Carwash options

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

....
I prefer a place where cars are hand washed ....

Most places are hand washing only, no more rollers. The three places we go to in Somerset West only do hand washing.

 

[Cool E]

1) Which car wash?
2) Santam is an insurance company and Alex Forbes is a broker. So you could still be with Santam.

A Forbes is not longer a broker. Check their website dude.

 

[KOPITE]

Fo sho.
Try using your briefs for the wheels, helps get into the grooves ...

OP - if you would like me to put you into contact with proper detail centres in CPT send me a PM. They are much more pricier, but you looking at a full 7 step process on your paintwork. Might be worth doing it initially and then getting a good car wash to maintain thereafter.

pm me too

Ta

 

[Kloofvreter]

I've got no problems with driving through a roller carwash. Never had any damage done.

 

[Djin]

I've got no problems with driving through a roller carwash. Never had any damage done.

Trust me you have. You just don't know it yet.

 

[KOPITE]

Trust me you have. You just don't know it yet.

he does not inspect his car. scrathes normally appear at the back of the car on the side pillars next to the windows.

 

[Djin]

Not really, swirls are created throughout the car.

Have a read through here:

Should I take my car through an automatic car wash

 

[Kloofvreter]

Trust me you have. You just don't know it yet.

If you say so

 

[SauRoNZA]

Sunlight isn't the devil if used appropriately.

Once in six months or so I will also use it on my car but only if I know I'm going to wax it afterwards. If you don't wax it after the fact you might as well just stop washing your car now and park it outside so it all goes to hell.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Another thing I dont do is dish washing liquid or handy andy. I always use car shampoo.
But I've recently bought some prepsol wich I use when washing my quadbike to easily get the dirt and grease off. Do you know if it would be safe to use on a car? I'm thinking to put it on some of the bug splatters and see if it comes off easier?

Prepsol isn't too bad but someone ineffective on paint and often causes watermarks.

Rather use it on your wheels and such if you want an easy clean. Don't dilute it and put it in a spray bottle.

Rinse your car and before you start washing the body spray the prepsol all over your wheels (and even the engine if you are that way inclined) then wash the rest of the car with a good car shampoo (Meguiars or Autoglym).

Best thing I ever did was buying a "wash mitten" from Meguiars makes life really simple.

Use proper microfibre towels and cloths to dry and buff your car, not last year's dish towel. You don't have to buy the brand name stuff, go get some microfibre cloths from P&P if you want to save money. Builder's sells all the Meguiars stuff these days and it's not that pricey.


Other best advice I can give anyone here is WASH YOUR Mittens/Cloths/Towels after you washed your car and then put them in a tupperware container or ziploc bag once they are dry. Your worst enemy in scratching a car is the sand/dust/rubbish stuck to old unwashed cloths.

If you want to go really extreme you can also wash your car with two buckets. One with the shampoo water and another with clean "rinse" water. I don't go that far but many people do.

 

[Djin]

Sunlight isn't the devil if used appropriately.

Once in six months or so I will also use it on my car but only if I know I'm going to wax it afterwards.

This seems to be acceptable in some circles, but I still find it too harsh. I prefer to polish every six months, and clay + polish once a year. Wax/Sealant alone will give you the protection, but the deep cleaning action of a good polish then wax will bring depth and clarity to your paintwork. Definitely a better finish overall.

Edit to respond to post above:
Good advice. But the two bucket method is must and not going to the extreme !!