| cpmorsch |
Just wanted to gets some thoughts on the best way and best materials to wash a new pilot. First wash is coming up and want to do it right!!!
Does anyone use an automatic wash or is it all by hand ?
What is the best cleaner out there?
Should I use a pressure washer?
Sponge v Microfiber brush etc.
Just would like to see the feedback
2006 EXL-Res Sage Brush Pearl
:cool: |
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| N_Jay |
quote:
Originally posted by cpmorsch
Just wanted to gets some thoughts on the best way and best materials to wash a new pilot. First wash is coming up and want to do it right!!!
. . .
Rain! |
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| UNCWDave |
It depends on who you ask. Check out www.autopia.org if you really want to learn how to wash your car.
Of course, some may say that those guys go overboard. I have been following the suggestions of people from Autopia.org and I must say that my year-old Pilot looks much better than a co-worker's year-old Pilot that gets hit with any old rag she has around the garage.
Good luck with the new ride.
UNCWDave |
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| paulfciampa |
Hey, Hose the car dow first. Use any good car wash with lots of bubbles. Use a clean terry cloth and turn it over and dip it into the bucket often to get the grime to float off the cloth. You want to avoid swirling the dirt on the paint which will make small scratches. You can be gentle as you swish the foamy cloth over the paint. Start from the top down and rinse each section after you have washed it.
Avoid washing in direct sunlight. I usually splash a soapy cloth over the section I will wash to break-up the dirt and this helps to float it away.
Good luck:) |
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| Sportymonk |
| Use a car wash soap instead of the dishwashing stuff sitting in the kitchen. Use a chamois cloth to dry it. Stoner's Invisible Glass is an excellent cleaner, would never use Windex again. |
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| andyschneider |
So I spent most of my life using Turtle Wax Zip Wash and a wool mit to wash my cars, followed by a brisk drive to blow the water drops off. But with 4 cars, 3 kids, and close to zero time, I discovered the Mr Clean Auto Dry car wash system. I use that with a soft brush on a 4' pole - making sure to spray a good amount of soap on the car AND the brush each section, rinsing well, and then using the sheeting action rinse setting (uses the filter), and I've had excellent results. My son's Civic is the Rally Red and shows virtually no wear from washing after 2.5 years, and it cuts my washing time by 50%. Plus I can use the same setup on those colder fall/spring days and even on a warm day in the winter - you don't need a bucket of suds to get the job done.
But the key is keeping the car real wet and the soap level up to prevent scratching as much as you can.
andy |
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| th10000 |
| I second that Mr. Clean Auto Dry. Works great and is half the work. The filtered rinse is particulary valuable here in FL where the water is very hard - the filter removes most of the minerals so no water spots. |
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| mattchalmers |
| that uses a drive through service? I am sure there is a reason no one else is doing that... :eek: |
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| jay |
quote:
Originally posted by mattchalmers
that uses a drive through service? I am sure there is a reason no one else is doing that... :eek:
In the winter I'll do the touchless drive-thru, or when I need to wash the car and just don't have time to do it by hand. There's a fancy new carwash about 2 miles from my house, and the touchless drive-thru even does a blow-dry.
When I have time to wash, I use the Eagle One Bucket-Free car wash with a large sponge. No dipping in a dirty bucket for me. And with the good base of Klasse AIO and sealant I put on, the car washes up easily. For the final rinse, I prevent spotting by removing the nozzle from the hose, allowing the water to gently stream over the vehicle. |
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| cpmorsch |
| Thanks for all the replies - does any one use a pressure washer on their Pilot? Or are you all hands on except for the autowash folks? Any issues with a power washer? I have a karcher 1700 psi pressure washer that has an automatic dispenser and will use the Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner. I used the pressure washer on my last car and it was very effective. When I traded in the dealer thought the car was immaculate for being 10 years old. |
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| jay |
quote:
Originally posted by cpmorsch
Thanks for all the replies - does any one use a pressure washer on their Pilot? Or are you all hands on except for the autowash folks? Any issues with a power washer? I have a karcher 1700 psi pressure washer that has an automatic dispenser and will use the Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner. I used the pressure washer on my last car and it was very effective. When I traded in the dealer thought the car was immaculate for being 10 years old.
Be careful with the power washer. A couple of members power-washed the paint right off the wide plastic side molding. All it takes is a small rock chip to crack the paint on the molding, and the power-washer at just the right angle to peel the paint off!:eek: |
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| 787_Pilot |
Has anyone used one of these to wash their vehicle?
http://www.homemadesimple.com/sites...proseries.shtml
I'm on the fence whether to buy one or not. Just curious if their claim of giving "you a spot-free clean and shine with zero hand drying—guaranteed" is true or not.
787_Pilot |
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| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by 787_Pilot
Has anyone used one of these to wash their vehicle?
http://www.homemadesimple.com/sites...proseries.shtml
I'm on the fence whether to buy one or not. Just curious if their claim of giving "you a spot-free clean and shine with zero hand drying—guaranteed" is true or not.
787_Pilot
I have one of those. The final filtered rinse absolutely does give spot free dry. However, the Mr Clean soap will also remove the wax from your vehicle. I hand wash and rinse with a bucket, Meguiars car wash soap, and a hose. Then I give a quick final rinse with the Mr C on the filtered rinse setting. Works great. |
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| deezee123 |
| Do you have to use the Mr. Clean soap - or would one of the premium quality cleaners (such as Zainer's Show Car wash) work with it? |
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| andyschneider |
I see no reason why any liquid soap wouldn't work in the Auto Dry system. I've used mine for 3 years now (just about worn out from dropping it about a zillion times) and never thought about using a different soap. I will disagree about the removal of the wax. After washing at the next rain storm, water still beads up nice. It seems to be about the same as most of the wash soaps you can get in the auto parts aisle.
During the winter, or when I'm feeling lazy, i use one of the new touchless types that goes around your car. We have a bunch up here in NH now, and you can pick/choose the level of soaps you want, and even get an undercarriage wash as you drive into the bay. Does a great job and doesn't have anythign touching your car. And the air-dry at the end (along with the spot-free rinse, same as with the Auto Dry system) does a good job as well. Hand-washing does do a better job, but I'd rather leave a bit of road film on the windows with the touchless vs. going thru an all-cloth wash and scratching things up....
andy |
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| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by andyschneider
I see no reason why any liquid soap wouldn't work in the Auto Dry system. I've used mine for 3 years now (just about worn out from dropping it about a zillion times) and never thought about using a different soap. I will disagree about the removal of the wax. After washing at the next rain storm, water still beads up nice. It seems to be about the same as most of the wash soaps you can get in the auto parts aisle.
During the winter, or when I'm feeling lazy, i use one of the new touchless types that goes around your car. We have a bunch up here in NH now, and you can pick/choose the level of soaps you want, and even get an undercarriage wash as you drive into the bay. Does a great job and doesn't have anythign touching your car. And the air-dry at the end (along with the spot-free rinse, same as with the Auto Dry system) does a good job as well. Hand-washing does do a better job, but I'd rather leave a bit of road film on the windows with the touchless vs. going thru an all-cloth wash and scratching things up....
andy
Interesting, it removes my wax and a number of members posted the same thing a while ago. I'm sure you can use any soap in it, I just prefer to add it to the bucket since I'm using it anyway. |
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| jsfofec |
I like using Meguiar's products for my car. When washing, be sure to use 2 buckets, one for the car soap and the other to rinse. You may also want to check into a grit guard. This helps separate the dirt from your wash mit, or whatever you use, and the dirt that rinses off. Doing it this way will help to prevent swirls from appearing in your paint.
Don't forget to wash your tires and wheel wells. Wheel wells are often neglected and tons of dirt can pile up there.
when washing, I like to use Meguiar's NXT car wash or Gold class car wash. Then I like to dry it with a waffle weave drying towel. After drying everything, I then wipe it down with NXT speed detailer using a high quality microfiber towel. |
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| charliekhonda |
| I lease mine, so touch-less automated car wash works great. |
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| ThePilotster |
quote:
Originally posted by mattchalmers
that uses a drive through service? I am sure there is a reason no one else is doing that... :eek:
I go thru one at least 2 times a week and about daily in the winter. I have a season pass to a local turtle wax & it cost me 8 bucks a week to have unlimited 7 day washes for a year.
Been doing it for years and no problems even with Honda's paint problems
It depends on the wash place but mine has people with 200K cars coming thru it daily, so some are good! |
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| samster |
quote:
Originally posted by ThePilotster
I go thru one at least 2 times a week and about daily in the winter. I have a season pass to a local turtle wax & it cost me 8 bucks a week to have unlimited 7 day washes for a year.
Been doing it for years and no problems even with Honda's paint problems
It depends on the wash place but mine has people with 200K cars coming thru it daily, so some are good!
I assume you mean $200k cars. Otherwise, that's got to be a really long wait (or a really cursory wash)!
:-) |
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| metsfan |
quote:
Originally posted by jl_ss
Interesting, it removes my wax and a number of members posted the same thing a while ago. I'm sure you can use any soap in it, I just prefer to add it to the bucket since I'm using it anyway.
Before I ask this, because you can't always tell someone's 'tone' from just the words typed on the screen, I want to say that I am in no way challenging your indication that it removes the wax. That being said ...
What makes you, and others, think that the Mr. Clean soap is removing your wax?
I'm genuinely curious/concerned because I just bought this system over the weekend and used it yesterday for the first time. |
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| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by metsfan
Before I ask this, because you can't always tell someone's 'tone' from just the words typed on the screen, I want to say that I am in no way challenging your indication that it removes the wax. That being said ...
What makes you, and others, think that the Mr. Clean soap is removing your wax?
I'm genuinely curious/concerned because I just bought this system over the weekend and used it yesterday for the first time.
I tried the Mr C soap twice (on recently waxed vehicles) and both times water beaded before washing and not after. Plus you can feel the difference between a waxed and unwaxed vehicle by running your hand over it. Don't get me wrong, I love and still use the filtered final spray option. I just use Meguiars Gold Class car wash soap instead. This was a few years ago (whenever it first came out), maybe they have changed the soap so that it doesn't remove wax now? Regarding your wash yesterday: was your Pilot waxed and did the Mr C soap remove it? |
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| metsfan |
quote:
Originally posted by jl_ss
I tried the Mr C soap twice (on recently waxed vehicles) and both times water beaded before washing and not after. Plus you can feel the difference between a waxed and unwaxed vehicle by running your hand over it. Don't get me wrong, I love and still use the filtered final spray option. I just use Meguiars Gold Class car wash soap instead. This was a few years ago (whenever it first came out), maybe they have changed the soap so that it doesn't remove wax now? Regarding your wash yesterday: was your Pilot waxed and did the Mr C soap remove it?
Washed the Pilot and my son's Dodge Stratus at the end of the day yesterday and both cars were gone for the day when I left for work (wife uses the Pilot and son already at school). Both vehicles had a nice shine when done/dry and no spots. I'll have to check when they get home today and look for beading next time it rains - wasn't something I even thought to check before reading your post today. Another thing is that I haven't waxed the Pilot or the Stratus yet either - only had each of them about a month and a half.
In the future, I'm considering using Zaino sealant products (have read they work very well on black vehicles). So, when it's time to replace the initial supply of Mr. C soap, maybe I'll do as you're doing and wash with Zaino soap but use the Mr. C filtered rinse. |
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| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by metsfan
Washed the Pilot and my son's Dodge Stratus at the end of the day yesterday and both cars were gone for the day when I left for work (wife uses the Pilot and son already at school). Both vehicles had a nice shine when done/dry and no spots. I'll have to check when they get home today and look for beading next time it rains - wasn't something I even thought to check before reading your post today. Another thing is that I haven't waxed the Pilot or the Stratus yet either - only had each of them about a month and a half.
In the future, I'm considering using Zaino sealant products (have read they work very well on black vehicles). So, when it's time to replace the initial supply of Mr. C soap, maybe I'll do as you're doing and wash with Zaino soap but use the Mr. C filtered rinse.
Dealers typically do not wax new vehicles around here unless you pay them extra (or work it in as part of the deal) so there's a good chance that your vehicles did not have wax on them to begin with. I waxed our Pilot on day 3 of ownership. You could try a quick easy experiment: wax a only small portion (fender,etc) wash with Mr C soap, dry and check for beading. |
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| th10000 |
quote:
Originally posted by jl_ss:
I tried the Mr C soap twice (on recently waxed vehicles) and both times water beaded before washing and not after.
The water does not bead after washing with Mr C because that is what the soap/filtered rinse is designed to do. That's why there are no water spots, as spots only occur when water beads evaporate and leave behind the minerals. The "sheating" affect is temporary as I can tell you from using Mr C a half dozen times now that the "water beading" returns the next time my Pilot gets wet.
While the manufacturer (P&G) claims must be taken with a grain of salt, P&G does specify the following "Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash does not strip wax. Mr. Clean AutoDry doesn't leave behind a film, just a thin, temporary layer of the Dry Rinse Polymer molecules."
In my "experimenting" with this wash system, I have found the soap is just as crucial for a no spot wash as the filtered rinse. Without the Mr. C soap, the filtered rise will still bead, although water spotting will be less as most of the minerals will have been removed from the water. |
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| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by th10000
The water does not bead after washing with Mr C because that is what the soap/filtered rinse is designed to do. That's why there are no water spots, as spots only occur when water beads evaporate and leave behind the minerals. The "sheating" affect is temporary as I can tell you from using Mr C a half dozen times now that the "water beading" returns the next time my Pilot gets wet.
While the manufacturer (P&G) claims must be taken with a grain of salt, P&G does specify the following "Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash does not strip wax. Mr. Clean AutoDry doesn't leave behind a film, just a thin, temporary layer of the Dry Rinse Polymer molecules."
In my "experimenting" with this wash system, I have found the soap is just as crucial for a no spot wash as the filtered rinse. Without the Mr. C soap, the filtered rise will still bead, although water spotting will be less as most of the minerals will have been removed from the water.
I guess I wasn't clear enough. In my case, the water would not bead on ALL the washes after using the Mr C soap until it was waxed again. And as I noted you could feel there was no wax on the vehicle after the Mr C soap wash. I bought mine in 2003 so maybe they have changed the soap formula since I used it. I have found the opposite though, I haven't used the soap - just the filtered rinse, and since the minerals are removed during that filtered rinse there is absolutley NO spotting at all. It dries slower without that Dry Rinse Layer but I have used it with only the final filter spray many many times on multiple vehicles and it leaves no spots. I have to wax the truck in the next few weeks so maybe I'll pick up some new Mr C soap and do some experimenting. |
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| CMasten |
ok folks, you convinced me, I went out and bought a Mr Clean Auto Wash... sheez, they are down to 18 bucks for a 10 use trial set up.
Cant say that I am floored, I wet, then soap, then hand wash then rinse and then the part that still has me a bit perplexed is the final Auto Rinse.. I sprayed it down really well , but the sight of a wet car bugged me, so I went ahead and hand dried it anyways... not sure what Im missing here, didnt save me 50 percent, thats for sure, but after so many years of doing this, I am not sure I can sit there and watch it dry :)
Any secrets you all have learned in using this system? |
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| andyschneider |
quote:
Originally posted by CMasten
ok folks, you convinced me, I went out and bought a Mr Clean Auto Wash... sheez, they are down to 18 bucks for a 10 use trial set up.
Cant say that I am floored, I wet, then soap, then hand wash then rinse and then the part that still has me a bit perplexed is the final Auto Rinse.. I sprayed it down really well , but the sight of a wet car bugged me, so I went ahead and hand dried it anyways... not sure what Im missing here, didnt save me 50 percent, thats for sure, but after so many years of doing this, I am not sure I can sit there and watch it dry :)
Any secrets you all have learned in using this system?
Secret? Yep. Rinse the car with the no-spot rinse, put the hose down, pull out a lawn chair, grab a beer, and sit and watch the car literally dry in front of your eyes. :2: It dries in a slow, "down the body panel" sheeting fashion. After the sheeting action is done, there may be a few spots here and there, but it's certainly better than drying the whole thing...
andy |
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| CMasten |
quote:
Originally posted by andyschneider
Secret? Yep. Rinse the car with the no-spot rinse, put the hose down, pull out a lawn chair, grab a beer, and sit and watch the car literally dry in front of your eyes. :2: It dries in a slow, "down the body panel" sheeting fashion. After the sheeting action is done, there may be a few spots here and there, but it's certainly better than drying the whole thing...
andy
LOL ok, sounds like I need some patience... Ill give it a try |
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| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by CMasten
ok folks, you convinced me, I went out and bought a Mr Clean Auto Wash... sheez, they are down to 18 bucks for a 10 use trial set up.
Cant say that I am floored, I wet, then soap, then hand wash then rinse and then the part that still has me a bit perplexed is the final Auto Rinse.. I sprayed it down really well , but the sight of a wet car bugged me, so I went ahead and hand dried it anyways... not sure what Im missing here, didnt save me 50 percent, thats for sure, but after so many years of doing this, I am not sure I can sit there and watch it dry :)
Any secrets you all have learned in using this system?
Just do whatever you would normally do, the car will dry and not leave any spots (and I don't use the soap with the Dry Rinse Polymer molecules). The majority of the time, our Pilot just goes back in the garage still wet after the final filtered rinse. It then dries completely over time with no spots. Sometimes I'll need to go somewhere after washing and air drying while driving completes the final drying. No need to sit and watch it dry. Do you always wipe your car down after it rains or do you just let it dry?
The only time I wipe it down is if I am going to wax it right after - then I don't even use the Mr C final rinse, but that's only twice a year. |
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| CMasten |
quote:
Originally posted by jl_ss
Just do whatever you would normally do, the car will dry and not leave any spots (and I don't use the soap with the Dry Rinse Polymer molecules). The majority of the time, our Pilot just goes back in the garage still wet after the final filtered rinse. It then dries completely over time with no spots. Sometimes I'll need to go somewhere after washing and air drying while driving completes the final drying. No need to sit and watch it dry. Do you always wipe your car down after it rains or do you just let it dry?
The only time I wipe it down is if I am going to wax it right after - then I don't even use the Mr C final rinse, but that's only twice a year.
well... I dont wipe it down when it rains.. nice! :), but I am used to always drying my cars, as they always spoted with our hard water, and the final wipe down gets even more crud that didnt get washed off, so overall its a better job. There was still a lot of water on my Pilot when I did the final rinse, especially on the roof, I guess Ill just have to try and let it dry by itself next time and see how it comes out. Overall it did ok, a good ol bucket of warm suds might still beat the soap option on this, but for 18 bucks I wont complain, the keeper seems to be the auto rinse. |
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| piku |
1. Anyone try this Costco detail/wash package?
Eurow 22pc Auto Detailing Kit With Mothers® Polishes and Waxes
$79.99
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...1249&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=
Seems that its already $38 for most of the brushes...
The Original California Car Duster®
Automotive Kit
7-piece Kit
$37.99
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...1249&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=
2. I also saw The Mr. Clean package for $40
http://www.amazon.com/CleanTM-AutoD...4863536-3184061
I'm just worried that dirt might not come off because of the water pressure for the Mr. Clean system. I guess this are for those who don't go on snow and dirt that much. HA--why have a Pilot? =)
3. Also, I got some old EagleOne Wet spray left over from the Accord. I was planning on getting the 303 for tires also. Any recommendation on this area?
TIA |
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| rocky |
| I used a Mobil touchless wash in winter, and by hand rest of the year |
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| TheEaglePilot |
On the advice of some in this forum, I picked up a Mr. Clean AutoDry at Target a couple of days ago ($18 for 10 washes). We had a sunny day in the 50s today, so I gave it its first run on both our cars...
In general I think it's a good product. The soap application is easy (no buckets to wrestle), and the filtered dry seems to have worked without spotting.
My only complaints are:
1. The weakness of the rinse spray. It's OK with most of the car -- you just have to hold the gun up real close. But on the roof it is quite difficult to get the spray to really reach and rinse. And I'm 6'4"... I guess next time I may rinse the roof with the regular spray and not worry about spots up there.
2. The door that holds the water filter in popped off eveyr time I set the gun down. Not well-designed.
There's a "Pro Series" set that costs twice as much and has a better gun unit... I wonder if it would fix both my issues? Anyone used that one?
Chris |
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| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by TheEaglePilot
On the advice of some in this forum, I picked up a Mr. Clean AutoDry at Target a couple of days ago ($18 for 10 washes). We had a sunny day in the 50s today, so I gave it its first run on both our cars...
In general I think it's a good product. The soap application is easy (no buckets to wrestle), and the filtered dry seems to have worked without spotting.
My only complaints are:
1. The weakness of the rinse spray. It's OK with most of the car -- you just have to hold the gun up real close. But on the roof it is quite difficult to get the spray to reallly reach and rinse. And I'm 6'4"... I guess next time I may rinse the roof with the regular spral and not worry about spots up there.
2. The door that holds the water filter in popped off eveyr time I set the gun down. Not well-designed.
There's a "Pro Series" set that costs twice as much and has a better gun unit... I wonder if it would fix both my issues? Anyone used that one?
Chris
I've used both the regular and Pro Series and not had a problem with the filter doors popping off. I assume you mean the weak spray of the filtered rinse? I use a small step ladder to get high enough to spray down at the roof. |
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| GreenMachine |
| Mr. Clean autodry is the best. I have not had any problems with the door for over two years. Go exchange it, and if it's past the 90 days or you lost your receipt, go buy another, switch out the guns, and return that one as defective. |
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