoo (2 Sizes)

DIY Detail Incredible Suds produces incredibly thick and slick car foam soap, making washing your vehicle so much fun. Incredible Suds is the perfect preparation wash for heavy and light-duty car cleaning jobs, leaving no streaks or messy residue. Enjoy your scratch-free washing experience with...
diydetail.co.uk
 
If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend P&S Brake Buster as a maintenance wheel cleaner.


It doesn’t have iron removal properties like Auto Wheel, but it is much cheaper at roughly £30 for 3.78L and can (should) be diluted. Much more soap like, but still shifts all the crap on a wheel without problem.


Also works as a tyre cleaner too.


 
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