[quote=Rich Toscano]I am a bit of a neat freak and that extends to cars (and everything else too)… I can’t abide by a dirty car. It just stresses me out; that’s the way my damaged psyche works.
So question for the car experts here. I’ve always had lighter cars but recently got a dark blue one (which of course doesn’t hide dirt as well, so I need to wash it more often). I’ve never had an issue with “normal” car washes, but based on the above, it sounds like with dark colors maybe you have to be more selective? Is this true? If so, what exactly do I need to look for?
I’ve been going to this place: http://www.yelp.com/biz/pacific-beach-car-wash-san-diego which is just an automated one, and I dry it myself after. I like the automated ones because they minimize human interaction, which is generally a goal of mine. It seems to be of higher quality than other automated ones I’ve been to. Am I ok with this one? Thanks for any tips…[/quote]
It really depends on how anal you are.
If you look at a car and can see swirl marks and it bothers you, then you’ll probably need to be more selective.. If you don’t notice swirl marks or dont care, you can be less selective.Also sometimes watching your car more frequently, you are less likely to a have a scratched surface since less dirt/debris clings to the finish…
Swirl marks are tiny circular scratches on the clear coat that you get if you take a wash cloth/mit/or dry cloth and rub that in a circular motion on the car’s clearcoat, especially if you wash with not enough water or with some dirt still on the car.
On a white colored car, you can almost use something really abrasive and never see it. At the other extreme, on a black color car if you just slightly rub with cotton towel for some time without water, they’ll show up…
When a car is washed and dryed, the washer should use plenty of water with soap to surface wet, and avoid circular motion, since swirl marks you’ll be able to see easily from all angles from a light source..
Ideally, a low pressure rinse is desired, because if you have small rocks/pebbles, a high pressure water sprayed on the car can/will drag the debris across your clearcoat.
If you do end up with swirl marks, most of the time they can be buffed out by a decent detailer, by leveling hte clear coat…They usually start with the least abrasive stuff to the most aggressive stuff:
polish < glaze < swirl mark remover < cleaner < and for really bad scratches.. compound < wet sanding...
I have always used a detailer on a black/dark blue car and keep the car parked inside as much as possible away from trees, birds that like to take a dump, and grass with misbehaving sprinklers...Up to the point when my car hits about 5 years old.
Can't help you with a recommendation of where to go since my detailer just quit the business...lol....
