Can I simply do a "touchless" wash with an Opti-coated car?

Kbreeze

Kbreeze

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My car was professionally Opti-coated and I am debating picking up a power washer and foam cannon and basically, skipping any 2-bucket mitt washing and simply doing this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR_-X-F0OXA

If you don't want to watch the video, he basically does this:

Foams car with CG Honey Dew
Waits 3-5 mins
Rinses car off with pressure washer with 40-dgree nozzle.

The pressure washer I was looking at getting as not as powerful as the one in the video though. I was going to get the Electric Sun Joe SPX3000 on Amazon:
http://smile.amazon.com/Joe-SPX3000...id=1396731894&sr=8-3&keywords=pressure+washer
And possibly this foam lance:
Amazon.com: Professional Foam Lance Adjustable with 32 oz. Bottle: Patio, Lawn & Garden

Get I get away with this, or should you I really still be using a mitt? For the record I have new Griots mitts and my 2 buckets. I am just wondering if I can forego this step, particularly being that my car is opti-coated.

I also have an electric blower to dry the car, so if so, the car would never be touched by anything other then water and soap, ensuring no fine scratches or swirls, which is my main goal.

What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance!
 
BlackHawk said:
The answer is.....NO. Plain and simple.
Click to expand...

The Opti-coating is supposed to be a lot slicker then regular clear coat and release contaminants much easier. That combined with letting the foam sit and break up the dirt and film, combined with a high pressure rinse won't clean the car?

It seemed to work for the guy in this video and I am guessing his car is not opti-coated.
 
Sure you can do that, anyone could. Now if you have high expectations of keeping a fine, swirl or marring free finish, that touchless regimen wouldn't be a great idea if you plan on touching it to dry the car, as there will be a slight film left behind.

My personal car has so many paint defects that all I care about is clean and shiny when I wash it. My car is also a lighter color so you really don't see all of it's defects from 5 feet away.

Often I go months without washing my car and people think it was recently washed. That's because the Opti-Coat 2.0 allows the rain to keep the car fairly clean.
 
Second that no. My car is Opti-Coated but still requires hand washing. Not a fault of Opti-Coat. You may want to try Carpro reload over the Opti-Coat and see if that let you get away with a touchless wash.
 
tuscarora dave said:
Sure you can do that, anyone could. Now if you have high expectations of keeping a fine, swirl or marring free finish, that touchless regimen wouldn't be a great idea if you plan on touching it to dry the car, as there will be a slight film left behind.
Click to expand...

No, I would be using an electric leaf blower.



tuscarora dave said:
Often I go months without washing my car and people think it was recently washed. That's because the Opti-Coat 2.0 allows the rain to keep the car fairly clean.
Click to expand...
Lol, I hear you man, I have not washed my car all winter (in about 4 months) and people still say it's shiny. And it's a black car and that includes driving it in the snow and with getting salt caked on the car. And yes, I drive my 5.0 in the snow :)
 
Kbreeze said:
No, I would be using an electric leaf blower.
Click to expand...
I think if you're not too fussy about a slight film left behind, it's doable. Depends on what you've been driving in I guess. If you did this touchless wash often, and you hadn't been driving in the rain, you might could get away with it. Only one real way to find out...right?


Kbreeze said:
And yes, I drive my 5.0 in the snow :)
Click to expand...
My Dad drives his 1988 Trans-Am in a 2 foot snow blizzard...He was born in 1940 so he's got mad driving skills.
 
Removal of that road film usually takes more than a foaming/pressure/washing treatment.

Bob
 
Foam gun, 2-bucket grit guard wash...no other way to keep it clean. Caked on dirt will not be removed no matter how hard the water pressure is. You need to use a mitt or MF towel to remove it from the method I just mentioned.
 
Last edited:
If you really enjoy claying a lot then yes, that will work just fine.
 
FUNX725 said:
Removal of that road film usually takes more than a foaming/pressure/washing treatment.

Bob
Click to expand...


Kamakaz1961 said:
Foam gun, 2-bucket grit guard wash...no other way to keep it clean. Caked on dirt will not be removed no matter how hard the water pressure is. You need to use a mitt or MF towel to remove it from the method I just mentioned.
Click to expand...

Ok, well now I am wondering if I should just keep the Gilmour foam gun I bought, and pass up the more expensive Pressure washer/lance option.
 
Kbreeze said:
Ok, well now I am wondering if I should just keep the Gilmour foam gun I bought, and pass up the more expensive Pressure washer/lance option.
Click to expand...
Pressure washers can be used for too many detailing tasks to discard the idea of owning one.
Plenty of around the house uses as well!

"Foaming" is not one of the tasks I even considered,
before I purchased mine. Still isn't!

If you have the money for one...
get it while the getting is good!!

Bob
 
Kbreeze said:
Ok, well now I am wondering if I should just keep the Gilmour foam gun I bought, and pass up the more expensive Pressure washer/lance option.
Click to expand...

I would pass on the pressure washer...that is just me.....and you will probably have some people on this thread say a foam gun is not needed. IMO a foam gun is a must have in any car wash....PERIOD.

The 2-Bucket Grit guard in both buckets too. You will have some people disagree about 2 grit guards. But again that is just my technique. Better be safe than sorry. After polishing my car (clay bar, compound polish, polish, prep, sealant and wax, etc.) I have used the foam gun 2-bucket Grit guard method when my car has caked on dirt and till this day I have very little (or unnoticeable scratches). I wash my car about 1 time a week.

I have 4 different MF mitts too. 1 for the wheels (with boars hair brush for lug nuts), 2nd for wheel wells, 3rd for top half of car and 4th for bottom half. Like I said I am real anal!!....LOL BTW, I enjoy washing or for that matter detailing cars. It is my fun hobby and stress relief. I always start 1st with the wheels and wheel well and then the rest of the car. Again, that is just my technique and some might agree or disagree.
:buffing:
 
FUNX725 said:
Pressure washers can be used for too many detailing tasks to discard the idea of owning one.
Plenty of around the house uses as well!

"Foaming" is not one of the tasks I even considered,
before I purchased mine. Still isn't!

If you have the money for one...
get it while the getting is good!!

Bob
Click to expand...


Why don't you foam? I've never done it yet, but from what I've seen and read I think it's a brilliant way to rid the vehicle of dirt particles, which could otherwise scratch the paint, before applying a wash mitt. Also, it just kind of pre-soaks, loosens and lubricates everything. Seems like a great first step.
 
Kamakaz1961 said:
I would pass on the pressure washer...that is just me.....and you will probably have some people on this thread say a foam gun is not needed. IMO a foam gun is a must have in any car wash....PERIOD.

The 2-Bucket Grit guard in both buckets too. You will have some people disagree about 2 grit guards. But again that is just my technique. Better be safe than sorry. After polishing my car (clay bar, compound polish, polish, prep, sealant and wax, etc.) I have used the foam gun 2-bucket Grit guard method when my car has caked on dirt and till this day I have very little (or unnoticeable scratches). I wash my car about 1 time a week.

I have 4 different MF mitts too. 1 for the wheels (with boars hair brush for lug nuts), 2nd for wheel wells, 3rd for top half of car and 4th for bottom half. Like I said I am real anal!!....LOL BTW, I enjoy washing or for that matter detailing cars. It is my fun hobby and stress relief. I always start 1st with the wheels and wheel well and then the rest of the car. Again, that is just my technique and some might agree or disagree.
:buffing:
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have a very well thought out proven wash technique. If I owned a black car I'd probably want to be similarly anal about my car care procedures.
 
Kamakaz1961 said:
I would pass on the pressure washer...that is just me.....and you will probably have some people on this thread say a foam gun is not needed. IMO a foam gun is a must have in any car wash....PERIOD.

The 2-Bucket Grit guard in both buckets too. You will have some people disagree about 2 grit guards. But again that is just my technique. Better be safe than sorry. After polishing my car (clay bar, compound polish, polish, prep, sealant and wax, etc.) I have used the foam gun 2-bucket Grit guard method when my car has caked on dirt and till this day I have very little (or unnoticeable scratches). I wash my car about 1 time a week.

I have 4 different MF mitts too. 1 for the wheels (with boars hair brush for lug nuts), 2nd for wheel wells, 3rd for top half of car and 4th for bottom half. Like I said I am real anal!!....LOL BTW, I enjoy washing or for that matter detailing cars. It is my fun hobby and stress relief. I always start 1st with the wheels and wheel well and then the rest of the car. Again, that is just my technique and some might agree or disagree.
:buffing:
Click to expand...


IMO, foam guns are useless and a waste. I bought one and it collects dust. Spraying diluted soap through a nozzle that creates foam does not noticeably loosen ANY dirt more than a rinse down with the hose. I've still been swirl free on my daily driver that gets washed about every week or two and I never use my foam gun.
All that foam you spray on just gets rinsed off anyway so you are just wasting time and product. Also, it doesn't strip lsp like most people believe.
 
Kbreeze said:
Why don't you foam? I've never done it yet, but from what I've seen and read I think it's a brilliant way to rid the vehicle of dirt particles, which could otherwise scratch the paint, before applying a wash mitt. Also, it just kind of pre-soaks, loosens and lubricates everything. Seems like a great first step.
Click to expand...
How do you know...for sure...that all that you say above is
actually true, and factual:
Since you have never done this "foaming process" yet?!?!

{You should take note that I never made any such claims as to be true...Or to the contrary...One way, or t'other.}


Bob
 
FUNX725 said:
How do you know...for sure...that all that you say above is
actually true, and factual:
Since you have never done this "foaming process" yet?!?!

{You should take note that I never made any such claims as to be true...Or to the contrary...One way, or t'other.}


Bob
Click to expand...

I never claimed to know for sure. I just think it makes sense. Pre-soaking is a historic basic principle that applies to many things. There is no way that a hosing down with water has the same effect as soaking with a quality soap, no different then if you quickly water down a dirty dish or article of clothing as opposed to pre-soaking it with the proper soap/water concentration. It takes a bit of time and the proper detergent to start breaking stuff up, not just a quick run under the water. Additionally these foam products should lubricate the surface as opposed to water alone.
 
Kbreeze said:
I never claimed to know for sure. I just think it makes sense. Pre-soaking is a historic basic principle that applies to many things. There is no way that a hosing down with water has the same effect as soaking with a quality soap, no different then if you quickly water down a dirty dish or article of clothing as opposed to pre-soaking it with the proper soap/water concentration. It takes a bit of time and the proper detergent to start breaking stuff up, not just a quick run under the water. Additionally these foam products should lubricate the surface as opposed to water alone.
Click to expand...
I didn't say that you claimed what you said was true and factual...
The fact is that I asked how did you know for sure if it was true and factual.
You know what I mean: Proof
(The same as I should ask you about your above posting.)

You're saying (not claiming):
Presoaking is a historically basic principal? WTC!!

I'll say, and also lay claim as being true and factual that:
-Historically speaking, presoaking wasn't done with foam.
-Nowadays: Foaming still is not the "mainstream" method of presoaking. (At least from what I've seen and heard.)


Bob
 
Kbreeze said:
My car was professionally Opti-coated and I am debating picking up a power washer and foam cannon and basically, skipping any 2-bucket mitt washing and simply doing this:
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Sounds to me like a good case for a rinseless wash. I don't have to deal with any dirt roads, but I've only done one bucket wash all winter. All others have been done using a presoak with ONR or DG Rinseless from a pump sprayer, or when salt and dirt is heavy, a PW blowoff in the driveway, followed by a rinseless process in the garage. I don't care how much soap you've applied in the first step, you need the agitation of a mitt or mf towel, as well as a good solution to really get all the dirt off IMO.

Bill
 
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