Washing at Self-service, coin operated, Car Wash (gulp!)

[Hemi_Infantry]

Originally Posted by POWERMAN

Your an IT professional / Networking Specialist?

Wonder how many of the Forum members are in the IT industry on here..

IT service team (network analyst) checking in.

[Alfisto]

Part of what you have to do is realize what your own expectations are.

If you want your car to look like the Junkman's, then you will have to be hardcore.

If you lower your expectations, then you can start making compromises.

I hate to admit it, but during January and February I use a touchless wash. When it's warmer, I alternate between the local "human" car wash and doing it myself.

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by POWERMAN

Your an IT professional / Networking Specialist?

Wonder how many of the Forum members are in the IT industry on here..

Yes, I own a IT firm that services small to medium business owners and home owners.

Originally Posted by SRT Frost 2012

... Wish I could keep my pay and move back to Kentucky. The rent on my studio is damn near a house payment there.

That's why I left and moved BACK to Kentucky. Did 10 years in SoCal. No more for me.

Originally Posted by POWERMAN

Given that most surface scratches are due to damage to the clear coat..how much would it cost to get it re-applied again?

That completely depends on how perfect you want it to look. The price can start arong a thousand bucks and go through the roof. This car that I got to work on has a $15,000 paint job on it. Most of the cost was in laying the clear coat. But as you can see, it looks like wet glass.

Originally Posted by POWERMAN

I mean, once it gets polished to an even level so as to eliminate swirls etc... would one then be able to spray / apply a few coatings of clear coat on top of that to ensure it'll be sufficient to withstand future polish sessions if needed?

You have the wrong mindset. You need to watch these videos so that you can obtain the correct mindset. Once you fix your paint for the very first time, you do everything absolutely necessary to avoid having to ever completely fix it again. You don't keep damaging your clear coat over and over again, that's insane. You fix it once and the only thing you should ever have to do is touch it up here and there. That's why I care for my paint the way you see in my many videos posted on this forum.

Originally Posted by POTTER

You can get a good wash at one of those if you are willing to pay a little extra and be inventive.

In the winter, I cannot use my outdoor water spout. So....I put my supplies in the trunk and head to car wash. I put the money in and then I use the first round to fill my bucket and then give the car a good soapy once over. Typically, these car washes use warm water in order to keep the lines heated in the winter.....very handy! After the first pass, I then use my now full bucket to hand wash the car. Then from there, it gets rinsed off and then hand dried as usual.

Like I said, get inventive.

Originally Posted by KingOfKings2584

This is basically what I do down here in Florida. Can't wash my car in the driveway, sun will bake water spots in real quick. So I put my supplies in the trunk and go to the do-it-yourself. Use a medium spray pre-wash, let it soak, quick rinse, wash using my own soap and sponge (don't touch that brush!), spot-free rinse, dry, done. Not perfect but close as I can get under the circumstances.

You do realize that this one bucket technique that you are using is creating damage to your clear coat, correct? I too use to use the DIY car washes back in the day but never with one bucket. That's why I posted my 2-bucket wash videos. So people would understand the error of their ways.