hand washing

[my99gagt]

well i tried washing my car today with the meguire's car wash and conditioner. well i think i did something wrong. theres streak marks/water marks all over. for you who wash your car by hand, how do you go about doing it? i started off by putting some of the car wash into a gallon water and then washed. once done with that, i took buckets of water and poured them over the car, and then dried with cotton towels. what do i need to do different?

[PACE]

Wash in the shade only....I never had an issue with my silver GA....but this black one.....damn......the water dries instantly and leaves water marks big time if I'm in the sun at all....

[my99gagt]

well that may be a problem, i washed right in the middle of the sun. ya black is a bitch about watermarks and all that, or any dirt for that matter

[Mike Jung]

Originally posted by ECAP
Wash in the shade only....I never had an issue with my silver GA....but this black one.....damn......the water dries instantly and leaves water marks big time if I'm in the sun at all....
Yeah, wash it in the shade only (or on thick overcast days).

Just hosing my car off with water (damn bird crap) this morning in the sun; caused some water to stream off of it.
That black paint sure retains the sun's rays & generates heat.

[Panacea]

I wash in the sun if I have to... No problems here, just make sure you DRY in the shade!

Wash the Roof, Trunk windows, and Hood first. Get the whole area clean, but do it fast so that the soap doesn't dry (otherwise you have to wash that part again).

Then rinse the surface off.

Then, wash one side of the car, rinse, then the other, and rinse.

Bring it in the garage or shade and start drying, Make sure you dry it completely and that you don't leave any water behind, or it'll dry and leave the water marks.

[my99gagt]

to rinse the wash off, can i just use a hose, or am I supposed to just dump water out of a bucket on it so that the flow of water is more even?

[VaGT]

Hose is fine...

If I have to wash in the sun (not very often because I have to take it to covered manual wash bays)... but if I am at my Parent's house, and have to wash in the sun, you just have to make sure you are pretty much constantly spraying to avoid water spots until you are ready to dry.

[sarahs00ga]

You might also try drying it with a shammy (a.k.a. "The Absorber" :D ) instead of cotton towels.... I've always done that and haven't ever had problems with streaking. :thumbs:

[2002GT]

I use "the absorber" ... i usually get a friend to help... since i have a black car... i try to keep whatever part of the car im not cleaning wet...

[BigTaters]

do not use cotton towels, not only are they more expensive in the long run but they dont do a good job at all. Use a nice chamois, a 15-20 dollar one not a cheap one. Ive had mine for like 2 years and it still works great. Dont ever wash a black car in the sun either lol. Eventually those sun dried marks will eventuall wreck your paint.

[alerogirl1999]

I ALWAYS wash my car in the shade, I have a black car also adn it is true that the water drys almost instantly!!! I also find it easier to dry my car off with towels as apposed to a shammy.

[Mike96SE]

Oh, well I was all excited to tell you to wash your car in the shade instead of the sun, but it looks like I'm a tad late haha.

I have the absorber too, it works good. My car is also black, and it seems like as soon as its washed its dirty again. Almost everything shows.

[RedGrandTour]

Never apply anything to the finish of your car in the sun. Also, I have the Absorber, California blade and Cotton towels. Something was causing the wax to leave my car and it wasn't the towels. Now I only use 100% cotton towels with the blade sometimes.

[2000GA]

dont use to much soap either

[Mike96SE]

Too little soap can cause swirls though.

[DJCobol]

Recipie for success:

One plastic bucket
One Snow White wash mitt from Napa
One bottle of Zaino Z7 car wash
One California Water Blade
One Absorber

Park the car in a shaded area and rinse car off. Pour about 1 oz. of Z7 into a bucket, then fill with water until bucket is half full of water and half full of suds. Proceed to wash car in sections starting from the top down, finishing with the rims. To rinse, use the hose with no attachments on it, letting the water flow over the body panels. This should remove about 90% of the water from the surface of the car. Give it a quick once-over with the water blade, then go back around with the absorber to hit the crevaces. Enjoy the shine!

Alternative #1: Instead of the water blade and absorber, use a leaf blower. Works excellent if you have access to one.

[VaGT]

Leaf blower is the ultimate - the less you have to touch your car, the better.

[Panacea]

If you want fewer scratches use Separate buckets and separate wash mits for the tires and the body...

[DJCobol]

Originally posted by Panacea
If you want fewer scratches use Separate buckets and separate wash mits for the tires and the body...

I have separate wash mitts, but I use the same bucket. Thats why I wash the body first and then hit the tires when I'm all done.

[Panacea]

Touche'. Yeah, as long as you wash the bucket before each use. I never wash my tires/rims though. I usually just wash the body, dry it off, then use a mixture of Windex and Water, spray the wheels down and wipe off with paper towels. Works for me :)