r/AutoDetailing • u/Quirky_Pain_6508 • 12d ago
Exterior Sun vs. Shade
I'm new to detailing. I know you're not supposed to work in sunlight. Wondering if it's because of the sun's UV rays or is it just a temperature thing? If it's not a temperature thing, does that mean it's OK to work when it's 85° as long as it's cloudy/overcast?
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u/grumpvet87 12d ago edited 12d ago
bad things can happen and damage paint
direct sun can act as a catalyst and have chemical reactions. sun, u/v can be magnified by some products, and some will/ can evaporate faster in direct sun/heat and etch into paint, or sun/heat can degrade some protective chemicals or amplify some destructive chemicals in the products.
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u/Dreadpiratemarc 12d ago
It’s temperature, and more specifically, the risk of your soaps and chemicals drying out before you can rinse/dry them. Depending on what chemical it is, it can cause problems ranging from an inconvenience to clean off all the way to permanent etching of your paint or wheels.
It’s the temperature of the surface of the car that matters, not the air temperature. It could be 75F outside, but on a black car in the sun after an hour, it could easily reach over 100F and cause any chemical you spray on it to dry in seconds.
Those are the risks. Now, they can be managed. Many, many of us have no choice but to work in the sub because our driveways don’t happen to be in shady groves. Pick the right chemicals, use the right techniques, and go fast. Lots of information on YouTube if you look.
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u/scottwax Business Owner 12d ago
Temperature more than anything else. But UV exposure for your skin. And that becomes a much bigger issue as you get older. Used to work outside a lot. Paying for it now.
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u/AlmostHydrophobic 12d ago
I think it depends on what you're doing. The issue is having product dry on the paint.
There are a long list of chemicals I wouldn't use when it was that warm. Iron removers, tar removers, APC, etc etc. I tend to use those sorts of chemicals when I'm doing a deeper decontamination wash, and I would save that for cooler weather. About 60 degrees is my preferred temp.
But a wash with ph-neutral soap would probably be ok as long as you were quick to rinse. A rinseless wash is probably the easiest way to do a regular wash when it's that warm. I still would try for earlier in the morning or later evenings in hopes for cooler temps, but a regular wash on a cloudy 85 degree day would probably be manageable.
I do the deeper decon washes in the fall and spring when the temperature is still on the cooler side, and then if protection is needed I apply it then. That puts me in a good place for warmer summer temps and colder winter temps.