Wash method or soap?

P

Pettinej

New member
Car detailing forum

I`m 55 and recently getting back into car detailing for my personal cars. A long long time ago I used to polish and buff with a rotary.

I am having a problem with any type of wax or sealant. The car only beads up or sheads water after a few weeks after application but this only happens on the rocker panels (below the door handles) and the vehicle rear bumper and license plate area. All other areas are else beads up fine roof, front, hood, top of trunk. This happens on all my vehicles 2016 Highlander, 2013 Altima, 2022 Accord.

I prep the surface by claying & polish before application of wax or sealant.

This mostly/only happens after the vehicle is driven in the rain. Sometimes it rains so often here the car could go a couple weeks before it makes sense to wash again. Central NY weather.

I wash with a foam cannon and wash mitt.
1 Foam cannon
2 soak few min
3 wash mittt
4 rinse

I use meguiars Polish and clay.
I use meguiars gold class for soap.
I tried meguiars, turtle wax, collinite products for wax or sealants.

I assume I am doing something really wrong because I never see anyone post about this.

My assumption is that the soap or method of washing is not harsh enough and the rockers are not getting cleaned enough.

It`s still very cold here so I won`t be able to try new methods or product for a couple of months. I just looking for some advice on what to do next. Any advice would be appreciated. Looking for something that won`t strip wax.

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I`m no fan of GC soap. I ditched it long ago for many other brands. Currently I use 3D Pink Soap. I plan to give Meguiars Hyper Wash a shot next.
 
How much soap are you using? I personally don`t like GC soap. You might want to try a different soap and see if you get the same results.

I use Gyeon Bathe now but I also like CarPro Reset Car Wash, Griots Car Wash, PoorBoys World Super Slick & Suds and Optimum Car Wash.
 
Pettinej said:
Car detailing forum

I`m 55 and recently getting back into car detailing for my personal cars. A long long time ago I used to polish and buff with a rotary.

I am having a problem with any type of wax or sealant. The car only beads up or sheads water after a few weeks after application but this only happens on the rocker panels (below the door handles) and the vehicle rear bumper and license plate area. All other areas are else beads up fine roof, front, hood, top of trunk. This happens on all my vehicles 2016 Highlander, 2013 Altima, 2022 Accord.

I prep the surface by claying & polish before application of wax or sealant.

This mostly/only happens after the vehicle is driven in the rain. Sometimes it rains so often here the car could go a couple weeks before it makes sense to wash again. Central NY weather.
Click to expand...

You answered your own question and didn`t even know it. The areas you mentioned that don`t bead water as well AFTER several instances of extended drives in the rain, are because those are HIGH WEAR areas. Your tires forcefully spray those area with water, dirt and debris while you drive. This is comparable to using a pressure washer with dirt and chemical contaminated water (almost like a light sandblasting wash with heavy chemicals) and whatever "wax" you use in those areas WILL wear very quickly and fail long before the other "unblasted" areas.

I`m in NE Ohio, and I experience a very similar issue.
 
Don said:
You answered your own question and didn`t even know it. The areas you mentioned that don`t bead water as well AFTER several instances of extended drives in the rain, are because those are HIGH WEAR areas. Your tires forcefully spray those area with water, dirt and debris while you drive. This is comparable to using a pressure washer with dirt and chemical contaminated water (almost like a light sandblasting wash with heavy chemicals) and whatever "wax" you use in those areas WILL wear very quickly and fail long before the other "unblasted" areas.

I`m in NE Ohio, and I experience a very similar issue.
Click to expand...
I do agree with you. It happens after a 30 mile drive in summer rain. I would not expect it to be gone after such a short drive. I appreciate the responses and will respond back. I am probably going to try meguiars hyper wash first.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk
 
Fskof said:
How much soap are you using? I personally don`t like GC soap. You might want to try a different soap and see if you get the same results.

I use Gyeon Bathe now but I also like CarPro Reset Car Wash, Griots Car Wash, PoorBoys World Super Slick & Suds and Optimum Car Wash.
Click to expand...
I follow directions on bottle. 5 to 1 ratio for foam cannon.

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Pettinej said:
I do agree with you. It happens after a 30 mile drive in summer rain. I would not expect it to be gone after such a short drive. I appreciate the responses and will respond back. I am probably going to try meguiars hyper wash first.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Why are you sticking with Meguiars products?
 
Pettinej said:
I do agree with you. It happens after a 30 mile drive in summer rain. I would not expect it to be gone after such a short drive. I appreciate the responses and will respond back. I am probably going to try meguiars hyper wash first.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Meguiars HyperWash is a good choice....it can now be found at Harbor Freight at a very good price.
 
Fskof said:
Why are you sticking with Meguiars products?
Click to expand...
That is a very good question. I can buy cheap at harbor freight and I guess I am reluctant to try something very different. I hear carpro reset is good. Haven`t read much about the others you suggested. I haven`t ordered anything yet so maybe you gave me motivation to try something different.

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Pettinej said:
I do agree with you. It happens after a 30 mile drive in summer rain. I would not expect it to be gone after such a short drive. I appreciate the responses and will respond back. I am probably going to try meguiars hyper wash first.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I can attest to the Meguiar`s Hyper-Wash, I`ve used it for over 10 years, a little goes a LONG way and I have had NO soap-related problems. **A little going a long way,** by MY definition, is that a gallon bottle can last ME up to almost THREE YEARS. And *I* wash my car A LOT (weekly!), or more sometimes, plus the other cars I wash.
 
It’s going to last me a lot less than that because I wash with a foam gun using Accumulator’s method but I’m fine with that
 
Pettinej said:
I do agree with you. It happens after a 30 mile drive in summer rain. I would not expect it to be gone after such a short drive. I appreciate the responses and will respond back. I am probably going to try meguiars hyper wash first.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Might also be a build up of traffic film. Try an Alklaline or acidic soap.


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Petinej- Welcome to Autopia!

I too think you oughta consider a better shampoo (another vote for 3D Pink) and also a more durable LSP (e.g., FK1000P). I`d go nuts if I had to do anything except wash for months on end, even in the winter.
 
Accumulator said:
Petinej- Welcome to Autopia!

I too think you oughta consider a better shampoo (another vote for 3D Pink) and also a more durable LSP (e.g., FK1000P). I`d go nuts if I had to do anything except wash for months on end, even in the winter.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the warm welcome! This place is awesome. I was on my way to trying other LSP but found that nothing survived below the door handles for very long 1-2 weeks. I figured that it was the soap or process I was doing. I know this is a tough question to ask but what soap would do best at removing road grime without hurting a conventional wax or sealant? Carpro reset says safe for coatings but says nothing about wax. Maybe because they don`t sell wax?
I got motivated and used up the last of meguiars GC yesterday as it was above freezing. So I am ready to purchase.

What I was thinking about is using a product to put on the grimey parts and then wash the car normally after that. But really don`t want to make things to complicated. I got 4 cars to wash on a regular basis until the kids move out.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk
 
Pettinej said:
Thanks for the warm welcome! This place is awesome. I was on my way to trying other LSP but found that nothing survived below the door handles for very long 1-2 weeks. I figured that it was the soap or process I was doing. I know this is a tough question to ask but what soap would do best at removing road grime without hurting a conventional wax or sealant? Carpro reset says safe for coatings but says nothing about wax. Maybe because they don`t sell wax?
I got motivated and used up the last of meguiars GC yesterday as it was above freezing. So I am ready to purchase.

What I was thinking about is using a product to put on the grimey parts and then wash the car normally after that. But really don`t want to make things to complicated. I got 4 cars to wash on a regular basis until the kids move out.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Reset is your best bet although I read somewhere the said it could hurt waxes. Problem is I would think anything that affects traffic film is gonna affect a wax.

Just the name of the game if you wanna keep using waxes. Maybe try a coating or sealant.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Pettinej said:
I was on my way to trying other LSP but found that nothing survived below the door handles for very long 1-2 weeks. I figured that it was the soap or process I was doing. I know this is a tough question to ask but what soap would do best at removing road grime without hurting a conventional wax or sealant?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the late reply :o

While some cars/paints/panels just don`t stay waxed (e.g. the rear bumpercover of my wife`s A8), I can usually get many months out of the FK1000P (which I`ve never tried on her car). Washing with the 3D Pink, or Griot`s (regular) Car Wash, or my preferred 50:50 mix of the two, has basically zero effedt on the FK. As in, I`ll wash over and over and over without having to rewax.

With all those cars to keep nice, the FK1000P and those shampoos are what I`d do/recommend since I basically don`t do coatings. That approach works so well that I don`t believe I`m missing much by skipping the coatings either (and yeah, I`ve used them before so it`s an informed opinion). Easy for me to spend your money for you, but a tin of wax and a jug of shampoo or two strikes me as a pretty low-cost option to try out, and I really am confident that you`d be happy. (Hey, if you try `em and you`re *NOT* happy, let me know.)
 
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