BirdsOnly

DONT USE DAWN
I dont know about "drying out your paint", hopefully the car comes from the factory with fully dry paint . But dawn, especially a **** load of it will strip every last bit of wax you have on the car, in one shot.

Gipraw

iTrader: (10)

wow .. Interesting thread.....

NEVER wash your car with just water .. you need the lubricity of the soap to allow you to remove the dirt from the paint without the smaller particles causing scratching .. if it is dusty, use a quick detailing spray and a good microfiber towel, if it is dirty, wash it correctly with a good quality car shampoo, mixed with water at the correct ratio.

While waxing your car often is not a bad thing .. this comment about soap removing all the wax is, in general, wrong. if you use the wrong type of soap (dawn, etc) or you improperly use a good car shampoo (mix using the wrong soap to water ratio) then you can cause big problems .. if you properly use a good quality car shampoo, it will not greatly shorten the durability of your wax .. that said .. only wash when needed (see QD comment above), because washing is one of the easiest ways to introduce defects to your paint.


hmm .. this is just flat wrong, on several levels .. In all my years of detailing .. I have never found a brush that I feel totally comfrotable using on paint .. there are a few that are serviceable when absolutely needed, but using one as part of a normal wash routine is not a good idea. If it is not a boar's hair brush, it IS scratching your paint.

EVERYTIME you wash your car with dawn, you are removing ALL of the protection for the paint.. a wash with dawn once in a blue moon has its purposes .. using it as part of a normal wash routine is paint suicide.



allblacksrt4 .. as for your problem .. some of the comments here are dead on ..

Make sure you are not washing your vehicle when it is hot, and stay in the shade .. if you have trouble getting it all washed and rinsed before it starts dryig on you, then get a friend to help you by continually rinsing the car until you are done. when done washing, use the hose without a nozzle from top to bottom to allow the water to sheet off .. you will have less to dry .. then use a leaf blower, if possible, then blot the rest dry with a waffle weave microfiber. Use a QD spray while you are drying off, if you still have spotting trouble .. that will usually minimize it.

Aside from your hard water, and air drying causing your spots, mixing your car wash soap too strongly, and not rinsing well will also cause spots ..

as for the water softner idea .. it has a lot of merit .. Mr. Clean Autodry is junk, in my opinion, as is any other "softner" that is in expensive .. if you are interested in a good one .. do a search on google for Spot Free 1000 water filter .. that one is good quality, and fairly inexpensive (a little over $300)


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01bird58

iTrader: (9)

I read here on the boards that Dawn will literally dry out your paint too much and cause cracks/spider webbing. Its too powerful for paint. Think of it like washing your face too much and getting dry skin.

BirdsOnly

I would love to know how long you guys think a good wax lasts on a black car in the summer?

01bird58

iTrader: (9)

^ I think it all varies on how often you wash the car, whether its driven in bad conditions, if its left outside 24 hrs etc.

BirdsOnly

Without driving in the rain, if it is left in a driveway, and not washed, a good waxing will last no more than 2 weeks in 85 degree plus heat. However a good waxes UV blocking agents will last longer than that. Waxes do not last very long in the summer, especially on black cars.

bayer-z28

iTrader: (14)

Sorry I skipped most of this thread. ..

I use the water blade then dry w/ absorber IMMEDIATELY after washing...w e have BAD hard water here too. If I don't dry it'll stay white..

NightWindDriftr

iTrader: (4)

With light use, Dawn will not dry out your paint nor your clear coat. It's not meant for frequent use and works very well at stripping old wax. The washing face analogy is good, but in such an instance, you would adjust the amount of product you're using to avoid the drying effect. Dawn doesn't have to be used in a "crapload" concentration.

Are you sure that your waterspots are coming from your wash, and that they weren't there before? Water needs to sit or "bake" on the clearcoat in order to leave spots. If you're drying your car as fast as you say, you shouldn't be getting water spots. I would take a before-and-after pic of a small section of your car, both pre and post wash to double-check. I doubt that you're getting waterspots if you're quickly drying your car.

If you have very hard water, you may want to make sure that you're washing your car in the shade, and during cooler temperatures. Also consider washing a part of your car at a time. I have no experience with water softners, but I also deal with very hard water here in Idaho. I know how much of a PITA it can be to keep the water off of your car, but at the same time having to wash your car with that water!

Cleaner wax can remove light waterspots, but compounding and polishing does it the best. When you do manage to get rid of the waterspots, get a good coat of sealant or wax on there to temperarily proof your car from the waterspotting.

Lastly, I'm also against sponges and brushes. You may find that they "transfer" or "generate" more suds, but this is done through the friction of the material between itself and your clearcoat. Friction = marring. You want as "touchless" of a handwash as you can get! When I take my mitt to my car, I BARELY graze over the car with it!

I tend to agree with Gipraw's comments. He knows what he's talking about.

I probably should clean my car up (just got back from a deployment), but it's cold outside and I don't have a garage.

BirdsOnly

I agree. And definelty check to see if you have water spots in the same place before and after the wash. The spots could be "baked" into the clear coat. But that is nothing some fine compound cant get rid of.

nahasapeemapetalon

iTrader: (9)

Full Out Waxing Your Car Every 2 Weeks Seems Ridiculus. I Am Not An Expert At This But What Do You Guys Think Is A Regular Interval For Waxing? What About If You Use Like Mcquires Spray On Stuff Occasionally?
My Car Is Black. I Dont Wax It Near That Often.

01bird58

iTrader: (9)

Meguiars spray on wax is to get a final shine on your car after a washing, nothing more, it offers no real protection. I feel safe waxing my car once every 1-2 months and im in New York.

BirdsOnly

I am in new york too, I would say I wax my car about once a month. The spray wax does offer some UV protection, but not much else.

The only disadvantage to waxing too much is you have a greater chance of scratching your own paint on accident.

FLA02TA

iTrader: (5)

Just break down and take it to a bay-wash that uses pressure spray with a spot-free rinse cycle. Always comes out perfect for me. 5-7$ cost each two weeks, which is peanuts for good looks. I even started using their touchless waxes and it comes out nice.

Blackbirdws6

iTrader: (7)

When I dry my car, I will get most of the water off with one waffle weave microfiber following by another while using some spray shine wax. I haven't seen a water spot in years with this method . I do want to pick up a leaf blower to give that a shot.

-brian

angrychicken

if you use the water hose, just take off any nozzle that you are using. and let the water "flow" onto your car. The water will collect the little water bubbles when it flows. Then dry your car with a towel that you use. But put the towel flat on your car and "pat" down your car to dry it off. This also prevents scratches. I use this method on my car and on my truck which is black. They come out pretty. But do it in the shade. And use two buckets of water. One for your car soap and one for the dirty water.

ls1chris

i know what you mean i have to filter our drinkign water its that bad.But when i was the car i will clean the car like normal working, Top to bottom then the wheels and tires. Then i will take and lightly mist the car down with water and take either Mcquires Quick Detailer or DuraGloss Quick detailer and spray the car wile still damp and wipe with a microfiber towel and any spot i miss just spray and wipe. but i only use the detailer inbetween waxing and for quick touch ups Heres my car after just a wash and quick detail i didnt have time to wax and it turned out pretty good i think