How do you wash your vehicle?

[Accumulator]

Can someone explain what they mean by "spit shine" as applied to carnauba's?

The definitive thread is the one by Nick T. He's been MIA for years, but that thread should be archived and oughta come up with a search on his user-name.



VERY, very, short version: As I understand/recall it, with a *real* spitshine, you pretty much work the wax (using the "spit", as SuperBee364 explained) until it disappears, instead of the conventional method of working it, letting it haze, and then buffing off that hazed residue. There will be *some* hazed/dried residue, but not much at all. As SuperBee364 noted, it's basically the same thing as spitshining your shoes; the spit keeps the solvent action at bay so you can layer products that would otherwise do the "like-removes-like" thing (that's how you get a *THICK* build up of super-thin layers of shoe polish when you spitshine footwear).



My "psuedo-spitshine" is less involved, by far, but similar caveat: if you mess it up you'll have a *VERY* tenacious wax residue to deal with, and it won't buff off easily. Here's how I do it- I put a tiny spritz of wax-friendly QD like Griot's SpeedShine (or you could use distilled water) on the panel, and then work the wax with the PC/Cyclo until only a *very* light residue remains; I work it until the QD/"spit" disappears, spreading out the area of operation as needed as it's easy to get too much spit/wax (sure doesn't take much of either). Then I buff off the barely-there residue.



Results, when everything goes well, include a slightly (very slightly!) improved gloss and noticeably smaller, and much more spherical, beads that tend to roll off the panels. I do *NOT* believe that it helps with effecting any significant layering though, and in fact I suspect that there might even be some slight *decreas* in durability, just from all that QD/wax/buffer-action. But I guess somebody could make a theoretical argument that, done properly, it might help layer waxes. Nothing at all like a regular/"true" spitshine though, which is pretty much *all about* getting such products to layer.

 

[Accumulator]

My favorite ONR media are the MF washing mitts that look like they have dread locks. Lots of surface area, and hardly any"skidding", direct-contact surface area. That last part may be hard to get at first, but think about it.. the amount of surface area from the MF that is in direct contact with the paint, and how it moves over the paint. A "dreadlock" kinda rolls along the paint, while a regular MF slides or skids across it. I'd rather have my MF rolling along it than skidding..

Hmmm...:think: OK, I follow you there....



I hadn't considered the upside of the "rolling" action, which I'd think to be ONR-specific. With conventional washing, I can't see any upside to those kind of mitts, despite their seeming popularity with some people.



With conventional washing, I'd want each segment/strand of the wash media to be such that there's a *minimum* of surface area per segment contacting the surface being cleaned. That way there's a greater chance that specks of abrasive [stuff] will end up between adjacent segments rather than between segments and the panel.



I gotta say that I still have a knee-jerk aversion to the idea of those mitts though. Not only for the above-mentined reason, but also because I just don't see how I could control the contact pressure sufficiently, compared with "whisking" a finer-strand media. I fear I'd end up steam-rolling gritty dirt against/into the paint.



I can't help but wonder if we're used to dealing with vehicles in very different conditions. This time of year my vehicles often get so filthy that it's hard to tell what color they are, utterly coated with gritty dirt. And then there's my lack of a pressure washer....same sort of reasons why ONR isn't a viable option.

 

[Mike_Phillips]

I pretty much use the same method shown in the below video link, that is wash wheels and tires first and then work from the top down.



Works for me...



How to Wash Your Car (ShowCar Style!)







:buffing:

 

[Bert]

I pretty much use the same method shown in the below video link, that is wash wheels and tires first and then work from the top down.



Works for me...



How to Wash Your Car (ShowCar Style!)



:buffing:

This is the method I use for washing my car and is a fine method as far as I am concerned. However, it is not nearly anal enough for Superbee and Accumulator . I say that will all due respect to Supe and Accum, I just enjoy picking on their degree of anal'ness (yeah I know, that is not a word).

 

[Rob Tomlin]

I pretty much use the same method shown in the below video link, that is wash wheels and tires first and then work from the top down.



Works for me...



How to Wash Your Car (ShowCar Style!)







:buffing:

A few comments: I use two different wash pads: one for the lower portions of the car that tend to get much dirtier than the rest of the car, and the other for the parts of the car that do not get as dirty. I think that reduces the chances of marrring from getting dirt from the lower part of the car stuck in the wash media, and at least limiting it to the lower portions of the car.



Also, I think you would have much less water on the car to remove if you finished with a steady stream of water instead of a hard spray.



Re the Absorber: I used to use it and it works fine, but I really worry about the lack of any nap in it. If you happen to pick up any dirt in it, you can be pretty sure that it will mar the paint.



My preference is to use Waffle Weaves (usually after using a leaf blower).