20 Minute Detail?

I

imported_Dude

New member
I usually spend about 1.5-2 hours per weekend detailing our two cars.



Our second child is due on December 8, and I want to help my wife by taking care of the kids. Therefore, I would like to cut back on my detailing time if at all possible.



What does everyone suggest? For the purposes of this discussion, let's limit ourselves to washing, wheel and tire cleaning/dressing and interior detailing only. I can always find another hour to two every few months to polish and wax, so no need to recommend a quick wax or sealant.



I would, however, like to cut down on the time it takes to do a weekly wash and interor detail if at all possible.



Any suggestions?
 
If your car is well detailed, it should make the washing procedure much faster. You don't really want to rush the wash and end up with marring.

When nap time comes, you can sneak out to clean the car. You can always put a baby monitor outside by the car while you're out there. :D
 
Hope there will be more replies on this topic as I'm very interested also. Our 2nd child was born in February and my car washing/detailing has been reduced to 1 hr/weekend so our cars only get detailed every other week. During naptime is a good idea but lots of times when the baby sleeps is when you sleep!:( And the shortened days now are definitely not helping!



One good thing, if she's staying home taking care of the kids, her car won't get driven much and will stay clean longer making detailing it less frequently necessary. Other than that, I just bought a bottle of QEW so will see how much time that saves me!:nixweiss Good luck and congrats on the new baby!:D
 
I can only tell you is that if you have a garage detail at night or early morning when the baby is sleeping.I use to detail 5am baby slept 4am-7am so I had my quiet time.Yes it sucks and I was tired but throughout the day I snuck in small naps.
 
I have a similar problem - lack of time. For the last two months, I've been working on ways to speed up the process. Some suggestions:



1) Get a foam gun. I don't have one but I ordered one today. I've been reading a lot about them on Autopia and and DC these forums. Besides reducing the chance of marring, it should speed up the process because you're not constantly dipping your mitt to get it sudsy. Also, you can leave the pre-mixed wash in the foam gun bottle which saves the time of mixing soap in a wash bucket. And you have one less bucket to clean afterwards. (Times two for two cars.)



Search the forums for "foam gun". Several people have them. Here's a couple of discussion links:

http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46387&highlight=foam+gun

http://www.detailcity.com/showthread.php?t=7418&page=2&pp=25&highlight=foam (pics about 1/2 way down page)



The unit that I bought is made by "Butchers". The only two places I could find them were are www.messners.com and www.automagic.biz (accessories). Messners is $53 + $15 for shipping and handling = $68. Automagic is $73 + $6 for shipping and handling = $79.



And some ordering links:

http://www.automagic.biz/accessories/miscorder.htm (half way down the page)



http://www.messnerinc.com/webcatalog/detail.asp?item=BAQ-4165900



I just ordered from AutoMagic. Messners is lower priced, but they don't have on-line ordering yet, and I'm just too busy at work to call them and order by phone. Also, they are oriented to large janitorial companies, not end-users like you and me.



They're pricey little buggers, but I think they're worth it. You may find one locally at a better price.



2) Get a 225mph Toro leaf blower from your local Home Depot or Lowes. Much faster and safer than hand drying.



If you have a garage, hang the Toro on a hook next to your garage door and a plugged-in extension cord on hook just below it. That's what I do. I can grab it and have it running in under 45 seconds. (It's also great for quickly blowing off the driveway.)



3) Use Z6 (at least on your Jeep). That extends the time between washings.



4) Use Z2 on your wheels. They'll stay cleaner longer and be easier to clean when you do wash.



5) For interum cleanings, use a Swiffer Duster on your Z2'd wheels for dust residue. The best tool is a CCD mini-duster. It works great, but the duster gets dirty very quickly. I've found that the Swiffer Duster works OK for 2-3 dustings and then you replace the duster head. Follow that with Z6 on a cheap MF (they get dirty quickly, even after dusting with the Swiffer Duster).



I hope this helps



Regards,



Dan.
 
MR clean auto dry in one word, then you don't have to dry. I don't like the auto soap they use, you might want to find a different one to put in there. Or better yet just use a detail spray if car isn't that dirty. I use clay magic lube for this, it's dirt cheap and makes that baby shine. 28 for case, geesh, 2 somethin per bottle.

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/clma49shcllu.html
 
I would wash and dry once a week and detail the inside every other.

I use the Califonia dash duster every week after washuing and drying. That gets the lingering dust and cleans up the dash and cockpit until the following week when I'll do a complete interior detail. I'll also use a spray foam tire dressing, This allows me to apply it and walk away. I can accomplish the exterior detailing in under an hour( and thats not rushing, you could probably do it in a half hour) and when I incorporate the interior I can do it in under 1.5 hours.

This works well for me when I just dont have any time or during winter months when time is short. I usually dont fuss too much on the cars appearance when the roads are crapy anyhow.

You can always spend extra time fussing and applying polishes when the kids are out for a while or napping.
 
Why not bring the play pen out into the garage or strap on a baby carrier and lug the kid with you? Start the little tyke out right by watching you slace to the metal and paint gods?
 
Easy, If you want do this once every six months.

clay, paint cleaner, polish, AIO, SGx2. SG leave on 24hrs and buff.

Use Sonus Shampoo and get Sonus ACrylic Spritz. You do that and it will really nice for months. I have alot of happy customers including family with this process. I do there lengthy detailing and they do the 20 min. That's why I'm there favorite.

Sonus Shampoo makes it look like you waxed it. You can even just P21S it after the shampoo once in a while or SG it.
 
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