DIY Car Wash??

[vainbt]

How do you wash your cars if you live in an apartment and there is no water supply in the carpark?

I used to drive back to my old place and wash it there because had a spare remote control for the garage but they have changed the coding now.

I really want to give my car a good wash myself, I have tried those DIY car wash but how can you do all those claybar.. polish.... etc and wait for them to cure at that place?
It's just not possible..

Anyone have any suggestions?

Do i have to get something like auto washer?? A bit lame though...
Save water - Wash your car with the Autowasher car washer

[Ben J]

im interested to hear what people do in this situation aswell, next year ill be living in an apartment, but theres no way im giving up my weekly wash.

I'm guessing ill find a DIY car was place to wash it, and when it comes time for further detailing, drive it back and do it in the carpark. Don't know if ill be able to get the polisher out there though...

[Corey_R]

My apartment has a car wash bay in the parking underneath. The light is crap (enough to wash, but not to detail), there is no power, and being that it's in a new area of NSW the water is recycled (well, my last 3 houses have been recycled so that's not a big deal). It's fine for washing, but not for detailing. For that I have to go to a friends place or whatever.

You could still go to a DIY place for the regular car washing, but you'd need to find somewhere else to detail. Having said that, if you switch to sealants etc, that detailing should be a ~twice a year thing anyway...

[johnw]

Well I personally don't live in an apartment but in similar situation (units, don't want to was off the street)

What I do is I bring my washing gear (bucket, gallon of water, shampoo, wheel cleaner, wash mitts, MF towels etc) to the car wash and just use their high pressure rinse (NEVER use the brush!) Some DIY car wash has signs of no bucket/sponge but I have had no comments, just don't do this when there's a line.

As for claying, polish and detailing, I do that at home after I washed and dried the car. If you're concerned about the dust on the way home, just QD before you detail.

[vainbt]

Well I personally don't live in an apartment but in similar situation (units, don't want to was off the street)

What I do is I bring my washing gear (bucket, gallon of water, shampoo, wheel cleaner, wash mitts, MF towels etc) to the car wash and just use their high pressure rinse (NEVER use the brush!) Some DIY car wash has signs of no bucket/sponge but I have had no comments, just don't do this when there's a line.

As for claying, polish and detailing, I do that at home after I washed and dried the car. If you're concerned about the dust on the way home, just QD before you detail.

QD?

Yea i think i will try that and then detail at home i guess i should leave it wet and dry it when i get home then?

[johnw]

oh sorry, my laziness QD = Quick Detailer

I think, if you plan to do more detailing at home, it'll be best to dry the car straight away as a wet car will pickup a lot more dust/dirt on the drive home [I guess QD will get rid of most of it but might scratch].

Oh btw, I do have one of those Auto Washers, in the form of a $12 pesticide spray bottle from Bunnings ha ha

[carcareproducts]

Here's a few tips for you guys for a few options.

Car Lovers or "DIY Car Wash" places do not like you bucket washing your car.

So these are your options which ive spoken to a few and seem not to care for reasons obviously as they are not there.

Bring;
2 Buckets (1 for wash, 1 for rinse)
1 Wash Mitt (mf or wool) (no sponge or you will also scratch)
1 MF Waffle Drying Towel (get rid of your chamois or you will keep scratching that paint otherwise)
1 Car Wash
$4-8 in coins.

Wash after 1730 as they have no one on site and can not control you washing by bucket so they have no issue about it.

Fill your buckets up, 1 clean water, 1 car wash shampoo.. $2 in for the High Pressure Rinse.. Rinse the Car.. Wash the Car, and again back to High Pressure Rinse.. Move along and dry your car and use whatever quick detailer you wish or so forth afterwards. Quick, easy and cost effective as well.

Option B which works for Home, Units and well car washes if your crazy.

Get a 20l, 40l, 60l or even 80-200l Container (even a wheelly bin as my friend has used) and attach a Hose fitment to it and fill it up with water. Connect your High Pressure Water System to it and off you go.. portable water anywhere you want providing you can lug it around with you and power is available.

Hope give you bit of an idea.

Do not use a quick detailer if your car is dirty FYI.

oh sorry, my laziness QD = Quick Detailer

I think, if you plan to do more detailing at home, it'll be best to dry the car straight away as a wet car will pickup a lot more dust/dirt on the drive home [I guess QD will get rid of most of it but might scratch].

Oh btw, I do have one of those Auto Washers, in the form of a $12 pesticide spray bottle from Bunnings ha ha

[vainbt]

thanks guys..

@carcareproducts

just bought the goodies off your store..

what's your suggestion for detailing after washing at Car Lovers? Dry up with waffle drying towel first then drive home?

then just straight clay bar then polish etc?


cheers

[carcareproducts]

If you do it late at night, why the hell not clay there? haha.

Problem is with claying you will need to rinse it off again properly i usually would say. Then follow with a machine polish, if not and the car is fine just apply your sealant.

Realistically if you dont have the area/space to do this you will have to stay at car lovers till late at nigh most possibly. Alternatively hi-jack a friends garage and do it there (the clay part) but you will need to wash the car again prior from car lovers --> friends place.

Usual wash everytime though, 2 buckets, mitt, drying towel. Maybe use a quick detailer if you wish after its dried off as well but thats completely up to you what you prefer in your routine.

[GTI JOE]

What would be the intervals for claying? as needed or once every six months? or?

[johnw]

Depends really on how much contamination gets on your paint and if its cleaned off quickly. If you park at a train station everyday under the sun then probably every 6 months or less :-S. Or like me I have under cover parking at work and garage at home, when I clay once a yr, nothing much comes off. But still feels nice

Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk

[vainbt]

just spent 3 hours on my car....... finally got a chance to wash it ....

I went to the DIY car wash at around 10pm...
spray rinse > cleaned the wheels> two bucket wash (I was the only one... guess everyone out partying .. crusing..)
> dry with the waffle drying towel.. (I noticed some small residues though.. maybe i need to wet it first like chamois?)

drove home and used dodo juice lime prime lite > clayed most parts of the car... still sees some dirts off the door sides.. bonnet was quite clean... > autoglym ultra deep shine to polish the car.........

and then i felt... okay.. i have had enough.. (maybe i have overdone for a car less than a year..)

will do the nanolex sealant in the morning..

crappy iphone photo:

[Corey_R]

drove home and used dodo juice lime prime lite > clayed most parts of the car... still sees some dirts off the door sides.. bonnet was quite clean... > autoglym ultra deep shine to polish the car.........

Hmmm, did you really do things in that order?

Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite is a pre-wax cleaner which then allows your choice of wax to bond to the surface easier. It should be done after claying.
Dodo Juice Lime Prime also has micro abraisives and therefore does your mild polish step in the one go.

Also, since they're both pre-wax cleaners, using them before polishing would also seem redundant.

I haven't used Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine before but it reads as though its a Polish and Sealant in one. (I'm more familiar with Autoglym Super Resin Polish which is a cleaner/polish/sealant in one). Anyway - are you sure that using that is the best prep-step prior to then putting on Nanolex Sealant?

[johnw]

From what I understand AG UDS is a glaze that fills swirls etc not a polish. The only down side I can see from your process is that the prime is gone to waste, but I think UDS would bond to a clayed surface ok.

Takes time to find your own procedure that works

[vainbt]

thanks for the feedback guys..

well.. this is the first time i have used the dodo juice lime prime lite and also the first time i have used clay..

I just thought i should use the pre-wax cleaner first to get rid of the existing wax residues.. and then clay off anything still on the paint.. then before i apply the nanolex sealant i thought i wanted to make it shine a bit more and maybe fix some of the scratches hence the reason i used the polish first.

there is some logic to my procedures but i am not a pro .. any advise?

I have just finished applying the sealant.. waiting for it to cure before i can go out for a spin.. and hopefully take some photos..