The first stages
The ultimate wash technique
This chapter we will address how to wash your vehicle and what products/equipment you will need to complete the task.
I have presumed from the last edition that you have purchased a pressure washer and a foam lance. If you haven’t had the opportunity to view this then please refer to edition 1.
A vehicle this soiled will need extra attention
The time taken on this wash stage will be dictated by how well the automobile has been kept previously and most importantly the season! A wash for a normal family saloon can be around two hours, this doesn’t take into consideration areas like fender well and engine compartment.
An important consideration is the work area, this again is dependent on the level of soiling, you may want to take the vehicle to a commercial jet wash to remove the worst. Ideally don’t use the foam or the brush attachment, the only reason you are using a commercial jet wash is to remove the stubborn dirt and so that you don’t have copious amounts of mud on the driveway.
The minimum is two buckets
Now we have to look at the products and equipment. Firstly you will need a sturdy hose ideally with an open end, to ensure a thorough rinse after wash stage. Secondly, at least 2, 15 litre buckets, ideally you want these to be clear so that you can see if the water needs changed.
A few wash mediums are a must, there are various wash mitts available from the noodle types available from various retailers, natural sheepskin mitt or the synthetic wash mitt from Chemical Guys. I personally use the CG mitt as it is very inexpensive and helps carry the dirt away from the paint-work.
Who said no sponge ? There are safe versions of the sponge available such as the Zymol one, the cheaper jumbo sponge are not ideal as they don’t give the grit anywhere to go so in actuality what you do is press the grit on the paintwork which brings us back to defects these are known as swirls.
Car shampoo, measuring device and boars hair brush
Finally we have the boars hair brush, great wash tool, however, at the higher end of the price market is can be a little over the top. I do own one and tend to use it in the summer more than winter mainly because I only have one of them and in the summer the soil levels are typically less.
An important piece of information to bring up just now would be direct sun and car washing. This is not a good idea, you must let the body panels cool sufficiently and it is not recommended to use a cold water supply to do this.
It is a good idea to have a selection of brushes for your first wash, these allow you to get into nooks and crannies such as the gas cap area or tight spokes on alloy wheels. Round brushes with a rubber shaft are the best types because they will not damage the paint work, regular paint brushes can be used, however, the metal area of the paint brush must be taped with gaffer tape to protect the paint.
High volume low cost - good for most
Now you have the buckets, wash mediums, pressure washer we have to look at the shampoo. There is a factor of personal choice here and of course finances have to come into this decision. Again some of the supermarkets run specials on the high volume 5L shampoo and these can be just as effective, something like simoniz is quite acceptable. Personally I have a few goto shampoo’s and these vary from the basic range right through to the more bespoke options. A happy medium would be a shampoo like Chemical Guys Glossworks or Sonus Gloss shampoo.
Notice the consistency, offering good lubricity and a safe wash
A shampoo for me has to have good lubricity which could be argued comes with the strength of the solution, no damage to the paint, carry off dirt freely, rinse easily and of course have good cleaning attributes. One of the worst traits of a shampoo is a streaky finish, nine times out of ten this is due to a high level of concentration and can be user error. This is a very subjective area, personally I like a sudsy wash as I feel it gives that extra barrier between mitt and paintwork – as I said quite subjective. So long as these factors are kept in mind then you will make a good informed question. Luckily most shampoos are cheap enough and you can sell it on eBay if it really doesn’t work out.
Clay is essential to cleansing the paint
Another important product is clay, now is the point to identify whether you have soft or hard paint. If it is soft you want to opt for a fine clay as clay can cause marring and if your paint is soft then the clay consistency is a consideration. I would personally opt for a fine clay first and then if this doesn’t perform as desired then start stepping up aggressiveness. Remember when using clay to follow the instructions.
You would be amazed at the size of tar you can find on a vehicle
You will need a tar remover, dependent on coverage this will determine what type of tar remover you go for. There are a few options; autoglym tar remover is a great off the shelf product and autosmart tardis is slightly more potent but is ridiculously cheap for the volume. With these products you will need some “work” microfibers you can buy these from many supermarkets etc.
The next product worth a look is iron x, this product simply breaks down the iron fallout attached to the car. Well worth a purchase, the less fallout you have to clay the less damage you will cause the paintwork.
I always like to start with the most aggressive task first, this being the wheels. This method is safe for alloy wheels, please ensure if you have delicate wheel finishes it is best to consult with the manufacturer so that you are performing a safe wash. I personally opt for Bilberry wheel cleaner for medium soiling and for heavy soiling my goto is meguiars wheel brightener. Both excellent products and totally different uses, for a light soiling a stronger solution of shampoo is perfectly adequate.
We want to get the pressure washer and connect to both power and water source – don’t get these two mixed up! Before you switch the pressure washer on make sure that water is moving freely. To do this open your garden facet/tap on full and press the wand on, water should now flow through do this for a minute or two, clearing out any air pockets. We can now switch the pressure washer on, connect your foam lance and spray the vehicle with your foam solution. Dependent on the product will dictate how long we leave this to dwell, if the car is near a sun source please do not let the foam dry on the paintwork as it can stain.
A few brushes for cleaning alloys, tape the metal end of the brush
Firstly set the pressure washer to a low setting and work up always with caution, do not use the pressure washer on damaged wheels. If your wheels are damage a hand wash with shampoo and an open hose is the only option. A good idea would be to get the alloy wheels refurbished.
The accumulation of dirt needs to be removed effectively.
We have now rinsed the wheel, notice I say wheel, it is best to address one wheel at a time. Take your chosen wheel product and use it as described, most are spray, agitate and rinse off, and there are some new cleaners which require no agitation so pay attention to the manufacturer’s guidance. It is a great idea to have various brushes as wheels can be a difficult task. An ez detail brush is a great buy as are some “detail” brushes – for only a few pounds.
Leave your alloy to dry completely before dressing the tyre
If you find the wheels have little black spots, dry the wheel and apply some tar remover to a “work” microfiber. Once you have finished the process a quick wash down with a mild shampoo should remove any residue. Another good step is a fallout remover, this will remove anything which the tar remover or normal alloy wheel solution cannot. Fallout remover is manufactured by many it’s really a product which removes what tar remover can’t, as with all the stronger products a solvent mask is a good idea, even if it is just a skin irritant it’s better to be safe! Again make sure you rinse this thoroughly.
Now we can start the wash process, firstly make sure you have the buckets with grit guards in. Fill with luke warm water and then add your shampoo solution to one of them, following the manufacturers instructions. The other bucket will just have luke warm water. Now if you have three buckets fill two with soap – one for each side of the car. If you have four then fill two with shampoo solution and two with luke warm water – again for each side. Following their instructions will make sure that we are cleaning the surface and not drying it out or removing wax unnecessarily.
Quickly grab your foam gun and take some warm water in, add your choice of snow foam to the bottle. I tend to use
Indispensable wash tool
warm water (no more than 40 degrees) get a consistency to the solution, sometimes I find if the water is cold the soap tends to clump. The short travel from the bottle to the business end will not cool the solution enough to adversely affect the snow foam. With the foam settling on the car focus on drainage areas and gas/petrol cap areas, spray some APC – All Purpose Cleaner on these areas and use a soft detailing brush to agitate the dirt.
Foam is now ready to rinse
Once the foam looks like the image above it is time to rinse. Ideally a warm water rinse if your pressure washer can draw from a water source, if not then we can utilise cold water. Now you have rinsed the pre wash foam, add some shampoo solution into the empty foam bottle and spray the solution onto the part of the car you are going to work on – helping to add lubrication and a safe wash process.
We are now getting very close to the first point at which we will touch the paintwork with our wash medium but STOP ! rinse your wash medium first. Now dunk your wash medium into the bucket of shampoo solution and carry over to the vehicle.
Always leave your mitt to soak, allows it to soften slightly
Always start at the top and work your way down, ideally you will wash the roof in for four stages as with the bonnet and boot. The doors will be washed above the trim line and all areas will be done after all areas above the trim line are finished. This is where it is an idea to have upto four mitts, one for each side and one for each side under the trim line.
Start with the quarter section of the roof, move only in parallel lines, do not rub or move in circular patterns. If you can turn your facet/tap on slightly and pop the hose inside the wash mitt, this will help to keep the wash mitt clear of debris and also wash debris away from the work area. Now not so much water that it dilutes the shampoo just enough to create a flow.
Every time you have finished a quarter/half panel then dunk the wash medium in the rinse bucket and agitate on the grit guard, now lift out of the water and check for debris if there is none make sure the water that the wash medium has taken on board is drained off so that you are not cross contaminating. Now rinse the area which you have just worked on to ensure you get no streaks or staining, it also allows you to see any areas missed. Once the wash medium has been drained you can dunk it back into the shampoo solution and repeat the process, making sure you never dunk straight back into the shampoo bucket.
Remember, if you feel the shampoo or rinse bucket becoming too murky then change this for fresh water.
A great rinse tool, demon shine and the gilmour foam gun
We should now be looking at a clean but still wet car, this is where a rinse aid will come in, something like demon shine will do the job or you can look to a trade product which will just arrive in a larger quantity. The rinse aid is very important again because it reduces contact that you will have with the car paintwork!
Now that we have a nearly dry car it is time to actually dry it, we need a few items now; a quality quick detailer and two or three drying towels. There is also a way to fold a drying towel, firstly fold in half then in half again, place your hand on the non ribbed corner this means you will not be putting pressure on any harder edging. Take your first drying towel and spritz the towel and the body panel, ignore your instinct to rub we are going to pad the drying towel against the paintwork never dragging it along the paintwork. Go around the car in the same fashion, never use the same drying towel for the lower area as the upper area – no matter how careful we are we can always miss areas.
A well cleaned car - well the results are staggering !
I have a clean car, what now ?
You now have the ultimately washed car! Now we must start the paint decontamination process, this will involve; de-tar and fallout remover.
Cheaper MF’s are nicknamed “work” towels
Firstly, grab some MF work towels and your choice of de-tar product. Make sure we have taken the correct precautions here, 3m supply a good range of goggles as well as solvent masks. Do not work with these solvents indoors, always in a well ventilated area. Spray this sparingly onto a section at a time, allow the product to work and then remove with your MF. Remember tar can mark your car so don’t allow the MF to become too clogged. If you find it overly crowded with tar it is time to flip the MF to a fresh side. Continue this process for the whole car, please take car around rubber or vinyl areas because it will dry it out! What we are doing here is wiping the cloth NOT rubbing, if the tar doesn’t wipe off apply more product.
Once you have completed a section, have your fresh bucket of shampoo and gently wash the residue from the vehicle, repeat this stage for each section. Remember to rinse the shampoo solution from the car as you may encounter water spots.
The next stage is a fallout remover, this will remove things like industrial fall out, tree sap etc. Most fallout removers will state what they remove and how they should be used. If you follow these suggestions it will keep you and your vehicle safe! Again we are not rubbing the solution into the car we are simply wiping it from the surface.
Lets empty your wash bucket, rinse out, fill this up with warm water and a shampoo solution. This technique works especially well in the winter, warm water will relax the clay and make it more supple reducing damage to the car. It is also a good idea to make up a mild shampoo solution in a spray bottle.
A strange technique here, however, it will allow you to feel what you are working with. Take a small plastic freezer bag from the kitchen, pop your hand inside and run your fingers along the paintwork, don’t drag or rub just run lightly over the paintwork. You will be able to feel little pieces of fallout left over from the other stages, it basically makes your fingers more sensitive.
No get your clay bar and take about a walnut sized amount. Now mould this in your palm so that it is almost flat. Spray your car with the soap solution and move the clay in parallel lines. Check from time to time the dirt content, I have purposefully included a clay bar picture - this is TOO dirty and will cause defects.
When the clay is contaminated simply dunk in the warm soap bucket and rub the dirt with your fingers to loosen. You now have to fold the clay onto itself to work with a new clean section. Once you have used most of the clean sections you must discard the clay. Then just repeat the process, paintwork and glass can be clayed, I would always advise using new mild clay on glass. Avoid rubber or vinyl moldings.
The final stage to The Ultimate Wash Technique is to finally rinse the car down to remove any contaminants.
Again fill the foam lance with a foam solution and spray the whole car, leave to dwell and rinse off. This should take care of any residue.
If you are going straight to wax or polish then I would just re-wash the car for extra safety, just one piece of debris can wreck havoc with your newly de-contaminated paintwork.
Ideally if you are leaving the vehicle until the following day or weekend you want to follow this stage with a spray wax, this seals the finish at this stage the paint will be pretty dry and will have no protection after these stages. Taking into consideration hard water from sprinklers or even a pollen cloud a quick wax is ideal to protect your car until the next wash or the paint renovation stage.
Spray waxes can sometimes have a short life span so it is worth keeping an eye on the beading.
Compliment this with vinyl, trim, window and rubber detailer.
PS, for further instructions please consult my de-contamination guide. This has more information on claying, de-tar and fallout remover.
For the full chapter please click this text
It comes in PDF format with quite a number of high res images.
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