How do you wash your convertible?

[SaltyNC]

Originally Posted by chickdr

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

Cool. Thanks. I'll give it a try.

Salty

[Diesel_d66]

whats the best wash and wax liquid? I'm picking up a glove and a sprayer attachment from amazon and want to throw in the detergent. thanks.

[wasupdu]

Originally Posted by 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.

thanks for the reminder. i forgot that I have a foam gun in the garage. I'll test her out again soon.

[wasupdu]

gel tire products typically do the best in my experience. white cars like mine
(or any cars) really show the typical sling from tire shines unless you have 12+ hours to let them dry.

[dc_wright]

Originally Posted by 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,

Yes, they can harm the top. The chemicals used in the various wash/wax stages in commercials car washes are designed for acrylic enamel or polyurethane paint finishes, not for the various cloth types used for convertible cars. They're particularly corrosive to the thread used to stitch the tops together and can dramatically shorten the life of the top.

WRT to washing the car, a soft bristle brush is the best as it can't trap any dirt particles.

[doane2u]

Thanks, everyone for your input, and it's been very interesting, I guess there are a bunch of others like me that like to hand wash.

[Zedgy]

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.

There's actually another way to do this that only uses one bucket and is just as safe, if not safer than two buckets.

What I have done is get a bunch of clean MF towels, usually six or so, and fold them into quarters. Mix up a couple gallons of water with ONR, and put the MF towels in there to soak for a few minutes.

While the towels are soaking, I'll take a spray bottle of a heavier ONR:H2O pre-wash solution and spray down the panel I'm about to clean. That usually loosens most of the dirt, encapsulates it, and gets it flowing.

With a wet MF towel folded into quarters, I'll lightly wipe the panel in one direction, flip, wipe in the same direction, unfold, wipe, flip, wipe, and so on. This ensures there is absolutely no debris on the section of towel. If you feel the towel or panel has dried, spray them again with the pre-wash solution. When all quarters of the MF have been used, put it in a plastic bag and grab a fresh one from your wash bucket. Repeat until all panels are clean, gently drying each panel before you start the next. When you get home, the towels can be washed clean by hand or in the wash machine with an appropriate MF-safe cleaner/detergent.

A few great benefits to this method: 1) you're only using a few gallons of water, 2) you can do this almost anywhere- garage, apartment, parking lot, etc., 3) it's FAST, 4) because there is little to no water pressure, you minimize water getting into body panel seams, behind trim or lights, etc.

The process is not something I came up with, but I can't remember who came up with it or when. Also, it works best for light to normal soil and frequent washes. If the paint has heavy soil or isn't washed often (shame on you,) it's best to remove it first with a jet nozzle on a standard hose, or you could try a garden sprayer if you don't have access to a hose.

Hope that helps.

[Zedgy]

Originally Posted by doane2u

Thanks, everyone for your input, and it's been very interesting, I guess there are a bunch of others like me that like to hand wash.

There are major compromises for the speed and convenience of auto washes. I've yet to find an auto wash that 1) cleans as well as hand washing, AND 2) was safer than hand washing. I just avoid them altogether unless it's winter and there's an option to only spray out the undercarriage.