Christmas Detail at the Coin-Op

[camaro2ssblack]

Cleaned up the truck today, it was long overdue and it was filthy from all the wet weather we have had so far this winter.

Thought I would share my coin-op process of cleaning a really dirty vehicle in the winter months for those who don’t have a pressure washer (like me).

Take your bucket and wash mitts and fill it up with hot water. Grab your wheel brushes, car soap, wheel/tire cleaner and prepare your pump up sprayer with an APC mixture for prewashing. Since it had been a while, I also grabbed my clay mitt and Hydro Blue.

Head to the coin-op...

Pull in the wash bay and before starting the timer, prewash the entire dirty lower half of the vehicle with your APC mix. Let it dwell while your getting out your bucket and brushes.

Start the timer, for me I put in $20 and it gives me a solid hour.

Pick the foamy pressure rinse and thoroughly go over the entire vehicle. It’s amazing how much of the dirt and grime this step will remove before you ever touch the paint.

As you finish, prep your wash bucket using the pressure of the wand to produce tons of suds. Keeping the wand in one hand, foam a panel at a time and then wash with a mitt out of your soap bucket. Practice safe washing technique by hitting the grit guard after each panel and using one mitt for the upper half and one for the lower half.

After washing and still with wand in hand, go back over the entire vehicle with your clay mitt after foaming a panel at a time and dunking the clay mitt in your soap bucket.

Leave the soap on the paint while you refill your wash bucket and attack the tires, wheels and wheel wells. Hit each one with the foam pressure rinse and then use your wheel/tire cleaner and your brushes as usual.

Finally rinse the entire vehicle with the pressure rinse and then grab your Hydro Blue. Go around the vehicle spraying and rinsing a panel at a time as directed.

Entire process on a crew cab Silverado is almost exactly one hour.

Speed home to dry the majority of the water and pull into the garage and dry with a PFM towel and Bead Maker. Then dress the tires and trim, hit the wells with spray dressing, and then a final wipe down with Bead Maker and your done!

Anyone else without a pressure washer do something similar for those really nasty washes?

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[Sizzle Chest]

Well it definitely works! Looks good!

 

[Calendyr]

Wow coin-ops are cheap where you live! Here it's 1$ per minute with a minimum of 3 minutes.

Also we are not allowed to use wash buckets, nor drying towels. They only allow the use of their equipement both for washing and drying.

 

[camaro2ssblack]

Wow coin-ops are cheap where you live! Here it's 1$ per minute with a minimum of 3 minutes.

Also we are not allowed to use wash buckets, nor drying towels. They only allow the use of their equipement both for washing and drying.

Holy smokes, a dollar per minute?! That would get expensive quick.

Technically we are not supposed to bucket wash either but I’m just using the mitt instead of their foaming brush and keeping the meter running the whole time, so no one has ever said anything.

I do get some crazy looks and have had many people pull up behind me and wait for about 5 minutes until they realize I’m going to be there for a while lol!

 

[JustJesus]

Start the timer, for me I put in $20 and it gives me a solid hour.

Do you have some "pause" setting at that coin-op? Or do you drop in a dollar here and there?

Anyone else without a pressure washer do something similar for those really nasty washes?

Yes. I'll take a bin with the wass mitts, and one bucket filled with my car soap. Multiple mitt method.

Wow coin-ops are cheap where you live! Here it's 1$ per minute with a minimum of 3 minutes.

Whoa. One place I use, it's $1 for 3 minutes. But the place isn't exactly tidy.

I do get some crazy looks and have had many people pull up behind me and wait for about 5 minutes until they realize I’m going to be there for a while lol!

Been there myself. I now go really early, or in the evening, so nobody is around.

 

[camaro2ssblack]

Do you have some "pause" setting at that coin-op? Or do you drop in a dollar here and there?


No pause setting. I just drop in four five dollar bills all at once and go at it. If I’m not claying I may just start with 3 and see where I get.

 

[Breese147]

Nice tutorial for those who don’t have access to pressure washer. I’ve done almost the same procedure for my girlfriends car when I go to visit. I only used the system for the initial and final rinse. Went at about 9pm and took about an hour and a half with the clay and application of Reload.


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[camaro2ssblack]

On several occasions I’ve had the person next to me come over and ask me for advice or if they can borrow some “stuff for my rims” lol. Always glad to help of course.

 

[rlmccarty2000]

You mean you don’t have the bums that want to “help” you wash your vehicle for a donation? Or to sell you drugs? Places in my town are very shady and not well kept up. I occasionally use the vacuum when I’m too lazy to get mine out of the garage.

The “claying while you wash” is controversial. Some say it mars the paint and some say it does nothing. Personally I use lots of good clay lube to prevent marring.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

Lol.... bought pressure washer to avoid doing this in winter but unfortunately going to wash much easier. I do rinseless after pressure washing. Pressure wash after and use detail spray and dry. When other people are around I avoid eye contact. 2 min for a dollar in Washington I think.



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[camaro2ssblack]

I laughed when you mentioned avoiding eye contact. I do the exact same thing. Yesterday a guy pulled in behind me as I was doing the final rinse. Which made sense as you would think rinsing would be the final step. Much to his dismay, out came the Hydro Blue. He stayed and watched for a few minutes and I was wondering what was on his mind:

1) Damn I thought this guy was done!
2) What the hell is he spraying on the truck?
3) Why is he washing it off immediately?

Lol!

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

I laughed when you mentioned avoiding eye contact. I do the exact same thing. Yesterday a guy pulled in behind me as I was doing the final rinse. Which made sense as you would think rinsing would be the final step. Much to his dismay, out came the Hydro Blue. He stayed and watched for a few minutes and I was wondering what was on his mind:

1) Damn I thought this guy was done!
2) What the hell is he spraying on the truck?
3) Why is he washing it off immediately?

Lol!

4) Common! What matter of wizardry is this? Spray on rinse off.... yeah right.


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[Calendyr]

You mean you don’t have the bums that want to “help” you wash your vehicle for a donation? Or to sell you drugs? Places in my town are very shady and not well kept up. I occasionally use the vacuum when I’m too lazy to get mine out of the garage.

The “claying while you wash” is controversial. Some say it mars the paint and some say it does nothing. Personally I use lots of good clay lube to prevent marring.

I moved from traditionnal clay to Nanoskin Speed sponges a few years ago. I snowfoam the car, pressure rinse then do a rinseless wash followed by a clay step using the wash water only (ONR). Never had an issue with marring or scratching. I guess the risk is if you miss a spot while washing. So just be very careful not to leave any dirt on the surface.

 

[Calendyr]

I laughed when you mentioned avoiding eye contact. I do the exact same thing. Yesterday a guy pulled in behind me as I was doing the final rinse. Which made sense as you would think rinsing would be the final step. Much to his dismay, out came the Hydro Blue. He stayed and watched for a few minutes and I was wondering what was on his mind:

1) Damn I thought this guy was done!
2) What the hell is he spraying on the truck?
3) Why is he washing it off immediately?

Lol!

You know, the "wax" setting on the coin op machine is the same kind of product as Hydro Blue or any other water activated wax. I cannot remember the name of the active ingredient but it's the same one in all those products. You might as well use the one from the car wash and save your expensive product for when you are at home.

 

[Markymapo1]

Maybe I should go to coin op. Wife gets a bit mad when I wash f150 or our cars in the driveway and she has to shuffle to the car on spotty ice with my assistance (driveway does sit on a hill, not real steep n allows most of water to run off before it freezes over night.) As long it is above 35 F I will pressure wash it using a Sun Joe bucket pressure washer.

 

[camaro2ssblack]

You know, the "wax" setting on the coin op machine is the same kind of product as Hydro Blue or any other water activated wax. I cannot remember the name of the active ingredient but it's the same one in all those products. You might as well use the one from the car wash and save your expensive product for when you are at home.

I've never used the wax setting but consider me a skeptic on this comment. If that's the case, they why in the world are we all paying a premium $$/oz on the "at home" product instead of just driving our entire fleet of vehicles to the coin-op once every couple of months. I suppose the wax setting offers some protection but can it really be as effective as a product like Hydro Blue? Mind blown if so lol.

 

[camaro2ssblack]

Maybe I should go to coin op. Wife gets a bit mad when I wash f150 or our cars in the driveway and she has to shuffle to the car on spotty ice with my assistance (driveway does sit on a hill, not real steep n allows most of water to run off before it freezes over night.) As long it is above 35 F I will pressure wash it using a Sun Joe bucket pressure washer.

You sir are hardcore. I find myself skipping out on washes on any weather below 50 degrees. Just not cut from that cloth here in the south and I don't mind admitting it lol.

 

[UncleDavy]

Maybe I should go to coin op. Wife gets a bit mad when I wash f150 or our cars in the driveway and she has to shuffle to the car on spotty ice with my assistance (driveway does sit on a hill, not real steep n allows most of water to run off before it freezes over night.) As long it is above 35 F I will pressure wash it using a Sun Joe bucket pressure washer.

35 F is kind of warm for me. As long as it is 30 F and sunny I will do a 2 bucket wash or a Worx Hydroshot wash as long as the wash surface is facing the sun. The shady side of the driveway does get treacherous. I wear ice spikes on my boots to avoid landing flat on my back.

 

[Calendyr]

I've never used the wax setting but consider me a skeptic on this comment. If that's the case, they why in the world are we all paying a premium $$/oz on the "at home" product instead of just driving our entire fleet of vehicles to the coin-op once every couple of months. I suppose the wax setting offers some protection but can it really be as effective as a product like Hydro Blue? Mind blown if so lol.

That is a good question. Forensic detailing did a video on those products and he explains the chemical being used. It's not a wax or polymer of any kind. It's a chemical that instantly binds to the paint when water is present. I purchased a gallon of the stuff for 10$ and it's dilutable at a ratio of 2 ounces per liter (or was it gallon?). Anyway, super inexpensive. The companies selling this to enthousiasts are making a killing with this. I have some CarPro HydrO2 and I see no difference when I use either. These products are more of a drying aid than actual protection.

Anyway, check Forensic Detailing on youtube for more information.

 

[camaro2ssblack]

That is a good question. Forensic detailing did a video on those products and he explains the chemical being used. It's not a wax or polymer of any kind. It's a chemical that instantly binds to the paint when water is present. I purchased a gallon of the stuff for 10$ and it's dilutable at a ratio of 2 ounces per liter (or was it gallon?). Anyway, super inexpensive. The companies selling this to enthousiasts are making a killing with this. I have some CarPro HydrO2 and I see no difference when I use either. These products are more of a drying aid than actual protection.

Anyway, check Forensic Detailing on youtube for more information.

Very interesting info, will do.