What's your exterior car wash routine?

[johnparjr]

Scan barcode at car wash and let the machine do its work. I’m to old to wash my truck by hand

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[MPMB]

hose, wash, rinse.

I need soap. Finally finished off the Costco environmentally-safe dish soap that sucked for dishes.

Got a lot of road grime from the snow and road treatments.

 

[Jut60]

I probably do too much:
Foam cannon with bilt hamber auto foam , sit for five or minutes, power wash off.
Foam again, microfiber mitt rub down (dunk mitt in water bucket with each panel), power wash off.
tw hybrid wet wax and microfiber cloth to dry.
writing it down sounds like a bunch but it goes pretty quickly. Faster than me driving to the nearest car wash.

 

[Bucephalus]

Hose down each panel, then wipe my hand over it to dissipate the dirt and grit. I spray my hand after a few wipes then off to the next panel--I then pressure wash it. After that I use the foam cannon(the one that attached to the electric pressure washer), which turns the truck into snow...I wipe it with a micro fiber mitt and then spray everything off with the pressure washer.

Spritz down with detail spray and then dry it. Applying the detail spray while the paint is wet really helps it dry fast.

If the truck is waxed(usually is) then it's a quick spray with the pressure washer, foam it, and pressure wash to rinse. It's practically dry because of the wax and the remainder comes off with the leaf blower. Un-waxed 20min job. 10min if its waxed.

I use Chemical Guys green soap and Adam's detail spray & rags.
For wax I use P21S, It's easy on and off..I've been using it on the M3 for 15 years.

FWIW. My paint has zero swirls and looks like it did the day I drove her off the lot.

 

[PsyRN]

I generally hose off the chunky bits. I hate getting that dirt smudge on the back of my pant legs getting in and out before work. If I know I won't be seeing dirt within the next month and the weather will be nice, then I'll take it to one of those do-it-yourself car washes with the soap brush and I pressure sprayer. Sometimes I'll wash in the front yard using a hand sponge and soap. I will sometimes touch up the unpainted fenders with a scotch pad and Muc-Off's Matte Finish Detailer to bring out the black again.

 

[jimbom]

Once a year, whether or not it needs a wash.
Gator green almost looks as good dirty as it does clean.

 

[STLMike]

I probably do too much:
Foam cannon with bilt hamber auto foam , sit for five or minutes, power wash off.
Foam again, microfiber mitt rub down (dunk mitt in water bucket with each panel), power wash off.
tw hybrid wet wax and microfiber cloth to dry.
writing it down sounds like a bunch but it goes pretty quickly. Faster than me driving to the nearest car wash.

I do the same pretty much. I leaf blow it after rinse.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Brushless Automatic, when the door handles are too dirty to be reasonable.

 

[DPF140]

Plenty of YouTube videos of how to properly wash a car to reduce scratching and swirls and such. I use TLC2 (the last coat). It works pretty well. Once you get a few coats on your rig, bug guts, brake dust and tar come off without even scrubbing… hot water and some normal car soap and they wipe right off without any effort. I’ve heard good things about Turtlr Wax’s new silicone/ceramic wax… gonna give that a try once I use up the rest of my TLC2. Video is of my wife Bettle… she drove through tar and I didn’t notice it until days later… wipes right off!

 

[DukeJeep]

I use a soft cloth wash that does a good job if I spray the mud off first. We have a small farm off a dirt road so it’s dusty or muddy 1 mile in either direction

I have used a leaf blower on the inside when the top has been off for awhile

question: does anyone with a light bar use a car wash? i hate to lose the convenience and I’m about to install one

 

[j.o.y.ride]

Once a year, whether or not it needs a wash.
Gator green almost looks as good dirty as it does clean.

All colors look better dirty than clean

 

[redriderjf87]

Right now I use one of the automatic put in neutral places, but kind of unhappy with all the water spots they leave that I have to take care of afterwards. Will probably go back to manually washing as soon as winter's over.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

Run it through the local spray and wash. $30 gets you free jet sprays for the whole month. Once a year I let a guy detail mine and wax it for $200. Need to have that done. Now the wife BMW X5 50 gets detailed about every 2 weeks. A guy comes to the house a washes and details it.

 

[Panthers65]

$75 harbor freight pressure washer. wash off all the loose dirt/debris with the pressure part, fill the little bottle up with soap and suds it up. I have a microfiber "mit" on a pole that I'll dunk in some water and then wash everything down, then back to the pressure wand to spray everything off.

If I'm feeling froggy I'll fire up my backpack blower and semi-dry it off. Otherwise just hit the highway for a bit and let it air dry.

Whole process takes about 10 minutes.

 

[jo.jacques]

I probably do too much:
Foam cannon with bilt hamber auto foam , sit for five or minutes, power wash off.
Foam again, microfiber mitt rub down (dunk mitt in water bucket with each panel), power wash off.
tw hybrid wet wax and microfiber cloth to dry.
writing it down sounds like a bunch but it goes pretty quickly. Faster than me driving to the nearest car wash.

Yep, same here. I know "its a Jeep and its supposed to be dirty" but cleaning my truck/car is just like meditation for me. Put on some music, crack one open, and enjoy a beautiful day.

Once im done with the "body cleaning" routine, I generally:
- Apply plastic/vinyl conditioner on my unpainted fenders and tonneau cover
-Clean glasses inside and outside with microfiber and vinegar
-Do 10-15 passes with a microfiber cloth to catch any drips from all these panels (I know, Im crazy)
-Stare at my amazing truck from a distance for a good 30minutes

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