A tip for cleaning after driving in the Rain

[Dom426h]

a recent thread about driving in the rain in the general section sparked this idea:

-Ariving at home after riding in the rain dont pull right in the garage.
-Stop in your driveway
-Spray off all the road grime with a hose; especialy the rear end of GTS's, wheels, and sidesills
-Then pull in the garage with a clean wet car that only needs drying and a little QD.

otherwize you have to worry about that road grime scratching your paint while your drying. or worse leaving the car and letting everything dry on it leaving nasty water spots and stuff stuck to the paint.

I imagine someone has already thought of this?

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

The road grime will not come off with just a hose. You need to completely wash the car for that, don't try and dry it off without this! What I do when the car is wet and needs to be washed is let it dry then use a California duster (older one of course) to get the heavy stuff off before washing throughly this will prevent scratching with even a wash mit.

 

[Dom426h]

Yea i understand what your saying, maybe im being a little too optimistic thinking that everything will magically slide off with a hosedown.
Realisticly though, it would work for the bigger stuff like bitts of leaves, grass clippings, and mud that prove to be a pain to wash off if you let them dry onto your paint.

I think that letting most anything dry on your paint is a no-no. A couple good examples being:

Bird Crap
a. Wipe off wet - if the crap is still fresh, just wipe it off with MF&QD. Wiping in a lifting motion, not a rubbing motion.
b. Let it dry - near impossible to not scratch your paint unless you run enough warm water over it utill it reaches it initial soft state dissolving and washing away.

Wet Grass Clippings or Leaves
a. Wipe or hose off wet - cake
b. Let it dry - PITA to clean off unless like above you use enough warm water to get it to naturally release itself from the paint.

Waterspots
Let it dry - much effort to remove (sometimes even requiring a paint cleanerwax)
Wipe off wet - simple, dry w/QD with no waterspots

 

[Dom426h]

On to dusters,
running even a duster over loose crap on your paint can faintly scratch it. Dusters are only good for dust and things with dust-like properties like pollen.

 

[ViperTony]

I don't wash. I use Griot's Speed shine and a ton of micro-fiber clothes to the clean the car after a dry run or wet one. No swirls or scratches. Takes about 20 min for me to go over the whole car in detail. I use a cali duster for dust and light brake dust. I think I've washed my Viper 4 times in the last 2 years. I go through a lot of Speedshine and microfiber cloths.

 

[mike & juli]

I don't wash. I use Griot's Speed shine and a ton of micro-fiber clothes to the clean the car after a dry run or wet one. No swirls or scratches. Takes about 20 min for me to go over the whole car in detail. I use a cali duster for dust and light brake dust. I think I've washed my Viper 4 times in the last 2 years. I go through a lot of Speedshine and microfiber cloths.

DITTO...NEVER washed our BLACK Viper...use different product, but same idea.~juli

 

[Dom426h]

yep, the only time mine has seen a bucket is the first day i got it

QD is king

 

[Rick530]

damn you people must not drive your cars much or something. I gotta wash the damn thing every sat.

 

[mike & juli]

damn you people must not drive your cars much or something. I gotta wash the damn thing every sat.

Granted, it's NOT driven as much as we'd like! DRAT! BUT, it IS driven in all kinds of conditions...still NEVER WASHED with soap and water. EVERYone has their own way!
~~juli

 

[Rick530]

Granted, it's NOT driven as much as we'd like! DRAT! BUT, it IS driven in all kinds of conditions...still NEVER WASHED with soap and water. EVERYone has their own way!
~~juli

so all you guys do is spray em down with that qd stuff? damn that would never work here.

 

[mike & juli]

so all you guys do is spray em down with that qd stuff? damn that would never work here.

California duster first (gently)...then we use Gliptone...works perfectly! (WET dryer sheet (unscented) for the BUGS on front fascia...then detail spray the residue off...magic*) ~juli

Whatever works for you! EVERYone is different

 

[Rick530]

California duster first (gently)...then we use Gliptone...works perfectly! (WET dryer sheet (unscented) for the BUGS on front fascia...then detail spray the residue off...magic*) ~juli

Whatever works for you! EVERYone is different

i drive it everyday so thats waaaaaaay to much work for me every evening. I'll just stick with washing it once a week.

 

[mike & juli]

i drive it everyday so thats waaaaaaay to much work for me every evening. I'll just stick with washing it once a week.

I hear ya!!! If we drove it EVERY day, it would probably be a different story...I WISH we could drive it every day...you are LUCKY if you're able to do that! ENJOY your weekend! ~juli

 

[ViperTony]

i drive it everyday so thats waaaaaaay to much work for me every evening. I'll just stick with washing it once a week.

I don't drive my Viper every day but if I did I would certainly wash it once a week. I enjoy the detailing, it takes me about 20 minutes to do the whole car. So 2-3 times a week isn't bad. Every day would be a bit much.

 

[mike & juli]

I don't drive my Viper every day but if I did I would certainly wash it once a week. I enjoy the detailing, it takes me about 20 minutes to do the whole car. So 2-3 times a week isn't bad. Every day would be a bit much.

Actually, again, exactly the same here, Tony!!! 20min. tops is what it takes us also.
IF we could drive EVERY day (NOT on these roads/parking lots!)...we'd wash it once a week...makes sense! ~juli
**EVERYONE have a good, safe Memorial Weekend!** (POURING right now, DRAT!)

 

[Rick530]

I don't drive my Viper every day but if I did I would certainly wash it once a week. I enjoy the detailing, it takes me about 20 minutes to do the whole car. So 2-3 times a week isn't bad. Every day would be a bit much.

Theres alot of agriculture area here so theres a boatload of pollin and dirt flying in the air all the time. Mostly walnuts and peaches grown here. If I let it go over a week without washing the car it gets a tad bit to dirty even for me.

 

[Peter Nielsen]

I agree! NO TOWELS on a car that hasn't been througly cleaned. Otherwise you WILL scratch your paint no matter how careful you are.

I got a Spotless water filtration system for the purpose of avoiding rain water spots. It is perfect for quickly washing off rain water without having to dry the car to avoid water sports. Works great!

CRSpotless.com - Wash, Rinse, and Walk Away

Peter

 

[ViperTony]

I agree! NO TOWELS on a car that hasn't been througly cleaned. Otherwise you WILL scratch your paint no matter how careful you are.

I got a Spotless water filtration system for the purpose of avoiding rain water spots. It is perfect for quickly washing off rain water without having to dry the car to avoid water sports. Works great!

CRSpotless.com - Wash, Rinse, and Walk Away

Peter

Good advice but I disagree. I have no scratches, swirls, etc. from using a good, slippery detail spray and clean microfiber towels on dirt and grime on the. Then again, it depends on the products and technique. Ya can't take a heavily soiled MF towel and use it for the entire car. For the time I do wash the car, I'll use a sears electric leaf blower I bought at a yard sale for $20 to dry off the car. My neighbors get a kick out of seeing me blow the car dry.

 

[Leslie]

California duster first (gently)...then we use Gliptone...works perfectly! (WET dryer sheet (unscented) for the BUGS on front fascia...then detail spray the residue off...magic*) ~juli

Whatever works for you! EVERYone is different

Gliptone eh? gotta try that, thanks Juli...where do you get it?

 

[xlrashn]

I have had a great amount of success avoiding all of this by not driving in the rain....

 

[mike & juli]

Gliptone eh? gotta try that, thanks Juli...where do you get it?

Pep Boys...pink detail spray...! ~juli

 

[Peter Nielsen]

Good advice but I disagree. I have no scratches, swirls, etc. from using a good, slippery detail spray and clean microfiber towels on dirt and grime on the. Then again, it depends on the products and technique. Ya can't take a heavily soiled MF towel and use it for the entire car. For the time I do wash the car, I'll use a sears electric leaf blower I bought at a yard sale for $20 to dry off the car. My neighbors get a kick out of seeing me blow the car dry.

Yeah, the leaf blower trick works fine.

As for scratches, I'm talking about those extremely small scratches that you only see when looking at an angle and the light comes on the car in a specific way. Scratches that you don't see in daylight, but you see at sunset or under fluorecent light in the garage...

I'm using newly washed detailing towels ($20 each) so it's not just any rag.

But then again, the detailing spray may be what's needed to avoid the scratches. Now, HOW MUCH detailing spray will be needed to SAFELY dry off a car that has just been out in the rain???

Why on earth would I spend $500 on a water filtration system if towels were safe...

Peter

 

[TAXIMAN1]

I have to admit. Im not a fan of the "waterless" car wash. And never understood why you would do this. Other than to save time of course. I have "dusted" off my wheels a few times with quick detailer. But thats it..

Although, I don't do rain. I would prefer to just leave the car dirty, until I had time to properly wash.. Dirt sitting on the car for a few days/weeks isnt going to hurt anything.. Getting the dirt off immediately the wrong way, just might..

I always wash my cars the ole' fashioned way. hose,bucket,sponge. And a leaf blower to dry the nooks and crannies.. But to each there own..

ViperTony, with yellow. your in good shape.... If your car were black, you Would see swirls all over it.. I would only use your method on light color cars.

 

[ViperTony]

I have to admit. Im not a fan of the "waterless" car wash. And never understood why you would do this. Other than to save time of course. I have "dusted" off my wheels a few times with quick detailer. But thats it..

Although, I don't do rain. I would prefer to just leave the car dirty, until I had time to properly wash.. Dirt sitting on the car for a few days/weeks isnt going to hurt anything.. Getting the dirt off immediately the wrong way, just might..

I always wash my cars the ole' fashioned way. hose,bucket,sponge. And a leaf blower to dry the nooks and crannies.. But to each there own..

ViperTony, with yellow. your in good shape.... If your car were black, you Would see swirls all over it.. I would only use your method on light color cars.

I do the same procedure on my daily driver which is an '01 blue BMW. After 7 years I have minor swirls which I contribute to the dealership's free car washes over the years during routine service. But overall, the paint has held up incredibly well from detailing. I do wash it more often that I do the Viper but I'm as anal about car washing procedures as I am with detailing.

On the Viper, you can certainly see swirls on any color if you take a fluorescent light to it. My garage is lit up by fluorescent lighting so I will see any swirl, scratch or peel on the Viper or BMW. Light colors don't hide swirls well especially in sunlight.

It comes down to procedure no matter which method one uses. Griot's loves me. I can't even begin to count how many sets of their 100% cotton polishing cloths, micro fiber towls, SpeedShine, etc. I've purchased over the years. I easily go through a dozen cloths during a detailing session. I think some of my fellow CT members can attest to this from the Saratoga event two weeks ago. Once a hint of grime sets into one it goes into the wash. The SpeedShine is slick as can be. I don't use any wax products that attempt to hide scratches or swirls. I do use their carnuba wax. I haven't waxed the Viper in 2 years and I'm about to embark on my waxing ritual soon.

On washing...I use two wash buckets: one for wash and one for rinse. I hate to keep plugging Griot's here but I also use their car wash & wash mitts. I blow dry the cars with a leaf blower after each washing. I think it all comes down to taking your time and a lot of patience. The other factor for me is that I never let any of my cars get disgustingly dirty between cleanings. The less grime to wipe off the better. To each their own. Do what works best for you. - Tony

 

[TAXIMAN1]

I do the same procedure on my daily driver which is an '01 blue BMW. After 7 years I have minor swirls which I contribute to the dealership's free car washes over the years during routine service. But overall, the paint has held up incredibly well from detailing. I do wash it more often that I do the Viper but I'm as anal about car washing procedures as I am with detailing.

On the Viper, you can certainly see swirls on any color if you take a fluorescent light to it. My garage is lit up by fluorescent lighting so I will see any swirl, scratch or peel on the Viper or BMW. Light colors don't hide swirls well especially in sunlight.

It comes down to procedure no matter which method one uses. Griot's loves me. I can't even begin to count how many sets of their 100% cotton polishing cloths, micro fiber towls, SpeedShine, etc. I've purchased over the years. I easily go through a dozen cloths during a detailing session. I think some of my fellow CT members can attest to this from the Saratoga event two weeks ago. Once a hint of grime sets into one it goes into the wash. The SpeedShine is slick as can be. I don't use any wax products that attempt to hide scratches or swirls. I do use their carnuba wax. I haven't waxed the Viper in 2 years and I'm about to embark on my waxing ritual soon.

On washing...I use two wash buckets: one for wash and one for rinse. I hate to keep plugging Griot's here but I also use their car wash & wash mitts. I blow dry the cars with a leaf blower after each washing. I think it all comes down to taking your time and a lot of patience. The other factor for me is that I never let any of my cars get disgustingly dirty between cleanings. The less grime to wipe off the better. To each their own. Do what works best for you. - Tony

I'll have to give the "speed shine" a try.. I usually just stick with whats avail. at my local auto zone,advance auto. (i.e Mequiars QT,etc).. But I DO use P21S wheel cleaner. Simply the best stuff Ive ever used... Its strong enough to get any wheel grime/brake dust off. But gentle enough to use on paint, if you wish.. Great stuff..

As far as towels go. I ONLY use micro-fiber... Check Cosco out.. You can buy their "yellow" m.f. towels in a bag of 36, for like $15k.. Any they are GOOD towels,, very soft..

 

[agentf1]

I don't drive my Viper every day but if I did I would certainly wash it once a week. I enjoy the detailing, it takes me about 20 minutes to do the whole car. So 2-3 times a week isn't bad. Every day would be a bit much.

The only way you are getting away with this is because your car is yellow and that color hides scratches and swirls real well.

If the car has been driven you really need to wash it with "soap and water". You need the soap for lubricity to prevent the dirt from scratching.

Dusters are great if the car is just sitting in the garage but once you have driven it you really should not use a Calif Duster on the paint. If I only driven a short distance I will sometimes try to dust and then QD but usually just wash. I would rather go over it with a wet sheep skin mitt with QEW on it than try to dust/qd.

 

[ViperTony]

The only way you are getting away with this is because your car is yellow and that color hides scratches and swirls real well.

I have high intensity flourescent lighting in the garage. Trust me...every perceivable flaw in the paint gets magnified in this lighting. I don't see any swirls or scratches and I don't expect to considering the routine I use to detail the car. In the sunlight, I've found that Yellow shows a lot... almost as much as black Viper.

When I first got the Viper, I followed someone's insane wash/claybar/polish/wax procedure here. Any swirls that were on the car then were removed with orbital. I was fortunate because the car had/has great paint and there were minor swirls in it at the time. I did several coats of wax. That was back in March 2006. I haven't waxed since. The only 'wax' like product I use is SpeedShine from Griots. As I stated before, I think, I wipe down the Viper a lot with SpeedShine and lots of clean true microfiber cloths. I have several of the CT owners hooked on it. I think SpeedShine extends the life of the wax which explains why I'm able to get away with so many detailings and no waxing.

The only time I use the duster is if the Viper has been sitting in the garage for some time. I never use after the Viper has been driven.

Griot's recently released a Spray On car wash. My guess it's a bit more slippery than SpeedShine. I will try it out and report back. It'll replace my SpeedShine if it works as well as they say it does.

 

[agentf1]

Griot's recently released a Spray On car wash. My guess it's a bit more slippery than SpeedShine. I will try it out and report back. It'll replace my SpeedShine if it works as well as they say it does.

I have used products similar to the Griots Spray wash. This ONE comes to mind and I wouldn't doubt that the only thing different is the color. SmartWax ONE - Waterless Car Wash and Wax with Kaolin Clay, Eco Wash, No Rinse Wash, Waterless Auto Detail Spray Wax, Dry Wash, Auto Wash, Eco Friendly Car Wash

They can be used successfully providing the car is not too too dirty and they are used with common sense. That said they do seem to hide a lot of the swirls they are creating. If you do not believe me take a microfiber and wipe off an area with some rubbing alchohol after using these products for a while. Do this in your garage under your flourescents and I think you will find there may be some micro marring left behind in some cases. Sounds like you know what you are doing and are probably exercising great caution when wiping down your Viper and may very well be doing fine and not leaving scratches behind. That said I would not recommends this method for everybody.

Out of all of the waterless or hoseless methods I feel that QEW on a wet Sheep Skin mitt or the waterless wash like griots or CG One are the safest methods. Although there is no safer way than soap and water. I am guessing that most of our Vipers are not getting all that dirty with their charmed lives as garage queens and we can get away with more than most people can when it comes down to washing them.

 

[ViperTony]

That said they do seem to hide a lot of the swirls they are creating. If you do not believe me take a microfiber and wipe off an area with some rubbing alchohol after using these products for a while.

Ahh...but that's what I personally like about the Griots products...is that they don't hide imperfections. Try, try as you might but SpeedShine, let alone any of their waxes, will not hide a swirl or fill in a scratch. I tried. In a way, the products force you to solve the root cause...clean and polish the paint. I did find that the Pinnacle spray hides swirls to a degree at least on my BMW. NXT wax is good filler too.

I've already gone into detail about what/how I do my routine. At the end of the day, do whatever makes you happy. I do.

 

[plumcrazy]

you guys are missing out on one of the best things about viper ownership. i absolutely LOVE washing my car everytime i drive it. when my car was busted for 18 months or so, i missed washing it almost as much as driving it. i know it sounds weird but its true.

and with a good wax, most of the road grime will get rinsed off after a hosing but not quite al of it.