.......and i must say im converted - to a certain degree that is. I couldnt imagine using this wash method on my black car after weeks of road grime or getting caught in the wet - but then all id need to do is high pressure hose it down at the local carlovers before hand
currently in Aus we are experiencing increasingly dry summers with our water reserves down in the 30-40%. So while our g'ment sits on their hands doing nothing about it, theyve come out with very strict restrictions for car washing fans - basically only allowed to use water to clean windscreens and headlights. Or take your car to an automated wash
so ive been looking for an alternative to using the hose/high pressure. I broke down and decided to try the QEW. I passed on the ONR because i didnt want it to leave a wax behind that could mess with the look of the Swissol Concorso on my car
i really like the QEW process, more so than the hose method. Im still dry, it took me half the time, and now when i go out later my car wont be leaking water out of every panel and spinning out of my wheels
i played it very safe with my QEW to water ratio - basically i went through a 1/4 of the small 470ml bottle. QEW is easily attainable and cheaper than having to buff out swirls/light scratches
i filled one bucket half way and another about 2/3 full. The 2/3 full was my rinse bucket, the other my wash bucket. Put 8 cap fulls of QEW in the wash, stirred to a simmer and let bloom. I put one cap full of QEW in my rinse bucket
i went through ALOT of the ultra-soft grey AQ MFs, about 12 in total - i was playing it safe here too. I tend to mark all my clothes, so had one wash MF for top panels (bonnet, roof, boot), one for side panels (doors, guards, bumpers), one for lower panels (skirts, front lip, under rear bumper) and one for wheels. I then had about 8 dry MFs that i retired after a couple panels
i went at it one panel at a time, working top to bottom, wheels last
i filled a trigger spray bottle with about 4 caps of QEW and first triggered the panel, alot, enough till it just started to run. Dipped an MF in the wash bucket, rung it out till there was no dripping water, and used only the weight of the MF to softly work over the panel. Dropped it in the rinse bucket, and grabbed a couple dry MFs. Same process for the windows, only i used the reverse side of the MF clothes
I found the QEW does dry quickly, but it was drying streak free. I still did one final pass with a clean dry MF though just in case
About 1 hr later i was done. My rinse bucket was turning brown, and my wash bucket still had heaps of clean blue flavoured water in it
Time for the wheels and a trigger bottle top up. I really went to town trigger spraying the wheels. I could see the brake dust and grime running off the rim onto the ground. I should say here, most DIYs ive read about using QEW showed garage floors full of water. No water dripped off my car at all, only when doing the wheels. Perhaps if it were any dirtier, i would have had to ring the wash MF out less and would have had more excess water on the panels
I followed up with my old chamois to wipe down door jams, inside my wheels and guard edges, using the QEW wash bucket
All up it took me about 1 1/2 hours incl. prep time and my wheels. I survived this time with no scratches, not even on my wheels. Very happy indeed. It also hasnt left any visible film on the car. The Concorso is still shining through. I could have followed up with the Swissol QD but didnt see a need for it. The paint looked as glossy as ever
I cant see the QEW method totally replacing a proper wash especially if u get caught in the wet, but i will be using it for the in betweens, and especially am confident using it now with our water restrictions. I had about 2/3 of water left in the wash bucket so you could easily save that for next time
Ive put all my MFs in the laundry sink to soak - im trying the AQ MF cloth wash. They only need to soak for an hour. Im going to wash all my MFs after every QEW wash
currently in Aus we are experiencing increasingly dry summers with our water reserves down in the 30-40%. So while our g'ment sits on their hands doing nothing about it, theyve come out with very strict restrictions for car washing fans - basically only allowed to use water to clean windscreens and headlights. Or take your car to an automated wash
so ive been looking for an alternative to using the hose/high pressure. I broke down and decided to try the QEW. I passed on the ONR because i didnt want it to leave a wax behind that could mess with the look of the Swissol Concorso on my car
i really like the QEW process, more so than the hose method. Im still dry, it took me half the time, and now when i go out later my car wont be leaking water out of every panel and spinning out of my wheels
i played it very safe with my QEW to water ratio - basically i went through a 1/4 of the small 470ml bottle. QEW is easily attainable and cheaper than having to buff out swirls/light scratches
i filled one bucket half way and another about 2/3 full. The 2/3 full was my rinse bucket, the other my wash bucket. Put 8 cap fulls of QEW in the wash, stirred to a simmer and let bloom. I put one cap full of QEW in my rinse bucket
i went through ALOT of the ultra-soft grey AQ MFs, about 12 in total - i was playing it safe here too. I tend to mark all my clothes, so had one wash MF for top panels (bonnet, roof, boot), one for side panels (doors, guards, bumpers), one for lower panels (skirts, front lip, under rear bumper) and one for wheels. I then had about 8 dry MFs that i retired after a couple panels
i went at it one panel at a time, working top to bottom, wheels last
i filled a trigger spray bottle with about 4 caps of QEW and first triggered the panel, alot, enough till it just started to run. Dipped an MF in the wash bucket, rung it out till there was no dripping water, and used only the weight of the MF to softly work over the panel. Dropped it in the rinse bucket, and grabbed a couple dry MFs. Same process for the windows, only i used the reverse side of the MF clothes
I found the QEW does dry quickly, but it was drying streak free. I still did one final pass with a clean dry MF though just in case
About 1 hr later i was done. My rinse bucket was turning brown, and my wash bucket still had heaps of clean blue flavoured water in it
Time for the wheels and a trigger bottle top up. I really went to town trigger spraying the wheels. I could see the brake dust and grime running off the rim onto the ground. I should say here, most DIYs ive read about using QEW showed garage floors full of water. No water dripped off my car at all, only when doing the wheels. Perhaps if it were any dirtier, i would have had to ring the wash MF out less and would have had more excess water on the panels
I followed up with my old chamois to wipe down door jams, inside my wheels and guard edges, using the QEW wash bucket
All up it took me about 1 1/2 hours incl. prep time and my wheels. I survived this time with no scratches, not even on my wheels. Very happy indeed. It also hasnt left any visible film on the car. The Concorso is still shining through. I could have followed up with the Swissol QD but didnt see a need for it. The paint looked as glossy as ever
I cant see the QEW method totally replacing a proper wash especially if u get caught in the wet, but i will be using it for the in betweens, and especially am confident using it now with our water restrictions. I had about 2/3 of water left in the wash bucket so you could easily save that for next time
Ive put all my MFs in the laundry sink to soak - im trying the AQ MF cloth wash. They only need to soak for an hour. Im going to wash all my MFs after every QEW wash