Quote:
Originally Posted by tommycr
You would be correct 😂
That makes complete sense. I’m in NJ and it’s been cold so I haven’t really been able to use a bucket and clean it that way.
There is a hand wash place 5 mins from me that I guess I should try but who knows if they dropped the rag on the ground or the water is dirty. I also have a drive thru car wash that is in a very rich area and I always see $100k+ cars going thru it. They do a great job outside and inside so I’ve been thinking of just biting the bullet and going there like I used to.
It’s not a Ferrari but she’s my baby! It’s like when you get a new cell phone, after the first time you drop it you start worrying less about it getting scratched.
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I feel your pain!
FWIW here’s what I do: (I don’t trust tunnel washes because they use brushes, and I don’t like touchless washes because they don’t clean the car and the harsh chemicals do more damage than good)
I fill a bucket with hot water in my tub or at the pet wash room (I live in a condo). I throw my wash mitt with some car shampoo in the bucket with hot water.
Throw that in the trunk. Go late in the day to a self-serve wash when and where the likelihood of a line forming behind me is very low.
Then I rinse the car really well.
After that, I wash it with the mitt (bonus if you can take two buckets).
If there’s a possibility of someone waiting for you (you don’t want to be the asshole bucket washing when there’s a line), take a friend. While you wash one body panel, they come after you rinsing it. That way the timer is always running. You could leave the timer running anyway while you take your time, but YMMV on that.
Bonus if you can find an electric foam cannon to take and bathe it before touching your car. I’m about to get one myself. A friend has it and it works somewhat well (it’s not like the ones you see on YouTube where the car gets super white and foamy, but it works).
Then you’re safe to dry your car. I still recommend a lubricant to dry it (like one of those turtle wax drying sprays or a ceramic spray).
The hot water in the bucket makes it bearable to wash it when it’s cold, your hand will be warm. And it’ll clean better too.
In the summer take it to a detailer for a quick compound to get rid of the swirls and preserve it swirl-free by continuing to physically wash it when you touch it.
What I also do if I just want to take some dirt out quickly is to do what you do and just spray the car. But don’t dry it!