The cheap, lazy man's car wash.

[C.O. Jones]

I hate to wash cars but I like my car to look nice. My method takes less than 10 minutes.

Equipment- softest 8-12 inch bristle brush with 4ft wood handle, bucket and any car wash WITH wax, cheap squeejee.

I put about 1/2 gallon HOT water in the bucket and add 3-5 capfulls of car wash. Then, I wet the car and scrub with the brush. Great thing about the brush with the handle is I never have to bend down, not even for the wheels.

The rinse is everything. Remember, this is the lazy man's car wash, so the less you do, the better. Take the nozzle off the hose, turn the water on full blast, hold it close to the car and starting at the top, barely rinse the car, you should still see some soap bubbles. Seriously, if you over-rinse, you leave just tap water on the car which will dry to spots. I squeegee the glass just because I'm anal about seeing spots as I drive, but this is optional.

Is it perfect? No, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being a car dried with a fresh new chamois, this one will rank 7-9, but like I said, I'm lazy.

 

[falconguy]

Do you own a body shop?

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Do you know how much swirls that will leave on your car and the potential for leaving scratches if your brush is dirty?

 

[04SpecV]

LOL

This is a joke isn't it

 

[C.O. Jones]

The brush I use isn't the car wash type brush. It's about as soft as a good quality paint brush and of course its perfectly clean every time. Never has a scratch problem.

 

[SSDude]

quote:

---

Originally posted by C.O. Jones:
I hate to wash cars but I like my car to look nice. My method takes less than 10 minutes.

Equipment- softest 8-12 inch bristle brush with 4ft wood handle, bucket and any car wash WITH wax, cheap squeejee.

I put about 1/2 gallon HOT water in the bucket and add 3-5 capfulls of car wash. Then, I wet the car and scrub with the brush. Great thing about the brush with the handle is I never have to bend down, not even for the wheels.

The rinse is everything. Remember, this is the lazy man's car wash, so the less you do, the better. Take the nozzle off the hose, turn the water on full blast, hold it close to the car and starting at the top, barely rinse the car, you should still see some soap bubbles. Seriously, if you over-rinse, you leave just tap water on the car which will dry to spots. I squeegee the glass just because I'm anal about seeing spots as I drive, but this is optional.

Is it perfect? No, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being a car dried with a fresh new chamois, this one will rank 7-9, but like I said, I'm lazy.

---

Never! I like my car too much. I would rather see it remain dirty.

 

[tom slick]

if your brush is clean and good quality, and you are not a obsessive compulsive detailer, C.O. Jones' trick should work just fine. if you are afraid of the brushes at the carwash just give them a blast with the sprayer before you use them.
Griot's garage sells a brush for washing, and they are specialists show quality detailing.

 

[1sttruck]

I basically ruined the finish on a newer Honda Civic due to using a dirty brush at a car wash, as it left a mass of fine scratches all over the car. Never used one again.

 

[Cadude]

If you are going to do it with a brush, I've heard good things about Meguiar's Versa Angle Wide Body Brush.

I've been tempted to order it along with their tire and wheel brush but think I'll let a few more folks experiment with it first.

 

[Thatwouldbegreat]

I just use my [low pressure] pressure washer that lets me spray water at an acceptable pressure, or spray car wash soap from a external reservoir at low pressure.

Fairly fast and easy to a decent finish.

1- Spray the car

2-Soap the car heavily and let it soak a minute

3-Rinse

4-Soap the car heavily and let it soak a minute

5-Spray wheels with cleaner and brush

6-Rinse

7-Wash the car with a 2 good micro fiber wash mitts, one for the body and one for the lower body panels

8-Rinse

9-Wax with micro fiber cloth

10-Polish with micro fiber cloth

Then I can vinyl protect, clean glass and do the interior...if I have time.

I've seen too many cars scratched by brushes.

Touchless car washes, or coin operated car washes with a spray wand are good enough to wash salt or dirt of the cars...but they will still leave a film.

During the winter I'm happy to spray the car, wheel wells and underside clean and not worry about the film, as long as I have good wax on the car.

 

[Alex P.]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cadude:
If you are going to do it with a brush, I've heard good things about Meguiar's Versa Angle Wide Body Brush.

I've been tempted to order it along with their tire and wheel brush but think I'll let a few more folks experiment with it first.

---

They're OK. I don't get much use out of them, as I can reach everything on my car with a mitt and I don't mind crouching for the bottom. The tire brush is almost useless to me, as I prefer using a scrubber. The body brush is pretty soft, didn't scratch the paint. I would be paranoid about keeping it clean if I used it more. The wheel brush is almost as soft, actually, it does a decent job on painted wheels. I prefer using a mitt+car soap on painted/clearcoated wheels, and perhaps a Magic Eraser to take off brake dust when necessary. Don't mix up the wheel and body brushes by mistake while washing.

 

[Schism]

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1sttruck:
I basically ruined the finish on a newer Honda Civic due to using a dirty brush at a car wash, as it left a mass of fine scratches all over the car. Never used one again.

---

Thats a simple fix really, get some light cut paint polish(aka, rubbing compound), and with some elbow grease and buffing 99% of your scratches should be gone.

Brushes aren't the safest, but some of them are fine when kept clean. The soaps with wax I have used have to be rinsed off completely, otherewise there are streaks.

A tip for fewer water spots is to wash in the shade, either in the morning, or early evening. Less heat, less spots. Atleast that is what I have noticed.