Tender Rubbing Care
Ultimate Auto Detailing Newsletter

January 2007 Vol. 2, Issue 1

Tender Rubbing Care
Ultimate Auto Detailing Newsletter

January 2007 Vol. 2, Issue 1

Table of Contents
Free Car Wash

Swirl Free Winter Car Wash

Contact Info:
Tender Rubbing Care Publishing
1123-3 Cedar Creek Dr. Modesto, CA. 95355

jjimpyatt@aol.com

 

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Back at you

Free Car Wash

By Jim Pyatt

Free car wash with fill-up? How many of us visit the local gas station, the one with that so-called free car wash with fill-up? Do you really believe it's free? Remember the old saying that nothing is free? Well, a free car wash is no different.

Stop and think about it! You are driving through a mechanical automated car wash, and first there was the loud bang of the rollers hitting the sides of your car;

then came a thud on the top followed by wild vibrations. No doubt, the nice coat of wax for which you had spent good money was striped away.

 

 

So I ask, "Was it really free?" You emerge out the other end of the wash; of course, you get out and inspect the job. You slap your forehead and scream, "There is a big scratch on the fender!" So I ask you again, "Was it free?" Of course you ask the manager about it, and his response is something like, "It must have been there when you entered the wash," or "Read the sign: we are not responsible." The manager smiles and says, "Here is a coupon for another free car wash"--as if you need another scratch!

Look at it like this. If you were to clean your car yourself by hand, you would probably use a soft brush or car wash mitt and chamois. Would you scrub it with a broom? Many of the products we buy have warnings such as "May be dangerous to your health, caution." The car wash should have a sign at its entrance saying something like this: "May cause scratches to your paint, dents to your fenders, and broken exterior accessories." I could go on, but you get the picture.

And as if that isn't enough, the laws are changing. Most facilities must recycle their water and reuse. And for those of you who live in harsh winter weather, unless they desalinize the water they use, the road salts are just going to go around and around. Washing your car with salt water is not a good idea. Salt makes water an electrical conductor, meaning electrons can flow much easier, speeding up the rust process.

The answer is simple: just say no! Don't use mechanical automated car washes, ever, no excuses. They damage your car, and damage means devaluation! If you have no choices because local law prohibits doing it yourself, there are plenty of hand car washes and touch-less facilities. These services may cost more than an automated car wash, but at least they will do the job properly without scratching your paint. As they say, nothing is free.

Having said all that I understand that if you live in areas with harsh winter environments,

salted roads leave the undercarriage of your car a magnet for these salts, I recommend going to the car wash and having only the undercarriage cleaned.

 

Winter Car Care

By Jim Pyatt
You open the window to a brisk morning. The evening before left a nice coating of snow. This winter picture is pristine. You call the kids over, and every one is excited. For the first few hours, everyone is out playing in the clean white snow. You sit in your easy chair to read the paper; the weather report says winter has arrived. With the snow comes work. Yes, you heard me. You now have to get the snowplow out to clear the driveway. Have you ever thought about how tough these elements are on your vehicles? Look at the surroundings a few days later. That nice clan snow is now reduced to brown mud and slush. Your car looks as if it had been given a mud bath. Now, I know that they have mud-bath treatments to beautify the human body, but I've yet to hear of any benefit to metal. On the contrary, the moisture formed by the melting snow and ice combines with chemicals in road salt to wreak havoc on the thin painted surface of your car. Eventually, if not specially cared for, the paint begins to corrode, the metal underneath it will be exposed, and rust will form. Furthermore, as I discussed last month, winter care can be one of the most beneficial things you can do to maintain the value of your car.

It also means that you don't have to drive around in a car that looks brown. If washing the salt and mud off your car in the cold weather concerns you because you think your car may "freeze," by following a few simple steps, you can make your car look as good in the middle of winter as on a spring day. Unless you live in the far north, always wait for a clear day with the temperature above freezing; generally after a storm you get a couple of sunny days that are the perfect time. I'm very lucky to live in an area of California where snow is extremely rare. But Lake Tahoe is a couple of hours drive away. I have always loved buckling up my boots and hitting the slopes. I know that as soon as I get home the chore of washing is vital, but believe me the last thing I have the energy to do is wash the car.

My process for a winter wash has 6 steps. Following these steps is vital during the winter season. Remember this time of year is a challenge. It's essential that you loosen the dirt on the car with a thorough rinsing. First, let's diagnose and evaluate the condition of the vehicle and come up with a treatment plan.

Before You Wash, Diagnose

· Look closely at the paint for signs of road salt (especially in the lower body panel areas).

· Check the wheels, wheel wells, and around the rotors. Are they full of mud and salt?

· Check the undercarriage and under the bumpers. These areas tend to trap all that mud and salt. None of us like getting down on our knees to work on our car, but it's a must if we intend to inspect and clean. Park your car on a clean dry surface and lay down an old towel alongside. I sometimes like to use a flashlight when lighting is inadequate. Lying on your side, look for infected areas that will need addressing during the wash (don't skip this step; you will miss areas of infection trying to do it during treatment).

· Check the cowling area at the bottom of the windshield.

· Open the engine compartment, check to see if snow or mud has been slung inside this area. This is important. Leaving mud can cause overheating or other related problems.

 

Treatment Step 1

Engine Compartment, Wheel Wells, Undercarriage, Wheels, and Tires

Are you fortunate enough to have a sink in your garage with running hot water? Get a faucet-to-garden-hose adapter in the local hardware store's plumbing department. If you don't have a sink in the garage, one could certainly run a hose from inside the house as well, and hook up the garden hose with an adapter from the local hardware store to enable you to attach the hose to an indoor sink faucet. This will enable you to mix a nice warm flow of water to use for car washing. With a water softener in the household plumbing system, I should caution you about the hot water: most hoses aren't designed to withstand extreme high temperatures (and neither are you, if the water splashes back at you!), so be sure you follow any related safety guidelines of the hose manufacturer.

Remove that well maintained hose from the garage, and attach a spray nozzle. I have tried them all and find the Fire Hose Nozzle to be outstanding. The construction is impressive. It's made out of stainless steel encased in thick rubber. I've dropped it, I've dragged it across my driveway, and it still works. Get some of the heavy-duty rubber gloves for household work. Some manufacturers even make them insulated. It's better than nothing to protect your hands. When the weather is cold, they help keep my hands warm, and I use the gloves to help dislodge the mud. When you are finished, rinse mud and salt from the gloves. You can also machine wash in cold water using the delicate cycle, or you can dispose of gloves that seem beyond reusing.

Engine Compartment

· With hot water, blast any dirt and mud away from the cowling and engine area. Be careful not to spray the electronics. We are not detailing the compartment, just performing maintenance. We will address engine detailing in the spring.

Wheel Wells and Undercarriage

· Using the hose, blast mud and salt away from the wheel wells. If necessary, also use your gloves to dislodge caked on mud and salt. Blast until you see a clean stream of water emerging from underneath.

· Blast mud and salt from all areas of your undercarriage which you can reach, especially under bumpers and the like.

Wheels and Tires

Wheels come in many styles, including polished aluminum, chromed steel, clear-coated aluminum, and painted. No matter what variety you have, brake dust and salt and mud make them difficult to clean. If your wheels have plastic covers or hubcaps, remove them before you begin cleaning. Soak hubcaps in warm soapy water; this will make cleaning easier.

You may want to use a special wheel cleaner, but the old standby tools are a hose, a sprayer attachment, and a bucket of soapy water, a wheel brush and an old mitt.

· Fill wash bucket with car-wash soap. You want to use a soap that is designed specifically for your car. Never use dish soap like Dawn. They all contain degreasers, and will remove your car's wax. You want soap with good lubrication. I like Mothers California Gold. Double the recommended strength for the wheels. You can also use a wheel cleaner like Meguiar's Hot Rims Multi Piece Wheel Wash; this is a non-alkaline, non-acid formula that safely removes grime, grit and brake dust from all polished/unpolished aluminum, powder-coated, multi-surface or anodized wheels. Note: I don't use acid-based cleaners; the chance for damage using this type of product is just too great.

· Spray cleaner and scrub wheels and tires thoroughly with soapy water. Use a brush to agitate and remove stubborn mud and salt I use an old toothbrush to reach into tight spots and intricate designs. Use the hose-sprayer attachment to rinse off the soap and dirt.

Treatment Step 2

Surface Soaking

· Lubricate door locks and latches. Coat weather stripping with silicone spray to keep doors and locks from freezing shut.

· Using your hose with no attachment, start at the top of the car and rinse the dirt with a moderate stream of water from top to bottom. Spray a light mist of water, using your thumb, over the body surface to soak the film of dirt, salt, dust, and grime that has accumulated on the paint finish. By leaving the water to soak for a minute or two, much of the dirt will easily float off the car when you go to wash it.

· Never use a pressure washer! It will grind the dirt into the clearcoat and leave micromarring (swirls). It literally acts like a sandblaster used to remove paint. Now we sure don't want that!

Treatment Step 3

First Washing

After thoroughly rinsing the car, you are ready to get the bulk of the remaining dirt. Remember, this is a multistage wash. Use quality car-wash soap (note, as I said under "Wheels and Tires," never use kitchen or household liquid detergent containing degreasers, like Dawn, to wash your car as these products can damage your car's paint finish). One of the keys is to keep the paint surface wet at all times. Recruit a friend to help. They can keep the water running on the surface at all times.

One reason for swirls is washing with dirty water. Avoid swirls by using a water filtration system like the Dirtguard auto wash system. Bring this simple

filter and washboard insert along with your quality car shampoo, mixed to the recommended concentration, and a wash brush for the first washing. You don't want to use a mitt yet. You need a tool with the best agitation available. I prefer using the Montana Original Tri-Angle Boar's Hair Wash brush. This tool is not cheap. It will run you about eighty bucks, but it is well worth the cost. Maintain this brush, Thoroughly rinse using your hands to free any dirt that gets lodged in the bristles, hang dry with the head face down in order to completely dry, hanging head face up can leave water trapped thus shorting the life of the tool, and it will last a lifetime. This brush is free flowing and holds lots of soap and water and will not trap dirt particles which will then scratch your paint.

· Start on the top and work in 3x3-foot small areas dipping your brush into the dirtgard bucket. Rub the brush against the insert frequently. This acts like a washboard, removing the dirt from your brush. Rinse each area with water before proceeding to the next area. Absolutely never let the car dry. Keep wetting it down all the time. On an extremely dirty, average-size car, I will use 4 to 5 buckets of soap and water. When you have finished, rinse out the bucket and filter. You are now ready to proceed.

 

Treatment Step 4

Rinsing

Using your hose fitted with your nozzle set at medium stream, start with the top and work down rinsing all the dirt and soap off.

Treatment Step 5

Second Washing

OK, you have a clean wash bucket fitted with a clean Dirtguard filter. Add your car-wash soap at the manufacturer's suggested mixture. You need to use a wash mitt that is free flowing and will not trap dirt particles. I like wool, but as always I am trying new and innovative products. I recently tested a new product from Edge, the ShMitt wash mitt. It's a waffle-pattern foam mitt; the foam is extremely fine and soft, holds lots of soap and water like a sponge. The unique waffle surface enables the soap and water to flow through the surface area that comes in contact with the paint, minimizing your chance for micromarring (swirling). My conclusion was that this mitt is a great tool in the war on swirls.

· Slip your mitts on your hands. They should fit like a glove. Remember to rinse and rub the sponge/mitt regularly on the insert in your Dirtguard. You don't want dirt to accumulate on the mitt and scratch the paint.

 

· With light to medium pressure, rub the sponge gently as you work the suds over the car's surface. Start with the top and work down, windows, hood, trunk, and upper-to-lower sides. It's a good idea to give a quick scrub to the headlights and other light lenses too, while you're on the front and back sections. After working each 3x3-foot area, dip your mitts into the bucket and rub them against the insert in the bottom. Typically I'll replace the soapy water 3 to 4 times on an average-size car. Soap is cheap. The lubricants in the soap and the proper tools are two of the keys to a swirl-free wash. I found the ShMiTT wash mitt and the Dirtguard wash system to be exceptional products, at fighting the war on swirls.

Treatment Step 6
Final Rinse

Using your hose fitted with no nozzle, free flow the water over the vehicle starting with the top, and it will practically dry itself. The effect of a stream from the hose causes the water to sheet off; using a nozzle causes the water to bead, leaving more water on the surface. Do a test both ways, and you will see the difference: simply amazing!

Treatment Step 7

Drying

Immediately after washing the vehicle, open and close all doors, the trunk, and other parts of the car with locks several times before parking it (this will eliminate water freezing in locks in extreme cold). Drying is also one of the reasons you end up with swirls if you don't do it correctly.

· Use a synthetic chamois. Lay the chamois on a panel and pull water away. I find natural chamois dry out, and the smell is appalling.

· Use a leaf blower to blow water from the cowling, mirrors, grills, lights, power antenna, and any accessories that hold water. Open all doors and hatches. Thoroughly blow around the inside of the door and trunk, as well as the joints where they attach to the vehicle.

· Periodically apply a good silicone spray to all weather stripping during freezing weather.

· Lastly use a waffle-weave microfiber towel to dry any remaining water. I like to use a clean dry microfiber towel and wipe down with a spray wax like Meguiar's to give me that just waxed shine. I can perform this wash in about an hour for an average-size car; you should be able to get this project done in an hour to an hour and a half.

Keys to the swirl-free wash.

Rinse well, start at the top, finish at the bottom, never use more than very gentle pressure, and always rinse the brush or mitt frequently.

Damage to paint is undoubtedly caused by not following these simple steps. If your physician lays out a treatment plan to cure your infection, do you skip a treatment? Of course not? You can use the same techniques year round, or reevaluate the infection and treat accordingly.

Tool Care

The lowly garden hose deserves the very utmost respect! Nothing around the house works harder and provides more service, but it is often a neglected piece of equipment. Here's how to help prolong the life of this tool by storing it correctly over the winter months.

· Drain all the water out of the hose after washing is complete. Water left inside may freeze, causing the material to rupture as the ice expands.

· Coil the hose. Storing the hose in a coiled position will prevent kinks from developing.

· Connect the end fittings. Fasten the male and female ends of the hose together to prevent spiders from making a winter home inside your hose.

· Store the drained and coiled hose in the garage or shop.

· Store the hose up off the floor. A shelf or a dedicated hose hanger will prevent the rubber material from rotting on the ground. Air circulation is vital in preventing mildew from forming. A dehumidifier or running a fan occasionally may help in damp locations.

· Don't hang your hose on a nail, which may cause kinks--the enemy of all hoses.

· Never store hoses with kinks in them! Kinks weaken the fabric and will eventually cause leaks.

· Rinse all wash mitts thoroughly and dry.

· Rinse wash brush and hang up so that all the water is drained.

· Clean your Dirtguard wash system and store properly.

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For permission to reprint my articles, please request by email. Thanks

Jim Pyatt jjimpyatt@aol.com

Comments or questions jim@tenderrubbing.com

Copyright © 2004 - ACME Publishing Inc.

 

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