I use a pre-soak with the pressure wand and let that sit for a couple of minutes to loosen up the dirt. I'll then hit it with the high pressure wash, rinse it and finish it with a spot free rinse. Drying occurs on the 4 mile ride home on the highway (I basically go around the block using the highway). In 50-60 degree weather the car dries pretty much completely by the time I get it home. The only time I'm physically touching the car is if I wax it.
What I'm going to post is not going to be rocket science, but common sense. If you stop and think about what I am saying, you'll agree that it is that simple.
Here's the problem with what you are doing. First, the method that you are using to wash the car does NOT get the car completely clean. You have to TOUCH the car in order to get it completely clean. I explain why in detail within
these videos. This is why the foam gun is so important to your wash process. It creates the lubrication so that when you do touch the car, you are not creating sandpaper.
Also, driving your car while it is still wet will cause dirt to become trapped within the wet drops of water. When you finally get to where you are going and wipe the remaining drops of water off your car, you are again creating sandpaper. That's why you never drive your car dry, unless you plan on washing it again before doing any kind of wiping on it. It is these types of practices that make people wake one day and go, "Where the hell did all these scratches come from?" It's because they do things that I call 'making sandpaper'.
I was in your shoes when I first bought my car I was in an apartment complex that had no access to a hose. So I went to my brother's house or my parent's to wash and detail my car, pain in the ass but beat having to rush around with $10 and get the car clean before the time runs out.
Good idea.
Plastidip.... Dipping the whole car. It's easier and cheaper to repair dip than paint, and wraps.
Www.dipyourcar.com
Was thinking to go Matte white the. A neon green over it then removing while masking off the front grill area and the scallops
Still debating... No point polishing as it will be right back where it is now after a couple of months
I'm sorry but that stuff looks like crap. For anyone who wants to see their car in all its shiny glory, dipping is like using shoe polish and a paint brush to paint your car. I want my car to shine like glass. That's why I POLISH the paint to perfection. In these pictures, there is not a drop of wax on it, a misconception that a lot of people associate with shine.
If you don't properly care for your paint then you are right. It WILL look like crap in no time. Proper paint care is not for everyone. It takes a person with a certain level of pride with what they own. For some folks, it's their house. For others, it's their cloths. Some folks have multiple things. You have to really care about these things in order to do what is necessary to upkeep them properly.
By the way, my car is NOT a garage queen. Here's what I did with it last weekend...
i use these car wahses for 3 years and never had a problem.. choose wisely
I would love to inspect your paint under the flash of my camera. I could easily show you what those three years have done to your paint. See the car below for clarity.
I've never had a problem with this type of car wash, if you use the brush wash the brush itself out with high pressure before letting it touch your car.
There is NOT a brush in this solar system that is safe enough to use on your paint.
All brushes will scratch the paint, period.
Here's the deal about detailing advice on the Internet that you have to take into consideration guys.
One man's beauty queen is another man's 2-bagger. If you have ever been setup on a blind date by any of your friends, you know exactly what I'm talking about. In order to know if a guys paint is as good as he says it is, you have to get your nose down in it and look at it with a lot of light. Here's some paint that a guy told me was flawless. My partner and I looked at each other at the same time when he said that I asked him to bring his car over to the booth where I was working. Here's what I found.
The car in question:
Here's what the paint looked like without any light:
Here's what the light revealed:
As you can see, LIGHT opens your eyes up to what is really hiding in your paint. I do the same thing to mine to make sure all the damage is gone when I work on it. Everyone here has had your noses up really close to my paint via my videos so you know what I call 'perfect paint'. That's how you know if a guy is offering you beauty queen advice or a 2-bagger. Keep that in mind while reading detailing advice on the Internet.
By the way, I showed that guy what his paint SHOULD look like. His hot daughter approved. :cowsmile: