Ive heard about owners who don't like to get there cars wet at all, not even washing them. How do you dry wash your car? My car is now due a wash, build up of flies and road dust etc, but surely if i just dust it off with a cloth it will put small scratches in the paint.
My F1 430 developed shifting problems immediately after a wet wash. It eventually self-corrected after taking about two weeks to dry off. It seems water, during a wet wash, goes through the air vents on the rear panels and can accumulate on the electronic connectors on the gear box/clutch, ect. I posted this problem on Fchat and found out right away that I didn't have a mechanical problem; I had a water problem.
If you want to destroy your paint, don't use water. Water is the only way to clean a car and protect the paint. Forget quick detailers too
Yes, there are definitely both sides to ponder. I just don't get how spraying a rinseless spray on dirt and grime is not going to scratch the paint. Even with the best microfiber towels, unless your wiping a 1/4 at a time, you'll never notice how much dirt is instantly picked up. You figure, with just one wipe the whole face of the towels is contaminated. I understand the are lubricating ingredients, but dirt and whatever else sticking to your paints will be dragged at the least, the surface of one wipe. The other side of the plate is the water issue. I prefer to wash my car. I think it gets it much cleaner and leaves the microfiber for detail work vs the bulk of the cleaning. Using a foam gun for washing definitely helps and the 2-3 buckets method is a must. The only problems I found with washing have to do with leaning the engine compartment. Any quick wash down of the exterior has always been fine in my experience. It's washing the engine compartment that becomes tricky. Most things in the engine compartment can be wiped down with a spray derailer or 303. You can keep most of the items you can reach visibly clean. However, the transmission and suspension gets dusty and picks up some road dust. When that happens, you can't reach these sections of the car. Unless you want to lean against it or hooky ourself up to an engine hoist and dangle above Now you could tear down components off the car and clean it all individually, but that's just crazy. So it becomes a must to use soap and water. Now from using water. This happened twice now. I started the the car after washing it, she sputtered a little, than idled fine. I looked down at the dash and noticed the check engine light. I don't own and SD2 so I didn't diagnos the code. The car drove fine, had no hesitation, but had that stinky light on. After a little drive, the light went off. I chalked it up to a sensor getting wet on the cats or exhaust and not liking it. So now what do is wash it about every 3-4 months. Every time I get back from a drive I wipe it down, sometimes. Lol. You have to stay on top of it to prevent any build up. The worst thing about not using water order waterless, is cleaning the wheels. Rinsing away brake dust is much easier and safer for you. The environmental aspect of water vs waterless is bs. Whether your washing your car and it's go no down the drain or wiping it down with towels, towels that you throw into the wash, emptying all the residue down the drain. It's the same thing and should not be a factor. Just use a nozzle if you plan to do the engine compartment so you can control the spray output. I'm sure others experiences have been different. This is the only car where it's really been an issue.
I just had my car professionally detailed, and I'm afraid to scratch the paint while washing it. If spraying water on the surface doesn't remove stuck-on dirt, then how can you safely remove dirt without scratching the paint? A soapy sponge or microfiber will only push the gritty dirt before it's lifted off the surface. What's the best technique?
Micro swirls are inevitable. Wash with water, a good slippery soap, grit guard in bucket. Dry with blower or microfiber.
I agree with you all, water and a slippery soap with several buckets has to be the safest way. Using the leaf blower to dry it works a treat too. Just found it interesting how someone I met said you don't get it wett when you wash it do you!? Only dry wash it!
What exactly is a Dry Wash? I'm curious to this because I was thinking about washing the 430 with Griots spray on car wash, would this be considered a dry wash. It sounds good and gets good reviews, but I really don't want to mess up the paint. I have had great success with Griots products in the past and wouldn't have hesitated to use this product until I saw this thread.
A 'dry wash' is not a waterless wash. Some have taken the term out of context. A 'dry wash' intends to use soap and water, but water is to be used gently, running water out of a hose without a lot of pressure. In other words, you apply water to the car but you don't spray the car down before, during and after the wash like you're putting out a fire.
I have used Griots waterless on my plane and the 360 a number of times without any paint problems. This is not my favorite way to wash my toys, as I am old school. When we lived in Co. was forced to on a few occasions due to extreme cold for cars. The procedure is small areas at a time per Griots detailing book. The plane I do all the time esp. living now in Fl as I am always vigilant for corrosion. My plane looks like new without swirls or paint flaws. Best of all no corrosion. Aircraft paint however is different from auto paint in durability. If you try it do it in small areas first to gain confidence in the product and make sure you use the special high matt microfiber towels, not the standard.
I wash mine with two buckets.. One bucket with a Macquires soft gel wash to clean the car and the other bucket with clean water to rinse off the sponge every time I need more soap I dry it with a iridium battery blow vac. until its 95% dry and than go over it with a microfiber towel by patting at it off not sliding over the paint Anal? yes but my 360s paint looks as good as a 458s
