car washing
- Thread starter nheidmann
- Start date
Right now I am using a sheepskin mitt from Autopia, the one with the thumb. I also have the Sonus wash mitt as back up. I tried the Meguiar Ultra Plush wash mitt, but it started getting all napped up and would hold on to grime. It would take high pressure stream from a hose or picking stuff out by hand to release the crap. Too much hassle. For the shampoo I've tried NXT wash, but I am now using Poorboy's SS&S and I also have the Optimum car wash and will try soon. I like the SS&S. Working well for me.
evenflow said:
Yeah, I liked it. But I just wanted to try SS&S and got the Optimum as well since it had gotten good reviews. I also heard good things about Top of the Line and Chemical Guys, but the online vendors that I have been dealing with don't carry those lines. I already purchase enough stuff from the vendors that I am already familiar with. Don't need more
The NXT was pretty slick and produced a TON of suds. I did notice that it seemed to wear down the LSP on a family car, but I probably was using too much shampoo. I noticed that if I put too little that I noticed a definite decrease in slickness of the wash so I erred on the side of too much shampoo in the mix. I still have about 10-12 oz's left of it.
I use Meguiar's NXT Generation Car Wash and The Original California MicroMitt. So far, the MicroMitt does a good job cleaning off dirt without scratching the surface, but it seems to be falling apart after going through the washing machine.
Maybe next week, I'll be switching to sheepskin.
Maybe next week, I'll be switching to sheepskin.
Here's my $0.02.
I have a Sonus sheepskin mitt (without the thumb). It was my first experience with a wool mitt, and I thought that it was a definite improvement.
On the advice of a fellow Autopian, I got a "Eurow" brand sheepskin mitt from Wal-Mart. I like it better than the Sonus, and way better than the Meg's Gold Class mitt I tried. When I clean and rinse it out, it dries much fluffier and softer than the others.
And, the price is a killer. It's five bucks or so, if I remember correctly. I should go get a few more to go with the two I have.
A good detailing product from Wal-Mart? Go figure.
I also like the Griot's Garage car shampoo. It suds well, is kind to your LSP, and works well in my foam gun. Also, my kids and girlfriend know my fondness for the stuff, and I keep getting gallons for my birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, etc. : )
Hope this helps. I am becoming convinced that the better a person's wash and dry techniques are, the less swirling and marring issues occur (thank you, Accumulator).
That's a good thing. No need to haul out the PC if it's not needed.
I have a Sonus sheepskin mitt (without the thumb). It was my first experience with a wool mitt, and I thought that it was a definite improvement.
On the advice of a fellow Autopian, I got a "Eurow" brand sheepskin mitt from Wal-Mart. I like it better than the Sonus, and way better than the Meg's Gold Class mitt I tried. When I clean and rinse it out, it dries much fluffier and softer than the others.
And, the price is a killer. It's five bucks or so, if I remember correctly. I should go get a few more to go with the two I have.
A good detailing product from Wal-Mart? Go figure.
I also like the Griot's Garage car shampoo. It suds well, is kind to your LSP, and works well in my foam gun. Also, my kids and girlfriend know my fondness for the stuff, and I keep getting gallons for my birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, etc. : )
Hope this helps. I am becoming convinced that the better a person's wash and dry techniques are, the less swirling and marring issues occur (thank you, Accumulator).
That's a good thing. No need to haul out the PC if it's not needed.
sevenrd
New member
Using a sea sponge (love it) and Meg's Gold Class. I may order some of FK's wash when the Meg's runs out. I liked the sample.
Pennypacker
New member
I like Jeff's Werkstatt lambchop mitt and TOL's seasponge. For soap, TOL's Bubble Bath is also very good, although my personal favorite is Griot's.
Don't totally dismiss brushes, though. I don't know from personal experience, but from what I understand boar's hair brushes work very well if used properly. Accumulator is probably the most knowledgeable about this. I guess the advantage is that they release dirt extremely easily upon rinsing. It's probably mar-city though if you don't use it the right way.
Don't totally dismiss brushes, though. I don't know from personal experience, but from what I understand boar's hair brushes work very well if used properly. Accumulator is probably the most knowledgeable about this. I guess the advantage is that they release dirt extremely easily upon rinsing. It's probably mar-city though if you don't use it the right way.
AutoCadillac
New member
I use Meg's Gold Class soap in a foam gun. I wash with Meg's Ultra Plush wash mop (or whatever it is called). I don't worry about swirls as I no longer let my cars get very dirty and this things seems to be pretty safe anyway. After each panel, I rinse it thoroughly in bucket of clean water, and get it soapy again in another bucket with soapy water. I also have sheepkin mitt handly for areas like the door handles and mirrors.
The wash mop is also great to take along on trips. Just retract it to it's shortest lenght and put a mop head in a plastic bag. I take them on every trip and when I get to where I'm going, I pop in a wash-it-yourself bay and use it instead of their horror brush.
The wash mop is also great to take along on trips. Just retract it to it's shortest lenght and put a mop head in a plastic bag. I take them on every trip and when I get to where I'm going, I pop in a wash-it-yourself bay and use it instead of their horror brush.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Pennypacker said:
Yep, what he said.
Used *properly* and with a foamgun, a BHB is great and IMO better on a very dirty vehicle than a mitt due to the BHB's free-rinsing nature (which works perfectly in conjunction with the foamgun, which is used to blast suds through the bristles while washing). I'm finding it to even rival my "mitt-balloon" technique when it comes to being gentle.
Gotta be careful though, no matter *what* wash media/technique you use. If you get marring you're doing/using something wrong. When this happens, the thing to do is *THINK* about it so you can figure out what to change and how.
Used improperly, a BHB or a mitt or *anything* will result in marring. When somebody has 6" long marring (or worse!) after a wash I can't help but sorta
and wonder how much thought they put into the wash regimen. I catch on pretty quickly 
but I bet I spent a few hours just *contemplating* how to wash without marring before I got a handle on it. Sure wish I'd done that years ago, when I was driving cars with black lacquer! If washing were easy, nobody would need to do all the polishing/correction/etc. that 90% of the threads here relate to.Accumulator
Well-known member
My $0.02 against the MF towel (besides not being compatible with my foamgun technique): No way to control the pressure or keep it evenly distributed, generally short nap, only holds a modicum of wash solution.