Anyone use a 4BM?

KMdef9

KMdef9

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When breaking out the buckets for an extremely dirty vehicle, and not having a power washer yet, does anyone use a "fourth" bucket and dedicated wash mitt for the bottom (dirtiest) parts? (some might call it a 3BM if they don't use a wheel bucket or don't account for wheel bucket in the method of bucketing)

My thoughts for the buckets are;

1. Tires, wheel wells, rims, plastic trim, exhaust tips, etc.
2. Rinse bucket
3. Paint wash bucket for upper 2/3 (or 1/2) of vehicle
4. Paint wash bucket for lower 1/3 (or 1/2) of vehicle


I thought of this when recently cleaning the wife's car, as she doesn't bother avoiding puddles. With my current 2BM method, I have 3 dedicated wash mitts that I use when washing. Breaking the vehicle down into 1/3's (sometimes 1/2's if not too bad), I introduce one mitt at a time, top to bottom obviously, always using the same mitt for the same 1/3. When doing this, I find myself constantly moving the hose and what not from side to side. For example, foaming, washing then rinsing the drivers side upper 1/3, then dragging the equipment to the passenger side, as I can't (for that matter don't) wash any part of the second third of the vehicle until the entire top third is complete.

If I had an additional bucket for the bottom 1/3 or 1/2, I could wash the whole side at once, hopefully cutting the wash time down while not risking cross contamination. I'd probably use less water and soap, as I could foam/wash/rinse a whole side once versus doing it 2 or 3 times.


Thoughts?
 
Sounds like overkill but it actually makes a lot of sense

Sent from my YP-G70 using Tapatalk 2
 
raysanni said:
Sounds like overkill but it actually makes a lot of sense

Sent from my YP-G70 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

I'm sure most of what we do here is considered overkill to common folk, lol.

I'm looking at it as a way to save time and not increase risk of marring/scratching. As this and the drying stage are the highest risk for me (And I'm sure many others). It's not a big investment either.
 
Will help a lot with preventing swirls just a lot of extra time I do this method in the summer when I have more time!
 
sounds like complete overkill to me :)

as a savvy enthusiast, you use common sense and good equipment - i know you do, or else you wouldn't be here, so i think you are getting a hair paranoid.

i use two buckets for both my washed vehicles, one is a garage queen, one is a true outside 24/7 daily driver. i wash both from top to bottom (roof, side windows/pillars/mirrors, hood, front window, trunk lid, rear window, upper doors/quarters, front, lower front, lower sides, lower rear) and then when done with the body, switch to exhaust tips/extreme lowers/wells/wheels using another mitt and assorted daytonas and brushes, all using the remainder of the wash solution topped off if necessary. most of these second tier surfaces get pre-treated with Power Clean.

i have no issues on either vehicle no matter how dirty. i mean, vehicles don't get much dirtier than when trudging through a NJ winter and i had no problems or concerns this past winter, which was especially grime-filled. i'm a stickler for pre-rinsing extremely well - no power washer used here either.
 
builthatch said:
sounds like complete overkill to me :)

as a savvy enthusiast, you use common sense and good equipment - i know you do, or else you wouldn't be here, so i think you are getting a hair paranoid.

i use two buckets for both my washed vehicles, one is a garage queen, one is a true outside 24/7 daily driver. i wash both from top to bottom (roof, side windows/pillars/mirrors, hood, front window, trunk lid, rear window, upper doors/quarters, front, lower front, lower sides, lower rear) and then when done with the body, switch to exhaust tips/extreme lowers/wells/wheels using another mitt and assorted daytonas and brushes, all using the remainder of the wash solution topped off if necessary. most of these second tier surfaces get pre-treated with Power Clean.

i have no issues on either vehicle no matter how dirty. i mean, vehicles don't get much dirtier than when trudging through a NJ winter and i had no problems or concerns this past winter, which was especially grime-filled. i'm a stickler for pre-rinsing extremely well - no power washer used here either.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. It's primarily meant to help save time, obviously I don't want to damage anything.

Do you use multiple mitts?
 
KMdef9 said:
I'm sure most of what we do here is considered overkill to common folk, lol.

I'm looking at it as a way to save time and not increase risk of marring/scratching. As this and the drying stage are the highest risk for me (And I'm sure many others). It's not a big investment either.[/QUOTE


Even being as anal/OCD! as I am/was made me look back and realize I worried about these little things on a CONSTANT bases to the point I couldn't enjoy my BLACK car!

At this point I've learned that, and now able to enjoy my car ALMOST worry free as it was intended for.

I just keep telling myself if I do get minor wash/dry induced marring that I always have an excuse to break out the machines!

However, as you mentioned I don't use the forth bucket, but I do use a dedicated mitt for lower panels.

LIFE IS WAY TOO SHORT TO WORRY ABOUT SWIRLS!

Remember that most people at normal viewing distance will think it's a new car, and you'll think that the paint is trashed with swirls!.......I guess that's just how us AG'ers think!
Click to expand...
 
KMdef9 said:
I'm sure most of what we do here is considered overkill to common folk, lol.

I'm looking at it as a way to save time and not increase risk of marring/scratching. As this and the drying stage are the highest risk for me (And I'm sure many others). It's not a big investment either.
Click to expand...

Even being as anal/OCD! as I am/was made me look back and realize I worried about these little things on a CONSTANT bases to the point I couldn't even enjoy my BLACK car!

At this point I've learned that, and now ALMOST able to enjoy it worry free for it's INTENDED purpose.

I just keep telling myself if I do get minor wash/dry induced marring, that I always have an excuse to break out the machines! Which I do enjoy!

However, as you mentioned I don't use the forth bucket, but I do use a dedicated mitt for lower panels.

LIFE IS WAY TOO SHORT TO WORRY ABOUT SWIRLS!

Remember that most people at normal viewing distance will think it's a new car, and you'll think that the paint is trashed with swirls!.......I guess that's just how us AG'ers think!
 
Every time you rub anything against the paint...it actually damages it. If you're careful, the damage isn't noticeable. Only a coating can truly protect the paint from being damaged by wiping. The coatings take the damage and the underlying paint remains unaffected. The term "scratch free" really is a marketing term that makes people feel safe by using the product. In reality, any wiping across the paint is damaging it, albeit not noticeable to the eye.
 
I'm starting to just fill up one bucket with soap and water and then pt in a bunch of MF towels into the bucket.
I keep an extra bucket next to me so once I'm done with a towel I toss it into the dirty bucket.
For me it's faster being I don't have to rinse out the towel after every panel.
Another thing I do is keep a small bucket filled with just water so I can rinse out my detail brush as French as I need.

IMO four buckets is overkill but hey, if it works for you then I say use it.
 
silverfox said:
Every time you rub anything against the paint...it actually damages it. If you're careful, the damage isn't noticeable.
Click to expand...

That's what I aiming for when speeding up my 2BM.

HateSwirls said:
I'm starting to just fill up one bucket with soap and water and then pt in a bunch of MF towels into the bucket.
I keep an extra bucket next to me so once I'm done with a towel I toss it into the dirty bucket.
For me it's faster being I don't have to rinse out the towel after every panel.
Another thing I do is keep a small bucket filled with just water so I can rinse out my detail brush as French as I need.

IMO four buckets is overkill but hey, if it works for you then I say use it.
Click to expand...

So you apply the GDM to the 2BM? I guess buying a few more mitts (or dedicated MFs) wouldn't be a bad idea either, that could allow me to complete one side at a time. Similar to rinsless washes.

Would it be ok to use rinsless MFs for a 2BM? I can't see why not.




I have a fourth bucket lying around, just no grit guard for it. I'll be trying it the next time the wife's car gets washed.
 
No...
I've never thought about using a 4-buckets-method, et al,
to wash any vehicle...Ever.
Excessive "OCD-ness"?: :dunno:

But, then again:
Can your life, like your car, ever get:
too dirty, messy, or broken down?




Bob
 
4bm means you have OCD problems!

For wheels I spray them with sonax, dwell, agitate, rinse. No use for a bucket. Same with exhaust tips....no real need for a bucket. Paint and trim are one thing for me.
 
I do it exactly the same as builthatch. I use the same MO with my winter 2BM RWs, too.
 
I use 1 bucket. I foam my car down with a foam gun and then just start washing while spraying fresh foam into my wash mitt as I agitate the dirt. I then use my 1 bucket for rinsing. For wheels I just wet my brushes with a hose. I also prefer rinsing my brushes by spraying them as opposed to dunking in a bucket.
 
FUNX725 said:
No...
Excessive "OCD-ness"?: :dunno:


Bob
Click to expand...

Quite possibly.

d33p said:
For wheels I spray them with sonax, dwell, agitate, rinse. No use for a bucket. Same with exhaust tips....no real need for a bucket. Paint and trim are one thing for me.
Click to expand...

I can't set my brushes on the dirty ground and then scrub them. I also have other tools; wheel well brush, tires brush and lug brush. Cant clean my rims/wheel wells with out them.
 
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