Absolute mar-free wash technique???

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pinoyheat551

New member
What are some tips that you guys can give on an absolute mar-free wash technique???



As of now, this is my process. Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated.



(1) power wash vehicle

(2) foam the vehicle (to get rid of heavy debris)

(3) power wash vehicle

(4) foam the vehicle and use a wash cloth

(5) power wash the vehicle

(6) use air blower to get rid of water

(7) use several microfiber towels to dry vehicle
 
Absolute "mar-free wash"?

Good luck or become a Monty Python fan and go for the Holy Grail.

Either is pretty hard to attain, everytime.

Just kidding, but everyone would like to have such.

Grumpy
 
I think this would be a good thread for Accumulator to finally post the revised version of his wash method :D
 
Unless the car is really dirty, IMO, steps 1 and 2 are unnecessary. As cool as the foaming thing looks, it just doesn't do any real work unless a car is crusted with dirt. A normal powerwash rinse followed by a traditional wash is all that most of us need. I would add using a QD as a drying aid though. Wash media is also very important.
 
I see some guys on the click and brag spraying iron x for decontamination. Does that really work? Or is that process unnecessary?
 
I'm sure it works to a degree, but its not for marring reduction. Has anyone seen a head to head with Iron-X and an ABC system?
 
Do everything above---to a vehicle that isn't dirty to begin with ;)



Down here I barely let my vehicles get dirty. I wash only when there is a film deposit on the vehicle from the ocean air, which during certain times, is very frequent.



I only wash with a foam gun and dry with my Air Wand and follow with a few WWs. It's a nice and safe method.
 
I don't have any problems using ONR and a single bucket method on the cars around here. Even jet black BMWs, just go a little slower and use my plushest microfiber towels.
 
umi000 said:
I think this would be a good thread for Accumulator to finally post the revised version of his wash method :D
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Yeah, but I'm not up to doing that right now :o



Short take follows:



(1) power wash vehicle
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Make the first step a rinse with plain water. Then use the powerwasher with a mild shampoo mix to get the really big stuff off. Rinse.



(2) foam the vehicle (to get rid of heavy debris)
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OK, for a presoak maybe, but unless you're using some awfully potent shampoo it won't do all that much without mechanical agitation (which is the risky part).



So...working panel-by panel-

-Spray on some foam with foamgun

-wash with shampoo-soaked Boar's Hair Brush ("BHB") while directing foamgun output at the point of BHB/paint contact. Use short interrupted motions, not long sweeping arm motions. Rinse/resoak BHB as needed (I basically don't need to do that because my boosted pressure lets the foamgun take care of it)

-Rinse and inspect

-Repeat as needed until surface looks very clean, move on to next panel



(3) power wash vehicle
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Not necessary at this point, but OK if you want to do it.



(4) foam the vehicle and use a wash cloth
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Basically repeat the preceding BHB step only use a mitt instead of the BHB. The mitt will get the tenacious roadfilm/etc. off better than the "too gentle" BHB. Fill the mitt with your shampoo mix and hold it shut at the cuff, then gently whisk it across the panel while the shampoo seeps out, all the while spraying foamgun output at the point of mitt/paint contact. Rinse/refill the mitt when all the shampoo drains out of it.



Rinse, inspect, repeat etc. until panel is done, move on to next panel.

(5) power wash the vehicle
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Again, not needed at this point, a regular rinse (preferably with DI water) will suffice. But go ahead if you want to.



(6) use air blower to get rid of water
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Right. I use an AirWand on my blower and a compressor to get the tight spots. I try to blow water from the tight spots into a stationary towel as this water might be dirty.



That will get most of the water off, but not all of it.



(7) use several microfiber towels to dry vehicle
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Right, but as noted, spritz on some QD for added lubricity/encapsulation/etc.



With this method I'm able to keep marring at an acceptable minimum for years at a time, even though my winter drivers get so filthy you can't tell what color they are.
 
**Powerwashing and Leaf Blowing is the key to mar free washing**





Pre-soaking does very little and if anything kills wax/sealant faster by letting a chemical sit at lenghts on the treated surface.



And for god sakes, don't pat your car down when drying it. Using a QD during the final dry phase takes the bite out of towels as well.
 
David Fermani said:
**Powerwashing and Leaf Blowing is the key to mar free washing**





Pre-soaking does very little and if anything kills wax/sealant faster by letting a chemical sit at lenghts on the treated surface.



And for god sakes, don't pat your car down when drying it. Using a QD during the final dry phase takes the bite out of towels as well.
Click to expand...



I'm very new to all this but reading & learning all I can.

May I ask your reason for not "patting" the car dry.

Are you suggesting wiping is less likely to mar?

I would have thought otherwise but as mentioned I'm here to listen & learn not tell & teach...



Also do you prefer NO qd when drying?
 
Patting a vehicle dry is absurd and extreme overkill IHMO. Most don't realize that marring is usually enduced during the washing stage and not the drying one. For decades I've used and still (on occasion) use cotton towels and have yet to see any marring from them. Yes, there are vehicles that are very sensitive to marring (of any kind), but this is the exception and not the norm and there are measures one can take to mitigate marring in thosec cases.



QD'ing I feel helps not only buffer the potential abrasion, but adds slickness and and helps coat the surface to aid in future shedding/releasimg of dirt when washing.
 
We had a good-natured :argue here recently about whether most marring comes from the wash or dry. I myself feel it usually happens during the wash, but the other viewpoint has merit too.



Seems like (assuming the drying media are all soft enough not to cause marring in-and-of themselves) any marring during the drying would be from either a) residual dirt left on the car or b) new dirt that fell onto the finish during/after the wash.



If the latter, then it might just be an environmental/situation issue that you'll have to deal with. As in, not everybody has a really clean shop to work it. In cases like that, I can see the blotting-dry method being worthwhile. But man-oh-man is it a hassle, and it makes the use of a QD/spray wax problematic.



If the marring comes from residual dirt, then wash the car better ;) (Heh heh, but then...*?how?* ...I'm always saying to wash sooo gently and that makes it tough to get the dirt off, huh?) I almost always do some very gentle spot-claying when I wash, removing small bits of bonded contamination that could otherwise break loose when I'm drying and cause marring. Anything that doesn't come off with the oh-so-gentle wash gets taken care of by the clay (which has its own perils).



When it comes to drying with towels, there's some middle ground between blotting and the long, sweeping motions that many people use. I generally avoid those long swipes simply because any marring that *does* happen (and sooner or later it will) looks more obvious when it's long than when it's some short little scratch. That's the same reason I say to wash with "short, interrupted motions", so that any problem that does happen won't be a foot long. Note that the "interruptions" potentially allow dirt to get displaced, with the same benefits.



Marring *is* gonna happen, no matter how careful you are. But if you simply keep those scratches short and shallow they won't be as bad.
 
Accumulator said:
Marring *is* gonna happen, no matter how careful you are. But if you simply keep those scratches short and shallow they won't be as bad.
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Exactly! Microscopic marring happens every time you touch your finish.
 
This was a good thread for me today. I never got to polish either my trusty beater Focus, or the BMW 1er last year, due to caring for an ill parent, a minor health issue, and taking on a job that made me ask myself, "You ARE retired, aren't you?"



Anyway, the BMW came out of storage on 3/1, my "garage guy" who stores the car installed new tires (not a scratch on the wheels afterwards), and today, I got to wash it, in 60-degree weather here in PA.



I did my usual, two-bucket wash, with Griot's soap, a foamgun, and a grout sponge. After carefully drying with waffle towels (I had forgotten how many I had), I saw some minor marring, nothing serious.



And, I can remember when I "did that" to the car, last summer.



The 1er still looks pretty good. The next time I get a nice day, I'll hit it with the PC, and 205, then PO85RD. Then, maybe Wet Diamond, or we will see.



I did have WD on the Focus all winter, and it held up better than expected. 108K miles, and paint that looks as good as a lot of new cars.



Back to the original idea on this thread. In my feeble mind, I think that most marring occurs from rushing things. It's like smoking a beef brisket--slow and easy does it.



When I go back in my mind to last summer's "sins" (Bless me Father, for I have sinned...), I was rushing it. No more.



I have the time and ability to make car washing an "event," at my time and leisure. It's time for that.



Thanks to everyone on this thread, as it got me out of hibernation, and thinking of detailing again!
 
Hey, Moe!- Heh heh, I can barely resist an "I told ya so!" about the whole retirement thing ;)



Yeah, doing it right *can* take a lot of time! People look at me like I'm nuts when I say how I was able to do a quick wash in only 3.5 hours. My vehicles can get pretty dirty between washes, but I simply won't do the job until I know I can do it right.
 
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