A few people have asked me about my non-marring “extreme wash regimen”. I’ve altered it a bit recently (losing the problematic siphon-feed), so here’s the current version. I’ve used this on a few vehicles and it will NOT mar the finish in any way *IF* the paint is protected with something that’s pretty slick and the vehicle is washed frequently enough that the dirt isn’t allowed to really build up. If you have to “scrub” the dirt off, nothing will prevent marring.
Note that the real problem is that when washing, you have to move (abrasive) dirt over the surface of the vehicle. This can cause marring. Some dirt can “migrate” deep into the knap of a mitt away from the finish, but some will not.
This is admittedly a rather extreme method of washing a vehicle, and it’s not something I do on anything except my S8 and XJS. It’s just too much work.
This is a condensed version, omitting work on wheels/wheelwells/undercarriage, the use of BHBs in nooks and crannies, and drying technique (blot with WW MFs). It merely covers the basic washing of the exterior. It’s can be tweaked to individual preference, but this is how I do it. Please post questions if anything isn’t clear or if you wonder why I do something the way I do.
Supplies: two hoses (one for each side of vehicle), rubber coated nozzles and easy to use (with one hand) shutoffs for each hose, five buckets (two wash, two rinse – one set for each side of vehicle, and one for used mitts), several chenille wash mitts (the more the better), and some Griot’s Car Wash. Optional: MF mitts, additional (long) hose with a shower-foam gun attached (filled with an eyeballed mix of Griot’s wash solution and set on “full strength mix”).
The separate systems for each side of the vehicle make this labor-intensive method easier and a little quicker, but are not absolutely necessary.
Mix the wash solution to your preferred strength. In the buckets or in the shower-foam gun, I just do it by eye, but I make it plenty strong. Try to NOT make a bunch of foamy suds- make solution, not foam. Fill your rinse buckets with clear water.
Begin by rinsing the entire vehicle thoroughly. Try to rinse off as much dirt as possible. Start washing at the top of the vehicle as follows:
With the water shut off (this is why you need the easy to use shutoffs), put the nozzle INSIDE a clean wash mitt. Dunk the mitt into the wash solution, trying to get as much solution as possible in the mitt. Hold the soapy mitt over the finish with the knap of the mitt barely touching the finish. Turn the water on just slightly. You want the water to lubricate the surface and rinse away loosened dirt, but you do NOT want so much water that you overly dilute the wash solution in the mitt. Sweep the soapy mitt over the finish, barely touching it. Don’t do too large an area. Put the mitt in your rinse bucket and turn the water on full blast to rinse it out. Turn off the water. Repeat until you’ve cleaned the panel. Remove the nozzle from the mitt and rinse the panel. Inspect. Repeat as needed. If at any time you notice ANY contamination in the mitt that doesn’t rinse out; toss the dirty mitt in the “mitt bucket” and switch to a clean mitt. Optional: rewash the presumably clean surface using a MF mitt and rinse.
Always endeavor to just barely touch the surface. This takes a little practice, especially on the vertical panels. Don’t start to “cheat” by covering bigger and bigger areas as you go or by using a mitt once it’s visibly contaminated. Add more Car Wash to the wash bucket if you notice it’s getting diluted. Periodically, rinse the entire vehicle, keeping it wet so you don’t get
water spots, and dump and refill the rinse buckets
Optional (highly recommended if the vehicle is especially dirty): put the nozzle of the shower-foam gun inside the mitt for the first passes, blasting foamy wash solution through the mitt. Watch that you don’t rub the mitt against the finish with the rigid nozzle of the shower-foam gun (this is another technique that takes a while to master). Then rinse and rewash using the “regular” method explained above.
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