Car Shampoo Recommendations

AlanD

For those of you who use a power washer at home, what car shampoo do you use?

At my home place we used to have an industrial power washer with detergent coming from a huge barrell. I could wash a car with just the power hose and it'd be shining. No sponging, no wiping dry But with the detergent I got with my power washer, all it does is leave lots of white residue on the paintwork. Worse now cos it's a black car.

What detergent do some of you folks use? If you spray the detergent on, will it just wash off nicely with no residue or do you find you still have to wipe the car clean with a chamois or cloth afterwards?

Thanks

peasant

I use just a teensy bit of ordinary washing up liquid, which helps to dissolve caked dirt nicely.

If I want a proper shampoo / wax job I use a bucket and elbow grease.

Wiping the car down after a wash always is a good idea, otherwise drying droplets will stain the paint.

Seth Brundle

Isn't washing up liquid bad for the lacquer on the paintwork?

PauloMN

As far as I'm concerned, you can't wash a car properly without sponging it. I have a relatively powerful spray washer and while it removes most dirt on its own, it doesn't get it all.

I use Halfords own brand car shampoo and it's fine. I rinse the car fully until it's soaked to loosen, wash with a bucket and sponge with plenty of suds, and rinse off with the normal hose. I do sections at a time - roof first, then windows, then sides/front etc.. I always chamois the car afterwards as we live in a hard water area, and my car is black - the water stains are bad if I don't.

peasant

kbannon wrote: »

Isn't washing up liquid bad for the lacquer on the paintwork?

could be ...

I only use it to cover the car in suds, leave for a few minutes (apply brush if necessary) and then hose down with plenty of fresh water.

The power washer only mixes the detergent in when it's on a low setting (spray or brush)


anyway ...no longer a problem... laquer, what laquer ??

zilog_jones

kbannon wrote: »

Isn't washing up liquid bad for the lacquer on the paintwork?

I've heard this too. I use the Halfords shampoo as well. Don't use a power washer though, just one of those cotton sponge things and a harder sponge for wheels and bumpers and stuff.

Also, that Meguiars clay bar kit (with wax and some sort of spray) is awesome.

prospect

Washing up liquid has a lot of salt in it. Salt = Bad.

Power washers + Ordinary sponges rub dirt & grit against the paint causing tiny scratches that appear as swirls, particularly on dark cars. Scratches = Bad

1. Rinse your car with an open ended hose.
2. Fill two buckets, one with warm soapy water (proper car shampoo like Meguiars) and the other with clean water.
3. using a deep pile wash mit, clean the dirty-est parts of the cbody work, rinsing the mit regularly and thoroughly in the bucket of water, and soaping it afterwards in the bucket of soapy water.
4. After a good once over, change the water in both buckets, and wash the car properly panel by panel, from the top down. Rinse each panel immediately after washing, and dry them immediately after rinsing with a clean chamois.

Finish by washing your wheels and tyres with a regular sponge.

PauloMN

zilog_jones wrote: »

Also, that Meguiars clay bar kit (with wax and some sort of spray) is awesome.

I don't wish to hijack the thread - the OP may be interested to hear this as well - but does the clay bar remove swirl marks?

The paint work on my car is very good overall, but when washed and waxed, it is slightly let down by small swirls which are visible on a sunny day. If the clay bar sorted them, that'd be great. Don't mind the elbow grease involved if it fixes the problem.

TomMc

Washing up liquid contains salt and should not be used. Shampoos need to be mild as well, with no caustic chemicals, otherwise they will strip wax or sealant protection. All the best shampoos tend only to be available online but you should be able to get Sonax Gloss Shampoo in any decent motor factors (that are Hella agents, their distributors in Ireland). They are world renowned for their shampoos and screenwash concentrates. It is an excellent shampoo for intensive cleaning but still gentle on paint. AutoGlym's is OK but does not foam well so not great for tackling dirt safely (and so avoiding swirls), but the conditioners are good for the paint. Meguiar's Gold Glass Shampoo is another decent one which should be easy to get hold of.

TomMc

PauloMN wrote: »

I don't wish to hijack the thread - the OP may be interested to hear this as well - but does the clay bar remove swirl marks?

The paint work on my car is very good overall, but when washed and waxed, it is slightly let down by small swirls which are visible on a sunny day. If the clay bar sorted them, that'd be great. Don't mind the elbow grease involved if it fixes the problem.

Clay removes bonded contaminants, it does not remove swirls - and if not used properly (well lubricated) it will add to the defects.

peasant

Washing up liquid contains salt and should not be used

My car is parked about five minutes walk from the seafront at work every day. On a day when the waves are high and the wind is right, it will have a visible salty coating by the evening.

So I'm not really that worried about the minute amounts of salt that may be contained in a highly diluted washing up liquid solution

TomMc

peasant wrote: »

My car is parked about five minutes walk from the seafront at work every day. On a day when the waves are high and the wind is right, it will have a visible salty coating by the evening.

So I'm not really that worried about the minute amounts of salt that may be contained in a highly diluted washing up liquid solution

Many people refuse to buy/import a (Northern) UK based car due to all the salt they put on the roads during winter time. For much the same reason you could limit your cars kerb appeal to would be buyers by allowing exposure to excess amounts of salt (over time), and so damaging its paint. Some marine products work well on cars that are based in coastal areas, so all is not lost - if you care

cantdecide

For flat coloured cars- (I've had 3 black cars) a little washing up liquid (like a tablepoon full), sponge, wash and rinse the area you're on and keep everything you've done wet.

Just before dusk is the best time, I find.

The trick is to wash the car a second time very quicky- like a 2 minute runover- most of the time I don't even change the water (unless it was crawling with dirt of course). Car always comes up twice as shiny.

Chamois, of course and clean your glass inside and out- it makes an enormous difference.

cantdecide

people are more concerned obout the undersides of UK cars from the salt. Regular care (that they're usually given) is enought to keep paint pristine in my obsevation.

peasant

TomMc wrote: »

Many people refuse to buy/import a (Northern) UK based car due to all the salt they put on the roads during winter time. For much the same reason you could limit your cars kerb appeal to would be buyers by allowing exposure to excess amounts of salt (over time), and so damaging its paint. Some marine products work well on cars that are based in coastal areas, so all is not lost - if you care

When I still had a car with normal paint, I quick washed it about every four weeks and did a shampoo/wax/polish job twice a year.

The paint work was fine, no signs of salt damage.

Salt, mixed with moist dirt and grime, sitting in innacessible nooks and folds under the car unchecked for months, accelerating rust and corrosion, is an altogehter different matter.

bucks

Washing up liquid is deadly for a cars paint, i wouldnt dream of putting it any where near the paint work.

For washing ive used both the Autoglym and Simoniz

Also do not use a sponge on a car, particles of dirt get caught in them and youll end up with small scratches... you a wool mit or micro fiber mit instead.

I power hose down my car to remove the majority of the dirt, then fill a bucket with warm water, add the shampoo and rub down the car with the wools mit. Once finished i get another few buckets of warm water to rinse of the car and dry with microfiber cloths.

TomMc

peasant wrote: »

When I still had a car with normal paint, I quick washed it about every four weeks and did a shampoo/wax/polish job twice a year.

The paint work was fine, no signs of salt damage.

Salt, mixed with moist dirt and grime, sitting in innacessible nooks and folds under the car unchecked for months, accelerating rust and corrosion, is an altogehter different matter.

Ah well not much point waxing a car if you are going to use even small amounts of washing up liquid to wash it all the time. Salt air (never mind the washing) is corrosive too and so frequent gentle washes are prudent. If salt is left over for any period of time, neither polishing nor claying will remove the deposits that seep below the clear coat and the colour coat (they are porous) and down to the metal. Rusting results from the inside out, not the other way round. I have a colleague from Sandymount so have seen it first hand myself. Traffic film removers and degreasers would be a better option once in a while at the very least, for general maintenance and the more major cleaning jobs.

Anyway each to their own.:D

AlanD

thanks for all that.

I do know that washing up liquid is a no no.

Power washing a car on a weekly basis will always keep it shining, if you start with a shining car first off. Did it all the time I lived at home. I just can't find the right detergent now to prevent the scum that never appeared when I used our power washer from home. I used to wash 7-10 cars daily (grew up in motor industry) and it was seldom I'd have to get a sponge out to wash a car. Although to get them shining if they were scummy I'd use a chamois but if they were shining before the dust storm or whatever came in, then it'd still be shining after the power wash

I'll give the cheapo Halfords stuff a try anyway and see.

MercMad

AlanD wrote: »

thanks for all that.

I do know that washing up liquid is a no no.

Power washing a car on a weekly basis will always keep it shining, if you start with a shining car first off. Did it all the time I lived at home. I just can't find the right detergent now to prevent the scum that never appeared when I used our power washer from home. I used to wash 7-10 cars daily (grew up in motor industry) and it was seldom I'd have to get a sponge out to wash a car. Although to get them shining if they were scummy I'd use a chamois but if they were shining before the dust storm or whatever came in, then it'd still be shining after the power wash

I'll give the cheapo Halfords stuff a try anyway and see.

............as mentioned washing up liquid is a no no, especially on non metallics !

However I wouldn't power wash a car regularly either, but the main reason you have spots is down to the water being supplied !

It has too much lime (or other) in it. We had the same problem and now have an in-line water filter. No more spotting !

Then again a chamois is far easier !!

fletch

Here's my standard wash

1. Apply soap using powerhose
2. Powerhose off the soap and get the heavy dirt off the wheels
3. Clean wheels using sponge and car shampoo
4. Rinse off using clean water
5. Wash each side of car using a lambs wool mitt and car shampoo, rinse off each section before moving to next section
6. A final once over with the powerhose
7. Dry using chamois

Additional steps can be

• Rain-X the windows (not the windscreen as I find the wiper smears it)
• Apply gel to tyres
• Clay
• Polish
• Wax
• Buff

Oh and in answer to the OP's question, I tend to use Meguiars products.

Marcus.Aurelius

Why would you dry the car? Water marks aren't going to damage the paint. Sounds temporarily cosmetic at best

TomMc

The minerals in hard water leave spots behind if left to dry out naturally. Distilled vinegar removes them if tackled early on, but if left any longer they can etch on to the finish and spoil the look. Need machine polishing to remove. Cosmetic yes, but water spots to some are like acne to others!

prospect

maoleary wrote: »

Why would you dry the car? Water marks aren't going to damage the paint. Sounds temporarily cosmetic at best

Washing a car is temporarily cosmetic in most cases. Whats your point?

bbability

Well from being brought up in a house with a father who has used a bucket and sponge to wash his car once a week (even on holidays it was put in the boot!) and still to this day will not put his car through or near a car wash... Here's his method (and mine to a degree)

All you require is one bucket of warm water one sponge, Cap full of Zip Carwash (Turtlewax). Wash car completley. Then empty bucket. Clean wheels with fresh bucket (of even half will do) another small sponge, j-cloth. Rinse car with 2 buckets of cold water and dry off with good quality leather chamois. If its done once a week its not hard to do or time consuming.
Car is polished twice a year (Before Summer and Before Winter) with good quality wax. A few to choose from more recently he's been using AutoGlym Products from polishing and finishing car.
There was a time he would paint his tyre's but now he's using Autoglym Tyre Dressing.

Flaccus

Sorry to hijack this thread, but seeing as we are talking about car care - I used keep my car immaculate and swirl free for the last 9 months till my brother washed it with a sponge and not it's swirl city...spiderwebbing on bonnet, and straight marring on the sidepanels.

Was thinking of going down the route of what alot of meguairs users do...clay + meguairs deep crystal paint cleaner + scratch-x + deep crystal polish + ntx-tech wax is highly recommended combination on their forums. But I have yet to see anything remove swirls by hand. Was wondering if there is *anyone* in the Limerick/Clare region that knows how to professionally machine buff a car and remove swirls. If not, what is the recommended tool to do this. I have heard orbital buffers are safe but don't do much for taking out swirls, whereas a porta cable works but requires skill.

cantdecide

I think the people have some real hocus pocus for wahing cars. I wash my car thoroughly and carefully and I always get outstanding results. Most polishes improvements are only academic.

TomMc

You won't remove swirls by hand. The best you can hope for, is to fill them in so they are not really noticeable. The fillers wash out eventually but some products do a better job than others. The Porter Cable or Ultimate Detailing Machine and the very best polishes will remove them but only after possibly hundreds of hours of practice with a polisher first, to gain the relevant skill factor. It could literally take days too (with an orbital polisher) if it is on a car with hard paint - usually the German ones. A rotary polisher is the best option to tackle same but should only be used by a craftsman. Most bodyshops do not buff paints to a flawless finish (or at least under halogen lighting), they are not prepared to go to that standard on time taken / cost grounds alone. They want vehicles in and out as quickly as possible. Even if they have the skill, and eye for detail, which is by no means the norm. Otherwise you could run up a massive bill on the hourly rate. Unless you know or find someone in your area that works in a bodyshop (master craftsman) or high end detailer/valetor who is prepared to do it in their spare time, it would otherwise cost several hundreds of Euro. And avoid anyone who says it can be done professionally in just a few short hours for valeting type money. They are usually chancers and just use glazes (full of fillers), skip over the paint and leave holograms and buffer trails behind.

Flaccus

Thanks for the excellent advice TomMC. I never post on this forum but it sounds like you work in the area and are well experienced. The hand approach it is so. I would be nervous of using a machine as I know I don't have the skill required and I don't trust any of the body shops in the Limerick area considering I once had a bonnet resprayed which came back with light swirl marks.

For the last 9 months I have always been so careful myself...as I said for months I have avoided any swirls (maybe would have been visible under halogen lamp conditions but definitely not visible in strong sunlight), and followed the usual recommendations for detailing as recommended on forums like meguiars, carcareonline, autopia etc.. and spend loads to on all top products. So it was a shame this happened. The last car I had which got swirled by the dealer washing it (a red octavia, flat paint) I was able to got pretty decent results with 3M IHG but was only a temporary solution I had to keep reapplying. I might go down this road again. Or try Meguairs scratch-x. I hear if you perservere and do 1 small area at a time (maybe 2 or 3 goes) the diminishing abrasives can definitely improve things. I would only be looking at doing the bonnet, front and rear wings, and rear spoiler. They are the most noticeable. And follow up with some NXT Tech wax which has some good filling properties and only lightly abrasive. Car is metallic blue.

Personally I would prefer to hire someone I could trust to do the work for me and permanently remove these swirls or some of them. So if you yourself are in the business or someone you know might be interested, please PM me.

TomMc

I'm not in the trade, just a very keen enthusiast and have trouble finding the time to look after my own (& her indoors), never mind others. Nowhere near Limerick either, sorry.

The Scratch X is very mild and you would need bionic arms to have much success on a larger surface area like a bonnet. I have got better results with Car-Lack's scratch remover & polishing paste. No filling in there and lots of elbow grease needed, so do not want to raise your hopes up too much. The 3M Imperial Hand Glaze as you say does fill things in nicely but does not last very long. The polish David on Autopia always liked for working by hand is Einszett's paint polish. It has some fillers and abrasives so works pretty well, does not dry out too quickly and if finished with Glanz wax, improves things greatly. It will protect for a lot longer (months) than the NXT wax which is good for about 2 - 4 weeks only. Glare Spider and Gtechniq psystem P1 Nano polish are the only ones I know of that sort out swirls, filling them in and toning them down long term. They work best by machine but can be applied successfully by hand. They need to be sealed with one of their sealants and they are expensive, but still much less than paying a pro.

Flaccus

Cheers mate,
any idea where to get Glare Spider stuff from ?

Will also check out Einszetts and Glanz.

If the weather is good this weekend I will give the meguairs 3 stage a go along with the scratch-x seeing as I already have this lot. The owners over on the meguairs forums recommend the nxt as you'd expect...especially as a final stage instead of their caranuba plus it has some filling qualities. Surprised it lasts only 2-4 weeks. Wonder would I be better of with Autglym SRP and EGP instead.

zilog_jones

bbability wrote: »

Cap full of Zip Carwash (Turtlewax).

I used to use that, but found it useless at cleaning compared to the Halford's stuff (Halfords Advanced Car Wash). Then again I'd be washing my car a lot less often than once a week!