Thoughts on washing method?

[bombdiggity]

Okay, So I am limited by my apartment complex to detail my own car and it has brilliant black paint that still looks pretty good now.

My proposed solution:

Sonax on the rims before a touch less wash.

Run it through the wash. Ignore the the drying process and take it home and claybar it followed up with a light waxing in the garage.

Does this seem reasonable?

I saw the chemical guys had a water less wash, but I am leery of using only that product on my paint as a car wash.

Thoughts on this? The car washes in san diego scare me. If anyone has any ideas how to keep the paint looking good without having their own driveway, I am open to ideas.

Thanks,

Shawn

[b8audis4]

I wouldn't go through an automatic car wash. I would use something like Optimum No Rinse or look up the Garry Dean wash method. These are all good options that should work for what you are looking for.

[TD_05]

yeah auto wash is no bueno. furthermore, sonax needs to be rinsed after just a few minutes, and can't interact with a hot rim. So, you cant drive to a wash place after applying it. ONR is your best bet, especially with Gary Dean method

[Runge]

do you have access to water tap at your complex?

if not this is what I'd do

1 - if car is very dirty - take it to one of those self wash places, spray off any big chunks of dirt, could also do the rims.
2 - take it back to complex - do full waterless wash method with lots of clean towels/etc. Can do the one swipe of paint per side of microfiber towel.

Option 2 - find a friend and wash it at their place :)

[bombdiggity]

I have water access in my 4 car garage of our complex. Problem is if I used it, it doesn't drain very good if at all. I heard the sonax is really smelly so I'm a little cautious about it. I don't want to tick off the landlord, because they keep raising my rent. Haha


Thanks for the replies. I just saw them. Gary deans method is similar to the chemical guys no water Eco product.

You guys have used the no rinse before with good results?


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[bombdiggity]

I could do it at the ladies house but her driveway is pretty much full sun.


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[Runge]

I have water access in my 4 car garage of our complex. Problem is if I used it, it doesn't drain very good if at all. I heard the sonax is really smelly so I'm a little cautious about it. I don't want to tick off the landlord, because they keep raising my rent. Haha


Thanks for the replies. I just saw them. Gary deans method is similar to the chemical guys no water Eco product.

You guys have used the no rinse before with good results?


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if you have water, then I'd go that way instead of waterless especially on black. Who cares if it doesn't drain that quicky just take it easy that you don't spray the puddles because it will splash back on to your paint.

2 options for smell on sonax -
Option A: Don't use it, use something like Adams all purpose cleaner or any safe rim cleaner that doesn't eat the iron particles (ex sonax/adams deep wheel/etc)
Option B: - use sonax outside, wash it off with a couple big spray bottles, move car inside and good to go.

[b8audis4]

I have water access in my 4 car garage of our complex. Problem is if I used it, it doesn't drain very good if at all. I heard the sonax is really smelly so I'm a little cautious about it. I don't want to tick off the landlord, because they keep raising my rent. Haha


Thanks for the replies. I just saw them. Gary deans method is similar to the chemical guys no water Eco product.

You guys have used the no rinse before with good results?


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Honestly sonax smells bad but not that bad. Stuff like autofiness oblitarate will make sonax smell amazing. Lol.

Use the water that you have access to. That is the best way with 3 buckets.

The no rinse method works well. I know it works well for people with water restrictions but for me I enjoy washing. Plus you will have to use water for your wheel cleaning.

If you want a good wheel cleaner that smells decent go with P21s.

I am honestly thinking of trying the no rinse method. Just don't know if I want to make the investment when I already have a good system!

[helix139]

if you have water, then I'd go that way instead of waterless especially on black. Who cares if it doesn't drain that quicky just take it easy that you don't spray the puddles because it will splash back on to your paint.

2 options for smell on sonax -
Option A: Don't use it, use something like Adams all purpose cleaner or any safe rim cleaner that doesn't eat the iron particles (ex sonax/adams deep wheel/etc)
Option B: - use sonax outside, wash it off with a couple big spray bottles, move car inside and good to go.

This is good advice. Use the Sonax outside with spray bottles for rinsing or just use a long hose, then roll the car inside and wash. Use either 2 buckets or one bucket and use the hose and a firehose nozzle on high pressure to spray off your mitt outside the bucket.

Since the garage doesn't drain well, just get yourself a big push broom and sweep most of the water and suds outside.

[bombdiggity]

Yeah I can't go high pressure method. There is not one electrical outlet in the garage. They hard wired everything!

Besides I would probably muck up the neighbors cars in the garage.

I think I will try the chemical guys waterless post rim clean outside the garage and report back.

Thanks guys!


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[helix139]

Yeah I can't go high pressure method. There is not one electrical outlet in the garage. They hard wired everything!

Besides I would probably muck up the neighbors cars in the garage.

I think I will try the chemical guys waterless post rim clean outside the garage and report back.

Thanks guys!


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FYI I didn't mean a pressure washer. I meant a nozzle for a standard hose on a high pressure setting.

[MarcWinkman]

Get yourself two five gallon buckets with grit guards, a boat load of microfiber towels, some Optimum No Rinse and a gallon of Adam's Waterless Wash (to use as a primer/pre-soak). Do the wheels outside with the Sonax Full Effect and then move inside. Saturate the car with Waterless Wash then go about using the Optimum No Rinse as instructed on the label. DO NOT BE SHY ABOUT USING MANY MICROFIBER TOWELS TO COMPLETE THE CAR! As an added pointer, before wiping each panel that is washed with ONR dry, mist the panel with a good detail spray (Adam's, Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Zaino, etc.) then dry the panel that was just ONR washed.

[LOMartin]

Just finished washing my car.

I also do not have access to water or a covered area to wash the car.

Soo, I set off to wash my car on the street meter parking.

items used,

-two home depot white buckets with lids
-10 yellow (classic) microfiber towels from DD (for the wash solution)
-2 large blue micro fiber towels form the auto store for drying/buffing
-brushes for rims
-one liter pump pressure sprayer from DD (with double dose ONR)
-ONR

First bucket held the 10 yellow towels with ONR solution, second bucket was cleanwater. The water was added in the house and carried down 4 floors to the car. I filled them with 3 gallons each. The spray was used to soak the area heavily, the car was dirty after a 600mile road trip and 2 weeks without wash. I used 4 gallons in the sprayer.

I would do section by section drying as I would go along. the rims I left until the end.

I just had the paint corrected and opti-coat applied by Scheer Signature Detailing down in Miami. Its seems as if the car is staying cleaner and the dirt just falls off easier. Is this all in my head? first time using ONR I was amazed!!!

Quick iPhone captures,


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/Larrym84/8B7ABD67-FAF6-4A61-894D-F4311941DB5A.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/Larrym84/media/8B7ABD67-FAF6-4A61-894D-F4311941DB5A.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/Larrym84/C7095E36-C99B-4A79-B196-6C2C211292AC.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/Larrym84/media/C7095E36-C99B-4A79-B196-6C2C211292AC.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/Larrym84/1E9D99EF-F69B-45B8-8590-301A1656051A.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/Larrym84/media/1E9D99EF-F69B-45B8-8590-301A1656051A.jpg.html)


temp was 64* with heavy cloud cover and misting rain as I was finishing up.

[bombdiggity]

Wow!! That looks great.

I'm in the same boat though. My garage is like 100 yards away down 3 floors. Fortunately I have a spicket there for water.

I am going to meet up with a popular local detailer later this week. He said he would show me how he does waterless washing. He sells the product and the towels with it. He told me his product is better than the chemical guys as it does not look hazy post wash.

I was thinking of having this guy do an opticote treatment for me but he recommends c quarts instead.

Choices choices. Hahaha


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[bombdiggity]

I originally tried the chemical guys Eco wash. Waterless spray cleaner and it was effective but I used like 12 mf towels and I didn't like how I had to buff out the wax at the end as it was easy to leave it streaky looking and would require more application of the product. One car wash with the Eco wash took about 10 ounces of the cleaner and there is only 16 in a bottle that did not include the rims.

I looked into using a product like ONR but chemical guys makes one similar called hose free Eco wash and it was only 10$ for a bottle and I wanted to buy some other stuff from them. So I tried it yesterday with the two bucket method. You basically wash a section and keep cleaning your mitt on the grit guard in the rinse bucket, until you are finished with a large section and then you dry it. The only issue I had was that where the car was in direct sunlight of my garage it streaked up pretty quick as the surface was hot. When the car was all done. I did the rims with sonax and a misting hose. Then did a quick wipe with chemical guys VD7 quick spray and the car looks amazing. I estimate that I used about 12 gallons of water total including the rims and it turned out great.

I definitely need to clay the car but maybe I will have that done somewhere.



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