1Wolf

Thanks
 
That helps immensely.  Probably a silly question but I had printed out this thread and stuffed it in my detail cart and was referring back to it when I thought to myself "What the hell is Wash Media?". 
 
I've had great success with the touch free method you mention, and under the conditions you mention them.  Even with a black truck.
 
I think I'm going to go ahead and continue using the suds bucket as well, along with my foam cannon though simply because even when I have nice thick foam...even if I'm working panel by panel, sometimes all that up and down the stepstool to get to the top of the truck, or if I get distracted by something and it takes longer to do a panel, the suds are always "running" so at least with the suds bucket I'm extra safe to have a nice soapy slippery mitt.
 
Thanks again

Thanks
 
That helps immensely.  Probably a silly question but I had printed out this thread and stuffed it in my detail cart and was referring back to it when I thought to myself "What the hell is Wash Media?". 
 
I've had great success with the touch free method you mention, and under the conditions you mention them.  Even with a black truck.
 
I think I'm going to go ahead and continue using the suds bucket as well, along with my foam cannon though simply because even when I have nice thick foam...even if I'm working panel by panel, sometimes all that up and down the stepstool to get to the top of the truck, or if I get distracted by something and it takes longer to do a panel, the suds are always "running" so at least with the suds bucket I'm extra safe to have a nice soapy slippery mitt.
 
Thanks again

Since you are using DI water, and have a Master Blaster, there is no reason to towel dry.  The less you touch the paint, the longer it will stay swirl-free.
 
When you previously let the truck air-dry, and found some streaks and spots, it is because there was shampoo residue in the trim, mirrors, door handles, etc, and when these drips dried, the shampoo residue was left behind.  This situation is the only time that you would go back with a towel to clean off the streaks, and I would use Waterless Wash, instead of Detail Spray, since you have a ceramic coating.
 
Now, for wash procedure, what I end up doing with the exact same conditions (black truck, DI water, Master Blaster), entirely depends on the condition of the truck.  I do not use the same procedure each time, but actually have three different wash procedures, depending on how dirty the truck is:
 
LIGHT CLEANING (only light dust, no rain spots, no road spray, no bug guts)
1.  Pressure washer rinse using DI water.
2. Air-dry.
 
This is what I call the "Touchless Wash".  No touching the paint at all.  It is really quick, and gets it back to looking good.  Only issue is you might have some bugs or other stuff left that you did not notice, just leave these for the next normal wash.  It is best to air-dry inside the garage, since the water left on the surface tends to attract dust, which then gets left behind and can appear to be spots.
 
 
TYPICAL CLEANING (rain, dirt, bugs, road spray)
1.  Pressure washer pre-rinse with DI water.
2.  Foam Cannon and wash media, using DI water, and a rinse bucket for the wash media.
3.  Pressure washer final rinse using DI water.
4.  Forced-air drying with the Master Blaster, getting about 95% of the water off, and blowing out all the trim to prevent residue streaking from sneaky drips.
 
Make sure the pre-rinse is very thorough, as this is the most important step for safe washing, removing as much as much dirt as possible before actually touching the paint.  My pre-rinse actually takes me twice as long as the final rinse.  Only foam an area about equal to 3-4 panels at one time, do not foam the entire truck, or most of the foam ends up on the ground before you get around with your wash media.  Make sure to rinse out the wash media in the rinse bucket as needed between panels, which depends on how dirty the particular panel(s) were.
 
 
HEAVY CLEANING (winter washing, mudding, lots of crud or bugs)
1.  Pre-soak with Foam Cannon and DI water, using mixture of Car Wash Shampoo and Rinseless Wash.
2.  Very thorough pressure washer pre-rinse with DI water.
3.  Foam Cannon and wash media, using DI water, and a rinse bucket for the wash media.
5.  Pressure washer final rinse using DI water.
5.  Forced-air drying with the Master Blaster.
 
The pre-soak with the Foam Cannon helps to loosen the crud, and the Rinseless Wash aids in this.  Only use about 2oz of RW, since it works against the foaming of the shampoo.  Foam fewer panels at a time, and rinse the media more often.
 
This process is similar to what you listed above, but there is no reason to pre-rinse before the first foaming, since you are not going to be touching the paint with this first round of "pre-soak" foam.  The foam may also cling longer with the dirt left on the paint, allowing it more time to soften the stubborn crud.  It will also make your resin last longer.  If your water is high TDS, then you are going to go through the DI media faster, so being efficient with the DI water is advisable.

Wash media is either a Wash Pad, Wash Mitt, or the Wash Wedge.
 
No, you would not use the foam cannon and then follow with a two-bucket wash.  In a typical two-bucket wash you have a suds bucket and a rinse bucket.  For washing with a foam cannon, you would use the foam cannon instead of a suds bucket, since the foam cannon is used to put the shampoo on the vehicle.  The rinse bucket is used to rinse out the wash media between panels, or as needed depending on how dirty the vehicle is.

While I would agree that a full wash as you describe will make the vehicle look the cleanest, but the "touchless wash" has the advantage of NOT touching the paint, eliminating any chance for swirls, thereby keeping the paint in great condition for a longer time before needing a polish.
 
I feel the "touchless wash" it is an advantageous method for a light-duty wash when you are going to be driving the vehicle again right away.  After all, 95-98% clean is good enough to drive to work on Monday, when it is going to get dusty again anyway.
 
 
 
Nah brah, not wrong, just a little different.
 
Adding the suds bucket to the foam cannon wash routine is extra-safe, giving the wash media that much more rinsing and shampoo.
 
And yes, a separate bucket for the wheels is a must, every time.

Thanks for the help & advice   And thanks for the kind welcome.  I have alot to learn.  Its one thing to purchase the products and tools, another to know how to use them properly and WHEN.
 
The step-by-step information, and under what conditions, and how the master blaster and the de-ionized water changes alot of the procedures and videos I'd previously been using as reference.  is what I was hoping to better understand.  Thank you so much.
 
Thank you especially to "TheWolf" for that write-up you posted.  That must have taken some time to write up and it was really thorough.  I'm actually going to print out your post and keep it on my detail cart.  That information was exactly what I was looking for...letter for letter. 
 
That really helps me to better understand the advantages of the Simple Chuck, my Modesta Coating, and the Master Blaster. 
 
Thanks everyone
 
Nickfire20,
 
Yes.  My Modesta Installer went over the Do's and Don'ts with me.  They also gave me some free sample products by Modesta.  One was a bottle of Modesta's Water Spot remover, another was Modesta's version of Detail Spray, and another was a Modesta product that sounded similar to the Adam's Ceramic Boost.  I haven't tried any of the Modesta products yet as I really liked the Adams' stuff and, unless absolutely necessary, didn't want to have to order products from a variety of makers.  The Adam's website and forums, for a newbie like me, have been a great resource and reference on "how to" and the folks at Adam's have always been VERY helpful in e-mails and such.  So I prefer to stick with Adam's if at all possible.  As far as product to stay away from, my installers biggest concern on care for the finish was just to avoid brush carwashes (or touchless carwashes with harsh chemicals) and to not get the attitude that the Modesta is some sort of wrap that will protect against everything.  He just wanted to let me know that even the Modesta finish itself will show scratches and swirls and that I should avoid screwing with it.  Products like waxes and sealants that have their own hydrophobic properties he said I should avoid.  Products like Detail Spray he said should be fine.