6 Steps for a Basic Car Wash
Posted on by The Simoniz Garage
Car Washing 101
Step 1: Pre-Treat
Pre-Treating is the best way to expedite your car wash! Removing tough, stuck on, road grime and contaminants before we get to the actual wash is essential for saving time and completing your detail!
Areas to Pre-Treat:
Wheels - Rims and Alloys take a beating from driving. Caked on brake dust, mixed in with mud, tar, road salt or any other contaminant from the road gets stuck on and can be a real pain to remove. It is also very important to do this prior to the car wash itself so you don't need to wipe up any residue from your cars paint in post wash.
Product to use: Simoniz Total Wheel
Rocker panels, door jams, gas door and wheel wells are key areas to address, and are sometimes over looked in a detail, with degreaser or tar remover to remove asphalt and road oils.
Products to use: All purpose degreaser or Crush Plus
Front Bumpers, windshield, headlights, mirrors and bottom 3rd around your entire vehicle where road debris can be kicked up by the tires.
Product to use: RTU bug and tar remover
Step 2: Agitate Pre-Treated Areas
Agitate pre-treated areas with proper brushes or sponges. Sometimes, the road cakes on just a little too much for the formula to do all the work. Here are some tools to consider when finishing up your pre-treated areas at the start of your car wash!
For wheels, use the Large Wire Spoke Brush.
For Bugs and Tar, use a Bug and Tar Sponge.
Step 3: Thoroughly Rinse Vehicle
Thoroughly rinse your vehicle with hose or pressure washer. If there are still areas that are heavily contaminated but need the specific formulas listed above, repeat the process again as you feel necessary.
Step 4: Apply Car Wash Soap
Apply the car wash soap using either a foam gun attachment or using the two bucket method. For those of you who are not familiar with the two bucket method, it is simply using one bucket for rinsing wash mitts and then using another wash bucket that has clean/soapy water for your wash mitts.
Use wash mitts or wash brush to agitate and remove the rest of the dirt from the surface from the vehicle.
Step 5: Remove Car Wash Soap
Once you have agitate all the suds from the car wash soap on all surfaces of the exterior of your vehicle, rinse thoroughly with a hose or pressure washer. Once the soap is removed, use compressed air if available to get water out of the weeping areas and dry the rest of the car with clean microfiber towels.
For using compressed air, try this attachment: Air Tool Blow Gun
Step 6: Finishing Touches
To take that car wash to the next level try these two products to add that extra shine and protection!
Detailers Choice is an amazing spray polish and drying aid that you can use as the car is still wet to help dry the surface of your vehicle, while wiping with a clean microfiber towel. It can also be used after the drying process as a form of instant shine application for car shows or just touchups when your car doesn't need a full wash or has just been rinsed.
Simoniz Ceramic Sealant (Si02) is a great way, and easy way, to apply an extra level of hydrophobic paint protection and increase your cars gloss. This is one of the best ways to extend your time between washes as well. Contaminants have a difficult time sticking to the ceramic coating so in between washes you can rinse off most light contaminants in between washes.
Happy Detailing!
-The Simoniz Team