General question from a newbie!

[dj350z]

I have a general question on washing, which may already have been answered, sorry if it has.

I have always washed my cars regularly depending on road conditions but a lot of ppl reckon that too frequent washing causes damage to the paintwork and minor scratching.

What is everyones views on this and how can I minimise scratching the paintwork?

Cheers Dave.

[Rich]

Good lambs wool Mitt and a the two bucket method are a start at least. Others go as far as foam guns etc.

I am pretty strict, two mitts for the upper half, one for the lower half and bumpers, one for the wheels and one for the undercarrige. Seperate buckets for paint, wheels and arches.

Like you I wash my car when ever it needs it, which means there is a higher risk of marring the finish. For me I would rather do a full wash than Quick detail a dirty car. With the correct methods and taking you time you will be fine.

Drying is a major cause of swirling and scratches to, good waffle weave drying towels are a must too.

[WHIZZER]

good wash mitt (escrow for me ) good wash technique and you should be fine

[Badger]

Dave,

Any damage is down to washing technique and equipment used rather than frequency.

If your washing the car with an old spong and poor technique you'll certainly be introducing small scratches that will build up over time marring the paint finish.

Andy has written a good washing guide in the Detailing guide section which shows how to wash well. A couple of the key points is the use of a good quality wash mit rather than a cheap spong. This is important as a good mit pulls dirt and grit off the surface and help stop it scrubing the finish. I personally use microfibre mits rather than lambswool as you can put them in the washing machine between washes thus having a perfectly clean one for the next wash.

The second important thing is the finish on your motor. If you take the time to get it in good condition and then seal/wax you'll find that washing takes less effort, the dirt sticks less to the surface so takes no "scrubbing" and thus means there's less chance of damage.

[dj350z]

Thanks for the advice. I have found over the years that my paintwork tends to stay ok, so the technique must be ok. Have never used a mitt before though so must try one. I'll have a look through the washing guide and let you know how I get on.
Dave.

[WX51 TXR]

I wholeheartedly agree with everything above, my preference is to use a lambswool mitt for painted, glass and plactis surfaces and a microfibre mitt for wheels and arches. The reason being it's easy to snag a lambswool mitt when washing wheels and arches, which quickly ruins them. Wouldn't ever use a MF mitt on painted surfaces though... the pile is too short to offer much protection if you do pick up grit particles during a pass between rinses.

[Lurch]

I personally use microfibre mits rather than lambswool as you can put them in the washing machine between washes thus having a perfectly clean one for the next wash.


I always bung my lambswool mitts in the machine, not had any problems with them at all.

[roadwarrior]

I have a general question on washing, which may already have been answered, sorry if it has.

I have always washed my cars regularly depending on road conditions but a lot of ppl reckon that too frequent washing causes damage to the paintwork and minor scratching.

What is everyones views on this and how can I minimise scratching the paintwork?

Cheers Dave.

Firstly - the less often you wash your car the dirtier it gets therefore when it is washed there is more contamination to cause damage

secondly - Good technique and hygeine causes very little damage.

and most importantly the people who make statements like that usually also have comments like "youll make it rain", "youll rub the paint off", "the dirt protects the paint" etc etc etc

you dont see cars that are cared for looking rough but you see loads of neglected cars looking rough, so to be blunt they are talking b***ocks.