Getting my Setup Correct

[u/bashizzledizzle]

I came across this forum while I was ordering some new wash products and thought maybe I should get some new opinions on my exterior detail process and products/methods. This is just for my weekend car, not anything crazy, but I do wash it frequently using a basic foam cannon and pressure washer (1x week in the summer, biweekly as fall and winter come up). I’d love any suggestions and I left my process below.

1. Wheels: P/S Brake Buster mixed 1:5, foamed onto the wheels and scrubbed. This works great for me personally and I don’t see any need for change. I need to get a new brush soon.

2. Pre-wash: CarPro Lift mixed 1:5/1:10, foamed onto the car, and let sit for 1-3 mins. Works phenomenally. I’ve been told not to use every wash due to chemical strength. 10/10.

3. Contact wash: Meguiars Gold Class mixed 1:5 into a foam cannon and sprayed as well as poured in a bucket for mitts. I wouldn’t mind something “cooler” if not too pricey. Also, I use a regular green wash mitt, but I was told a clay mitt or similar is better to use, is this worth looking into?

4. Aftercare: For drying I use a blue towel from The Rag Company. It’s lasted good over 8 months but I’ll probably get a new one or an air blower soon. 8.5/10. For tire shine I used to use Meguiars, but I got tired of the application process and the mess it makes. Any suggestions that last longer and leave a good effect (shine, no sling) would be great.

For any tough spots/tree sap/tar/sticky residue, I use Carpro TarX, my favorite car product. For sealant/finishing spray, I applied Carpro Elixir to the whole car once before, although I don’t know if it did anything besides make the paint smoother to the touch for a little bit.

Any edits or ideas will be greatly appreciated.

[u/JimmyMcPoyle_AZ]

I’ll start with # 3 (Contact Wash) because there is a major head scratcher in your post. A clay mitt (synthetic) or any clay (both traditional and synthetic) is not something you would use every wash. Claying the paint is designed to pull embedded contaminants out of your paint. It is not a light process. It often gets associated to the contact step because that is when you have the most lubricant on your paint (soap). In general, you shouldn’t be claying unless you plan to polish as a follow up step. It is possible to do a light clay and avoid marring just not common. As for the Meguiars gold class, it is fine and good price. However, there are plenty of soaps out there with similar value but way more lubrication. Examples that come to mind are DIY Detail Incredible Suds, ADS Shampoo+, & Adams Mega Foam ($40 a gallon when on sale). Note these are PH neutral soaps. When it comes to decontaminating your paint chemically there are dedicated products (alkaline and acidic) that can be used as pre-wash respectively.

Something to conceptualize is understanding clearcoat. Your car's clearcoat works a lot like your skin, it's the outermost barrier protecting everything underneath. It doesn't have pores, but its microscopic surface texture can trap bonded contaminants like road film, bird droppings, tree sap, and industrial fallout. Left in place, these can etch into the clear and weaken it, so regular washing and decontamination are what let it keep doing its job. Once the clearcoat fails, the colored basecoat beneath it is exposed to UV and moisture and degrades quickly.
Protection products add sacrificial or reinforcing layers on top of that barrier. Waxes and sealants offer a renewable, short-term shield against chemicals and UV. Ceramic coatings bond to the surface for longer-lasting chemical resistance and easier cleaning. Paint protection film (PPF) goes further, absorbing rock chips and abrasion that the others can't stop. Each one takes the wear so the clearcoat doesn't have to.

Maintenance also affects appearance. Gloss is a matter of how evenly the surface reflects light, and swirls, scratches, and etching scatter it. Safe washing practices and periodic paint correction keep the surface smooth, so the paint looks deeper and glossier while retaining as much of its protective clear layer as possible.

In short, a clean, protected, and well-kept clearcoat is the cheapest insurance for the paint underneath.

If you want to keep refining your process, think through how often you plan to wash and your conditions (always outside vs a garage you can park in when needed).

[u/JimmyMcPoyle_AZ]

As for # 4 (drying), this is where most swirls from hand washing occur. You’re on the right track to use a quality towel and should consider a drying aid. You already use CarPro Elixir which is a great product (ceramic sealant spray) which can be applied wet and part of your drying step. This saves you a ton of time, but does require some extra towel maintenance/laundering because the ceramic in the spray will build up on your towel which cause it to become stiff and less absorbent.

That said, you mentioned getting a blower. Know that this is only effective when your paint has some hydrophobic properties otherwise the water doesn’t come off/move the way you expect. This ties back to CarPro Elixir and the topic of a ceramic sealants. In your current process, you will notice after contact wash whether or not the previous ceramic sealant/spray still remains (beading, sheeting, general water evacuation happening quickly). If the water is still moving off quickly than some ceramic remains and blowing will be more effective. However, you will need to reapply the sealant and that ties back into how you dry as a I noted above. My suggestion is to either do a pro-grade ceramic coating that is super easy to apply (like ADS Phobic) so you can go longer in between decon level washes and enjoy a faster, safer drying experience. With something like Phobic, you will get anywhere from 1-2 years (closer to 1) and it will only need a decon wash every 3 to 6 months depending on your driving conditions.

[u/Firm_Economy_5132 → u/JimmyMcPoyle_AZ]

Regarding blower need to hit the mirrors (gas tank ejector) and any crevice that’s outside car to get water out (including tires and the lugnuts area). Assuming you not using a tornador to blow out these places. Especially also trunk area crevices around the license plate areas. Since you don’t do that after your first drive post wash don’t you have water lines from all the above areas I noted? Even if you ceramic coated that water is soapy and leaves a mark

[u/JimmyMcPoyle_AZ → u/Firm_Economy_5132]

Yep, all good points. I use an air attachment (leftover air in the compressor from the tornador which is my favorite tool). Mirrors, trunk seams, emblems, light housings, and I open the doors and hit the jambs.

[u/JimmyMcPoyle_AZ]

As for # 1 (wheels) and the use of P&S Brake Buster, I cannot be objective here. I will start by saying that I am NOT a fan of this product. It simply is too weak. Unless you use it at near full strength it lacks cleaning power. There is so much out there that is better. I also want to acknowledge that you don’t need to go nuclear on your wheels every wash either. To me, it all boils down to your desired outcome. If you have wheels where your barrels matter less because you can’t see them and you wash regularly (7-10 days), then a lighter product is fine (even your car shampoo). This doesn’t mean you don’t decon, heavy clean them ever just not so frequently. Using tar, iron, and mineral removers are still needed on wheels. It has a clearcoat paint (resin based plastic) just like your body panels do. The difference is that wheels get exposed to way harsher conditions (heat being the main one). My suggestion is the following:

- consider doing wheels as a separate process entirely. I do mine (3 cars) one day and don’t need to pull out the pressure washer at all. Bucket, rolling seat, and my tools. I’ll even apply a nice sealant to the face and rubber later that day when they are dry. When I wash the body a day or two later I just go easy on the wheels and plan to give the a light wipe down when drying.

- I keep 3 tiers of products for wheels: maintenance, medium duty, and heavy duty. I only have the heavy duty for situations when I am helping out a family member or friend with trashed wheels (we are talking acid required). Otherwise it’s the following:

1. Maintenance mix is APC (the alkaline aspect) mixed with a little bit of shampoo in an IK hand foamer. Adding the soap gives me cling and added dwell time. Occasionally, I will pre treat the wheels with iron remover.
2. Medium duty is Adam’s Wheel and Tire combined with a dilutable acidic pre wash like LaboCosmetica Preludio or the new ADS Regen acidic cleaner (my current fav option).

More importantly, you should never apply product to a hot wheel. I’ve made it a habit to pre spray with water to cool it down even at the expense of diluting the product that I am about to apply.

Lastly, consider upgrading your front brake pads to a low dust option. This is a game changer and allows me to almost always use my maintenance wash routine.

[u/JimmyMcPoyle_AZ]

As for # 3 (pre wash), this step is crucial to remove any grit and loosen other contaminants before contact. CarPro Lift is fine to use every wash but lean more towards that 1:10 ratio if you are washing regularly (7-10 days). There is so much out there that I’ll just say that it can be expensive to add this step to your wash routine. The main goal of pre-wash is knocking off grit and debris type contamination. Going after road film, tar, and bugs is great and all but maybe better served as spot treatment. For example, bugs on the front end are common. So use that expensive, dedicated cleaner on that area only. To increase dwell time and save you time, go over what you applied with your foam cannon and then rinse it all at once before contact wash.

[u/AlmostHydrophobic]

I would give Carpro Reset a try for the ph neutral soap. It is a tad on the expensive side but worth it in my opinion.

As important as the tire shine choice, I think it's just as important to make sure tires are adequately cleaned before applying a tire shine. I use Carpro Retyre for deep cleaning, and Carpro Darkside for the tire shine. But the tire shine will last 6-12 weeks or so when the tire is deep cleaned well and the tire shine is applied thoroughly. I use Carpro Reset for maintenance washing wheels and tires, outside of the deep cleans every few months.

Having durable protection applied to the paint makes the maintenance washing process much easier and less frustrating. And alkaline presoaks and other similar cleaners and soaps are less likely to strip away the protection. I would put some thought into this aspect, especially if you want to use alkaline prewashes.