alright .. really how do you wash a big suv in the sun

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RMarkJr

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Ya I know .. not supposed to do it in the sun .. well I dont have a shop and I dont have a canopy. So for now until I can get to the point where I have a shop most of mine are going to be done at my house outside washing.

I did a Nissan pathfinder today and luckily it was an overcast day and not too hot .. light breeze.

So I thought oh ya this is going to be nice and not dry too fast.

welllll not so much. I dont know if it was due to the size of it slowing me down or what but by the time I got the top done I went straight to the driver side.. by the time I got that done the passenger side was drying out with the foam on it. Then I said screw it and went back to the driver side and re-did it quickly and then rinsed the top and the drivers side off. Thought I was good on that side.


well again no .. by the time I did the passenger side the driver side was drying and started to have water spots on it .. even though I sheeted the water off. Water spots mainly on the glass areas. Windshield and all.


I am just not sure how to get this done right .. or if there is a right way to do it better to avoid water spots as much as possible.


I used a foam cannon to soak the car first .. I even put in some wolfgang uber rinseless wash in the foam cannon and the soapy water thinking that would help a bit .. but didnt seem to.


do people break the car up into sections when outside like wash and dry a section at a time?

Thanks
 
RMarkJr said:
Ya I know .. not supposed to do it in the sun .. well I dont have a shop and I dont have a canopy. So for now until I can get to the point where I have a shop most of mine are going to be done at my house outside washing.

I did a Nissan pathfinder today and luckily it was an overcast day and not too hot .. light breeze.

So I thought oh ya this is going to be nice and not dry too fast.

welllll not so much. I dont know if it was due to the size of it slowing me down or what but by the time I got the top done I went straight to the driver side.. by the time I got that done the passenger side was drying out with the foam on it. Then I said screw it and went back to the driver side and re-did it quickly and then rinsed the top and the drivers side off. Thought I was good on that side.


well again no .. by the time I did the passenger side the driver side was drying and started to have water spots on it .. even though I sheeted the water off. Water spots mainly on the glass areas. Windshield and all.


I am just not sure how to get this done right .. or if there is a right way to do it better to avoid water spots as much as possible.


I used a foam cannon to soak the car first .. I even put in some wolfgang uber rinseless wash in the foam cannon and the soapy water thinking that would help a bit .. but didnt seem to.


do people break the car up into sections when outside like wash and dry a section at a time?

Thanks
Click to expand...

yes acept you just wash a section at a time not dry a section at a time. then you can keep rewetting the sections while you go around the car, I usually wake up early and wash mine before it gets to bright but if i have to do it in the sun i like to do the section thats in the shade first.
 
RMarkJr said:
Ya I know .. not supposed to do it in the sun .. well I dont have a shop and I dont have a canopy. So for now until I can get to the point where I have a shop most of mine are going to be done at my house outside washing.

I did a Nissan pathfinder today and luckily it was an overcast day and not too hot .. light breeze.

So I thought oh ya this is going to be nice and not dry too fast.

welllll not so much. I dont know if it was due to the size of it slowing me down or what but by the time I got the top done I went straight to the driver side.. by the time I got that done the passenger side was drying out with the foam on it. Then I said screw it and went back to the driver side and re-did it quickly and then rinsed the top and the drivers side off. Thought I was good on that side.


well again no .. by the time I did the passenger side the driver side was drying and started to have water spots on it .. even though I sheeted the water off. Water spots mainly on the glass areas. Windshield and all.


I am just not sure how to get this done right .. or if there is a right way to do it better to avoid water spots as much as possible.


I used a foam cannon to soak the car first .. I even put in some wolfgang uber rinseless wash in the foam cannon and the soapy water thinking that would help a bit .. but didnt seem to.


do people break the car up into sections when outside like wash and dry a section at a time?

Thanks
Click to expand...
There are so many variables.Always use wash and wax soap products.wash it then rewet the whole vehicle then dry the first side where the sun is beating on paint first.you said it was overcast I'm thinking it's your water.
 
For a big SUV when I'm using a foam cannon I just foam up a section at a time, wash it, and then rinse. Yes you get some overspray of foam on some already completed sections sometimes, but just make sure you rinse well. Also I use and have used my CR Spotless (since around 2008) and I never have water spots. I can let a black car dry in the hot NC July sun and I don't get spots.
 
A good rinsless wash will reduce the water spots unfortunately you have other issues when using a quick detailer as a drying aid on hot surface, however this is another option.

To me it's just not worth the time and effort to wash a large SUV in the sun especially dark colord ones
 
wolfpacker92 said:
For a big SUV when I'm using a foam cannon I just foam up a section at a time, wash it, and then rinse. Yes you get some overspray of foam on some already completed sections sometimes, but just make sure you rinse well. Also I use and have used my CR Spotless (since around 2008) and I never have water spots. I can let a black car dry in the hot NC July sun and I don't get spots.
Click to expand...

I am looking at that filter.

are you using that filter hooked up to the pressure washer or just the hose for rinsing?

if you are using it hooked up to the pressure washer what psi and gpm is it? mine is a 3200 psi and 3.5gpm pressure washer and I am wondering if it reduces water flow to go through the filter to the point where I couldnt use the pressure washer that I have.
 
Use a rinseless or waterless wash and if you are worried about water spots with a rinseless, use distilled water.
 
Literally one section at a time with your favorite RW or WW👈

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk
 
On vehicles that are very dirty I will pressure wash the majority of the "gunk" off and then do a rinseless wash starting from the top down and on the side of the car that receives the most sun light.

A quality rinseless wash like ONR or McKee's N-914 is perfect for this. If extra care is needed I will pull the customer's car into my garage (or their garage) after the pressure wash stage to reduce the speed at which the nasty city water dries on the hot surfaces.

Pre-soaking each panel is very important. Typically I go through 32oz of ONR at 1:128 to pre-soak properly. I haven't had to use my Griot's Garage deionizer in almost a year because of how effective rinseless washing is.
 
Mike Phillips said:
Simple...

Set your alarm for about one hour before sunrise.

Start early.

Work in the cool of morning.

When I lived in the Mohave Desert- this is how I washed our black Honda Pilot.


:)
Click to expand...

Lol... thought of that story you posted about this not too long ago, when I was out washing a black car at 0430 last month... it's always fun to giggle to yourself…

One of these days I will figure out how to include multiple quotes into one posting… Got to figure a way to make V-bulletin more user-friendly with iPads.
 
Mike Phillips said:
Simple...

Set your alarm for about one hour before sunrise.

Start early.

Work in the cool of morning.

When I lived in the Mohave Desert- this is how I washed our black Honda Pilot.


:)
Click to expand...

It is at least a 4am wake up call here that I have done for more years than I care to remember. A slight alternative is parking on the lawn under a tree. (Not a Palm tree) :laughing:

Dave
 
I only wash in direct sunlight and normally in over 100 degree weather. As already stated, one panel at a time and make sure to use alot of product so you don't scratch the paint.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
 
Stop using "the foam" out in direct
Sunlight is a good place to start, IMO.


Bob
 
RMarkJr said:
I am looking at that filter.

are you using that filter hooked up to the pressure washer or just the hose for rinsing?

if you are using it hooked up to the pressure washer what psi and gpm is it? mine is a 3200 psi and 3.5gpm pressure washer and I am wondering if it reduces water flow to go through the filter to the point where I couldnt use the pressure washer that I have.
Click to expand...

Yes I use it with a pressure washer. I use this one:

FREE SHIPPING — NorthStar Electric Cold Water Pressure Washer — 1700 PSI, 1.5 GPM, 120 Volt | Electric-Cold Water Pressure Washers| Northern Tool + Equipment

I know it's expensive but after going through a couple of Karchers I bought this one and have used it a ton for about 8 or 9 years (I've had the CR a little longer than that). Never had to do a thing to it and it's quiet. 1700 psi and 1.5 gpm and it works great with the CR spotless. I have really good water here and a set of resins will last me a long time. I use the CR spotless for every aspect of the detail from wheels, to foam cannon, to rinse, to clay lube (I use Bilt Hamber clay), to final rinse. I'll even fill my buckets sometimes with DI water especially when it's sunny and hot outside that way I don't have any water that hasn't been demineralized so no way I'm getting spots. I just did my wife's Yukon right after lunch and it was about 80 degrees and sunny.
 
Well, that's why in the summer I try to start at 6am. No sun. Quiet. Peace full. Saturday or Sunday morning. Not ideal for most, but works for me. But even when I have washed in the sun (hate it) after a good rinse off, I never really dealt with water spots. Could be good water here? Or a good LSP helps.
 
I do rinseless wash then lightly spray the vehicle with water then dry the top and sunny side first.
 
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