About hand wash and other methods....

[zyovka]

well, just picked up our black Yaris sedan this Friday from the dealer. So, here we go... waxing is on our agenda. We tried to find some local car wash places and the following is a quote from a local website....




Car Wash Q & A
By: "Bud" Abraham
This article was taken from "Professional Car Washing & Detailing" magazine, March 2002.

Q: How often should I wash my car?

A: We advise our customers to wash their vehicles any time they are dirty. Dirt will work to deteriorate the paint due to many pollutants in road soil. We also recommend that insect residue, bird droppings, tree sap and egg residue be removed as soon as possible to prevent damage to the paint.

Q: Should I hand wash or use an automatic car wash?

A: While many people believe that hand washing is safer to a vehicles finish than automatic washing, this is not necessarily true. A few years ago, The Technological University of Munich did a study for Mercedes Benz to discover which method of washing was safer for the finish of a vehicle. A few years later, the University of Texas was commissioned by the International Car Wash Association to conduct a similar test. The results were quite startling. It was found that hand washing a car 26 times and washing a car 26 times at an automatic cloth car wash, the surface of the hand washed vehicle showed damage. This was determined by taking microscopic pictures of the paint finish. When enlarged, these photos revealed deep and numerous scratches in the paint of the hand washed vehicle.

Why did this happen? It was determined that each time the hand wash sponge or mit is placed on the surface of the car, it continually picks up girt in the fibers that are not rinsed out. This grit acts like a very fine sandpaper putting scratches in the paint.

In an automatic car wash however, the car is constantly flooded with water and shampoo. This forms a protective layer between the washing material and the paint surface which washes away girt and dirt before it can damage the finish.

Is that to say all hand washing is damaging? Not at all. What both tests determined was that in order to prevent the grit from harming the finish, the hand washed must keep a hose in one hand with the water running on the area being washed while washing the vehicle surface. This will keep a protective layer of water between the mit and the paint and will rinse away grit.

Q: Are touch-less wash systems better than other methods?

A: Although the owners' manual states very clearly not to "wash the vehicle with high pressure water, acid or harsh detergents" today's touch-less wash systems typically use a combination of acid and high alkaline chemicals plus high pressure water to clean the vehicle. Further, if the touch-less wash system removes both dirt and road film, would it not remove any wax on the surface at the same time? Why then would you want to use a wash process that literally removes the wax off the vehicle? In addition, touch-less washes are often not entirely touch-less. How so? Go to a touch-less wash with an extremely dirty car and you will find that the attendants will attempt to pre-wash you vehicle with a brush before going through the wash. If this is not done, the car will not come clean.

Bud Abraham is the President of Detail Plus Car Appearance Systems
and a 30-year member of the car care industry.

How would you guys evaluate this, huh?

[ChinoCharles]

Yes, if you don't keep your wash mitt or whatever you are using clean, it will continuously pick up dirt and act as a micro-abrasive, thus deteriorating the quality of your paint.

Personally, I use a power washer when washing my car. I use the lowest setting for wetting/rinsing, and a much higher setting for cleaning out the wheel wells and rinsing out my mitt. If you do nothing to make sure you are using a clean mitt, washing your car by hand is essentially a waste of time.

Actually, just washed her today.

[07WYarisRS]

I use two different colored microfiber wash mitts for my car
One is used for the top the other is for the bottom 1/4 of the car, fender well edges, side skirts, door jams etc.
I dry it with a synthetic chamois.
All three are washed in the washing machine after every car wash to remove any fine sand/grit.
Do not use fabric softener though.

[Yarisindo]

Another great Hand wash method is to clean the dirtiest part of the car first which is usually the tires, wheels, bumbers and lower part of body. I totally agree with 07WYarisRS about using a seperate wiping cloth for dirty areas and clean areas. After making sure all dirty areas are washed away, used a seperate clean cloth to wipe it clean. That way it will prevent the cloth from picking up dirt and acting as sandpaper. Also make it a habit to rinse the cloth often in a pail of clean water. I also heard that it's best not to use car shampoo too often as it will take off the protective coat especially after you wax your car or in new car paints. That makes sense but it's hard to clean without using shampoo if your car is very dirty. What do you guys think on that?

[jeff_o]

one tip given to me by detailers is that don't put too much pressure when wiping with your wash mitt. just enough pressure to wash dirt away ant not like rubbing the paint.

another is to not use a strong car shampoo as it will wash away the wax and protective coating.

[bigsky2]

Top Down.
Remember those two words.

If hand washing, always work from the top down.
When you wash your car, usually the dirtiest parts are the lower areas of the vehicles. If you are washing your without much care, you could reconstitute a lot of the dirt accumulated in these dirty areas and end up with a lot of swirls all over the car.

And good advice on two wash mitts! Have one for the top and another for the bottom. Two wash buckets helps too, or have one with a strainer so the dirt stays at the bottom.