How do you wash your convertible?

[doane2u]

I use the one bucket no rise products.

I was wondering if any of you use commercial car washes.. I don't think it would leak, but can that hurt the soft top?

Thanks,

[TommyA]

If you are talking about the automatic car washes then yes, it can damage the top material. I'm not to crazy about the pressured wands either. My wife took my Z3 to a place where they used a pressured nozzle. After a while the clear coating began to peel. She is the EX-wife now.

I only wash my Z4 by hand using a bucket and a wash mitten.

[chickdr]

Only a "touch less" wash would be acceptable for a roadster (or coupe for that matter...) It still may push some water through the window gaskets, but not enough to be an issue. I use a sprayer attachment with a soap reservoir so there is no bucket.

[Huz-Z]

That looks awesome - where did you get it? I still use my old Mr. Clean soap sprayer but I expect that one day it will crap out on me.

I guess the only way to minimize damage to the soft top in a commercial car wash is to put the top down so its mostly hidden away. I wonder if someone will give that a try and report back.

[MetMan]

Hand wash only, two buckets, microfiber drying towels only! I like to think that this procedure is why my 13.5 year old ALMOST looks new!

[chickdr]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

That looks awesome - where did you get it? I still use my old Mr. Clean soap sprayer but I expect that one day it will crap out on me.

I guess the only way to minimize damage to the soft top in a commercial car wash is to put the top down so its mostly hidden away. I wonder if someone will give that a try and report back.

I had one of the Mr. Clean sprayers in the past too. This one is generic. I got it a local place called Harbor Freight, but Griot's Garage also sells them.

http://www.harborfreight.com/Car-Wash-Nozzle-60773.html

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...Picks&refType=

[Twixboy]

Originally Posted by chickdr

Only a "touch less" wash would be acceptable for a roadster (or coupe for that matter...) It still may push some water through the window gaskets, but not enough to be an issue. I use a sprayer attachment with a soap reservoir so there is no bucket.

How well does that touch less sprayer clean your car? A touch less automatic car wash cleans the dust off your car, but doesn't clean the harder stains like bugs. Can you attach it to a pressure washer? I haven't tried using my pressure washer on the car because I've heard mixed reviews on this. Some say it's fine and others said their clear coat was ruined.

EDIT: To answer the question, I use the 2 bucket method with microfiber towels. If I drop the towel on the ground by accident, it goes into my stash of "wheel-only" towels. Every couple days I spend a minute to wipe down the top with a microfiber towel. It's quick and easy to keep the top free from dust/dirt. Every few months I also re-apply waterproofer to the convertible top.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by chickdr

I had one of the Mr. Clean sprayers in the past too. This one is generic. I got it a local place called Harbor Freight, but Griot's Garage also sells them.

http://www.harborfreight.com/Car-Wash-Nozzle-60773.html

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...Picks&refType=

Thanks for that!

[Twixboy]

Originally Posted by chickdr

I had one of the Mr. Clean sprayers in the past too. This one is generic. I got it a local place called Harbor Freight, but Griot's Garage also sells them.

http://www.harborfreight.com/Car-Wash-Nozzle-60773.html

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...Picks&refType=

Harbor Freight isn't local - it's a pretty big nationwide chain. I'm there every other week (great place to pick up cheap tools) so I will probably pick up one of these the next time I'm there. I'm all for finding ways to save some time washing the car, although using the 2-bucket method only takes me 12-15 minutes including towel-dry and cleanup if I do it quickly.

[chickdr]

Originally Posted by Twixboy

Harbor Freight isn't local - it's a pretty big nationwide chain. I'm there every other week (great place to pick up cheap tools) so I will probably pick up one of these the next time I'm there. I'm all for finding ways to save some time washing the car, although using the 2-bucket method only takes me 12-15 minutes including towel-dry and cleanup if I do it quickly.

I know about HF but Huz is in Canada...

You will like the sprayer. Works very well. It doesn't clean the car like a power washer, it just rinses and then you spray the soap and use whatever you prefer to actually scrub the car. I prefer it to using buckets. I also use a leaf blower to get the heavy water off before towel drying the car.

[doane2u]

I've been using Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine for several years with excellent results on 4 cars I've owned. You can read about it here.
Basically it's a no rinse wash and wax system using one bucket. If the car is just slightly dirty I can usually get 4-5 washes from one 2 gallon mixture which only uses about 1/8 cup of the bottle mix. It doesn't scratch the paint and leaves a beautiful Carnuba built up shine. No hoses, you can even wash your car inside a garage, unless it's extremely dirty.

[MinneapolisJeff]

so the HF soap dispenser nozzle works pretty good eh? 3.5 stars in 13 reviews

always like an excuse to go in that store!

[elerner61]

For water challenged California I would agree with the Optimum No-Rinse approach. One bucket with the Optimum No Rinse mixture and then a 5 gallon bucket with water for rinsing your mitt between panels.

As for the cloth roof, from a conversation I had with a product manager from Raggtopp they recommend not using any car wash soap on the cloth roof as it is bad for the stitching. They said it is better to just vacuum the top to remove debris and rinse with water if needed. To clean any spots on a roof a specialty cleaner such as Raggtopp's is required but then you need to follow up with waterproofing since the cleaner removes it.

[Twixboy]

Originally Posted by doane2u

I've been using Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine for several years with excellent results on 4 cars I've owned. You can read about it here.
Basically it's a no rinse wash and wax system using one bucket. If the car is just slightly dirty I can usually get 4-5 washes from one 2 gallon mixture which only uses about 1/8 cup of the bottle mix. It doesn't scratch the paint and leaves a beautiful Carnuba built up shine. No hoses, you can even wash your car inside a garage, unless it's extremely dirty.

I don't see why you'd only use 1 bucket with Optimum No Rinse vs. a regular car wash. The reason you use 2 buckets is to clean your wash mitt before you put it into the soapy water again. If you use 1 bucket with the Optimum No Rinse, you're still going to scratch the car when the dirt gets mixed into your wash bucket. It doesn't make a difference if it's a No Rinse or regular car wash solution.

[chickdr]

Originally Posted by Twixboy

I don't see why you'd only use 1 bucket with Optimum No Rinse vs. a regular car wash. The reason you use 2 buckets is to clean your wash mitt before you put it into the soapy water again. If you use 1 bucket with the Optimum No Rinse, you're still going to scratch the car when the dirt gets mixed into your wash bucket. It doesn't make a difference if it's a No Rinse or regular car wash solution.

Agreed - elerner61 above says you use a second bucket with water to rinse the mitt so I assume the "one bucket" comment is incorrect. I would be pretty wary of using that no matter what the reviews say. I like to rinse the car before doing anything.

Originally Posted by jman1975

so the HF soap dispenser nozzle works pretty good eh? 3.5 stars in 13 reviews always like an excuse to go in that store!

It costs $11 and you can find a 20% off coupon anytime you like so its really 9 bucks. They last 1-2 years in my experience (I use it multiple times per week as I am obsessive). I think $9 is pretty reasonable....

[Huz-Z]

There must be a Harbor Freight in or near Orlando - I'll be down there in late June thawing out from the endless Canadian winter (snowed here this morning can you believe it!)

[doane2u]

Originally Posted by Twixboy

I don't see why you'd only use 1 bucket with Optimum No Rinse vs. a regular car wash. The reason you use 2 buckets is to clean your wash mitt before you put it into the soapy water again. If you use 1 bucket with the Optimum No Rinse, you're still going to scratch the car when the dirt gets mixed into your wash bucket. It doesn't make a difference if it's a No Rinse or regular car wash solution.

It's very interesting, the dirt just settles to the bottom when you agitate the towel. I use a micro fiber towel for the mixture and two of them to dry the car off. If the car is really dirty I do use a second bucket to rinse the towel out and if it's muddy, bug trip smeared, I wash it first with a soapy sponge and hose off, but that is very rare. I've been using it on 4 cars over several years, two of them black, with no scratches or swirl marks.

I rarely wash the cloth top off; I do vacuum it occasionally. I cleaned the Z4 cloth top with Raggtop and sealed it with 303 fabric guard a month ago and the water really beads up on it now. This is the first time I have used the 303 product, but it has received really good feedback on other forums.

The reason I asked about using a car wash was because on trips sometimes I have wanted to stop and get it cleaned, but wasn't sure if it would be safe to go through a auto car wash and if it might be bad for the cloth top.

[KPop]

I always was it myself by hand with a sponge hand mit or sometimes have it detailed at my friend's car wash where they also wash it by hand. I do the two bucket approach (one for suds, one for rinse) and then just use a regular garden hose to rinse everything off.

For towels, I use a basic chamois and microfiber cloth. They work great and aren't that expensive.

I hardly ever clean the convertible top since the car rarely sees rain and is stored in a parking garage, but when I do, I use RaggTop vinyl cleaner. It was recommended by the BMW dealership and is safe for our convertible tops. Here's a link if anyone's curious: http://www.autogeek.net/ravicotopca.html

[doane2u]

I used the Raggtop cleaner too. Did you seal it afterwards? The 303 is really a good product, as good or better than Raggtops on cloth and less expensive.
On vinyl, the Raggtop appears to be better.

A guy on the MX-5 forum did a comparison over time of the 303 against the Raggtop, very interesting click link.



If any of you have a vinyl top, here's another comparison where the Raggtop appears to be better click here

[elerner61]

If not doing a "no-rinse" wash, I use a Gilmour Foamaster with Optimum Car Wash. I love this combination. Tons of thick foam and the Optimum wash does a great job of providing slick suds for cleaning. The micro fiber wash mitts from Chemical Guys are very nice to work with.

Here is a link to Autogeek's version of the Foamaster: http://www.autogeek.net/auqufofogun.html You can find it cheaper by searching for "Gilmour Foamaster". Some versions have brass couplings (which I prefer and is working fine after 5 years) while others have plastic couplings.

[SaltyNC]

I think hand washing is the only way to go. And really, to get the best result, you need to prep the paint properly, first. This usually requires taking out small swirls and scratches with a polisher. When I first got my car, I did the full prep:
1. Wash and strip
2. Clay (this will also very quickly identify any touch-ups that haven't been clearcoated)
3. Polish with medium aggressive compound
4. Polish with fine compound
6. Wash
7. Alcohol prep
8. Seal and Ultra-polish
9. More layers of sealant

After all that, then the car can be maintained.

For regular maintenance I wash with Duragloss. It is a fantastic car wash. It lathers unbelievably, smells like those Bing cherry suckers the bank used to give out years ago (remember that?!), and the lather is like velvet. Love it. I buy it from NAPA in the gallon container Duragloss 902 (901 is the same but smaller bottle). I, too, use the two bucket system with the grate in the bottom of both buckets with a microfiber wash mitt that gets flipped around as I wash, so a dirty mitt is seldom in contact with the paint. In addition to rinsing it in a clean bucket of water, I also shoot it with pressure to knock loose any stubborn dirt or this time of year, sticky pollen. That stuff is nasty.

Probably like a lot of you, I have a collection of microfiber towels for different purposes. One set for wheels and tires, one set for doorjambs, trunk openings, and a set for the engine bay. On the interior, I have sets for leather, plastic, glass/mirror, etc. For drying, I like a waffle weave microfiber. I flip out the towel onto the car, and with only the weight of the towel, I pull it across the hood and trunk. I then sweep it along the sides in the same manner. This gets the majority of water up. Then, I go back with a multiple folded microfiber towel and wipe away the excess water. For areas like the grill work, headlights, mirror, wheels, door seams, I use an electric blower to blow out excess water. I absolutely love Zaino's borderless blonds -- is that the dang best name, ever! It's a borderless microfiber towel used for polishing, wiping, and I suppose could be used for drying. I also use Zaino products for leather maintenance, but not for leather restoration. Smells great to me, and is basically like lotion is to the hands. Keeps things supple. I like 303 for the interior detail. I use Plexus for any acrylic or clear plastic. Stuff works amazing to remove scratches in clear plastics and for plastic "piano black" trim. For polish, I use Meguiars products like 105, 205, and I really like their Ultimate line of compound/polish. I also use Menzerna polish for the final very fine polish. I've used Zaino for sealants, but settled on Klass's All in One and Sealant. I know how to put it on thin with a rotary polisher, so it's easy, and it really seems to last. There may be newer/easier products available, now. The main thing with sealants, wax, etc. is that they don't really do a tremendous amount to add to the paint. We have excellent hard clearcoats on our Z's, and if the paint is polished and all defects removed, it will shine and look like liquid glass. The sealant may add a touch of shine, but it's real job is to protect the job you've done polishing and getting the paint perfect. It takes time, but it is worth it.

For the top, I never wash it during routine maintenance. After I've dried my car, the waffle weave towel is pretty heavily damp, and I just lightly drag it across the top. The top will always have some overspray from the rinse water, and that is always enough to loosen and lift normal daily dirt. If there is something like bird droppings, that's a different story and requires some work. For intensive treatment, I am using 303 Fabric Cleaner and 303 Fabric Protector. It comes in a kit. It and Raggtop are similar, but I know 303 is used by Sunbrella, and I like their 303 Aerospace product for plastics/vinyl. However, I think most top mfgs recommend Raggtop. They both do a good job.

For tire dressing -- what do you guys like? I have used 303, I've tried the cheap silicon based products and don't like the cons of that. Lately, I've been using Turtle Wax's Jet Black acrylic product. It lasts awhile, but it lacks shine. I'm still looking for the ultimate tire dressing.

Probably more info than you wanted, but hope it helps. I'm happy to answer any specific questions about detailing techniques or products. I enjoy it.

Salty

[chickdr]

For tire dressing I suggest More Shine Less Time spray by Stoner. Very nice product.