Stupid question re. washing car

mrochester

mrochester

mrochester

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Hi all

I'm about to wash my first ever car for the first ever time! Am I safe just using warm water and normal washing up liquid?

Thanks!

M
 
Just take a trip to your nearest Halfrauds in your car and spend a tenner on some triple wax shampoo and a bucket n sponge.

2 buckets if you feel like splashing the cash ;)
 
I would say no.

Microfibre wash sponge or mitt, and some car shampoo in warm water. Follow up with polish and wax, depending on how much you car about the finish.

Washing up liquid will take everything off the paint, and regular sponges have a habit of creating small surface swirly scratches.
 
Well I've ended up just washing it with warm water which seems to have done a reasonably decent job. Next time I'm passing somewhere where I could get some car shampoo I'll pick some up.

BTW, it's a 2008 Aygo.
 
Either someone else £5 to wash it, or do what Fox said.

A cheap and basic method..

What you need.
hosepipe
car shampoo + water + bucket (or two)+ wash mitt/sponge
(drying towel)

-Rinse with hosepipe
-Fill the bucket with water and add some shampoo to it, mix well
-Start with the glass, doing straight motions with your wash mitt (do not rub in circles). Rinse in the bucket after doing the windows.
-Wash the upper panels, rinsing in the bucket after each pair of panels
-Wash lower panels in the same way, may need to rinse more often
-Rinse off with hosepipe
-(dry with drying towel, optional)

To turn this into the 'two bucket' method, simply have a second bucket with just warm water in it, and rinse your sponge/mitt in this each time before going back into the main bucket. So most of the bigger dirt/muck falls off in here and won't get re-applied when you next touch the car.

Washing like this hugely reduces the chance of scratching the paint.

PS, don't put your wash mitt on the ground! You can pick up generic ones for £1 in pound shops.

May want to get one specifically for doing the wheels and wheel arches as they get really dirty.
 
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You should spend your money on Zymol products ONLY.

Also pickup one of their specially formulated Nanohypnol coating washes, grab a virgin catholic school girl and wash the car using her hair, then use another swiped virgin girl at a 43.2 Degree angle from vertical to apply the special antipeptipeptide Zymol wax to your car using perfectyl concentric circular motion, no more than 2.8" in diameter.

Do it right, do it once, car detailing is very serious.
 
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-Ad- said:
You should spend your money on Zymol products ONLY.

Also pickup one of their specially formulated Nanohypnol coating washes, grab a virgin catholic school girl and wash the car using her hair, then use another swiped virgin girl at a 43.2 Degree angle from vertical to apply the special antipeptipeptide Zymol wax to your car using perfectyl concentric circular motion, no more than 2.8" in diameter.

Do it right, do it once, car detailing is very serious.
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Fool.

Anybody who knows anything about washing cars knows that angel tears and and unicorn hair mitts are the only thing you should be using to wash your car with.

;)
 
atpbx said:
Fool.

Anybody who knows anything about washing cars knows that angel tears and and unicorn hair mitts are the only thing you should be using to wash your car with.

;)
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Please post up links of suppliers on 'Detailing Brotherhood' forum please :D
 
CAPS_LOCK said:
if you dont have a jet wash id just go down to the nearest garage and jet wash it.

£3 and the jobs done.
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This pretty much, only problem is the jet-wash doesn't usually take off bird muck so if there's any then remove that first, pour some hot water on it then wipe it off with a piece of tissue paper, if the cars really dirty you may have to use the jet-wash +foam brush, but the advantage there is that does get bird muck off.
 
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