Spring Detailing?

[Blown F-150]

Thanks for the tips guys, I will post up where I find the best deal. This way anyone else looking has a starting point.

[Kitzy]

So this two bucket method you speak of... here's my take on it. 

First, I too start with a good foam gun bath.  I do a soak and rinse.  Then I break out my two buckets, both with grit guards and I put at wash soap of choice in both.  This isn't the standard but here is my reasoning.  I feel like the added soap in even the rinse bucket helps to loosen up anything in the mitt so it cleans out better.  That said, I usually only do a half dose of the soap in the rinse bucket.  If anything, its piece of mind.  That said, I still incorporate the foam gun in to the 2 bucket method.  I lather a panel with the foam gun, remove the wash mitt from my soap bucket and easy the panel from top to bottom.  If its a horizontal panel such as the good i start where its hardest to reach and work closer to myself.  I then put the dirty mitt in to the rinse bucket and rinse the panel with a hose.  After the panel is rinsed I go back to the rinse bucket, scrubbing the mitt against the grit guard and with my hand rough it up before moving it back to my soap bucket.  I continue on with the car. 

For what its worth, I use a bucket with grit guard and car wash soap (sometimes an APC presoak on wheels, always in tires and wheel wells) on the wheels, tires, and wheel wells.  The tires and wheel wells ways get scrubbed clean before rinsing.  And for me, the wheels come before any of the paint to avoid splashing back on to a clean panel. 

After the car is completely washed I will move on to the drying stage.  This is where things get interesting and vary from person to person.  Who's up?  Let's hear your methods...

[Rollingrock]

My method is very similar to Kitzy....

I always do my wheels and wells first, using combos of products...  APC+, Wheel Brightner etc...once wheels and wells are done, I move on to rinsing of the surface starting with the top.   One of the greatest tips I got from RockPick (who is that guy? )  is that he preaches never to spray water directly at the surface, rather always at an angle, which makes perfect sense...

I also use 2 bucket method both with grit guards.   One I add soap in and the other naturally gets soap as i rinse mitts. 

I start with the windshield and roof first, using the gilmore foam sprayer...I use the Griots wash extended pole with MF mit for this area ONLY....once that is done, I do the hood and both front qtr panels....there is a reason I do it this way.   I will get to that.   

Once the hood/front and front qtr panels are done, I do the drive side and depending on how soiled the surface is I either do one door at a time or the entire side which also depends on the size of the car/truck.     

Then the back or tail gate then I only have the passenger side left. 

Now the reason I do the hood/front and both qtrs first is b/c of timing...or at least that is what I tell my self...as I am finished I walk back to the water source turn down so I can use the water sheeting method for drying...since I have done the front, that only leaves me with a few sections left and I feel it maximizes the amount of times I circle the car...I know this may not make any sense to some but its what I do.   

I like to think there is logic there but its really a pattern if anything else. 

But I digress a tad, after each section I do drop the mitt in the "rinse bucket" and allow it to soak while I rinse that worked section...then I rinse that off and place back i the wash bucket.   (Each being labeled Rinse and Wash. this never changes same buckets every time for each step...I use the reflective stickers "R" and "W" on the buckets)   

Then hit with the form and allow to dwell a tad then hit it with the "washed" soaked Mitt. 

Ok that is my pattern and 2 bucket method. 

[Kitzy]

OK I have to ask.  Why spray only at an angle?  Is this to prevent dirt from being blasted INTO the paint and marring it? 

[Rollingrock]

OK I have to ask.  Why spray only at an angle?  Is this to prevent dirt from being blasted INTO the paint and marring it?

Correct, the theory as I guess it is to keep the high pressure from driving dirt into the paint.    I suppose we'll have to drag Brad over here to give us his viewpoint on it.

[sscully]

I changed from the grit guard to a pail pal drit dropper in the rinse bucket some time back, after I saw a guy that does high end vehicles using a washboard in the rinse bucket with a grit guard in the bottom.

The thought is, clean the mitt against something other than what is trying to keep the dirt separated and isolated at the bottom, as not to stir it up into the water.

I did not have much luck finding a large enough plastic wash board, so I went Pail Pal in a 5 gal bucket for the rinse



The top of the washboard bolts to the top of the bucket above the stiffener ring for the handle.
- it is easy to remove the cap nut and screw to take it apart to rinse it out.

This is the same rinse bucket I use for ONR as well.

After I saw this, it made sense.. Maybe it is just me.

[Too Stroked]

Hmmm. I kinda like that. Where did you get it?

[Too Stroked]

I do a soak and rinse. 

Mike,

You say you do a soak and rinse before you really get going on the wash. I'm assuming this is to let the car wash soap take off anything easy before you re-soap to do the actual wash?

I've just been rinsing the whole vehicle down with water, then using the foam gun to drench the whole vehicle with soap, then let it soak in. Then I use the two bucket method with the suds already on the vehicle.

[gipraw]

Mike,

You say you do a soak and rinse before you really get going on the wash. I'm assuming this is to let the car wash soap take off anything easy before you re-soap to do the actual wash?

I've just been rinsing the whole vehicle down with water, then using the foam gun to drench the whole vehicle with soap, then let it soak in. Then I use the two bucket method with the suds already on the vehicle.

That is what I do also. 


I use three mitts for each wash.  One for the roof, hood, trunk and top half of the side panels, one for the bottom half of the side panels and one for the wheels.

After several washes the top mitt becomes the side mitt, the side mitt becomes the wheel mitt, the wheel mitt becomes trash and I use a new mitt for the top.

[Kitzy]

I do a soak and rinse. 

Mike,

You say you do a soak and rinse before you really get going on the wash. I'm assuming this is to let the car wash soap take off anything easy before you re-soap to do the actual wash?

I've just been rinsing the whole vehicle down with water, then using the foam gun to drench the whole vehicle with soap, then let it soak in. Then I use the two bucket method with the suds already on the vehicle.

Correct, Tom.  That is the idea anyway.  The real reason I do it is because... why not?  Sure I may use a bit more soap this way but in the end if it gets just a bit more dirt and grime off before a wash mitt ever touches it then why not.  I first rinse the entire vehicle off before I hit it with the foam gun to do a soak and rinse.  Not only does it get some dirt off but it also cools the panels that may have been baking in the sun.

I also use a dedicated wash mitt for wheels.  It something touches my wheels then it will never touch my paint.

[sscully]

Hmmm. I kinda like that. Where did you get it?

pail pal has their own Amazon market place, that is where I got mine from.

I think the "big box" detailing supply place has them as well, I did not check recently though.