Can I use windex to wash my car??

Windex, Pledge, Goo Gone, Orange Blast, tar removers, Gunk products, etc all contain solvents designed to clean and strip surfaces. They are no substitute for sealants or polishes.

Over repeat applications they will damage or erode the finish faster than just leaving it in the sun. Leaving it to bake on in the sun without removal will accelerate this even more. You risk permanent stains in the clear coat or damage to the base coats requiring a paint cleaner or in worse cases, a compound to remove.

Regarding Pledge, its no substitute for a sealant or polish. Go here if you want more info. It tests 40+ products side by side for a month on identical OEM panels left open to the sun, air, rain, and snow. Pledge is included in the list and it ranked dead last. Anything off the shelf used for waxing is better than Pledge. http://www.gurureports.org/specialreports/waxtest.1.html

A quick detailer is different from Pledge and Windex because it doesn't contain oils. Its a water/alcohol combination with traces of polish designed to not remove sealants or polishes. In fact, I removed more polish during compounding by using water and a microfiber than I did a quick detailer in a microfiber, so if its more gentle than water, what do you think Windex or Pledge is going to do?

With as inexpensive as some of these off the shelf products are, why would you not use them?

It only gets expensive when you pay someone to do it or you develop a curiosity to try out different ones yourself.

I know its going to come up -- Zymol's $1000 wax? Hogwash for doing anything better than the others. Specially formulated out of unobtanium and designed to bond well to a particular finish? Automotive paint is manufactured by a very small handful of companies that supply all the OEM manufacturers, so I will let you draw your own conclusions.

Pinnacle smells like coconut/bananna. It looks a tiny bit better on dark colors than P21S but its the same caliber of product. Is it worth the $25 extra bucks? Nope. Same with the uber Zymol.

Read the FAQ, then ask me if you have any questions. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/faq.php?faq=new_faq_item#faq_new_faq_item1

The secret to a good finish is using a product (not Windex or Pledge) repeatedly and the time you invest. The 90% of the work you put in before putting a wax on is what makes your finish look like new 10, 20, 30 or more years down the road without repainting.

Cheers,
Sunny

 

Here is at least a sensible reply. One of the older stalwarts of the Ferrari club who owns a 360f1 swears by using a little windex in a bucket when he washes his car. I owned the car before him and asked him how he got it so shiny and his reply was just by putting a little widex in a bucket of water and then using a chamois to dry off. The windex seems to help the water to evaporate. I am not sure about spraying on the paintwork undiluted but it sure seems to do the trick when watered down. I have used it a few times and noticed how clean and quickly the car dries so I am not sure if some of the posters you have had here like to be panic merchants. White goods are cleaned with windex all the time and they seem to hold up ok.

 

Hi Jason,

If you want to be as anal as I am try one of these...

http://www.crspotless.com/

They work as advertised. I can wash in direct sun-light, let it dry (no towels) & there will be no water spots at all.

 

Sometimes opinions aren't always nice. You asked for them.

 

I have arrived at a preference for non wax containing polishes that contain polymers instead, these products are very durable, very shiny and stand up to 10 or more detergent washings.
I do know that the guy who installed my granite counter top told me absolutely do not use windex as it will eat the stone and dull it down in no time. My nephew used windex on his granite and when I told him of what I was told his comment was "no wonder ours isn't shiny" instead they recomend a cleaner sealer which I believe is polymer based.

 

Well, I don't know about windex. I like to wash and wax the Ferrari. I consider it to be like thearpy. I just don't have much spare time to do it at the moment.

For wash jobs I use a Turtle Wax product called Jet Wash. It soaps up nice and rinses clean. I use a big turkish towel to dry the car. I've got a really good chamios but it turns out that for me the towel works better. When I'm done I can throw it in the washer and get it clean again. If you do that with a chamios you can kiss it goodbye. After a few washes, the chamios looks a lot different than the first time you used it. I feel that if I use the same old chamios then I'm rubbing the old dirt back into the paintwork. That's just my opinion. I know about the oils and so forth in the leather and how they shouldn't be washed out. However, they do get washed out. So you may as well use a towel and get it over with.

For the windows I like to use a soapy sponge. Then I dry them off with the towel. It's just like doing the dishes. Really. The advantage is that you don't get any bad stuff on the paint work.

While we're on the subject of detailing, I need new floor mats and refuse to pay the exorbitant prices I see on the web sites. I've decided that I'll buy a piece of carpet from remmanants pile and cut out the shape of the mats and have the carpet shop sew the edging on it. It's gotta be cheaper than the big bucks for the ones that are currently available. I can get the best carpet for a lot less money. I also have a wider chioce of colors to choose.

Sometimes I love being cheap.

Bob Wassam

 

They make a foam spray glass cleaner without ammonia. My glass and mirror guy recommends this for home use, so maybe that is what they were using.

 

Invisible Glass from Stoner is like that and is by far my favorite. Website is www.invisibleglass.com but it's available at most auto parts stores. Stoner also supports the Ferrari Club as a sponsor.

 

I got a four pack of Invisible Glass aerosol cans at Costco for about $10 about two months ago. It seems to work really well. I agree with you Jason about comments not needing to be insulting. Maybe you don't agree with someone's use of a product but I would not want to read how someone thought I had been dropped as a child...
Don't take it to heart!

BT

 

He didn't ask for abuse.

 

When I worked at the port of Los Angeles where Nissans came off of the boat,the factory said to use windex for cleaning finger prints and /or grease after wrenching on them.just spot cleaning not whole car. I use it to this day for greasy fingerprints

 

Exactly....!

 

NOooo

 

My big fat Greek Ferrari!
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But look what it does to the paint!

 

I'll second Daves suggestion of Speed Shine. I go through about 32 oz of the stuff every year. It's great for a quick clean up, and if you want the car to really shine, just come back over the area with a dry towel and buff it a little.


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