[AddictedToBavarian]

Before I manually wash the car I soap/rinse it of course. However, I used to put the water and soap solution right on the dirty car. However, I've been told recently to rinse the dirty car FIRST, and then use the soap/water solution. Thoughts?

[psnt1ol]

More than 95% of swirls on cars are from improper washing technique. dragging large dirt particles around with a wash cloth or mitt could result in swirls. by rinsing first, you are getting rid of the larger particles prior to touching the car with a washing media. I would normally do a foam pre-wash first to loosen the dirt then rinse before i wash using the 2 buckets method.

[AddictedToBavarian]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

More than 95% of swirls on cars are from improper washing technique. dragging large dirt particles around with a wash cloth or mitt could result in swirls. by rinsing first, you are getting rid of the larger particles prior to touching the car with a washing media. I would normally do a foam pre-wash first to loosen the dirt then rinse before i wash using the 2 buckets method.

Ok, I was just curious to know if in the pre wash you would rinse then foam or foam then rinse. Before the 2 bucket wash.

[psnt1ol]

Rinse, foam, rinse then wash. Others would rinse, foam, and go directly to wash. Foaming helps loosen the dirt so I normally let the foam dwell a bit (2 - 3 minutes depending on the temp ) before rinse. It is not an good idea to the foam to dry completely... it will create another set of problems.

this is what I found by doing it this way.... by doing a foam pre-wash, both your wash and rinse buckets stay cleaner. At the end, my bucket water is relatively clear. In the past, I didn't foam and my bucket water was usually very dark. This is kind of what you want to minimize swirls.

I seen a pro ,who only works on exotic cars, who went a step further. He rinse, foam, rinse again, then wash the car with the foam gun. He had a mitt on one hand and the foam gun on the other. he shoot the foam into the mitt while wiping (in one direction only) on the car. horizontally on flat surfaces ( hood, roof, trunk) and vertically on the sides. I think it is a bit of an overkill but then he was washing a $200,000 car.

[kjang]

I usually foam first (then rinse and 2bm). This makes the foam stick way easier on a waxed/sealed car; otherwise it just rolls off like you were rinsing. Another method I've been wanting to try out is rinse-foam-2bucket; the concept is that the foam will loosen the particles and already provide ample lubrication for the 2bm. It also assumes that particles will still be on the car even with foaming so you still might be swirling up the car.