Intensity washing tips
Whether we are washing a show car, or a tradie’s ute, we use the same technique every time. Why? Because it is THE best method to ensure your paintwork doesn’t get micro scratches in it. At Intensity we are more than happy to share our secrets so your car can look its best! Firstly, we will list the products you ideally should have in your arsenal, and then go on to the process.
Step by step...
1/ A pressure washer – why? Because it mixes air with water to blast the dirt and dust off your car, unlike a hose that ‘pushes’ the dirt over your car.
2/ TWO buckets! The two bucket method is the preferred method for all professional detailers, one contains just water for rinsing your wash-mitt, and the other contains the shampoo.
3/ A grid guard. This inexpensive product will save you so much grief, as when placed in the bottom of a bucket it stops the wash mitt from coming into contact with the dirt sitting on the bottom of the bucket !
4/ Foam gun. This is a life saver for all car enthusiasts, a small amount of good quality car shampoo (We use IGL BLIZZARD) in the foam gun will remove a large percentage of dust and dirt before you even touch the car – remember, the less dirt on the paintwork, the less scratches you can put in the paintwork.
5/ A good quality wash-Mitt, made from micro-fibre. (No sponges!)
6/ A good quality micro-fibre drying towel.(No chamois!)
7/ An air blower is also an effective way to dry the car
Intensity Technique
1/ Thoroughly rinse the whole car with the pressure washer to remover as much dirt as possible.
2/ Clean the wheels before touching the car, less cross-contamination! (we will go into wheel cleaning in another blog!)
3/Attach the foam gun to the pressure washer and coat the entire car, then leave to dwell for 3-4 minutes.
4/ After dwell time, rinse off the foam, which will remove a large portion of the dirt and dust.
5/Starting from the top, use the wash-mitt to gently wash the paintwork, rinsing in the clean water bucket after every panel. Leave sill panels to last, as that is where the majority of the dirt is.
6/Rinse off soap with pressure water, again starting from the top to bottom of car.
7/ Use your micro-fibre towel to gently dry the paintwork, again top to bottom in that order. Use very little pressure, or alternately you can use a Blower.
LASER WASH MISCONCEPTION
There is so much confusion around “Touchless laser washes’ that I thought I would spend some time explaining what they do.
Why go to a touchless laser-wash?
In theory, a laser wash can’t hurt your paintwork because it doesn’t touch the paint, no course brushes or mops etc….
But... at what cost??
Well let’s walk through the laser wash process The first step of most laser washes is a pre soak (first coat) then a second presoak. Why ? well without going into the chemistry of it the first pre soak is acidic, the second is alkaline.(as a rule) This is done so that the chemical solutions react with each other, basically “dissolving” the dirt.
All good so far….. or is it?
Lets take a minute to think about that. I like to compare paintwork to human skin, ie if you wouldn’t put it on your skin, don’t put it on your paintwork; after all, there is a real similarity between the two. Paintwork is thin and sensitive, just like the first layer of skin. It is susceptible to sun damage, acid rain, foreign contaminants and salt, just like your skin.