04silveradoclone07ss Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 i have used a leaf blower on the truck before. it gets all that water trapped up in the mirrors out.. i hate drying the truck perfect then walking around and have water drips right under the mirror..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJT13 Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 i have used a leaf blower on the truck before. it gets all that water trapped up in the mirrors out.. i hate drying the truck perfect then walking around and have water drips right under the mirror..... for the rest of us, there's also the rear side windows. you finish the truck, and shut the door and bam! both sides look like sh*t. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan06SS Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Grit gaurd is a polastic circular pice that sits off the bottom of the bucket a couple of inches and acts like a screen that keeps debris at bottom of the bucket and not in the soap you wash your truck with. Great write up all though i dont understand the "Dont wash between panels" statement. Does that mean wash the entire top half of the truck before you rinse? Grit guards are also 'finned' at the bottom, this design keeps the turbulence caused when you insert your mit into the bucket from bringing the contaminants back to the top as well. As for the DO NOT RINSE BETWEEN PANELS... you should soap the ENTIRE vehicle before you rinse... water mixed with soap is much less likely to spot than water by itself, so if a panel starts to dry with soapy water on it you're ok, but if you rinse, then the beads of water will cause water spots when they dry. While we're on the subject---Dylan, what's a good buffer/polisher for a beginner? Been wanting to try one but I don't know anything about them and don't want to mess up my finish. Porter Cable DA polisher is what you want... the kit from Adams is a good starter kit for the price, there are also excellent packages from other detail sites... just depends on what you want to spend and how serious you are about it. With some basic instruction anyone can learn to use a PC... then its a matter of learning what compounds coupled with what pads and what OPM speed you use on each type of panel and for how long. I have a leaf blower and i actually thought about using it to dry the truck the other day but im a little worried that if imy roomates/neighbors see me drying my truck with it, they'll think im nuts. Screw it, at least ill know im not the only one. HAHA!! My neighbors already think I'm insane... I'm washing cars multiple days a week for hours on end and I use a foam gun while I wash. I'm sure most of them think I'm some mentally handicapped OCD weirdo or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOB47 Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Thanks Dylan & JF-03-SS, I'll check into that polisher. Gotta learn sometime. You can bet I'll do the daughters car first though. ('99 Chevy Lumina) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSThunder Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Good write up. If we get a forum topic on detailing I say this should be the first topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hankg42 Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 As for the DO NOT RINSE BETWEEN PANELS... you should soap the ENTIRE vehicle before you rinse... water mixed with soap is much less likely to spot than water by itself, so if a panel starts to dry with soapy water on it you're ok, but if you rinse, then the beads of water will cause water spots when they dry. I have always washed section by section, but rinse the entire vehicle from the top down after each section is washed. Keeps the whole vehicle wet until I'm ready to dry it. Has always worked pretty well for me. Thanks for all of the good information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Great info Dylan, I will have to adapt some of your methods into my madness Believe it or not, I like to wash and dry by section........virtually eliminates spots.....oh, and the air compressor trick works well too. Dylan, any tips for those of us who use orbital polishers???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan06SS Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Great info Dylan, I will have to adapt some of your methods into my madness Believe it or not, I like to wash and dry by section........virtually eliminates spots.....oh, and the air compressor trick works well too. Dylan, any tips for those of us who use orbital polishers???? To each their own... if it works for you who am I to tell you to change it... as long as you take away some info from the post its all good. As for tips with buffers... thats in the works, but there is so much to cover its gonna be a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissfans03ss Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Dylan,good write up on how to properly prep and wash our cars/trucks you are a wealth of auto detailing knowledge and i appreciate you taking the time to help educate me and my fellow ssers on how to care for our rides properly,hopefully theres more to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBlueSS Posted September 15, 2007 Report Share Posted September 15, 2007 I have always washed section by section, but rinse the entire vehicle from the top down after each section is washed. Keeps the whole vehicle wet until I'm ready to dry it. Has always worked pretty well for me. Thanks for all of the good information!Same here. I always start with the roof, then hood, grill, bumper, then down one side, and back up the other working top to bottom. I'm afraid to let the soap dry, because I've heard it's bad for the paint. I guess it's ok? My wife says I'm OCD when it comes to washing a car, and it's hard for me to let my kids (3 and 4) to "help" me. They just go where ever. No order at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwood Posted September 15, 2007 Report Share Posted September 15, 2007 Dylan,good write up on how to properly prep and wash our cars/trucks you are a wealth of auto detailing knowledge and i appreciate you taking the time to help educate me and my fellow ssers on how to care for our rides properly,hopefully theres more to come. Thank you for taking the time to post such a great writeup. This site has been a great source of info for me, due to posts like this one. Everyone on this site has been great. I am even breaking down and attempting to Zaino the truck and my 90 Honda Prelude Si. once again thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulanejp Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 (edited) Great write up! I get some really good ideas from this site. Unfortunately, I don't get around to taking as good care of my truck as most people around here do, so I'm constantly battling bugs on the nose of the truck. The other day, I went out after a heavy rain and found them much easier to remove. I've tried quite a few bug removers (now I'm using some blue stuff a detailer gave me), but none of them work particularly well. I wouldn't call this a tip, but at least an idea at this point. I'm one of those that washes and dries piece-meal instead of all at once. It's so hot down here, the soap dries after I've moved down a panel or two. I'm wondering now if that really matters? I wonder if that water sheeting trick, with the hose without the nozzle, will remove the dried soap and particles... Edited October 17, 2007 by tulanejp (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06redSSrwd Posted October 30, 2007 Report Share Posted October 30, 2007 great write up!!! i will definitely be doing this for my next wash. One thing i started doing when i got my SSS was i started washing it at night. It's the best b/c you really don't have to deal with the water drying/spotting. ES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drako Posted October 30, 2007 Report Share Posted October 30, 2007 great write up!!! i will definitely be doing this for my next wash. One thing i started doing when i got my SSS was i started washing it at night. It's the best b/c you really don't have to deal with the water drying/spotting.ES There is a good side to this and a bad.... the good side is the Miami sun is HARSH. I dont care what anybody says on temp's but this sun here is freakin huge. By 10 am you cannot touch the truck. However at night, you cant see if you are doing that good of a job, with drying, applying waxes, dressings etc. Best option is early in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00silverad0 Posted October 30, 2007 Report Share Posted October 30, 2007 Yes Drako, you are totally right about the Florida sun. The trick is to wash with the shade in your favor like around 5pm my house blocks the sun therefore the SS is in the shade. Also, by the time you are done washing/drying and its time to wax, either hope you have enough sunlight to finish or if you have a garge, pull er in and wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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