QEW as Quick Detailer or S&W replacement

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imported_robman

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QEW as Quick Detailer or S&W replacement



To start off with I did several searches but couldnâ€â„¢t find this although I believe it had been discussed before.



I was contemplating using QEW & distilled water in a spray bottle as a possible S&W replacement. I have been using S&W as a primary wash and believe it is safe as long as there is no mud, salt or other heavy abrasive on the surface.



Iâ€â„¢ve used QEW and itâ€â„¢s not bad, but messing with two buckets and having to change the water half way through the wash I feel I might as well have brought out the hose. (Living in Hawaii so salt and temperature are not factors) So instead of QEW, I have been using S&W with several MF and I have been pleased with the results so far. Easy to use and no new marring.



So with all this QEW lying around, I am going to mix some up with distilled water in a spray bottle. I will use twice the amount of recommended QEW for extra lubrication (the cost will still be very low, 32oz Bottle at double strength should make 16 Gallons!) I will poish out the trunk lid of the Alty and expirement over the course of several washings and report my findings with pictures here.



If anyone has tried this or can think of why this shouldnâ€â„¢t work, please let me know. It seems the two products work to emulsify the surface dirt. QEW uses a wet rag to a dry surface and S&W you prime the surfaces with product and use a clean MF.



Iâ€â„¢ll clean up my trunk lid this weekend, get some pix and start the test.



Thanks and Aloha,

Robert
 
Thanks for the reply and the link. Very intersting. I'm not discourgaed from trying my expirement but I am a bit more skeptical. I have expiremented with QEW in a spray bottle set to a high volume very fine spray and it seemed to work really well. I was using the cheap Eurow MF from Costco but for expirement I will use Micropak UltraPlush MF.



I also love S&W, I use it at times where others might shy away and I love the smell! If QEW works, I might have to do it just for the price but if marring is worse with that product then I will stop the test.



Aloha,

Robert
 
You need to change out your water halfway through, even though you're using the two-bucket method?



The advantages of qew to me is water conservation and being able to wash in my garage at night. I hate having to wait for just the right time and weather to wash my car during the day, during which my time is already limited.



I could never bring myself to like spray and wipe.. I didn't notice that it acted much different from any other qd. I got marring on my black cars using it, even when I soaked the panels and used clean mf's very gently.



As for your experiment, I've always felt that qew (or any wash, for that matter) needs a wet wiping towel/mitt to significantly reduce marring. I also like being able to rinse out the mitt in a bucket. I'd be interested in hearing what you find!
 
I change out the QEW rinse (dirty) water halfway through the wash as it gets too dirty.



I also use a damp mf when using S+W to remove the dirt, then buff with dry mf and very little S+W for final wipe once panel is clean. But if we can figure out a way to use QEW as a QD it would be insanely cheap! If i did the math right at regular strength 16 oz of QEW mix (at $10/16 oz bottle) would cost 15.6 cents. So even if a 4 times strength solution was necessary to prevent marring as a QD it would cost only 62.5 cents/16 oz. Sounds good to me, it just has to work!
 
Less is more with S&W is my experience. Spray too much and start soaking the MF and it starts to drag on the surface more.



I haven't worked it all out yet but I will polish any existing swirls down, seal with UPP and top with Nattys. I'll divide the trunk lid in half and clean half with S&W using a light spray and dry MF. I'll then clean the other half with QdEW (<<-he he) using the same approach. I will not follow with any QD. I'll track progress at each step. If marring occurs with either product, I will repolish and start the expirement again with mf presoak method. I'm not sure what else I will test with this. If all goes well, it will probably be a month before I can report my findings.



And for the person who asked about changing out the water with the 2bucket method, I have to say yes. I tried QEW a number of ways and if I use 2 bucket with no QEW in the Rinse bucket the water is very nasty after half the car is done. I tried adding QEW to that second bucket also and notice that the water appears cleaner during the wash but that begs the question, "where is the dirt" to which I answer, "it's in the mitt". That doesn't seem very smart at all.



Aloha



PS: I'm also getting ready to test Poorboys Trim Restorer/ Klasse SG combo on all my xTerra plastics. Pictures to follow but my first expirements have gone well.
 
I almost never change out my QEW mix halfway through. The water may look ugly, but all the dirt is at the bottom of the bucket. No marring problems either.
 
Scottwax said:
I almost never change out my QEW mix halfway through. The water may look ugly, but all the dirt is at the bottom of the bucket. No marring problems either.
Click to expand...



Sounds to me like you have QEW in your rinse bucket. Am I right?
 
I use the QEW (5 capfuls) in a 32oz spray bottle for light cleaning. It works great for me. I have not noticed any ill-effects by this method. I only do this type of wipe down on my light colored (white and silver)vehicles. My red and black vehicles only get full washes. I am just old school for these colors. :o

I spray on the solution and allow it to dwell for about a minute and wipe off gently with a 100% soft cotton towel and final wipe with a plush terry MF (PB, DF or ExcelDetail).



The 2 bucket QEW method is IMO more work, less efficient and "I" just do not feel comfortable using this method for anything more extensive than a lightly soiled vehicle.
 
robman said:
Sounds to me like you have QEW in your rinse bucket. Am I right?
Click to expand...



One bucket, no rinse bucket. I use it exactly like directed. Once you start adding additional steps, it is no longer so quick and easy. I've been using it more than long enough and on enough vehicles to have complete confidence in it and my technique. :)
 
Scottwax said:
One bucket, no rinse bucket. I use it exactly like directed. Once you start adding additional steps, it is no longer so quick and easy. I've been using it more than long enough and on enough vehicles to have complete confidence in it and my technique. :)
Click to expand...



Hi Scottwax;



Thats what I figured. If you ever drop that mitt in plain water you'll see the dirt in the water. It seems to be the magic of QEW that allows the dirt to seperate and sink to the bottom.
 
Scottwax said:
One bucket, no rinse bucket. I use it exactly like directed. Once you start adding additional steps, it is no longer so quick and easy. I've been using it more than long enough and on enough vehicles to have complete confidence in it and my technique. :)
Click to expand...

:shocked :scared:

Scott, so you dunk the dirty mitt directly back in the QEW bucket, shake and then right back onto the paint? :nervous2:
 
gearhead said:
:shocked :scared:

Scott, so you dunk the dirty mitt directly back in the QEW bucket, shake and then right back onto the paint? :nervous2:
Click to expand...



Hey, that's what it says to do.



I like doing the two bucket method just because using about 3 liters of water isn't usually enough for anything other than really soiled cars. So the dilution is probably less per panel after a few panels, but it goes a little further and I can use less.



So take your pick--more dilute, or more soiled. Also, I can imagine sometimes Scott doesn't have the extra bucket of water available to him, so every bit counts.
 
gearhead said:
:shocked :scared:

Scott, so you dunk the dirty mitt directly back in the QEW bucket, shake and then right back onto the paint? :nervous2:
Click to expand...



Yes, that is how QEW works. You can safely clean even really dirty cars with the one bucket method.



878qew_on_pearl.jpg




878qew_on_black.jpg
 
Scottwax, I LOVE that you use QEW on a car as dirty as that Z. Shows allot of confidence in that product. The one bucket method sure keeps it easy. Reading about people doing presoaks with S&W first then two buckets and multiple mits just makes a regular wash look easier.



This is a good thread.
 
I've used both the one bucket and the two bucket methods on my big black Hemi. Every time that I have used QEW, I have been sure that the truck is very free from heavy crud. I've used QEW only after a trip to the coin op or when the truck has only a light coat of dirt/dust.



I mix the recommended about of QEW in 2 1/2 gallons of water. I always have at least of a gallon of mix left ( 2 gallons of rinse water left if I use the two bucket method). Am I not using enough mix when I apply it or am I just mixing too much product. My thinking is that I want the dirt to have plenty of solution to settle out in.



Tom :cool:
 
tguil said:
........I mix the recommended about of QEW in 2 1/2 gallons of water. I always have at least of a gallon of mix left ( 2 gallons of rinse water left if I use the two bucket method). Am I not using enough mix when I apply it or am I just mixing too much product. My thinking is that I want the dirt to have plenty of solution to settle out in.........
Click to expand...

I think you're just mixing up a bit too much, which is OK if that's what you prefer to do. I think a lot of members only mix up a gallon for a wash. I always do 1 1/2 gallons because like you, I'd rather a little more of the solution for my mitt. I've always used a rinse bucket also, but looking at how dirty some of the cars Scott has done with one bucket, I may have to try it that way.



QEW is one of those products I would have NEVER tried if it weren't for such positive reviews here on Autopia. I'm still a little uncomfortable using it because it's so different from the conventional method, but it does seem to work OK.
 
I mixed up a gallon of QEW to use in a spray bottle to presoak the lower panels of my truck that had a lot of salt and road spray. I use 2 buckets for the QEW. After seeing Scottwax's picture I am going to try just using the product as directed. Can't argue with results like Scottwax gets.
 
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