Caution - Heavy rain last week - 'sand' on car

[CliveP]

For those of you who try to get swirl marks off your car, as your resident OCD car detailer, just wanted to point out after the heavy rain a lot of the country saw last week (Thursday was the really bad day), you may have noticed a layer of sand like debris on your paintwork...

Be warned, that this will easily inflict swirls (regular readers of my posts will know that just a normal bucket and sponge wash will inflict swirls but this sand could really cause them)...so, my advice for what it's worth...

If you don't want to go as mad I did to remove it (yea yes mad I know!)....here's the very small routine....:

- Pressure wash the entire car before touching it
- Treat yourself to a second bucket (ideally with grit guards, but that's not the very small routine I'm describing)
- Bucket one your wash solution
- Bucket two fresh clean water
- Re-rinse the car
- Wash car from top downwards, using ideally a wash mitt (or can I say it, a very clean sponge (oh the pain))....
- Press lightly.
- Return your mitt to the second bucket (with rinse water), and thoroughly ring out your mitt.
- Remove and squeeze out the excess water
- Return to wash solution bucket....
- Repeat on all panels - if you see muck on your wash media - STOP - and rinse it in the rinse bucket
- If you see the rinse bucket getting dirty/murkey - STOP and throw away the water, rinse the bucket, and then re-fill with fresh clean water
- After washing the entire car, rinse off using the Pressure Washer
- Dry with a soft drying towel

If you want to take it up one level that will help you minimise the risk of swirls further, pre-rinse with Snowfoam (Autobrite Magifoam is my recommendation).
Another level, de-contam first using APC ..
Oh I could go on and on and on!

But please be careful with that paint, the sand on your car is course, further rain will not have removed it properly however much it looks like it has!

Regards,
Clive.

[Paulie]

Thanks clive, mine being only a few miles from the sea was evenly covered in sand but havent had chance to wash it, constant deluge of rain since. have you any tips with regard to pressure washers as I havent got one, but want to pay less (much less if poss) £100 but could go more a biit if the quality / performance was better, what should I look for in a good power washer, can they be too harsh, I get quite a bit of pressure from the tap, jet wil go 30-40 feet.
Any suggestions welcome!

[Heaton]

Thanks clive, mine being only a few miles from the sea was evenly covered in sand but havent had chance to wash it, constant deluge of rain since. have you any tips with regard to pressure washers as I havent got one, but want to pay less (much less if poss) £100 but could go more a biit if the quality / performance was better, what should I look for in a good power washer, can they be too harsh, I get quite a bit of pressure from the tap, jet wil go 30-40 feet.
Any suggestions welcome!

Unless the washer has a foam lance attachment you may also have to buy one for it. This then has to be specific or have the same fitting as your washer and costs around £40/£45. I'm thinking about it but having already spent a fortune on products for the arrival of my DS3, I'm holding off for a little bit and will just be rinsing prior to washing for now.

[CliveP]

Thanks clive, mine being only a few miles from the sea was evenly covered in sand but havent had chance to wash it, constant deluge of rain since. have you any tips with regard to pressure washers as I havent got one, but want to pay less (much less if poss) £100 but could go more a biit if the quality / performance was better, what should I look for in a good power washer, can they be too harsh, I get quite a bit of pressure from the tap, jet wil go 30-40 feet.
Any suggestions welcome!

Nilfisk make some nice pressure washers, available typically on ebay - the c120 is pretty good and often available for less than £100....

Unless the washer has a foam lance attachment you may also have to buy one for it. This then has to be specific or have the same fitting as your washer and costs around £40/£45. I'm thinking about it but having already spent a fortune on products for the arrival of my DS3, I'm holding off for a little bit and will just be rinsing prior to washing for now.

Yes indeed if you want to snow foam Heaton (the supplied bottles with the PW are no good for snow foaming, as they are not able to withstand the amount of pressure needed to create the foam) - but of course following my extremely basic process described you can leave out the snow foaming and add this item when you want to....

Regards,
Clive.

[Paulie]

Thanks Clive and Heaton, I will look into those recommendations

[skylaq]

Thanks Clive

That was just like reading the Bible ( though I've never read the bible)

And thats exactly how I've wash my car, my friend has the snowfoam thing, havent invested in it yet.
and just a touch of DoDo Juice Red mist to top it of in the end I have a happy bee :cool:

I die a little everytime I watch moms husband wash their A5 (Audi) with a sponge, he claims to use a new one everytime.. but does not look like it when you look at the paint on the car.

[Jimbob]

the sand on your car is course

Clive.

Of coarse it is!

Only a joke Clive - I love your advice!

Jimbob

[ivorex]

So a squirt of Fairy Liquid in a single bowl of water is forbidden.?

[Toxic]

Guys there's some excellent advise and tips over at polishedbliss.co.uk http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acata...re-advice.html