My detailing is no different from 30 years ago - am I foolishly behind the times?

[chic0821]

The main thing is that you are happy with the results. Are you still using your 30 year old mitt & microfibre cloth??

 

[Deleted member 126251]

I see people talking about snow foam, videos of washing cars with soap guns, Ppf, ceramic coatings.

I use a 2 bucket method with a mitt. Clay bar if really needed. Double action polisher with Meguiars Compound (which I’ve never been that impressed with), autoglym resin polish, then autoglym for absolutely everything else (tyre/window/trim polish). Microfibre towel to dry off.

Grateful for any advice

My neighbour across the road has two newish cars i.e. ~2017 models. Mini & BMW. He uses a single bucket. Washes and dries them with rags and presumably fairy liquid. Never seems to bother is the surface is hot or cold and I’ve never seen him pull out a hose pipe (this is Yorkshire & water costs money you know). In all honesty, I’ve never looked for swirl marks but from a stand off distance both cars look perfectly fine.

Then there is me:

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

My neighbour across the road has two newish cars i.e. ~2017 models. Mini & BMW. He uses a single bucket. Washes and dries them with rags and presumably fairy liquid. Never seems to bother is the surface is hot or cold and I’ve never seen him pull out a hose pipe (this is Yorkshire & water costs money you know). In all honesty, I’ve never looked for swirl marks but from a stand off distance both cars look perfectly fine.

Then there is me:

View attachment 127189View attachment 127190View attachment 127191View attachment 127188

I also use a Raceglaze DI and a red (wheels)), green (rinse mit), and white bucket (shampoo).

My neighbour is also incredibly tight (retired accountant rather than a Yorkshireman) and he washes his dark metallic grey cars with an old washing up bowl, no hose and a duster in 10 minutes flat, and they look great!

No offence intended to retired accountants

 

[KILOCHARLIE]

The main thing is that you are happy with the results. Are you still using your 30 year old mitt & microfibre cloth??

The mitt is quite new but the cloths probably are! They’re in the washing machine after every use though!

 

[Deleted member 126251]

The mitt is quite new but the cloths probably are! They’re in the washing machine after every use though!

OMG !!!!

There are a few YouTube videos about how to care for your car care cloths.

You really need to take a look.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Snow foaming dry (with something decent like Bilt Hamber) and rinsing off really does help get rid of a lot of dirt (more than just rinsing/jet washing) before you actually contact

So if you want to avoid/delay the onset of swirls in your paint, the snow foam step helps.

It all depends how much you care/how OCD you are. Most people don't even notice dings or scratches, let alone swirl marks... let alone care!

You certainly would have to use your DA a bit less, sparing the clear coat a bit

 

[Rubyred]

What’s wrong with the Sainsburys car wash!

 

[SpikyMikey]

What’s wrong with the Sainsburys car wash!

Shall we start a list.....?

 

[Teego]

What’s wrong with the Sainsburys car wash!

The IMO wash at Asda isn't bad.

 

[BigJase88]

The mitt is quite new but the cloths probably are! They’re in the washing machine after every use though!

I'm the same wouldn't worry about it

Most folks take their car to a carwash

Mine still looks grand for the single bucket / wash mitt and microfibre cloth from 15 years ago stuck in the washing machine.

 

[chic0821]

What’s wrong with the Sainsburys car wash!

Or the Eastern European guys who share an old vest for washing & equally old chamois for drying Believe they were taught the fine art of adding swirls & scratches by the main dealer valet crew

 

[SpikyMikey]

Or the Eastern European guys who share an old vest for washing & equally old chamois for drying Believe they were taught the fine art of adding swirls & scratches by the main dealer valet crew

Ah, the main dealer valet crew.
One bucket of water with a squirt of Tesco Washing Up liquid to do 15 cars and a sponge that has been dropped on the ground 100 times.
What could possibly go wrong?

 

[MEMERC7]

I do worry that this detailing fad has gone a bit OTT, to the point of eccentricity & pedantry especially in the UK given our crap weather & all efforts destroyed within a mile or so. Promoted of course by those who have made a business of it & the manufacturers of all the polishes & potions. Got a sense it's an example of job creation the blight of the new century & being taken the mickey out of.
From the 1970's on I weekly washed company supplied cars using washing up liquid in water for bodywork & wheels. Most cars ran 150k miles over 5 years, non went back rusted or (as per both my Mercedes) with delaminated alloys where fitted. They may have been a tad micro-scratched but as the quality of paintwork was vastly superior (orange peel hadn't been invented) & most were ordered in silver it never showed. Sponges & chamois were used. If I was feeling conscientious then it was out with the yellow tin of Simoniz & not being a big girls blouse needed only moderate exertion to apply & buff up.
Come about 2006 on & using my money to buy a series of black sports cars for recreational use I ditched the washing up liquid, used the two bucket method, microcloths etc etc etc etc zzzzzzzzzzzz & still do. Halfords own brand washing liquid was & is perfectly acceptable (I'm no snob) & no difference WHATSOVER to certain over-priced expensively advertised brands. When unable to buy Simoniz for whatever reason Blue Humber or whatever its called was & remains no better. I do use a detailing spray which I confess does work but again cheapo Mer is no better than pricier brands tried. Foaming? Yes when car very very dirty as an initial process. Special polishes for alloy wheels? - do me a favour I'm not that gullible.
My standards are high (I even keep the undersides of my own cars washed down) & have rarely been disappointed with these procedures & have been the recipient of compliments by friends, neighbours & at various car shows.
In summary the detailing world has elements (note 'elements') of b.....t & flannel.

 

[BigJase88]

I do worry that this detailing fad has gone a bit OTT, to the point of eccentricity & pedantry especially in the UK given our crap weather & all efforts destroyed within a mile or so. Promoted of course by those who have made a business of it & the manufacturers of all the polishes & potions. Got a sense it's an example of job creation the blight of the new century & being taken the mickey out of.
From the 1970's on I weekly washed company supplied cars using washing up liquid in water for bodywork & wheels. Most cars ran 150k miles over 5 years, non went back rusted or (as per both my Mercedes) with delaminated alloys where fitted. They may have been a tad micro-scratched but as the quality of paintwork was vastly superior (orange peel hadn't been invented) & most were ordered in silver it never showed. Sponges & chamois were used. If I was feeling conscientious then it was out with the yellow tin of Simoniz & not being a big girls blouse needed only moderate exertion to apply & buff up.
Come about 2006 on & using my money to buy a series of black sports cars for recreational use I ditched the washing up liquid, used the two bucket method, microcloths etc etc etc etc zzzzzzzzzzzz & still do. Halfords own brand washing liquid was & is perfectly acceptable (I'm no snob) & no difference WHATSOVER to certain over-priced expensively advertised brands. When unable to buy Simoniz for whatever reason Blue Humber or whatever its called was & remains no better. I do use a detailing spray which I confess does work but again cheapo Mer is no better than pricier brands tried. Foaming? Yes when car very very dirty as an initial process. Special polishes for alloy wheels? - do me a favour I'm not that gullible.
My standards are high (I even keep the undersides of my own cars washed down) & have rarely been disappointed with these procedures & have been the recipient of compliments by friends, neighbours & at various car shows.
In summary the detailing world has elements (note 'elements') of b.....t & flannel.

When you start unbolting wheels and cleaning arches with a toothbrush things have gone too far

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Personally, I prefer not to judge.

 

[jamesfuller]

A vast majority of drivers don't look back at the car when they leave it, and don't really seem to care much despite paying huge amounts of money for it. If a car is clean, it's clean. Swirls, dings and light scrapes go unnoticed.
I'm not crazy fussy and some of the steps I see on this detailing section would be wasted on my cars as they will never be to that standard.
For me personally, I like the cars to look as smart as possible and to appear like someone actually cares about them. I accept small dings and scratches, I use and enjoy my cars so it happens, but I can easily not have dull paint so I do something to keep it that way.
I live on a farm and my driveway is just over a mile of track, so my cars are always dusty or worse, however, a well prepared car stays cleaner for longer, is easier to clean and most of the time a light shower as we had this morning rinses the dust off for me.

What I do find a bit weird, is when I go to classic car gatherings etc the paint on most of the cars are pretty bad, I'm not talking nice original cars with a story to tell, I mean the usual over restored show ponies that despite being 1-3 years out of an expensive restoration have obviously seen some vintage sponge and chamois action to get the dust and cobwebs off. I have actually been told by one old boy he washes it every time he takes it out and dusts it down as he puts it away. (I assume he was talking about his car we where looking at ) Would have been better used and left dirty if I'm honest

 

[ALFAitalia]

Detailing?...... Id never even heard that term for "cleaning the car" until relatively recently.....more nonsense adopted from the US of A!! The words don't even make a lot of sense when it comes to car cleaning either when you think about it ....detailing to me sounds like doing all the final little bits (like using an artists brush in the air vents etc) AFTER you have cleaned the car, as in the final details.....but now seem to mean the whole job of valeting the car.......I must be getting old!!!

......anyway I'm off to get the hoover out and "detail" my house!!!!

 

[Alex225]

When it comes to detailing, people love to try and out OCD others. I've been on Detailing World for nearly 15 years and you see all these weird and wonderful ideas. To the the extent one guy was rinsing his car with water from those water cooler bottles you see in offices!

I think there are some fundamental basics that don't cost the earth and just make a lot of sense over the old methods of washing a car.

1. Scrap a chamois for microfibre drying towels, use at least two per wash. They're more sympathetic on paint and they're just better at drying a car
2. Use a wash mitt instead of a sponge. Just that bit less likelihood of scratching the car
3. Use two buckets, one for rinsing the mitt and one to apply the soapy water

There's loads of nice products you can use and additional steps, decontamination (iron fallout and clay bars), polishing by hand or by machine, glazes, waxes, sealants, ceramic products, graphene products, coatings etc.

I'd say those three steps as a minimum is a good solid basis and a step on from methods of old. The rest is up to how far someone is willing to go.

 

[SpikyMikey]

When it comes to detailing, people love to try and out OCD others. I've been on Detailing World for nearly 15 years and you see all these weird and wonderful ideas. To the the extent one guy was rinsing his car with water from those water cooler bottles you see in offices!

I think there are some fundamental basics that don't cost the earth and just make a lot of sense over the old methods of washing a car.

1. Scrap a chamois for microfibre drying towels, use at least two per wash. They're more sympathetic on paint and they're just better at drying a car
2. Use a wash mitt instead of a sponge. Just that bit less likelihood of scratching the car
3. Use two buckets, one for rinsing the mitt and one to apply the soapy water

There's loads of nice products you can use and additional steps, decontamination (iron fallout and clay bars), polishing by hand or by machine, glazes, waxes, sealants, ceramic products, graphene products, coatings etc.

I'd say those three steps as a minimum is a good solid basis and a step on from methods of old. The rest is up to how far someone is willing to go.

Well, 2 outta 3 ain't bad.
2 bucket method
Noodle wash mitt
Drying towel - still favouring the Autoglym Aqua Dry synthetic Chamois.

 

[Alex225]

Well, 2 outta 3 ain't bad.
2 bucket method
Noodle wash mitt
Drying towel - still favouring the Autoglym Aqua Dry synthetic Chamois.

You're not a complete heathen then hahaha

I don't buy expensive drying towels, usually in packs of three where I can. They're very good and just chuck them in the washing machine. Usually last me quite a while.

A decent wax or sealant makes the car easier to dry too. A spray on product like Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic is super easy but the beading means the water is easier to dry off the car. Helps repel dirty too. Worth looking at to improve ease of washing if nothing else.