Automatic car wash shine?
- Thread starter VincenzaV
- Start date
Hi Guys, I'm new to the forum here and a detailing novice. But I am in the coin operated and automatic car wash business and am familiar with the products mentioned. There is a wide variety of products used depending on the circumstances, but a good clear coat protectant will have some UV protective qualities, do some minor filling, and provide good water beading. Most of these products are made with cationic surfactacts , making them electromagnetically attracted to the surface of the vehicle.
There is a ton of marketing in these products, and there is no clear cut leader in suppliers of automated car wash chemicals. Of the recognized retail brands, I would say that simoniz is one of the larger players, but probably supplies a relatively small percentage of car wash market. Ecolab's brand is now owned by ZEP and also supplies a decent amount. But I think most of the market is supplied by smaller manufacturers who focus on automated production only and have no retail name brand recognition.
Admittedly, a lot of the other products can be fluff, depending on what products are used. Quality varies from site to site, and can be affected by mixing water quality, and the stinginess of the operator. A lot of operators don't know what they're using, and rely on their chemical reps to set up and tweak the system.
Some products, especially the lava type products with mountains of foam, are quite frankly just colored/scented shampoo and are mostly show, although they may serve a purpose to lubricate the cloth wash. Other products are labeled as "conditioners" and are usually mildly acidic. Their goal is to lower the ph on the surface of the vehicle so the waxes may bond to the painted surface better. The true "protectants" usually have some silicone, siliconized carnuba, or some of the newer polymers that really do a great job of increasing reflectivity and minor paint correction satisfactory for the average consumer. As a rule of thumb, the more voluminous the product is being applied, the less likely it is the product that offers the true "wow" to the finished product. The good stuff is expensive and applied as sparingly as possible to get the job done.
Probably the first one that really was vast improvement in shine and durability over traditional clear coat products was ecolab's RAIN-X branded product that came out in the early 2000s. It was a huge success and has been followed by most other brands with their own version of this product. My understanding is that silicone polymers do the work.
I do have some customers in my self serve bays that apply my spray CCP and wipe dry without rinsing. They swear by this method. I've never done it myself, as I'm usually in my work truck and just "blow and go" with no wipe down. I guess i could mix up a strong solution of my clear coat protectact and and apply in a method similar to xpress spray wax and see what happens. I'll try this method on my truck and try to report back.
There is a ton of marketing in these products, and there is no clear cut leader in suppliers of automated car wash chemicals. Of the recognized retail brands, I would say that simoniz is one of the larger players, but probably supplies a relatively small percentage of car wash market. Ecolab's brand is now owned by ZEP and also supplies a decent amount. But I think most of the market is supplied by smaller manufacturers who focus on automated production only and have no retail name brand recognition.
Admittedly, a lot of the other products can be fluff, depending on what products are used. Quality varies from site to site, and can be affected by mixing water quality, and the stinginess of the operator. A lot of operators don't know what they're using, and rely on their chemical reps to set up and tweak the system.
Some products, especially the lava type products with mountains of foam, are quite frankly just colored/scented shampoo and are mostly show, although they may serve a purpose to lubricate the cloth wash. Other products are labeled as "conditioners" and are usually mildly acidic. Their goal is to lower the ph on the surface of the vehicle so the waxes may bond to the painted surface better. The true "protectants" usually have some silicone, siliconized carnuba, or some of the newer polymers that really do a great job of increasing reflectivity and minor paint correction satisfactory for the average consumer. As a rule of thumb, the more voluminous the product is being applied, the less likely it is the product that offers the true "wow" to the finished product. The good stuff is expensive and applied as sparingly as possible to get the job done.
Probably the first one that really was vast improvement in shine and durability over traditional clear coat products was ecolab's RAIN-X branded product that came out in the early 2000s. It was a huge success and has been followed by most other brands with their own version of this product. My understanding is that silicone polymers do the work.
I do have some customers in my self serve bays that apply my spray CCP and wipe dry without rinsing. They swear by this method. I've never done it myself, as I'm usually in my work truck and just "blow and go" with no wipe down. I guess i could mix up a strong solution of my clear coat protectact and and apply in a method similar to xpress spray wax and see what happens. I'll try this method on my truck and try to report back.
- Thread starter
- #23
Dang Gregpack! Thank you for dropping you knowledge from a first hand automatic car wash operators experience! I didn't know they even had a electromagnetically attracted chemical for shine, that is high tech!
I was able to get the gloss I was trying to replicate here on this thread with just using Meguiars spray wax a s a drying agent by hand. Please see the picture below.
I was able to get the gloss I was trying to replicate here on this thread with just using Meguiars spray wax a s a drying agent by hand. Please see the picture below.
dlc95
Well-known member
- May 18, 2013
- 6,062
- 26
I used Stone Soap products in my tunnel wash.
They offered two types of foam "wax" products. One was a "clear coat conditioner" that was a soap type product that set up the finish for the sealer wax. The other was a product with a protective agent in the foam.
The actual soap/wax/rinse aid/sealer wax steps were designed to be chemically compatible playing on the surface pH of the car. It was very interesting. They recommended products that were compatible with the type of was I had. Short tunnel, minimal equipment, type of water, general layout, etc.
You can see the green foam around the passenger side rocker brush.
In this pic, I was testing the soap.
Dang Gregpack! Thank you for dropping you knowledge from a first hand automatic car wash operators experience! I didn't know they even had a electromagnetically attracted chemical for shine, that is high tech!
I was able to get the gloss I was trying to replicate here on this thread with just using Meguiars spray wax a s a drying agent by hand. Please see the picture below.
That looks nice! I have thought about repacking their synthetic xpress wax into smaller containers ( 2 oz) and selling it in my vending machines. Some people just love to wipe down their cars, no matter how clean or dry it is when it comes out.
- Thread starter
- #27
Thanks Gregpack! I've never used a drying aid before but after these results, I will continue with it. I should try and do a 50/50 on a maintained car (like mine) of JUST clay mitt/spray wax, and the former plus AIO polish, just to see any discernible differences.