Best way to wash car, from a novice?

[Black9]

So here's a few steps I take when washing my car. Let me know if I'm making any mistakes or any improvements could be made...

1) drive down to tesco jet wash and snow foam the whole car, leave for a few mins then drive to my house and rinse foam off with karcher washer.

2) wash panel by panel with meaguiars car shampoo and lambs wool mitt. Using 2 bucket method. I don't rinse after each panel but wait till the whole cars been washed then rinse as one?

3) wash wheels with sponge and wheel shampoo, rinse off with washer

4) dry car panel by panel with drying specific cloth

5) apply meguiars liquid wax panel by panel with application pad and leave for a few mins then buff off with micro fibre cloth.

6) apply meguiars dressing, apply wheel protector. That's it, minus the interior clean

[B3n]

Looks more or less bang on! But what I would change

Shampoo a few panels then rinse Don't do the full car then rinse your risking having the shampoo drying onto the paint.

I would personally Clean the wheels before you clean the car.

Ben

[andrewparker]

I would personally Clean the wheels before you clean the car.

And not with a sponge, buy an additional mitt.

[B3n]

I would personally Clean the wheels before you clean the car.

And not with a sponge, buy an additional mitt.

Ofcourse

[Black9]

Forgot to add, I clean the exhaust tips with shampoo and a wash mitt. Need to buy some autosol ASAP.

From now on I'll use a mitt for the wheels, I thought a sponge was ok due to the wheels being alloy

[stealthwolf]

The reason for not using a sponge is that grit can be trapped and dragged along. This can damage paintwork and alloys too.

Please tell me you rinse the snowfoam off before driving. You could also take along a diluted wheel cleaner and brush, and clean the alloys at the carwash.

In hot weather, I'd wash panel by panel but in cooler weather, I'll happily do the whole car. As you speed up, you'll be able to do the whole car quickly enough.

When you rinse, make sure it's an open-ended hose (ie no nozzle) - the water will sheet off, leaving few droplets on the paintwork so it's easier to towel dry. If I don't do this, it'd take me 2-3 drying towels but since switching, I use one towel.

Waxing needs to be done only once every few months - when the beading starts to go. Again, in warmer weather, go one panel at a time. In cooler weather, you could probably get away with 2 or 3 before buffing.

Apply wheel and trim dressing with either a brush or sponge - more control than microfibre IMO.

Don't forget glass cleaner. When towel drying, finish off by doing the door sills/boot/petrol cap/mirrors etc - places where water gets trapped.

[B3n]

I thought a sponge was ok due to the wheels being alloy

I used a sponge for years on my wheels, as I used wheel cleaner and rinsed first there was no dirt left on the wheels anyway to cause any damage. Only switched to a mitt as I had an old one laying around. 

[Black9]

Most of the time I rinse the snow foam off but sometimes I'll drive unto my house which is around 1min away and just hose it off with my karcher. I never use a sponge on the paintwork, only a lambs wool mitt. I'm quite lucky my cars red, looks clean even when it's not 

[johnston]

if you have a karcher why don't you but a snow foam lance and save yourself the trip to tesco?

[jedi-knight83]

you dont want the tescos foam crap on the car. god knows what kind of strong truck wash they use to dissolve the muck.

Get yourself a proper foam lance for your pressure washer and use some PH neutral snow foam.. then you wont be stripping off your protection every wash.

[maxload]

Forget Tesco , I bought this snow foam lance for my Karcher washer , it's a fantastic piece of kit >> http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003BF83UK/ref=oss_product  

[middlo82]

wash it by hand using autogleam, works for me anyway