[savatage]

BAD SUBJECT: I meant "car washes". Unable to edit. ** EDIT: Corrected spelling for you! **

I just picked up my car last week and I am in new car mode.

I live in an apartment and don't even have access to a hose so I can't wash the car. My only real option is to go to the dreaded "car wash". I know all of you detailing pros look down on that but I don't have any other reasonable option. How bad are they really? I have never had problems in the past.

My car is black with chrome wheels and it shows every speck of dirt. With the weather changing I would really like to get one good coat of wax on it before the snow season starts.

If I get a basic wash at the car wash and then take it home to wax it, I am hoping that is good enough.

I came from a 2006 Monte Carlo that always looked clean since it was grey. The paint had depth and seemed to repel dirt and swirls. Now I am back in black and annoyed by every little speck.

 

[Silver LTZ]

Re: How bad are automatic "car washed" really?

The touchless ones are not bad, but the other ones suckkkkkkk.

What I used to do when I lived in an apartment before I got my house was use two buckets. One with clean water, one for the dirty water and two chamois'. One to get the dirt off, and a clean one to go over it. If the car was really dirty I used to use a soapy sponge first. I tried all I could to avoid the car wash. Thankfully I don't have to worry now.

 

[Len McRiddle]

Re: How bad are automatic "car washed" really?

Dark colored cars really show the damage that commercial car washes do. I would avoid them. I have not used a car wash in at least 8 years, and then it was on a company car. But I am anal about car washing and detailing.

 

[chevyguy8893]

Re: How bad are automatic "car washed" really?

I only use touchless car washes (aka laser wash around me). It washes the whole car really well, and it has pressure washers that wash underneath the car too. For $5 it comes out really nice, I use it mainly in the winter though. The car washes that use brushes can get stuck in places on car and rip parts off, like a mirror, and can become a very expensive wash. Also, watch out for the washes that have guides on the floor, I had a customer at work that ran his 20 inch factory wheels on his camaro into those at $600 each.

Look into no rinse washes for the light dirt times to save some money, but still have a safe way to clean the car. Also ChicagoMalibu2009 goes into great detail on keeping your car clean in this thread http://www.chevymalibuforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4888

 

[DrivenDaily]

I live in an apartment as well, and also have no access to a hose. My car is black, too. I tried the touchless but it didn't get the dirt off. So I went back to the touch kind. Yes, it leaves swirl marks, but early this summer I used Maguier's ScratchX 2.0 and SwirlX products after using a Mother's clay bar (never did any of this on any car ever before!), and then waxed it. I had people at work ask me what I did to make it look brand new, and I showed them the bottles. Heck, even I was amazed at how good it turned out! If I can do it, ANYONE can!

I'm willing to put up with the swirl marks to get all the dirt off since I now know how to remove the swirl marks. But let me tell you, next year I'm getting a DA polisher! That's freakin' hard work!

 

[Silver LTZ]

None of you guys have self service car washes? They are all over NY and FL.

 

[chevyguy8893]

None of you guys have self service car washes? They are all over NY and FL.

They are all over the place here too. At least in my case the touchless washes work just as well as the self service, but end up cheaper and less time consuming. Also, the washes here blow dry the car really well at the end.

 

[DrivenDaily]

We have self-serve on the same lot as the Touchless and Touchy ones. Most of the time I take it through the Touchy, but sometimes I do the manual one. Cleans the wheels way better, and down under the rocker panels, and ... well, you know.

In the winter here they put brine on the roadways before it actually starts to snow. These two automatics have the undercarriage spray that rinses off everything I can't reach with the manual.

So it's a toss-up. But either way, I get swirl marks. Time for a DA!

 

[Clipster]

If it is ok, Autogeek.net has lots of info and products on how to wash and detail your car. I have a silver LT and have winter approaching here in Minnesota so this is a big project for me too.

 

[savatage]

Since I don't really have any other option, I crossed my fingers and went to the local evil car wash. I got the cheapest exterior only wash for $10 and made sure they did not use acid on the rims.

It came out looking good and I took it home for some polish and wax.

First layer I used Turtle Wax Ice Polish (boo, I know.) Next layer was Zymol Cleaning Wax. I have read good reviews about almost all of the waxes out there so I decided to try these. In my day, I have used products from Turtle Wax, Mothers, Meguiars, Nu Finish, etc. They all seem to do a pretty good job. None have sucked and none have totally blown me away. The car is only about a week old, so it looked good and still does.

I then Rain-X'd the windshield and rear window. I KNOW I did a lousy job of this. We'll see how hazy it looks.

Everything came out pretty good, but I just don't have a great setup here. Not much shade or privacy, no access to a hose, etc. I am regretting getting the black since I am a perfectionist and I feel like I can spend DAYS out there and it will just never be perfect.

I am happy to get what I hope is a decent layer of protection on the car before the winter weather comes.

 

[savatage]

We had a bad rainstorm here last night. When I came out to my car in the morning, it was covered with leaves, small branches and water drops from the rain.

I cleaned off some of the leaves and branches, and hoped the water would roll off as I drove. When I got to work, I checked the car again and it is FILTHY, loaded with water spots and other "dirt" or grime.

I am pissed. Isn't the wax supposed to protect against that? I am happy I wasted my Saturday waxing the car and it does not seem to be showing any protection.

 

[Silver LTZ]

We had a bad rainstorm here last night. When I came out to my car in the morning, it was covered with leaves, small branches and water drops from the rain.

I cleaned off some of the leaves and branches, and hoped the water would roll off as I drove. When I got to work, I checked the car again and it is FILTHY, loaded with water spots and other "dirt" or grime.

I am pissed. Isn't the wax supposed to protect against that? I am happy I wasted my Saturday waxing the car and it does not seem to be showing any protection.

Wax doesn't stop your car from getting dirty, wax tends to bead water, which can sometimes make more spots. Best thing to do for a quick cleaning is use a chamois.

 

[savatage]

I head read an argument about this some time ago, I forget what the conclusion was though...

We all agree water spots are bad yet waxes makes water bead, which causes... water spots. Wouldn't it be more effective to use a wax that makes water sheet rather than bead?

Does such a thing exist? I think that's what I need.

Oh, how I regret black...

 

[chevyguy8893]

I would think even though the water beads up and leaves marks that the wax would protect it till the next time it is washed and the marks go away easily. At least that is how it seems to work for me. The only time I have had issues with water spots that wouldn't go away was if I used straight well water to wash my car.

 

[ChicagoMalibu2009]

Water Sheeting versus Beading is more or less the same principle with regards to the products that are out there versus what can actually be done with them. When a car is waxed it will bead/sheet more easily; the sheeting action is done witha slow stream of water though and is a nice way to finish off before a towel/air blower dry to get the last moisture.

In fact, at a standstill a stripped car (i.e. "clean with no wax, etc...") will appear to sheet better than a waxed one but this is not the best protection for obvious reasons. When you get leaves/branches (read: sap) in the mix things get tricky and its nice to have the wax inbetween them.

I would recommend buying a "Quick Detailing" product. Either off the shelf or mix your own with rinseless car wash. Then placed in a spray bottle, you can go over a recently clean car by spraying panel by panel and wiping off. Wring the towel inbetween panels. I say recently because this will be bad for road dirt but the QD product will help slide across an otherwise clean panel without damage. In other words, in your morning case with water/leaves, IF possible spray the leaves off, even if you just buy a garden sprayer and fill with water. Then either way you can go panel by panel with the spray bottle.

I understand what you mean about tough area to clean cars, it's much more rare to have a nice spot you enjoy than it is to be uncomfortable/tough-to-find-a-way with regards to keeping the car clean. Good luck on finding a good balance and i think that with buckets and maybe a few extra products/towels in your arsenal you'll do great.

 

[Silver LTZ]

Water Sheeting versus Beading is more or less the same principle with regards to the products that are out there versus what can actually be done with them. When a car is waxed it will bead/sheet more easily; the sheeting action is done witha slow stream of water though and is a nice way to finish off before a towel/air blower dry to get the last moisture.

In fact, at a standstill a stripped car (i.e. "clean with no wax, etc...") will appear to sheet better than a waxed one but this is not the best protection for obvious reasons. When you get leaves/branches (read: sap) in the mix things get tricky and its nice to have the wax inbetween them.

I would recommend buying a "Quick Detailing" product. Either off the shelf or mix your own with rinseless car wash. Then placed in a spray bottle, you can go over a recently clean car by spraying panel by panel and wiping off. Wring the towel inbetween panels. I say recently because this will be bad for road dirt but the QD product will help slide across an otherwise clean panel without damage. In other words, in your morning case with water/leaves, IF possible spray the leaves off, even if you just buy a garden sprayer and fill with water. Then either way you can go panel by panel with the spray bottle.

I understand what you mean about tough area to clean cars, it's much more rare to have a nice spot you enjoy than it is to be uncomfortable/tough-to-find-a-way with regards to keeping the car clean. Good luck on finding a good balance and i think that with buckets and maybe a few extra products/towels in your arsenal you'll do great.

Look whose back!

 

[ChicagoMalibu2009]

Yes indeed! Thanks! A long road trip in August led to a very busy September/October at work and home. I'll need to do a trip report too at some point with the 'Bu crossing the continental divide, battling the mojave, and boring the Nebraskan nothingness .

 

[ThePhotographer]

I guess I'm lucky, when we built the detached garage it's heated and has hot and cold water. Under each car is a 8' drain.