Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Norfolkandchance]

Just had enough time today to give Milly a thorough hand wash. Can't beat a good hand wash of a car in my eyes. Gives you chance to look at the whole car in general inch by inch. Glad to say nothing to make my heart sink today on her :0)

Wiped her down and dressed the tyres and took her for a brief drive on this lovely (27) pre-summers day. then back in the garage for her boo hoo!

NFC

[Old-Nail]

You seem to be settling in nicely to classic ownership.
I agree that a hand wash is a great way of aquainting yourself with a cars little dents and scrapes and thus noticing any new ones! There's also something quite theraputic I find in washing and polishing a curvy old car.

Jetwash I reserve for the underside and the occasional engine bay blast when it starts to get a build up of muck.

[Rick]

[Norfolkandchance]

[Old-Nail]

Then don't look at any Morris Minor accessory catalogues, or even the frost catalogue for that matter or you may well become hopelessly addicted!

[Greeney in France]

sorry to butt in do you actually live in Norfolk?
I spent from age 6-18 there and went to school at "Greshams school"
Lived just outside caister
_________________
www.OldFrenchCars.com

We do these things not to escape life but to prevent life escaping us

[Norfolkandchance]

[pigtin]

Just say Norfolkandchance quickly Greeny

[Norfolkandchance]

[Uncle Joe]

Now we all know for certain that you have been bitten....

[Job-Rated]

On the subject of hand washing...


There are many conditions that can have a harmful effect on your cars paintwork. Swirls, holograms, bird lime and water spots seem to be the most frequent ones. Most, if not all of them, can be prevented during the washing process.
Swirls are small spiral scratches that are highly visible in bright sunlight.

Now, this is not for you if you run your car through an automated car wash or if you use the £5 quickie mart washes that seem to have sprouted up in every derelict garage, pub or car forecourt. I am aiming to give you some idea of what can be done to reduce to a bare minimum the damage caused by poor technique.

First, you will need to invest in some decent equipment.

1. Two buckets with grit guards. This enables you to use the two bucket method - One bucket is filled with cool rinse water and a grit guard. The second bucket contains the car shampoo (make sure you follow the manufacturers dilution rates for the bucket size).

2. Decent car shampoo. At the end of the day, shampoo choice for your car is going to come down to personal preference. But there are so many shampoos on the market, it's hard to know which ones to go for! A couple of things to look for when choosing a car shampoo:

a. Lubricity in the washing solution - you want a shampoo that makes the washing solution feel nice and lubricated so that dirt particles can be encapsulated and any that aren't absorbed into the wash mitt will slide off the paint without scratching in the rinsing water. Soapy suds are pleasing and can make car washing fun, but lubricated wash solution is more important.

b. A shampoo should contain no harsh detergents if you are washing a car that you have spent many hours polishing, sealing and waxing. Harsh detergents strip wax straight off the paintwork leaving your paint surface dried out and unprotected. Fairy Liquid is therefore a big no-no for washing cars. It contains salt and will strip the protective wax off the paintwork and can accelerate the rusting process on deep stone chips.

3. Decent Lambswool or microfibre washmitt. - Basic car sponges are flat and do not remove dirt particles from the paintwork very well. They actually can induce swirls by 'wiping' the particles across the paintwork while washing. The deep pile on the lambswool mitt will remove the dirt and capture it inside the pile thus helping to prevent damage.

4. Drying Towels. Chamois leather is very thin and although absorbs water well, it cannot capture any dirt particles left after washing, leading to scratching. Drying towels such as Mother's Ultra Drying towel, Poorboys Waffleweave drying towels etc. have a 'waffle weave' outer that lifts any dirt plus dries. The Mother's drying towel has a deep foam core also that absorbs the water allowing the paintwork to dry quicker.

5. Sprinkler attachment for hose - A steady soft flow of water is needed to gently rinse the paintwork down prior to and after the washing process. Using a pressure washer at a 90degree angle can have a sand blasting effect on the paintwork if it is very dirty.


Washing Process.

Where possible, wash the car in shade and not in direct sunlight, as this will promote water spotting.

First, tackle the wheels and under arches. Use a decent wheel cleaner (there are very good citrus based cleaners now such as Ps21) with a soft bristle brush to activate the chemical and get into the corners. Using a tyre brush, scrub the tyres with a rubber cleaning product. Whilst there, clean under the arches with a general cleaner such as Ps21 again. Don't forget to do this step first as doing it after you've done the bodywork can cause grease and brake dust contaminated water getting onto clean paintwork. Once washed down, you can then rinse.
When wetting the car, work down from the top and ensure the whole car is covered.
Now, using one washmitt, dip into the shampoo water (either cold or warm but not too hot. I prefer warm especially during winter) and start washing the top sections of the car. Concentrate on an area of 3 feet x 3 feet, then dip the washmitt into the rinse bucket remembering to rub the mitt along the grit guard to remove any loose dirt. Go back into the shampoo water and continue to do this until all the top sections have been washed.
Rinse the top sections down with cool water.
Using the second mitt, repeat the wash process for the lower half of the vehicle. These parts of the car get the worst of the dirt and salt from our roads and using the same mitt may contaminate the good paintwork.
Once the lower half has been washed, rinse the whole car down again starting from the top and working down.


Drying process.

Where possible, do this in the shade.
By having a couple of drying towels, you can have one for the bodywork and one for doorjambs and wheels.
On paintwork, start at the top and lay the drying towel down. Pat the paintwork then lift off. Work around the car trying to pat the paintwork rather than wiping. (yet again this can induce swirls due to any dirt particles being blown onto the wet paintwork).
A tip here is to have some Quick Detailing spray available. If the panels start drying too quickly, lightly spray QD on them and this will prevent water spots appearing. Dry as usual. Dont forget to dry in the door jambs and wheels too.
If you have access to an air line (or I do know someone who uses a leaf blower) you can blow water away from troublesome areas such as wing mirrors and quarterwindow covers. Be cautious though as again, if the atmosphere is dusty, this could mark the paintwork.



This is a guide on how to prevent the chances of inducing swirls when washing. It may not be to everyone's taste and there are those that cannot justify spending the time, but you can pick and choose which of the above elements you think will work for you.

My tips would be:

1. Use a decent car shampoo
2. Invest in a good quality washmitt
3. Invest in a good quality drying towel.

The rest is down to personal preference and time.
_________________
Don't run your fingers over my truck & I won't run my truck over your fingers!


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