Touchless when the temp is below 40F (avoid the selections with sealants or waxes) and by hand above 40F.

 

By hand if it's over 20F

 

I still say you are crazy man. I wouldn't wash my ex-girlfriend's mother's SUV with one of those brushes.

I'm not a fan of the waterblade either. I do use it on the canvas. For a well maintained car that's been clayed often..ok fine. But I generally avoid any friction when rubbing on the paint. I will sometimes spray a quick detailer on there before drying. But then again I plan to keep this roadster for 30 years.

 

I have to say that as a professional detailer some of what I read in this thread makes me cringe.

 

I am just a amateur detailer and it made cringe too!

It is sooo unnecessary to scratch a Porsche, and all you have to do is learn
a few do's and don'ts in here www.autopia.org

They have 3 on line "books" on line (free, top center homepage) that only take around 20 mihutes to read.

 

interesting......... do tell more

 

You need look no further than the title.

 

Agreed - check out the detailing section and use your hands only!

 

What about those in condos?

 

A handwash carwash.

 

Search Autopia for "Optimum No Rinse" or OEW. You need to be tedious with technique but it's an amazingly effective way of washing cars if done correctly.

All you need is two buckets of water, a small spray bottle (I prefer the pre-soak method), and several microfiber towels. I use this wash method for my own cars and customer cars in the cold winter months.

 

I always hand wash. A quick tip for the colder months to not feeling so cold is wearing dish washing rubber gloves. It reduces how cold your hands feel as the water is not touching your skin and it will extend the amount of time you have before hands start to feel a bit numb.

Granted, I don't wash my car that frequently throughout the winter as it doesn't come out much but when it's needed the gloves make the task much more bearable.

Just, pick a good color for the gloves. Washing a car with pink gloves can open you up to a lot of jokes. LOL

My DD- Grand Cherokee on the other hand, gets the automatic car wash. It's my beater.

 

I also use gloves to wash my car in the colder weather, works great...and as many said, only "hand-wash". Cheers.

 

actually you can do a waterless wash with only one bucket. Just use a grit guard at the bottome of the bucket and two ounces (shot glass) of Optimum No Rinse. Use a sheepskin mitt or a sea sponge, dunk and hold over the car to wet down. Wipe in the direction of the wind on each panel. Dunk the sponge or mitt after each pass. Use the remaining water in the bucket and a wheel face brush to clean off the wheels and tires.
Use a large waffle weave towel, fully opened, and slide it across each panel. Try not to rub back and forth or in circles.

I can do a pretty dirty car in less than 10 minutes with one of those orange Home Depot buckets. I follow up with FK1 #425 spray polymer on paint, glass, wheels and interior. It acts as teflon barrier of sorts that significant cuts down on future cleanings. I have a hose but I only use it to wash out the wheel wells and deep rinising of the canvas.

 

I use the brush too. I give it a blast with the wand first though to make sure there isn't any gravel hiding in it though.

Grant