Ahh.. nothin like the gas station car wash!

[EricblurM3]

Originally posted by Nick


Chamois.

Well, atleast I had it so you knew what I meant...lol, now i know.

[Rook]

does anyone here use the california water blade? I use a genuine sheepskin mit I got at B&B, Meguiars car shampoo and warm water. a low pressure garden hose to rinse, and the california waterblade to dry. Its basically a soft squeegee. I have had good luck with it, just make sure you don't catch any dirt in it, or else you could end up dragging it along the paint, same with a chamois tho. Do you use the absorber like a towel?

[Matt F]

I use the good ol' chamois. I usually need 2 passes to get it perfectly dry. Once over to take off the major water, while wringing it out a few times, and then once around again. Nice, no water marks, no lint, easy, cheap.

And the ideal method is to just pour a bucket on slowly to rinse, or just the garden hose with no attachments on the end. I've heard even garden hose sprayers can be bad.

[DSK M3/4]

guys, come on, don't ever use an automated car wash!
bond with your car... spend some time with it.
try to find a shady spot to wash the car, it will help stop water marks.
just use a little soap.
use the hose to get off as much dirt as possible.
start from the top and work down. wash out your wash mit or whatever frequently. do the wheels last.
after you are done rinsing, pull the car in the garage to dry it.
use an absorber to dry- much more efficient than a chamois.
wash your wash mit or whatever in the clothes washer before your next car wash.

[kevln]

looks photochopped...lol

[Dinan540i]

I use the California Waterblade, I'm not big on the chamois, they piss me off for some reason, just end up cutting them with a big pair of scissors and yelling "who's your daddy!"

[DavidM3]

I used one of those DIY car wash things, it left white soap spots all over...never again. Plus, nothing better than taking the time out to wash your car itself.

[Dinan540i]

Originally posted by DavidM3
I used one of those DIY car wash things, it left white soap spots all over...never again. Plus, nothing better than taking the time out to wash your car itself.

Yeah, but for those of us at college, it's hard to find your own garage and hose. The DIYs do suck though, that big brush is worthless.

[pete]

pressure washers are fine if you only spray then from at least 2 feet away, it doesn't harm the paint from that distance...

cmon guys, its water... sure, if you take a 4000psi pressure washer, and hold it an inch away from the paint, ewll, you'll probably take the paint right off the car, but use a 1000 or so psi unit from a few feet away and its safe... the thing is its pretty pointless...

pressure washers should be saved for cleaning the undercariage and things that are just plain nasty / really greasy... they also do a great job removing large quantities of abrasives without damageing the paint, aka, mud.

[ayton]

DIY pressure washers are only as bad as the person using it! like it was said before hold it a few feet away from the car and never touch the paint with that thing! bring chamois to wash the car.

[///M3Ryder NY]

What is an absorber? I've always used either freshly washed towels, or a zymol chamois to dry. Chamois' are annoying though, I find. Towels are good just to lightly drag across and get off excess water, though if that towel aint absolutely soft and clean, you're in for big trouble.

[C///M3]

An Absorber is a synthetic chamois... They have many other sythetic chamois out there under different names.

I use the Calif. water blade. Only thing I dont like is that it makes loud streaking noises. I mainly use it on the windows and top surfaces. Then I would use the Absorber to get the harder to reach places.

I dont really like using the pressure washer because its a hassle to clean up. Like they said, just dont spray from an inch away and youll be safe. It works great on dirty rims also.

Those of you who said you wash you car with warm water....
so you get water from inside? seems like a hassle, I just use cold water from the hose.

[///M3Ryder NY]

Originally posted by C///M3
Those of you who said you wash you car with warm water....
so you get water from inside? seems like a hassle, I just use cold water from the hose.

I have a large wash basin sink in my basement that leads out to the garage and driveway... It has nice warm water. Easier on the hands too in the winter months... Also makes for better suds with whatever car wash you use.

[NoSaabs]

i detailed cars for a few years, so here are some good tips/tricks that i found. my friends and neighbors are trying to put me in a mental institution because i'm so insane about the cleansliness of my car...

first: warm water is the best. it helps make suds, and breaks down grease and grime more effeciently.

second, if you are washing your car in the sunlight, wash it in pieces. do the hood, bumper and fenders: rinse. roof and doors: rinse. etc... never let soap stay on too long!!!

third: when rinsing, remove the head from the hose and have a nice soft stream of water. don't put your thumb over the end or anything. this actually allows the water to sheet of more evenly and helps prevent spotting.

fourth: the absorber is the best car cleaning tool possible! a great method is to hold it by the top corners, lay it flat on the car and pull down gently. basically remove the water in strips. you'll get streaks if you ball it up. this method will work on the side of the car too because the shammy will stick to the side if it's wet. do this twice on each strip and it'll be perfectly dry with no streaks or spots. note: never never never get any soap on your shammy. it gets absorbed into the shammy's pores and won't come out. it will then leave damaging soap particles on your paint. if you get soap on the shammy, it's ruined! (and i've ruined a few...)

fifth: outside windows. if they aren't too dirty, simply get a barely damp terry cloth (abbrasive is good!) and wipe the windows down. you don't even need windex. as long as some of the cloth is dry it'll be perfectly streakless.

sixth: inside windows: microfiber towels are great. no windex needed and they take streaks right out. $7 for a pack of 5 at Walmart, and they can go in the washing machine! i keep one in my glovebox and it always comes in handy.

ok...i hope that helps yes...i know i'm insane but shouldn't be?

[Brad D.]

Originally posted by ABTS4
http://www.jyoteen.com/mores4photos/m3incarwash.jpg

Ahh... Nothing like an ol' wash at the gas station! Swirl mark hell for that M3!

Nothing like this car wash to put all the other peoples dirt back on your car!