Knowing when to wipe down or to wash again

[Eric]

Hey Guys,

 

I'm new here and will be getting my Adam's products soon enough. I just had a question.

 

I washed my car last Saturday. Unfortunately my car cannot be garaged and stays outside all day. Today the car as a good layer of dust and some other small items on it. Can it still be maintained at this stage or I need to wash it all over again?

[mathews31]

Hey Guys,

 

I'm new here and will be getting my Adam's products soon enough. I just had a question.

 

I washed my car last Saturday. Unfortunately my car cannot be garaged and stays outside all day. Today the car as a good layer of dust and some other small items on it. Can it still be maintained at this stage or I need to wash it all over again?

 

Welcome to the forums you'll find a lot of info here...I'm actually in a pretty similar scenario...I think what you do depends on the layers you have protecting your car...if you have any waxes, sealants or coatings you might be able to get away with a wipe down with some waterless wash or rinseless wash depending on the amount of dirt on the car...I'm not a pro so this is just my 2 cents. Any pictures?

[mc2hill]

You could maintain it with Waterless Wash and Waterless Wash towels (you will need 3-4 to clean without marring).  Or you could do a  Rinseless Wash.

[Hupp2it]

I'm a big fan of the Waterless wash and use it on my car regularly.  My rule of thumb is to use waterless on dust/pollen and a full wash after much rain driving.  I have coated my car using Adams' ceramic paint kit.  That makes the waterless wash option far easier as the coating makes all washing safer.  The method for using waterless wash should help figure out how dirty is too dirty as well.  You just spray it on and drag the towel across the surface using little pressure.  This means it isn't going to pull up road gunk allowed to dry on the paint after a rainy drive.  However, the coating can help here too as driving in light rain will leave very little behind as the water just shoots off.

 

So yeah, not really that helpful I guess as it is an experience thing a bit and as Mathews31 indicated, depends on how much you've done to the finish already.

 

Also, I love the color of your car

[Nathan]

Welcome! I would waterless wash if it isn't too bad, detail spray might work too. If it's dirtier I would step up to rinseless wash, if there is caked on mud I would do a full 2 bucket wash or spray the car with water then rinseless wash.

[Eric]

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah we had a light sprinkle Sunday night other than that sunny but gusty so it has dust and pollen and evidence of some rain mixed with dust. I really wish I could garage her. As far as the detail on Sat as cringworthy as it sounds I only did a one bucket wash with a different brand soap. Dried with a bath towel (I know! ????) Then waxed with a wax similar to buttery as far as consistency. That's about it for the paint. A poor wash after watching the way it's supposed to be done.

 

Needless to say my 2 bucket wash kit is already on its way. I may just do a full was the proper way and seal the paint.

Edited March 2, 2017 by Eric

[mathews31]

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah we had a light sprinkle Sunday night other than that sunny but gusty so it has dust and pollen and evidence of some rain mixed with dust. I really wish I could garage her. As far as the detail on Sat as cringworthy as it sounds I only did a one bucket wash with a different brand soap. Dried with a bath towel (I know! ) Then waxed with a wax similar to buttery as far as consistency. That's about it for the paint. A poor wash after watching the way it's supposed to be done.

 

Needless to say my 2 bucket wash kit is already on its way. I may just do a full was the proper way and seal the paint.

TBH before I found Adam's I used to do the Autozone special with random car cleaning supplies, which to someone who doesn't care about paint is fine, but after I started to get into detailing I stopped using those products and you can really tell the difference....I used to use probably half of a huge container of paint shampoo from a random company to wash my car and now I use maybe 3 or 4 medium squirts of Adam's to get my suds...I don't know anyone who hasn't started that way...

In terms of garaging the car, I actually just cleaned out my garage and I still get dust on my car....albeit not as much, I feel like it's an uphill battle. Goodluck though

[Zoutlawss]

 Mine is a daily driver and also sits in car shows every weekend. I usually just rinse mine off with straight water then use detail spray. Even as a daily driver with all the protection I have on the paint the car never looks dirty

 

I just use a power washer to rinse the car and apply a detail spray. My car is garaged at night and has a sealant and patriot wax. seems to repel dirt. I can run 40 miles through rain and the car still looks clean.

 

I use to use the other guys as well and after switching to Adams the car has never looked this good

[Nathan]

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah we had a light sprinkle Sunday night other than that sunny but gusty so it has dust and pollen and evidence of some rain mixed with dust. I really wish I could garage her. As far as the detail on Sat as cringworthy as it sounds I only did a one bucket wash with a different brand soap. Dried with a bath towel (I know! ) Then waxed with a wax similar to buttery as far as consistency. That's about it for the paint. A poor wash after watching the way it's supposed to be done.

Needless to say my 2 bucket wash kit is already on its way. I may just do a full was the proper way and seal the paint.

I would definitely seal the paint, but you might want to consider a ceramic coating if it is going to be outside because they have extreme depth and clarity, extreme protection, and the water just flys off! Edited March 3, 2017 by Nathan

[falcaineer]

PS is perfect for a car left outside all the time (it probably won't offer the added shine or depth of a wax, though, on a darker car like yours). Also consider picking up some HGG to boost your sealant every few washes. Awesome product. 

 

Hey Guys,

 

I'm new here and will be getting my Adam's products soon enough. I just had a question.

 

I washed my car last Saturday. Unfortunately my car cannot be garaged and stays outside all day. Today the car as a good layer of dust and some other small items on it. Can it still be maintained at this stage or I need to wash it all over again?

 

It can be maintained, yes. What product(s) you use depends on the results you want, and others chimed in with some options. But the biggest difference in what you're doing so far will probably be the towels you use. There's certainly something to be said about using high quality MF towels, and Adam's offers lots of options to use with DS, Waterless and Rinseless, among the other products. I highly recommend you pick some up in your next order, if you haven't already, and you'll see and feel the difference. Some of my favorites are the SST, DST, and WWT.

 

Also note that Rinseless diluted 16:1 is the same as Waterless, so it provides a more economical approach.

 

Here are some articles you should read/videos to watch, if you haven't already. They may help answer some more questions:

http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/30518-dusty-car-from-driving-how-to-wipe-her-down

http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/31693-waterless-wash-vs-rinseless-wash

http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/27631-faq-should-i-use-wax-or-sealant-on-my-car/

http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/28664-ask-the-shine-doc-ep-6-sealants-vs-waxes/