So how do *you* wash and wax your wagon?

Dear Station Wagon Lovers,

I understand that washing and waxing your car is a matter of deep personal preference, but . . . . . . Ya' know, there are a lot of products on the market and I'm more than a little bewildered. :confused:

I could use some good ideas when it comes to this automotive duty. How do you'all keep your "long roof" looking pretty?

To prime the discussion, and not to remotely suggest that these are especially effective, here is how I've gone about washing the cars I take care of.

I subscribe to the: "the less you wash the car the better" school. The thinking is that physical abrasion to the paint is more harmful than dirt sitting on top of wax. However, leaving a nice looking car dirty is hard to swallow. So, I have two washing strategies:

1. Nearly "zero contact" for washing in-between wax jobs
2. Thorough cleaning before waxing.

Very low impact wash:
I hose down the car with water and then add a dedicated car wash product like Simple Green car wash to an hose-powered insect sprayer. I use that to put the car wash detergent all over the car without actually brushing the paint. You can then clean any spots that really need to be physically cleaned like bird droppings and so on. However, even these can often be cleaned by a jet of water. Once the car has had it's "bubble bath," rinse with a garden hose. To dry the car without touching it, use an electric leaf blower and drive the beads of water off with air.




Heavy duty cleaning wash before waxing:
I follow the same procedure as above to get the car surface soapy. However, I then fill a bucket with hot water and strong degreaser like Simple Green. Sounds like dish washing detergent would be even a better choice. I then use brushes intended for car washing to apply this strong product to strip the wax in preparation for the new coat of wax. I still use the blower as much as possible to remove the water. Then I've been using Chamois to finish drying what otherwise won't dry.





Waxing the car:
Here is where I'm least satisfied the procedure. I have a 10" and 6" power buffers; however, I don't like how either work. I usually apply the wax by hand and on a few locations use the power buffers to make the work a little easier (the hood and especially that long roof.) Otherwise I apply and remove the wax da' ol' fashioned way - by hand. I've drifted between various wax brands. Right now, I'm back to Nu Finish because it seems to be as durable as any wax and is very easy to apply and remove. I haven't graduated to fancy polishing cloths. To apply the wax I have an round applicator with a terry finish. To remove the wax I use rags of various sorts such as old towels, sweat pants, soft cloths like that. Everything gets washed in the clothes washer and tumbled in the dryer so I hope abrasive particles are moved by that process.


I try to wax the cars twice a year: Spring and Autumn.



Okay, so I've confessed how I do it. Anybody got better ideas? Let's hear 'em!! What do you think about all these fancy finish products - worth it? Are microfiber wash sheets really so much better? What do you'all think?


Cheers, Edouard

 

Well Edouard here is my two cents worth on the suject: First I hand wash only with a hose and a bucket, I use only Mequires car wash and I use a wash mit made out of lambs wool. I then use a very old soft Chamois that I have had for nearly 20 years to dry her off.

I like you sir only wax twice a year using Mothers Carnuba and also is done by hand. My only other deviation is I do use Lucas speed wax before car shows and I also use a California duster between washes to cut down on the number of times I do wash.

Long story short here I also believe that a cars finish will last longer if it is washed properly and as little as possible. My car was painted in 2004 and the finish has held up exceptionally. Here ends my two cents worth on this soapy subject.

PS: Micro fiber towels feel weird on my fingers...g gack.

 

Fist ya get some bacon fat, with a soft shamy getley cover the car. Next step is let the dogs out..... sit back and watch as there tounge gets into places you just can't!.....what a shine!


Garden hose, soft mit clove, some simple green


when dry, good old fationed lemon fresh pledge followed with leather conditioner on the wood......and not that butter greese mygires/amour crap stuffa

 

Nu-finish is a good choice. I have owned and operated a detail shop and a car dealership and learned way back that Nu-Finish is the way to go when a car is clean, with good paint and only needs wax. I have not waxed my 64 wagon yet because the polishing is still "in work" (reference lot of real estate thread from a while back).

 

For Arthur it is Palmolive dish detergent twice a year, immediately followed by Mother's California Gold wax and "Back to Black" on the rubber and other trim. 23 years later, and he is still looking good as you saw in his birthday thread. Keep in mind, too, that Arthur is Ma's only car, so he is out in all weathers, including blizzards. There have been times when he has been so salt encrusted you would have thought he was white, not light blue.

 

I'm glad you raised this subject...as I have been checking into the best ways to wash a car, myself...

I love watching the Velocity Channel and other channels that feature all the car-related shows...and I was recently watching "Fifth Gear", a show from England, mostly about supercars. They had a section on one episode that I saved...about washing cars. They talked to a Detailer that charges up to 5,000 pounds to wash a car.

He sprays the car with car shampoo/water...stating that dishwashing liquid is very bad for car paint. To wash, he uses a lambs wool mitt and he uses 2 buckets...one with the shampoo/water and the other with clean water and a plastic filter at the bottom. He puts the mitt in the first bucket (with the shampoo), washes the car...then rinses off the shampoo/dirt from the mitt in the 2nd bucket...with the filter keeping the dirt trapped at the bottom of the bucket. Then back to the shampoo/water bucket and washing more of the car, etc. He says to wash in straight lines, rather than in circles...to avoid the swirls in the paint. Then rinse the car. Afterward, he says to place a chamois and lift (read: do not wipe), taking all the water off as you lift the chamois. Continue this to dry the car. After drying, he puts a clay-bar lubricant and uses a clay-bar to take off even more dirt from the paint. Afterwards, he starts polishing the car, using 3 dots of polish on a polisher (mop?) at a time. After polishing the car, he uses wax; stating that you should use the least amount of wax possible...that most people use too much wax. He says he waxes his own cars about 3-4 times per year.

Pretty detailed and labor-intensive...and they said that he can sometimes take 2 days to clean a car...but they demonstrated on a brand new Rolls the whole process.


My Cadillac has a vinyl roof, which is nearly in perfect shape...but needs cleaning...so I'll be researching that, as well. My mother had a 1972 Mercury Marquis Brougham for 19 years in the desert Southwest (I lived near El Paso, TX and Phoenix, AZ throughout my childhood years). Twice a year, my mother used Armor-All on the vinyl roof and it never cracked, split, faded or wore out the whole time we owned that car...and we did not have a garage at our house to park the car in. All vinyl roofs around would split and shred over the years...but the roof on my mother's car was perfect.

 

Thanks for the feedback!!

Dear Dewey, Tedy, 64CountrySedan, Michael, TopherS, and Station Wagon lovers,

Thanks for all the nice feedback! I can do some fine tuning, but it seems I'm at least in the ballpark.

However, . . . . . . . . .

So tell me, . . . . . do you rent out them poochs for a nominal fee so long as the dogs get fed and the car owner applies the bacon fat on the car for themselves?

Cheers, Edouard

 

I'm not sure the 'zero contact' method would work in some areas that have a lot of pollution. I used to see a lot of what I thought was pollution-caused paint deterioration on vehicles in the Southern California area. Paint got very dull and hazy, with lots of specks in it. Lots of vehicles there left outside - garages full of junk and tools, or toys.

 

I get some help from the dog. also.


I sometimes have to use a pressure washer.

 

As some of you already may know, I am a huge Mother's fan. I also use a garden hose, with a sprayer set on a low pressure. I'm not crazy about commerical car washes but in this climate I do take the car/truck through during the winter. I'm not sure if it's helping, but it makes me think that I'm making a difference.
I have used a number of different wash/shampoo products but I seem to go back to an Armor All product. It seems to cut through the road grease without too much effort. I only wash a section at a time and rinse really well before the soap has time to dry. I too use Mother's Carnuba Wax with a soft cloth, also put through the washer several times and fluffied in the dryer. I also don't like the feel of microfiber so I use rubber gloves(bright yellow). I used to wax my Jimmy twice a year. In the spring(end of April) after any chance of any more snow and in the fall(mid October) before the snow flies.
I don't let the dog lick the car but I have had many games of fetch while washing the car(multi-tasking). I usually do my car washing in the evening after supper(dinner), but if I can get started early in the morning I could easily spend the better part of the day detailing my Jimmy. Have I mentioned, I miss that guy.

 

Fanny: A trick I learned many years ago from friends of my Grandmother was that you wash the car, very thoroughly, and give it a good coat of wax/grease in the fall, and then NEVER wash it until spring. The old girls had a collection of cars to make anyone drool, and none ever rusted out! Not even the 1972 Toyota Corolla that made it through 23 Ontario winters with no more that one spot of rust the size of a quarter. Every fall, they would get together and have a car cleaning day! Imagine a group of women in their 70s, 80s and 90s, stripping cars apart to clean all the nooks and crannies! They even took fenders off to get the mounts clean. Under carriages were scrubbed with varsol and a toothbrush, and then slathered with grease slapped on with a paint brush. One other trick I learned from them was that when a car is new, carefully remove all the trim, after you outline it in pencil. Mask around that area, then spray on the rubberized stone guard, top with primer, and then paint. Put the trim back on, and the dissimilar metals never come into contact, so no galvanic reaction. It works. That is one reason Arthur looks like he does. I did that the first spring Ma had him. The theory behind all of this is that the dirt and salt stay on top of the wax, never on the paint. Washing a car in the winter washes the wax off, allowing the salt to get on the paint and into any tiny chips or cracks, setting up rust. They also all kept their cars either outside or in unheated garages. Seemed to work well!

 

A few follow-up questions

Dear Station Wagon lovers,

I'm running around so I've only started to digest these suggestions. However, here are a few questions already.

Here are two questions for Dewey:

Hmm, never heard of this product before. I would be a bit concerned to use something like this without washing the car first. But after a quick wash, this does seem interesting. Is that how you use it?

I've only owned the California duster when my poor wagon had to be outside while I lived in San Diego. There I found that the duster didn't work very well because the dust would be "glued" by an oily residue that I suppose was coming from the fog and mist common in San Diego. Is your experience that the California duster works better on a car that is garage kept?

Just a thought for Krash:

I don't know either. There are three cars at this house but alas only the standard 2-car garage. However, car #3 at least is under a canvas carport to limit sun exposure. When I use the "zero impact" wash strategy on the outdoor car, it definitely doesn't come back as clean as the other two. However, it does look a lot better. I suspect that an outdoor car should be waxed more often, but I just don't have the time.

I also agree with Fannie:

You bet! A classic station wagon is a big detailing job. I understand that modern cars are much more aerodynamic than classic cars of a similar size. All those smooth surfaces on modern cars leave a lot less to detail. So our 2000 Buick Century is a 4 hours job. Da' trusty wagon is almost a whole day affair. But of course very satisfying car-owner bonding time!!

Thanks for all the good feedback everybody!! :2_thumbs_up_-_anima

Cheers, Edouard

 

Hi Edouard! Lucas speed wax is to be used after a good washing, and I usually use a terricloth towel with it or chamois. It is sprayed on and wiped immediately off, it brings a wax shine quickly and easily, I can usually do my entire land yacht in about 20 to 30 minutes, can be used on paint, glass and chrome. It usually retails for around $12.00. The key to speed wax is to NOT let it dry like a conventional wax.

In regards to my California duster I have also found that conditions must be very dry to use it and it requires frequent washing (I just throw mine in the washer with some purple power cleaner...when the wife isn't home). Here in Utah I live in the high desert so dry is easy and keeping it clean is the key to it working well. I can usually dust my car at a show in less than 5 minutes. Oh and yes my car is garaged year round which helps with the elements, for instance right now (without interior) I have just been dusting her off now and then.

 

Excellent tips! When Fannie is done(if ever) I may just use some of these tips for her. Thanks
That sure would be something to see those wonderful ladies tooling with their cars and waxing them up like spring cleaning the kitchen.

 

Thanks for the Lucas Speed wax and CA duster tips.

Dear Dewey and Station Wagon Lovers,

Thanks for the tips on the Lucas Speed Wax and California duster. :2_thumbs_up_-_anima I'll certainly try the Lucas Speed wax. The California duster worries me a little bit more, but you have a good idea about washing it immediately afterwards. As long as you avoid abrasive particles, it should be fine.

Cheers, Edouard