Winter Washing Tips?

[jdthompson]

Now that winter is coming, how do you deal with the increased crud when washing?



I've had a new Boxster for about three weeks, and whilst I've lurked here for a few years I've really taken on board a lot of info to keep the Boxster in top condition, so I'm doing the 2 bucket wash, grit guards in both buckets, Gold Class shampoo, Eurow Mitts etc.



I noticed last week that even after a fairly average week the sides of the car are getting covered in mud and dirt because it's raining more often so there is more gunk flying around.



I tend to use a hosepipe to try and rinse off as much dirt as possible before washing, but it seems that even after a very short pass the mitt is black and full of crud.



I do have a pressure washer which came with a very basic detergent sprayer, but I tend not to use it for washing the car simply because it takes longer to get it connected than it does to unravel the hose.



So should I be using the pressure washer? Am I simply not being patient enough by not wanting to rinse the mitt out every two feet?



I'd appreciate any tips.



TIA,

Paul

 

[Bigpoppa3346]

If it's too cold to wash outside, use something like ONR or QEW in the garage. If you can work outside, rinse the mitt often, and perhaps look into something like a foamgun to pre-treat to loosen grime.

 

[slippy]

I have had good luck using a 1 or 2liter Garden sprayer,filled with a fairly strong shampoo/ water mix.Spray the dirtiest areas down with this first,let it sit a few mins,then rinse with a strong spray from your hose.

 

[BlueLibby04]

I just use warm water in the bucket and take it like a man. :up

 

[Accumulator]

hutchingsp- Your dilemma is exactly why I started experimenting with the BHB/foamgun combo!



Noting that, yeah, setup/etc. can be a time-consuming hassle...



What bugged me is that after the first inch or so, your wash media is, as you've noticed, filthy, and that filth can mar your paint. To avoid this, I find that blasting the foamgun's output at the point where a BHB contacts (very gently, I might add) the paintwork works great. The BHB's bristles gently dislodge the dirt, the sudsy foam flushes it away (BHB's rinse clean like nothing else I've ever tried). With that method I can *finally* avoid all the wash-induced marring I used to get during the winter. I still rinse the BHB in my rinse bucket frequently, but sometimes the rinse water is still clean at the end of a wash; the foamgun has flushed away so much dirt that there was virtually nothing stuck to the brush when I rinsed it out.



Not sure where you'll find foamguns in the UK, but they shoud be available some place.

 

[jdthompson]

Foam Guns are pretty simple to get hold of, though they aren't especially cheap.



Someone on another forum suggested trying the detergent sprayer that came with my pressure washer with some ordinary car shampoo and letting it sit and soak, and it did seem to work quite well. It won't shift traffic film but it did shift most of the grime, and I suspect it would shift more with a slightly "grippier" shampoo/foam concentrate, which is what I'm going to look into next - Gold Class produces a lot of suds but it used a lot and it doesn't really stick.



Interesting that you mention a BHB, my gut reaction is that any sort of brush/bristles on paint sounds like a really bad idea?

 

[Accumulator]

Interesting that you mention a BHB, my gut reaction is that any sort of brush/bristles on paint sounds like a really bad idea?

Depends on the brush and the technique The foamgun/BHB combo seems to be unique (I used a BHB "normally" for years before getting the foamgun). The presoak method you mentioned is helpful, but IMO the big benefit of the foamgun (and only a foamgun will do this as far as I know) is the way it'll flush the dirt away from the paint and out of the BHB's bristles before it can scratch the paint.



Test a BHB on a CD (wet CD, BHB wet with shampoo mix, gentle pressure similar to what you'll really use when washing). My BHBs pass the CD test when tested that way, no scratches. That's sorta a baseline starting point, no point in using a brush that'll scratch on its own!



Used with the foamgun method (and it takes some practice, no question about it!) I can get through winter without having to polish, only way I can do that.



Used without my level of care/practice, a BHB *will* result in some light marring, but not, IMO worse than most people get with mitts anyhow. The marring comes from the dirt, not the BHB, though it might appear that the brush is to blame because of the way the marring looks. I recommend BHBs to non-Autopian friends and their vehicles appear (not like I really study them ) to have less marring than then did when washed with mitts. This is, IMO, due to the free-rinsing nature of the BHBs, they don't hold grit the way a mitt can. And the BHB lends itself to gentle contact (don't press so hard that you really bend the bristles); many people have trouble maintaining very gentle contact with the paint when they use a mitt, especially if they wear it like a glove.



Note that if you just "jiggle" the BHB, instead of making big swiping motions, any marring will be much finer; a 1/4" scratch doesn't show like a 4" one. This can work with a mitt too.



If using the BHB without a foamgun I'd rinse it *FREQUENTLY*, as in several times per panel (which is IMO a bigger hassle than using the foamgun). If using a mitt without a foamgun I'd fill the mitt with shampoo solution and hold it shut by the cuff, then gently whisk it across the paitn while the shampoo seeps out.