Washing a car that has been coated with something???

System

neilmcl wrote: »

Forget the chamois, you're better off with a good microfibre drying towel. Something like this - http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/drying-towels/monster-microfibre-purple-monster-edgeless-xl/prod_1297.html

Sorry, was thinking of the days before microfibre was invented.

I used to keep my own chamois goat and slice a chunk off when a new leather was required.

Neighbours used to comment on the 3 legged goat turning into a 2 legged goat but I used to ignore them.

force_ten

sound like the car has been waxed or sealed with a synthetic sealant and the water is beading on the paint

as said use a chamois or a microfiber drying towel and dry off the car after washing, by doing this you will cure your problem

I have two very thick microfiber towels and 10 minutes sees the car completely dry

Apjs87

Do not use a sponge because it traps dirt particles between the sponge and paint and leaves scratches.

Use a lambs wool mitt to wash with.

After hosing off, don't use a chamois leather at that will do the same. Use a microfibre drying towel.

Www.cleanyourcar.co.uk - cheap and quality products

HO87

Having followed at the heels of my father for years I thought that washing-up liquid - being a detergent - was good enough and any old car wax would do. The more expensive ones merely had fancy colours and aromas added - or so I thought. I was also fixated on my old chamois.

As a result of watching HO87 Jnr Mks 2 and 3 washing their cars I dumped the sponge for a lambswool mitt and the old chamois in favour of microfibre. Whilst I spend a little bit more on the polish and wax etc the finish is superb and is done in no time by comparison.

Beading is good and the dirt I'd guess is coming from the sponge. Try a mitt instead and use as good a quality wash as you can reasonably afford - the less lather the better.

pendragon_arther

In years gone by the manufacturers used to wax the cars due to keeping them out in all weathers before transporting them and we'd have to clean them off with a proper de-waxer before polishing them.

Iceweasel

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!

That beading after washing is the result of a (usually) expensive treatment.

To get that water repellent high-gloss finish is very expensive even if you do it yourself - which is time consuming and tiring.

The car can thus be very simply and quickly washed - road grime comes away very easily - but please NOT with a sponge - and then as said it need to be dried off with a micro-fibre towel.

It's amazingly quick and easy.

I use Autoglym Car Shampoo & Conditioner to maintain the finish - and if I didn't dry it off it would look cr*p.

Also you need to wash it on a dull day, or in shadow - washing a car in the sun makes it very difficult to avoid spots.

L.S.D.

Thanks all for some very good advice.

force_ten

Iceweasel wrote: »

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!

That beading after washing is the result of a (usually) expensive treatment.

To get that water repellent high-gloss finish is very expensive even if you do it yourself - which is time consuming and tiring.

The car can thus be very simply and quickly washed - road grime comes away very easily - but please NOT with a sponge - and then as said it need to be dried off with a micro-fibre towel.

It's amazingly quick and easy.

I use Autoglym Car Shampoo & Conditioner to maintain the finish - and if I didn't dry it off it would look cr*p.

Also you need to wash it on a dull day, or in shadow - washing a car in the sun makes it very difficult to avoid spots.

some say water beading is good others say it is bad

have a look at some of the detailing forums and see what they say about about beading and the general consensus seems to be that it looks good when it rains

As mentioned above beading can leave water spots on the car which immediately spoil the look of the car, yes every time you wash the car you have to dry it to stop the water spots/beading but you are not going to go out and dry it every time it rains

around here we have massive conifer plantations and it is said that they can increase the acid levels in rainwater so you have little beads of acid rain sitting on your car, add to that that we are not a million miles away from the beach so we also get sandy rain

so for these two reasons i don't like paint finishes that cause water to bead, I prefer a paint surface protection that causes sheeting rather than beading so most of the water sheets off and leaves fewer beads, I know this does not really work on a flat surface but it helps with water spots after rain

Richard53

HO87 wrote: »

Having followed at the heels of my father for years I thought that washing-up liquid - being a detergent - was good enough.

I learned in the same school. Washing-up liquid is a bad choice though, as it contains salt - the last thing you want to be sloshing around exposed metal. Even cheap car shampoo is better.

L.S.D.

Post 19 & 20 interesting. I have bought some Micro Fibre cloths & a lambswool mitt, so years of cleaning cars the old way is down the drain, pardon the pun.