FrançaisEnglishAll of us car lovers remember washing the family car with a parent when we were younger. This was a fun activity if mostly because we got to help out, play with water, and make the station wagon or minivan look clean and shiny.
Bless our parents for having the patience to deal with being sprayed or seeing the wash mitt get picked up off the ground only to immediately be rubbed against the paint. Obviously, this wasn’t and isn’t the best technique when it comes to making our vehicles shine.
While most of us have a pretty good idea of what to do and what not to do when it comes time to wash our cars, there are a few steps that should be added to the process to maximize results and protect our four-wheeled investments. Best of all, they require very little as far as equipment or additional time.
Here are five important tips to keep in mind when washing our precious automobiles. As you read through them, you might only learn one thing, but it could be a game changer or, at least, a paint finish saver.
The key point is to never wash the vehicle in direct sunlight. This might be easier to say than do if you don’t have a garage, but there are options.
If you’ll be washing your car outside, it’s best to do it in the shade, away from the sun’s harmful rays. If there’s no shade to be found in your driveway, then the job should be completed early in the morning or later in the afternoon when the sun’s not as strong.
The best scenario is washing your car in the garage. This way, daylight is not an issue. And, if you need to take a break, you can do so without consequence.
One of the most important steps when washing a vehicle is the initial rinse. While there’s nothing scientific about it, it is something that must be done. When we say a car is dirty, we’re talking about the dirt, grime, dust, and other impurities that cover the car’s various surfaces.
At minimum, the vehicle should be hosed down, from head to toe, to remove all the nasty particles. With a hose or a pressure washer, charitably spray the car down. Pay particular attention to the lower portions of the body and the wheels where most of the nasty stuff accumulates.
Optionally, and highly recommended, is rinsing with a foaming canon. After following the product mixing instructions carefully, generously cover the car with a thick layer of foam and let it sit for a few minutes, but not too long as it mustn’t dry. The cleaning agent will loosen the unwanted dirt and particles as it works. The rinsing step will be far more effective this way.
Back in the day, many of us used dishwashing soap to wash our cars. It was something we already had on hand, and it did the job, kind of. The thing is that it can and will strip whatever wax protection may be on the paint’s surface and these soaps are typically abrasive. We’re cringing too…
Using two buckets, create your water/soap mix in one and fill the other with fresh, clean water that will serve to rinse off the wash mitt before soaking it back into the soapy mix. A dedicated car washing soap such as NAPA BodyPro cleaner will not only clean, as the name suggests, but also won’t damage an existing coat of wax.
Now that the vehicle’s surfaces are properly rinsed, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get down to scrubbing. Using a clean wash mitt, the best practices involve scrubbing in a side-to-side or straight-line motion, starting from the top and working your way down. As well, work only one section at a time so as to not allow the soap to dry on the paint and to avoid water spotting.
At this point, you can start a third bucket with soap to clean the wheels and tires. Alternatively, you can repurpose the remaining soap in the first bucket to wash the wheels. Using perhaps an older wash mitt, or better yet a brush, scrub away at your car’s shoes.29.29
Once a portion of the car is washed, say the passenger side, rinse the soap off using a gentle sheet of flowing water, starting from the top. The initial rinse can be done with a pressure washer; however, this step only needs the amount of pressure created by your typical garden hose.
Now comes the drying part. Using a clean microfibre drying towel or a good chamois, dry off all the water. If, during this process, you notice that a spot was missed with the mitt, do not “clean” it with the towel or the chamois. Rinse the area and wash it again with the clean mitt. Then, dry it again.
In a perfect world, everyone would use an electric leaf blower to dry off their car. The advantages of this technique include the fact that it is contactless and will remove all the remaining water in the door jams, mirror housings, and every other nook and cranny.
Once the washing and drying steps are completed, the time has come for a few finishing touches. Some might seem inconsequential but, once completed, will make a world of a difference.
A good coat of wax will work wonders for the car’s final look. Even so, many of us may not have the time to “wax-on, wax-off,” so here’s a trick: Meguiar’s hybrid ceramic wax will do the job so you won’t have to—it’s almost too easy.
After washing and rinsing, but before drying the car, spray the wax on the painted surfaces. Now, douse it off. For this step, the rinsing process will require a strong stream of water to help spread the product—use your pressure washer. Now, the car can be dried off completely.
Two other steps can be taken at this point. Dressing the tires is a favourite and should never be overlooked in our opinion. The other is applying a water repellent on all windows. A product such as Rain‑X original glass water repellent will repel rain, sleet, and snow and dramatically improve visibility in difficult driving conditions.
Author: admin 
935
No comments
