Washing with just Water?

A

armoredsaint

New member
I was wondering if the car has only minor dust and pollen on it, would you just hose it down with water? I know I can use a QD, but I don't want to risk scratches. Except for the wheels where I would use soap to clean it. I read somewhere that Lamborghini and Ferrari recommends it. Just an idea? :D
 
Depending how you view minor dust/pollen, I would use the CCD, I have a black Audi also and I feel confident enough to use the CCD, barely touching the paint, under these conditions. If you feel the paint is too dusty and needs a quick wash, I would go with QEW. Hmm... maybe there's a a garden sprayer type add-on for the hose you could add a tiny bit of QEW and wash that way :nixweiss. I hope others who have such a device will chime in here. This method would make the wash go by extra quickly, then all you need to do is dry witha good ol' ww mf
 
I have black and I have done that .. but it just adds to the chance of marring .. I like the idea of the soap as a lube and also it suspends the dust/dirt particles.

The other thing is by just rinsing to me your now picking the residual dust up in your drying towel and possibly marring with it this and next drying cycle.
 
I agree with Jesstzn. Using a car shampoo (or QEW) and doing a regular wash will clean the paint better so that it's now safer to dry off.



Otherwise I would just use a CCD and QD it.





For the QEW in a garden sprayer idea, search for QEW (or its full name?) under the name Intel486. I'm pretty sure he did this and said it helped him. Not a bad idea for a pre-soak I think.
 
In the winter, I'll go by a U-spray-Em type wash booth and blast the dirt off the car. Sometimes I'll do that if there is too much construction mud on it before I wash it too. But I drive out of my way to get to one so that I'm nearly a full 30 miles from the house. By the time I get off the interstate at my exit, there is no water on the car.



Also, in winter, I actually prefer to blast off the dirt on rainy days, so that the dirt is softened.



I'd be concerned about water spots with your technique. I sure wouldn't touch the paint with a mitt without soap on it. You're sure to scratch it.



Generally, Ferraris are garage queens. My car is a daily driver in a city always under construction. Two totally different worlds.
 
4DSC said:


For the QEW in a garden sprayer idea, search for QEW (or its full name?) under the name Intel486. I'm pretty sure he did this and said it helped him. Not a bad idea for a pre-soak I think.
Click to expand...



In my experience, if you leave QEW on a car too long, it will etch spots in the wax. I no longer do a QEW pre-rinse.
 
Have been washing my car this way for years and have no problems with water spots or scratches. Using a high pressure water sprayer you don't have to worry about dirt and I never wash it down with a sponge. The car gets a big wash down with high pressure then I scrub the tyres and wheels with professional wash& wax and then a final blasting with water and your all done. Give it a thorough dry and then a going over with my improved version of 3M GE and it's smooth as.

However I only recommend water only washing after a car has been detailed ie polish and wax, sealant etc

using a wash n wax or even a normal shampoo (most brands) after paint treatment and the paint will get dried out and go rough again. Haven't used some of your brands though guys.
 
beanbag said:
In my experience, if you leave QEW on a car too long, it will etch spots in the wax. I no longer do a QEW pre-rinse.
Click to expand...
Hmm, good point. This stuff is a detergent/soap of some kind, otherwise it wouldn't clean. It probably does the damage when it dries out, which brings the solution up to wax damaging concentrations.... (just my theory).



Maybe if you did it only in small areas at a time or in the shade? Or do you do this already?
 
4DSC said:
Hmm, good point. This stuff is a detergent/soap of some kind, otherwise it wouldn't clean. It probably does the damage when it dries out, which brings the solution up to wax damaging concentrations.... (just my theory).



Maybe if you did it only in small areas at a time or in the shade? Or do you do this already?
Click to expand...



The first time I noticed this effect, I was washing at dusk, so it didn't have a chance to dry up. I had sprayed the the entire car with QEW before washing. From now on, I'll only do a section at a time.
 
I used to just rinse and that left water marks.



I used to just rinse and dry...and that left small scratches.



So now I use a car gel (soap) every time and that seems to suspend the stuff that was scratching the surface so that it does indeed rinse away.



That means I may use the Cali Duster for what you describe...or just wait to wash.



Too simple not to. ;)
 
I QEW'd my car again yesterday evening just as it was getting dark. Another bad idea. In about another hour, condensation would have started forming, but before that, things don't wipe off well. Thus I got more QEW streaks on my car. Even Spray and Wipe won't get these out a day later. I think the only thing that does is if you are applying a liquid wax or sealant (in this case UPP), and the solvents/cleaners partially dissolve the previous layer, and thus the spots too. Hmm, is UPP really layerable if each application partially dissolves the previous layer?
 
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