Washing in a coin-op

J

jmblur

New member
Living in a high rise means, unfortunately, no hose access :( been far, FAR too long since my car got a good hand wash and wax (like, 2 years), so it definitely needs some work. It's a DD and not a show car by any stretch of the imagination, I just want to get it back to overall "clean". Definitely have plenty of bugs and BCs (I park outside in Baltimore all day) so I figure a clay bar is needed. Silver Audi, so luckily swirls don't show up much at all. No major obvious paint issues besides a couple dings and chips I need to repair (one bad one that will be cleaned up after the wash/wax and then rewaxed).



Any tips for doing a good wash/clay/wax at a coin op? Unfortunately the only one I know of around here is quite busy, so I can't just sit in a bay for hours. Is it fine to drive home before claying/polishing/waxing? It's about 20 minutes, half highway.



I plan on just using the coin op for the water, and using the two-bucket wash method w/ grit guards. Waffle MF cloths for drying.



Is it even worth polishing (by hand), or am I better off just spot-fixing issues (bird bombs, etc.) then using a cleaner/wax and calling it a day? Again, I'm not going for show-car finish, just something that will help restore the car to 85-90%. Once I move into a place with actual hose access in a year or so (and will be looking to sell cars about then as well), I'll do a more thorough detail.



I'm a total detailing noob, so sorry if I'm saying something horribly stupid above! Thanks!:thx
 
I'd suggest going to the coin op to hose off some of the real bad gunk, wheel wells, and undercarriage. Then, take your car back to the lot/garage, get a bottle of ONR, and do your work there. ONR is the perfect way to wash a car when you do not have a hose and hate those stupid coin ops.
 
Agreed. If the car is quite dirty you may want to make a run to the coin op to rinse off the major dirt. then get to your building/parking spot and use ONR and 2 buckets to finish the job.
 
When I had to use a coinop. I would usually go at night and bring my own car wash and fill my own bucket with their hot water ,then spray the rims with E1 a-z then proceed to spray the whole car and rinse the wheels. I would then soap up the car rinse off and dry it right there. They usually frrown on doing it that way ,so that why i either did it at night or real early in tha AM.



What I would do If I were you ,is use ONR then CG ONE ( I do this a lot ) to ensure its dirt free then an AIO like ZAIO ,DG or PS.
 
Sounds like ONR is the way to go! Should I bother with a separate cleaner wax after the wash (I already have the stuff), or just leave it as is? I also assume clay bar after both the spray down and the ONR wash?



Thanks again!
 
jmblur said:
Sounds like ONR is the way to go! Should I bother with a separate cleaner wax after the wash (I already have the stuff), or just leave it as is? I also assume clay bar after both the spray down and the ONR wash?



Thanks again!
Click to expand...



Yes sir. You'll love this, ONR can be diluted down to clay lube for VERY cheap. It's also a very good lube. Can also be used as a QD, and something else but I forget what.
 
Darkstar752 said:
Yes sir. You'll love this, ONR can be diluted down to clay lube for VERY cheap. It's also a very good lube. Can also be used as a QD, and something else but I forget what.
Click to expand...



Yeah, saw that :) Maguire clay kit was on sale a few weeks ago at the local store, so I picked up a kit - so I've got a bit of clay lube (quick detailer) to use for now. I don't plan on claying again until just before I'm looking to sell it, just want to get it back to a decent state so it won't be so much work the next time!



Opinions on an after-wax for protection? I see that they say it protects already, but figure more protection can't be a bad thing... especially since i've got a few spots I'm going to need to touch up with some ScratchX and elbow grease (door dings, bird bombs, and one nasty down-to-metal chip I'm going to attempt to repair).
 
jmblur said:
Yeah, saw that :) Maguire clay kit was on sale a few weeks ago at the local store, so I picked up a kit - so I've got a bit of clay lube (quick detailer) to use for now. I don't plan on claying again until just before I'm looking to sell it, just want to get it back to a decent state so it won't be so much work the next time!



Opinions on an after-wax for protection? I see that they say it protects already, but figure more protection can't be a bad thing... especially since i've got a few spots I'm going to need to touch up with some ScratchX and elbow grease (door dings, bird bombs, and one nasty down-to-metal chip I'm going to attempt to repair).
Click to expand...



Collinite 915 is my favorite wax, looks amazing, tight beads, lasts a long time. If you have a lighter colored car, maybe go with a sealant. Touch everything up before you wax it BTW, it's a pain to strip it all down again just to touch something up.
 
Darkstar752 said:
Yes sir. You'll love this, ONR can be diluted down to clay lube for VERY cheap. It's also a very good lube. Can also be used as a QD, and something else but I forget what.
Click to expand...



I also use it as a glass cleaner. ONR is so versatile!
 
jmblur said:
Any tips for doing a good wash/clay/wax at a coin op? Unfortunately the only one I know of around here is quite busy, so I can't just sit in a bay for hours. Is it fine to drive home before claying/polishing/waxing? It's about 20 minutes, half highway.



I plan on just using the coin op for the water, and using the two-bucket wash method w/ grit guards. Waffle MF cloths for drying.



Is it even worth polishing (by hand), or am I better off just spot-fixing issues (bird bombs, etc.) then using a cleaner/wax and calling it a day? Again, I'm not going for show-car finish, just something that will help restore the car to 85-90%. Once I move into a place with actual hose access in a year or so (and will be looking to sell cars about then as well), I'll do a more thorough detail.



I'm a total detailing noob, so sorry if I'm saying something horribly stupid above! Thanks!:thx
Click to expand...



IMHO bucket washing at a coin-op sort of defeats the purpose. The reasons I wash at a coin-op are.



1. High pressure

2. Spot free rinse water

3. Strong chemicals. :hifive:



The whole no rinse cleaning thing doesn't make much sense to me, as I want dirt and filth to be off of the car and flowing down the drain. Not lightly bound to an MF towel being swished across the paint. I guess if you are dusting off a garage queen its ok, but otherwise its unsound IMHO.



Straight up I'll say getting the car clean is the most important thing.So I'd start by spot treating the front bumper, and rocker panels with some TW Bug and Tar Remover, and spray/wiping the wheels with Mother's FX Wheel cleaner to start with, and then applying a second round of wheel cleaner.



At that point it's time to put some cash in the meter and start washing. The key to touchless washing is in the pre-soak, which softens up the dirt so you can blast it away with the high pressure soap.



You want to liberally apply pre-soak to the entire car making sure it is completely covered. Don't forget to spray some pre-soak on the glass as well.



Now you switch to the HP cycle, and start washing the car. Starting with the wheels (to rinse off the wheel cleaner). You want to hold the wand about 10in from the car, at a 90* angle to the surface., and slowly sweep the entire car with HP soap, getting all the pre-soak off of the car.



Next do an HP Rinse starting from the top down. At this point you can chose to go the full monty and apply the foam conditioner, or just stick to the clear coat protectant (aka drying agent).



The clear coat protectant will make the car's surface quite hydrophobic (especially if you have applied the foam wax first) and it is lots of fun to be blasting the car with hydrophobic water so go wild. The goal here is to chase off the last bits of soap (that escaped the HP rinse) and leave the car ready for the final step.



The combination of drying agent and spot free rinse is what you are really paying for. Now that the car's surface has been given a coat of drying agent, the DI water (spot free rinse) is going to sheet right off the car leaving it reasonably dry, and whatever water remains won't leave mineral spots.



Once you are done, you can dry off your car (with a waffle weave towel or two), and admire your clean car.



IMHO you are best off spot polishing any area's that need polishing with some KIT scratch out, and then applying some spray wax (I recomend Lucas Slick Mist) and calling it a day.



Otherwise I'd recomend using some TW Ice Liquid Polish, since its going to look wonderful on a silver car and will be easy to apply. If you already have some cleaner wax, I'd use that instead.



Given that any wax is going to take 3-5 minutes to haze, and maybe a 1-2 minutes to apply per panel. Waxing the car will take about a hour minimum. So IMHO the best time to do this is at the coin op at night or on a sunday morning, when its not busy.



Don't forget to apply a layer of lucas slick mist after you are done waxing for the ultimate shine. This stuff has the very neat property of air-curing to become even shinier over the next 24hr after you apply it.
 
GoudyL said:
IMHO bucket washing at a coin-op sort of defeats the purpose. The reasons I wash at a coin-op are.



1. High pressure

2. Spot free rinse water

3. Strong chemicals. :hifive:



The whole no rinse cleaning thing doesn't make much sense to me, as I want dirt and filth to be off of the car and flowing down the drain. Not lightly bound to an MF towel being swished across the paint. I guess if you are dusting off a garage queen its ok, but otherwise its unsound IMHO.



Straight up I'll say getting the car clean is the most important thing.So I'd start by spot treating the front bumper, and rocker panels with some TW Bug and Tar Remover, and spray/wiping the wheels with Mother's FX Wheel cleaner to start with, and then applying a second round of wheel cleaner.



At that point it's time to put some cash in the meter and start washing. The key to touchless washing is in the pre-soak, which softens up the dirt so you can blast it away with the high pressure soap.



You want to liberally apply pre-soak to the entire car making sure it is completely covered. Don't forget to spray some pre-soak on the glass as well.



Now you switch to the HP cycle, and start washing the car. Starting with the wheels (to rinse off the wheel cleaner). You want to hold the wand about 10in from the car, at a 90* angle to the surface., and slowly sweep the entire car with HP soap, getting all the pre-soak off of the car.



Next do an HP Rinse starting from the top down. At this point you can chose to go the full monty and apply the foam conditioner, or just stick to the clear coat protectant (aka drying agent).



The clear coat protectant will make the car's surface quite hydrophobic (especially if you have applied the foam wax first) and it is lots of fun to be blasting the car with hydrophobic water so go wild. The goal here is to chase off the last bits of soap (that escaped the HP rinse) and leave the car ready for the final step.



The combination of drying agent and spot free rinse is what you are really paying for. Now that the car's surface has been given a coat of drying agent, the DI water (spot free rinse) is going to sheet right off the car leaving it reasonably dry, and whatever water remains won't leave mineral spots.



Once you are done, you can dry off your car (with a waffle weave towel or two), and admire your clean car.



IMHO you are best off spot polishing any area's that need polishing with some KIT scratch out, and then applying some spray wax (I recomend Lucas Slick Mist) and calling it a day.



Otherwise I'd recomend using some TW Ice Liquid Polish, since its going to look wonderful on a silver car and will be easy to apply. If you already have some cleaner wax, I'd use that instead.



Given that any wax is going to take 3-5 minutes to haze, and maybe a 1-2 minutes to apply per panel. Waxing the car will take about a hour minimum. So IMHO the best time to do this is at the coin op at night or on a sunday morning, when its not busy.



Don't forget to apply a layer of lucas slick mist after you are done waxing for the ultimate shine. This stuff has the very neat property of air-curing to become even shinier over the next 24hr after you apply it.
Click to expand...



Funny how you don't advocate ONR due to the potential to surface scratching, but think that taking your car to a coin-op, skipping the the foam brush step(which is the only way these style of washes can clean a dirty car) and just using their stand alone soap will remove the road film off your vehicle. It won't (no matter how long you let it $$oak) and in turn you end up inducing even more scratching/marring from drying a car that's still dirty. If you properly maintain your vehicle, you won't need to use abrasive polishes or spray waxes to hide the damage you inflict each time you do an improper wash. :think:
 
I figure the coin-op cant' be much better than the touchless automated ones. I've been using one every couple weeks just to keep my car passable. It gets most of the grit off, but not the filmy grime. Glad you guys clued me into ONR though, ordered some up tonight :) (And a bunch of microfibers... and KAIO... and P21S wheel cleaner for my poor neglected wheels... you guys are already costing me too much $$$!)
 
David Fermani said:
Funny how you don't advocate ONR due to the potential to surface scratching, but think that taking your car to a coin-op, skipping the the foam brush step(which is the only way these style of washes can clean a dirty car) and just using their stand alone soap will remove the road film off your vehicle. It won't (no matter how long you let it $$oak) and in turn you end up inducing even more scratching/marring from drying a car that's still dirty. If you properly maintain your vehicle, you won't need to use abrasive polishes or spray waxes to hide the damage you inflict each time you do an improper wash. :think:
Click to expand...



Don't worry, your not the only one who thinks this dude is insane. I second your comment, I stopped using coin-ops after I spend a good time pre-soaking the car, then rinse HP, HP soap, rinse with HP, and then spot-free(Which didn't work very well). After all of that (8 minutes), I lightly swiped my finger across the paint and it came up brown :think:



I like how he advocates TW Ice in every single post, is against any abrasive polishing, and then goes on about $4 products and waxes that you can find in gathering dust because no one else uses them. "Ultimate shine" right? :har:
 
The guy has some type of reverse elitest attitude. He feels hes better because he uses otc products and THINKS hes getting the same results. Its just that in that train of thought hes going against some of the most basic techniques of proper detailing.



As said, using a PW and soap might get off most of the larger grit but it wont remove the road film. All I know is my drying towel is spotless after an ONR wash. Id like to see yours after oneof those washes you just described.
 
David Fermani said:
Funny how you don't advocate ONR due to the potential to surface scratching, but think that taking your car to a coin-op, skipping the the foam brush step(which is the only way these style of washes can clean a dirty car) and just using their stand alone soap will remove the road film off your vehicle.
Click to expand...



I've not used ONR, but I think the concept of "rinseless cleaning" doesn't make much sense. I want dirt to be off of the car entirely, not covered with lube and lightly trapped in an MF towel.



I don't know which coin-ops you go to, but it my experience you don't need the foam brush at all. Given that you have no clue about what gritty filth might be trapped in the foam brush, you are better off not using it IMHO.



Allowing the pre-soak to have time to dwell will allow it to loosen the dirt and cause the dirt to swell, making it softer. The softer, looser dirt is now more vulnerable to attack with the HP Soap.



The HP soap alone won't remove all road film, since its not as strong a detergent as the pre-soak is. Applying lots of pre-soak and letting it dwell is really the secret of touchless cleaning.



Indeed main way the foam brush cleans, is through the fact that the foam brush soap has a long dwell time on the surface of the car (while the customer is busy swishing the brush over the car, the soaps in the foam are softening the dirt, getting it ready to be blasted away by HP soap).



You are going to get more force/agitation from the high pressure water stream than you can ever safely create with boars hair brush (or MF towel) that you are lightly floating along the surface of the car.



If you don't think so, try holding your hand 10 inches in front of the wand tip at high pressure for a while.Not so easy.



It won't (no matter how long you let it $$oak) and in turn you end up inducing even more scratching/marring from drying a car that's still dirty.
Click to expand...



If you can't get a car clean in 15-20 minutes at the coin op, there are bigger issues involved. :)
 
Darkstar752 said:
I second your comment, I stopped using coin-ops after I spend a good time pre-soaking the car, then rinse HP, HP soap, rinse with HP, and then spot-free(Which didn't work very well). After all of that (8 minutes), I lightly swiped my finger across the paint and it came up brown :think:
Click to expand...



BTW: Were your hands clean to start with? :confused:



I'm not sure if you lack ability to get a good result at a coin op wash is because of the coin op wash, or because your ineffective use of it.



1. IMHO You need more than 8 minutes, since you want to have enough time to leasurely work on the car. I'd usually go for the 15 min or 20 min packages.



2. You need to leave the presoak on, and let it work for at least a minute. Rinsing it off with HP rinse (rather than going directly to HP soap) defeats the purpose.



3. To get the best use of the HP soap, you need to be applying it at close range, (10 inches 90* degrees) and making sure you work it evenly across each panel from top to bottom in a workman like fashion.



3. To get a spot free rinse, you need to use the combo of clear-coat protectant (aka drying agent) and the DI rinse. The drying agent will quickly give the car a hydrophobic surface which breaks water (e.g water will quickly bead and sheet off), and you then follow up with the DI rinse, (which will rapidly sheet off).



To get maximum binding of the drying agent, you want use the HP rinse to chase off any traces of soap. Failure to apply the drying agent, will leave you with a wet car no matter how you rinse it.
 
Using any high pressure setting at close range will pound the dirt and contaminants further into the paintwork.



Using the foam brush at a a self serve coin op will destroy your paint. :werd:



Keep in mind that no matter how well one rinses the brush with the high pressure rinse.. there will be crap and dirt in the brush that one will be dragging all over the paintwork, inducing scracthes and swirls.



Don't forget where people who go off roading go to clean the mud off their 4X4's and what they use to do it with! :eek::eek:



When I use my pressure washer, it's for cleaning wheel wells and removing stubborn brake dust from wheels (and only when the kinder, gentler methods are not working).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top