After spending a great deal of time polishing my car to remove scratches and swirl marks, I've discovered an easy way to prevent them from happening as I weekly wash my cars. This may seem extreme to some, but it is really satisfying to see my cars retain that showroom finish year after year. If you own a black car, or any dark colored car for that matter, this is may be beneficial to you.

Important: DO NOT EVER wash your car in direct sunlight and ensure the car has been in the garage or shade for several hours prior to any car wash. This prevents water spots, dried on soap and other associated headaches. Early morning just after sunrise or after sunset is the best time unless you have a shaded work area.

1. Wash your wheels, tires and wheelwells first and use a dedicated smaller bucket for this. The last thing you want to introduce on your painted surface is brake dust, grime or road debris. Using a dedicated bucket will prevent this cross contamination. You will also prevent water spots because the water wont be sitting on your painted surfaces while you are cleaning the wheels, tires and wheelwells.

2. Hose your car down with a wash nozzle that can deliver a strong stream of water. Start at the top of the car and work your way down so the water can wisk away the dust/dirt. Remember, the goal here is to wash away as much of the debris as possible not just simply to wet the car.

3. Fill a large bucket with water and Car Wash soap and put in 5 (yes 5 that's not a typo)micro fiber wash mitts.

4. Buy a foam gun and using a quality CAR WASH Soap (not dishwashing or household soap which will remove all of your wax) apply soap to the car from the top down and let the soap carry away the debris that the water was not able to lift.

4, With the soap sitting on the car, use one of the wash mitts on the hood, roof, and trunk. Do not push down hard on the mitt, but gently glide it over the surface in the direction that air would flow if the car was driving down the road. Avoid the common circular washing techniques because this is what causes the dreaded swirl marks. Then place this wash mitt into your wash machine because it will not touch the surface of your vehicle again before being washed. Next grab another mitt and wash the drivers' side from top to bottom and at the half way point flip it over so you get a fresh/clean side to work with. Again place this mitt in the wash machine. Repeat until the vehicle is completely washed using a fresh mitt for the passengers' side, front end, and rear end. Do not rinse or introduce any mitt that you have already used back to your vehicle. Simply put it in your wash machine or another container for washing later in your wash machine. The purpose of this is to completely avoid introducing any dirt or dust particles that you washed off and is on the mitt back onto your clarcoat painted surfaces.

Note: You may have to apply the foam gun to the vehicle at some point again if you notice the soap drying. That is not a big deal and only takes a minute or so.

5. Rinse the entire car with a car wash nozzle from top to bottom. Remove the car wash nozzle and using a gentle stream of water let the water remove most of the beads of water on the surfaces working from the top down. This step will save you drying time and avoids the use of more micro fiber towels.

6. Gently dry the car using ONLY quality micro fiber towels in the direction that air would flow if the car was driving down the road. Do not use anything other than micro fiber! Avoid the common hectic circular drying techniques and avoid repeatedly going over surfaces because this is what causes the dreaded swirl marks.

7. Use a leaf blower or compressed air and blow out the areas where water collects one section at a time. Immediately wipe off using a micro fiber towel. Dry the wheels and rims too. This prevents rusty rotors and to allows you to put on a tire dressing without having to wait for the tires to dry.

Well that's it. Seven steps and it works like a charm every time once you get it down. Let me know how it worked for you!

 

I did a variation of this last weekend using the Gary Dean Method to perform a rinseless wash. It worked really well!!


I had my car all polished and waxed ready for Concours but had to drive the car 150 miles to the event. Obviously I picked up some dirt and dust along the way. Using this rinseless wash method cleaned the car up beautifully with no scratches or swirls inflicted and no need for a water hose. I just bought 2 gallons of distilled water at a local store and added my rineless wash concentrate. Easy peasy!!

Cheers,

Allan

 

Allan,

Is there any particular method you use to wash your car at home or do you go with the rinseless method on a regular basis?

 

I have definitely become a fan of the rinseless method but it depends on how dirty the car is. That said, I almost never use the two bucket method anymore as I think it does give more opportunity for introducing scratches.

My current modus operandi is as follows.

If the car is fairly dirty (not very common), I use a two step process, otherwise just step two.

If very dirty, I first use my foam gun to cover the car in soap. My current flavor is Chemical Guys Citrus wash. I do not wet the car down first. I then let the soap dwell for a few minutes then rinse off with the spray gun. Then I take the nozzle off and just give the car a sheet rinse with the open ended hose. To finish this step I quickly dab dry the car with a waffle weave towel(s). It need not be a thorough drying, although I do use a blower to dry the door mirror, door handles, bumpers etc where water congregates and hides.

In step two, I put put 1oz of rinseless wash concentrate in a bucket with two gallons of distilled water. I have used a few brands of RW but my go to now is the Pinnacle Rinseless Wash with Carnauba. I add 12 (yes twelve) edgeless microfiber towels that are folded in 4 into the bucket and let them soak for a few mins. I take two of the soaked towels and wring them as dry as possible for use as a drying towel and grabbing a spray bottle of Pinnacle Waterless Wash with Carnauba go to work

Working one panel at a time, I spray the panel liberally with the waterless wash (to add lubricity) and then take a soaked towel and make one continuous wipe along the panel. I then use a different side of the towel to make the next wipe and so on. Each side of the towel makes only one wipe. When each side has been used the towel goes into an empty bucket and the next towel is used.

After the panel has been washed, I dry it with the wrung out towel, again using one side per wipe and then wringing out the towel again for re-use, after inspecting it of course.

Once the panel has been dried with the damp towel, I gently buff it with a high quality plush microfiber towel.

I then repeat the process going around the car. When finished, i use the remaining RW solution with some of my wheel towels, to clean the wheels.

I find this process to be quite quick and very effective, especially if the car just needs step two, which is the most common scenario. The other thing I really like about it is you can do step two inside the garage which will be a big plus with winter approaching.

As with anything, there are many ways to wash the cat but I really like this approach.

Cheers,

Allan

 

What about the tires and wheels?

 

As I mentioned above, I use the leftover RW solution to clean the wheels. If the wheel are particularly dirty or have a lot of brake dust, I use Scholl Concepts Rim7 when I'm rinsing the car outside. Just spray the wheel, let it sit for a few mins and then rinse thoroughly.

Most of the time though just using the RW with my wheel towels does the trick. I use Wolfgang metal sealant on the wheels and I get very little brake dust accumulating. Whatever is there wipes off easily with the RW.

The tires and wheel wells I normally just hit with some APC+ diluted 10:1, rinse off then dress the tires and the plastic inner fender guard.

Cheers,

Allan

 

PINNACLE RINSELESS WASH WITH CARNAUBA WOOT WOOT

I love that stuff, makes washing so much easier

I like your style Allan

 

I had the opportunity to see Allan's car up close during a recent Concours - the finish/shine was outstanding. Pics were posted under "Capital City Classic Concours" in the Lower Atlantic regional section and Allan has posted pics in his detailing thread. Definitely worth taking a look at.