Pressure wash leaves black looking grey!!

A

alexman

Member
I cleaned my black Z4MR for the first time with a garage pressure washer and my own sponge, but even though its supposedly "mineral free" water it leaves it looking grey and after a few miles, you can literally smudge off a layer of grey dirt on the surface of the paint (like smearing off dust!) - is it better to dry your car after washing it to avoid it? How much does waxing it help in repelling dust and marks?

I guess part of this is just owning a black one, but I'm a complete novice when it comes to waxing and I'm likely to end up scratching it if I don't ask for advice : :?

Can anyone also recommend a good type of cloth to dry with and a good waxing product and technique?
 
Alexman, GET RID OF THAT SPONGE..... FASSSTTTT.

There is some talke about not using a pressure washer on the car. The talk is that it can 'push' some of the dirt into the clearcoat....

On my black Zed, I have found that GOOD wax makes a huge difference on how much dirt adheres to the car.
With my personal preference, Pinnacle Sovereign, I have to wash less than before. Only about one or twice a week, but I love a CLEAN car and drive is every day.

80% of all scratches are from improper washing and drying.... GET RID OF THAT SPONGE.

Try this site for more info on how to care for your car. They are a very good resource for info...
http://www.autogeek.net/clbaandlu.html

There are other sites out there also, but I get most of my equipment/wax's from here, but you will have to find something in the UK for you.
 
Ive spent alot of time on detailingworld.co.uk reading up since i got my Z4. As before sponges are bad, the only one that touches my car is the one i use for the alloys.

My wash process i did last weekend which was the first since getting the car consisted of...

Day before i washed and applied hood protector using autoglyms hood clean and protect

Rinse the Car
Washing with autoglym shampoo using the two bucket method
Rinse the car again
Then clayed using meguires quick clay
Dried with chamois
Polished with autoglym super resin polish
Then 2 coats of collinite 476s wax

I also polish and wax the alloys, now the dirt just falls off when it comes wash time, i think i'll only need to wax it 3-4 times a year.
 
Shipkiller said:
Alexman, GET RID OF THAT SPONGE..... FASSSTTTT.

There is some talke about not using a pressure washer on the car. The talk is that it can 'push' some of the dirt into the clearcoat....

On my black Zed, I have found that GOOD wax makes a huge difference on how much dirt adheres to the car.
With my personal preference, Pinnacle Sovereign, I have to wash less than before. Only about one or twice a week, but I love a CLEAN car and drive is every day.

80% of all scratches are from improper washing and drying.... GET RID OF THAT SPONGE.

Try this site for more info on how to care for your car. They are a very good resource for info...
http://www.autogeek.net/clbaandlu.html

There are other sites out there also, but I get most of my equipment/wax's from here, but you will have to find something in the UK for you.
Click to expand...

Hang on.. If I'm not using a pressure washer and not using a sponge, what am I using that actually gets the dirt off?! I've only washed it once and it was a light pressure wash and sponge with a more expensive "non scratch" type.. what should I use instead?
 
I personally us a microfiber wash mitt.

Like un1eash says, wet down and rinse the car.

I use two buckets. One has the soapy water and the other is a rinse bucket for the wash mitt.

The soap acts as a lubricant to allow the dirt to glide off.....

I wash tires/wheels first then drain and clean out my buckets and refill with clean water and soap.

Wash the car (there are various methods for this) a section at a time and rinse with the hose. Some say wash from the top down, some say from the bottom up. Use one that is good for you.
Wash with your microfiber mitt or towel, on each section then rinse in the second bucket, making sure all of the dirt is out of the towel/mitt, then put it back in the soapy water and wash another section..

The final rinse is done to the whole car with the hose without a nozzle attached. The slow flowing but large quantity of water will rinse off any soap left and actually dry the car faster. The water sheets off this way. With a nozzle, the higher pressure splatters the water around, just adding to the water that needs to be dried off.

Then dry the car. I use microfiber towels.

Now I have a little OCD about my black Zed. I only wash and dry my car with a single motion. Up and down or side to side. Pick one. The only time I use a swirl/buff motion is during polishing and waxing, and then only on the parts I can't use the Porter Cable on, like under the mirrors and around the rear license plate.

I also rotate the mirrors up to allow the water that accumulated inside to drain out...
It is a headache to have dried your car to find that water is still dripping out of the mirrors.... :headbang:
Also vibrate the rear license plate to get the water from underneath it also..

It really only takes about 20 minutes to wash the Zed. It so small... :oops:

A black car looks so good but it is very unforgiving of scratches.....you see them all....
 
Shipkiller said:
I also rotate the mirrors up to allow the water that accumulated inside to drain out...
It is a headache to have dried your car to find that water is still dripping out of the mirrors.... :headbang:
Also vibrate the rear license plate to get the water from underneath it also..

It really only takes about 20 minutes to wash the Zed. It so small... :oops:
Click to expand...

Good tip with the wing mirrors, i wash mine on a sloping drive and when i drive into the garage i get drips down the door :thumbsdown:

Although not that small the Z4 is so easy and quick to wash.
 
FWIW, a lot of professional detailers use a Grout Sponge on cars. It is designed to skim above the surface and remove grains without scratching the surface beneath. The secret to ANY item (grout sponge, microfiber mitt, lamb's wool mitt, etc.) is NOT to scrub it. One or two light-handed passes are all that's needed. Also, there are better things than soapy water... like ONR. And I'm sold on microfiber drying towels. Just keep them clean and lint-free.

For enviro-friendly reasons, some car washes recycle water, too. So they may try to filter it, but eventually your getting a lot of recycled water grime.

Anyway, here are a few threads on the sponge/ONR subjects:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/113318-onr-definitive-thread.html

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/113130-onr-grout-sponge.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-tools-accessories/12354-grout-sponge.html
 
I must admit I'm confused.. some people have said "don't use a sponge to wash your car" and/or don't use water... am I missing a joke here?!

If I'm not using a sponge, what should I use? Some other sort of cloth? Please advise..

Also, what's the "two bucket method"??
 
Use a lambool mitt.
2BM is one bucket with wash mixture, the other with clean water. Rinse your mitt in the clean water before taking another dip of wash mixture. This keeps your wash water clean as possible.

Its all about minimising the dirt on the car, the more dirt there is between your mitt and paintwork the more chance there is that you will add swirls/cobwebs to the paint which stand out on a sunny day.
 
As rollingstone points out, there are a few sponges out there that work and are soft.

As a rule, I do not recommend any sponges, because, most people do not listen very well and only hear certain parts of what was said. Hearing what they want and not what was really said, or the intent...

As a rule of thumb, sponges and mitts that are plush or have a deep nap are better than flat weave towels or dense sponges. For example, a Natural Sea Sponge has numerous deep compartments where dirt and debris can accumulate. The natural fibers themselves will not scratch the paint and they will essentially pull contamination into the sponge’s openings, away from the paint. Always use the softer side of the sponge for washing. Rinse new sea sponges thoroughly before use to remove any shell fragments or sand.

Another option is a Sheepskin Wash Mitt. Sheepskin is extremely soft and plush. The fibers are gentle on the paint while the nap is deep enough to accommodate loose dirt and sand so they do not rub against the vehicle. Because sheepskin is natural, it does not last as long as a Microfiber mitts. However, for luxurious softness, you can’t beat the texture of sheepskin.

Microfiber wash mitts are another paint-safe option. Microfiber’s combination of polyester and polyamide make it capable of scrubbing the paint without scratching or swirling. It traps dirt and grit within the fibers rather than leaving them on the surface of your vehicle. Be sure to rinse the mitt frequently to release these particles.

Cotton chenille pads and mitts are also good choices because they clean easily and they last longer than sheepskin or natural sea sponges.
 
Something I don't know much about, but I've heard a few folk mention finishing rinsing their cars with filtered water - the idea being that you don't have to dry the car afterwards, because any remaining water will be free from minerals that leave the marks you see (mostly on dark cars). Apparently most scratches come from the drying process if you're using a sheepskin/microfibre washmitt and 2-bucket method.

I'm still using an Autoglym Aqua-Dry synthetic chamois along with a big microfibre cloth to dry my car, better/safer than a leather chamois.

My process:
- rinse car with garden hose to loosen dirt
- wash wheels first using cheap car shampoo, stronger mix, cheap sponge(!) and long-handled brush, rinse each as I go
- rinse whole car again
- wash car with quality shampoo using the 2-bucket-method (I use Chemical Guys shampoo) and a MF mitt
- when washing, start with windows, then bonnet/bootlid, then rest of the car working from top-to-bottom
- rinse car, finishing with hose with nozzle removed (as Shipkiller says)
- dry with the Autoglym Aqua-Dry
- job done

Anytime I'm touching the car (washing and drying) I go in straight lines, never circular - avoids swirl marks.

And if I'm washing during warmer weather then I'll be rinsing the bodywork as I go to avoid the soapy water drying on the car.

Plus I don't actually wash the roof/hood with shampoo now that it's protected (I used the Autoglym kit) - just vacuum it down...


Aw man, do I have OCD? :roll:
 
Like the others said: Good shampoo (I use Meguiar's Gold), SOFT cloth, don't wash those wheels until you finish with the bodywork, rinse gently and dry. Use a good wax (again, Meg's Gold--but there are a lot of them out there). I see some wash wheels first, just whatever you do, don't do the wheels at the same time as the bodywork using the same bucket!

Black looks great when clean (but man, is it work to keep it that way, :lol: )
 
Smokin said:
I see some wash wheels first, just whatever you do, don't do the wheels at the same time as the bodywork using the same bucket!
Click to expand...
LOL! Sorry, should've said I use a third bucket of water for the wheels alone - I don't use the same water on the bodywork!

My thoughts on doing the wheels first are that if you do them last, the bodywork is sitting covered in soapy water which will be drying on (particularly in warmer weather). So, you're better doing them first so that as soon as you finally rinse the car, you're ready to dry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom