Need help with 2 things

First the quick one:

I had a lot of bug & sap junk stuck on my windshield. I used megs apc at 4:1 dillution and one of those nylon mesh wrapped sponges to remove the bad stuff, then rinsed and wiped dry with a MF. It was very clear when i drove it immediatly after, and also clear when i drove it later that night.

Then it rained, and all sorts of streaks came out last night while it was raining. It was terrible! lol, i had to stop and wipe it down again real quick to make it safe to drive.

Was this because i forgot to follow up the apc with a dedicated glass cleaner (that was the plan, but i forgot)? If not, what happened?

Second, ive washed my jeep 3-4 times now using the 2 bucket method and spot cleaning the bugs with apc + the nylon mesh sponge before hand. Beginning to end (pre soaking to drying with the towels) it takes almost 2 hours to do this. From reading other peoples wash times, this seems like im taking WAY to long on something.

The last time, i spent some time monitoring my washing times and i found out i spend about 30 minutes drying. That seems like a lot! At this time, i dont have a leaf blower and I dont think my air compressor would be able to keep up. Im using 16x16" MF's to dry the whole thing and apply QD where needed. I wash one section, then rinse and dry that section. Then i move onto the next section (roughly a quarter at time), and repeat...but the problem is the over spray of water that gets on the newly cleaned section. Because i have well water, it leaves terrible spots if not dried immediately. So it seems like i spend most of my time drying panels repeatedly trying to avoid water spots.

Im also stuck washing in a dirt driveway, which gets muddy. A paved driveway is in down the road a ways (after the remodel/addition) so i need to figure something out here. Maybe wash in the grass?

Any tips here?

 

1) You wouldn't happen to have a vinyl top would you? Did you have any kinda dressing on your roof/trim? This is the first thing I thought of concerning the streaks on your windows :shead:

2) 2 hours to wash, wheels, door jams, engine and clay is about the same amount of time I spend on the wash cycle. Remember, without a good foundation(thorough wash)the rest is meaningless :graduation:

3) Instead of washing your car on your gravel drive, try washing it in the yard :cig:

Hope this helps :help:

 

Not the cheapest option, but you would make your life a LOT easier if you purchased a CR Spotless. They work fantastic.

 

1) Not a wrangler (no vinyl top), if it was the most attention it would be getting is a quick spray for $1.50 lol.

2) I have yet too clay my car, hoping to get it down this saturday. I did do wheels/tires, jambs, windows, trim though and that took 1 hour 40 minutes.

3)Im thinking i will be trying this in the lawn next time, thanks!

 

I actually have an RO/DI system, but its in my basement and my well water is hell on the membrane & sediment blocks. Im playing with a TDS of around 700. I spend $100 every 3-4 months on the membrane and new sediment blocks, and thats only using 100-150 gallons for my fish tank. Of course im keeping it at 0 TDS...what range is acceptable for washing cars spot free?

 

If your car does not have mud caked on it when you perform your normal wash and the car is not super dirty, maybe ONR would work well for you. You could then wash the car with the 2 bucket method and ONR down on the paved section of road without worrying about the mud or any hose runoff creating mud.

 

I would just ONR wash your car and use the RO/DI water in your buckets. Problem solved.

 

Hmmm....im very new to detailing, so i have not looked into ONR much yet. It may be the way to go for me more times than not.

I do get the occasional mud caked on there when a road gets closed down, or during hunting season. But couldn't i just stop by a self-spray place, hose it down, then ONR it when i got home?

How does an ONR wash work with road grime that lightly covers the bottom half of the car (that grey'ish dirt you pick up from driving on pavement in the rain)?

 

I have used ONR (Optimum No Rinse) on some of the worst cars I have ever worked on and it has never failed, even on the lower panels. However, I would recommend mixing ONR at the quick detailer dilution and pre-treat the lower panels by spraying a layer so that it can soften and begin to break up the dirt/grime layer. After that has sat for around a minute, it will just wipe right off when you take a pass with ONR and your wash media of choice.

You are spot on with spraying the bulk of the mud off at a DIY place, that will make an ONR wash just that much safer and effective. Here are some of the worst cars I have worked on with ONR being the only cleaning agent.

Before:




After just ONR:




Before (had not been washed in 20,000 miles):



After: wheels were cleaned with only ONR as well.



Before: 3 months of NE winter grime




After just ONR, including wheels:






Basically, ONR has made my life so much easier as I can perform a safe and effective wash anywhere I can get access to a couple gallons of clean water. It also softens water. This is not to say that there are not cases where ONR is not going to cut it, there are and you would have to default to a regular soap. But if your car is cleaner than the ones I posted, you are just fine!

 

Wow great work, ill be looking into ONR much sooner & closer now.

Thanks!

 

Im looking for a good otc no-rinse. Anyone have a suggestion? Ive been searching and i see Duragloss has one available or available soon, but i cant find it on there site. I can wait and get some ONR, but im washing a family members car this saturday and would like to try no-rinse out then as well.

 

I have never seen or heard of any OTC rinseless products that are even close to the level of ONR, I wish there was an OTC alternative to try!

 

Meguiar's APC is not safe for cleaning paint or wheels. Just use the mesh bug scrubber (soaking in car wash soap and water) to clean your windshield and bug-ridden areas of your paint. If you need more cleaning power, then try putting 1 or 2 ounces of soap in a spray bottle and fill the rest with water and spray directly on the areas that need increased cleaning power. From what I understand, Adam's APC is safe for use to clean up wheels, paint, glass, etc. that aren't coming out with normal car wash soap and water. You're not really going to find an OTC APC that is safe for exterior vehicle cleaning....they are mostly for engine dgreasing, cleaning tires and wheel wells, carpet cleaning, etc. Many people on this forum recommend using Zep Citrus APC for a variety of these tasks at a 5:1 (or weaker) ratio but I don't think that repeated use of Zep Citrus is safe for your own vehicle. It can be purchased from your local Home Depot for something like $10 a gallon.

When washing the car, you should do it like this:

1.) Rinse the whole car down.
2.) Wash one section (like one side of the car) and rinse off that section.
3.) Move onto the next section until the car is complete
4.) Do a final rinse to the entire car. The final rinse will remove any water spots that have temporarily formed on the vehicle.
5.) Use a quick detailer while drying. Spray the hood a few times and then dry. Spray the side of the car and then dry the side. The QD will make drying faster and easier, and will remove any remaining water spots that your final rinse may not have removed.

 

The streaking was caused by left over APC that mixed with the water when it rained. When I use this chemical I always follow up with a wash using a standard car wash and rinse with fresh water. It's really no big deal just remember the next time.


As for the length of time it takes to wash a car it depends on how dirty it was to start, how large a vehicle, how detail oriented you are, how fast you work, what products you use, or how anal your are. What I'm trying to point out is the number of variables are almost infinite.

Define wash your car.

Wash, rinse, and dry - 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Wash, rinse, tires, wheels, wheel wells, dry, windows, full interior, tire treatment, trim, polish, wax etc- 10- 12 hours

Your definition of wash will be different than mine but first define your end result.