DIY touchless wash at home?

[eyedrop]

I found some videos on youtube of guys with semi trucks, farm equipment, school bus, etc.. They were using foam guns and pressure washers to clean the vehicles with no scrubbing required. Using normal car wash soap of even foam cannon specific soap will usually leave behind a film or stuck on bugs. But the chemicals these guys were using on the farm trucks is probably a bit stronger. The main one I remember was called Zep Truck and Trailer wash. The product page claims no scrubbing is required. It got me thinking, why not just use that stuff literally every day or every other day to keep the car always looking fresh?

Just foam it up, pressure wash off, then use a powerful leaf blower to dry. Pat down whatever remaining water is on the paint (pat dry, dont wipe) and your done in about 15 minutes.

I know, some will be concerned about such a harsh product stripping off the paint protection. But honestly, if its getting washed literally every day or two, I dont think things will have time to damage the clear coat. You would also get the advantage of never having to touch the paint or put in physical effort. The paint should get touched as little as possible.

Obviously this method isnt meant for show cars, and its not gonna be as thorough as a real hand wash. But for daily drivers, this may be a good way to keep your car swirl free and always appearing clean while spending as little time as possible. Just get paint correction done, then never touch the car again.

Im sure there is some stuff still left on the paint. However, scratching the paint during the drying process shouldn't be an issue with the correct leaf blower and patting dry method.

Seems like this could work better for a daily driver vs. letting the car get filthy thought the week then touching the paint every weekend.

 

[Eldorado2k]

1 day I’m going to find a beater that no one cares about and test out some Megs D143 as a touchless on the paint. I know it sounds insane but if you think about it, it certainly has a chance to work.

 

[SWETM]

The ones I have heard about that works the best to a touchless wash is on the acidic ph level. That's what they use in touchless car washes. But you would want those car soap that don't leave anything behind. As the protection in them is not so great looking. The benefit is if you have the inorganic protection like coatings and some sealants has. They stand up to those chemicals rather good. The other ones is those high alkaline car soap. And the downside with those is they are often most effective in ph level above 12-13. Those degrade the protection very quick even if it's a coating or sealant. So you would be adding a good lsp between washes that comes on touchless too.

I would still just do the washes weekly and maybe every 4-5th wash do a ordinary wash after the touchless wash. And apply a booster or a lsp of choice. Have in mind that those touchless washes is very strong and if dried on the car you are damaging surfaces. So they are difficult to use outside in warmer environment. So a great shaded place or the best a wash bay inside is to prefer.

 

[fightnews]

I found some videos on youtube of guys with semi trucks, farm equipment, school bus, etc.. They were using foam guns and pressure washers to clean the vehicles with no scrubbing required. Using normal car wash soap of even foam cannon specific soap will usually leave behind a film or stuck on bugs. But the chemicals these guys were using on the farm trucks is probably a bit stronger. The main one I remember was called Zep Truck and Trailer wash. The product page claims no scrubbing is required. It got me thinking, why not just use that stuff literally every day or every other day to keep the car always looking fresh?

Just foam it up, pressure wash off, then use a powerful leaf blower to dry. Pat down whatever remaining water is on the paint (pat dry, dont wipe) and your done in about 15 minutes.

I know, some will be concerned about such a harsh product stripping off the paint protection. But honestly, if its getting washed literally every day or two, I dont think things will have time to damage the clear coat. You would also get the advantage of never having to touch the paint or put in physical effort. The paint should get touched as little as possible.

Obviously this method isnt meant for show cars, and its not gonna be as thorough as a real hand wash. But for daily drivers, this may be a good way to keep your car swirl free and always appearing clean while spending as little time as possible. Just get paint correction done, then never touch the car again.

Im sure there is some stuff still left on the paint. However, scratching the paint during the drying process shouldn't be an issue with the correct leaf blower and patting dry method.

Seems like this could work better for a daily driver vs. letting the car get filthy thought the week then touching the paint every weekend.

OK, Cleaning the paint and protecting it are 2 different things, Uv rays? Using a strong chemical on it every single day? You need to do some more research no need to reinvent the wheel here.

Even if hypothetically this washing everyday would take the place of protection. How do you figure washing your car every single = "no physical effort" It would be much less effort to wax it then wash 1x a week.

 

[MattPersman]

Everyday? Could probably use ONR with wax and BRS everyday in 15 mins too. Would actually protect some and not be a harsh once in a while wash product made with cheap degreasers


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[eyedrop]

Everyday? Could probably use ONR with wax and BRS everyday in 15 mins too. Would actually protect some and not be a harsh once in a while wash product made with cheap degreasers


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This is a good point. I have never used ONR before but hear great things.. Is it true that with proper technique that it wont swirl up the paint eventually? It seems like your still touching the paint on an unrinsed car and risking grinding the dirt into the clear coat.

I'm trying to save time and effort on my daily driver. I would rather spend 15 minutes every day or two and keep it looking nice vs. setting aside an hour or two on the weekend.

If going with touchless method in my original post, maybe do a hand wash and clay once every month or two and use a heavy duty sealant or even a cheap ceramic coating like Mr. Fix 9h to protect. A coating should stand up to the harsh chemicals relatively well.

 

[MattPersman]

Mostly going to be swirl or Marr free using ONR and a BRS. A lot of the key is a drying towel that doesn’t scratch. Obviously any time you touch the paint no matter what products you use there is a risk.

Depends on paint color on how noticeable it will be if you have gold silver or white you could do whatever you want and it’s not noticeable if you have straight black red dark blue non metallic it’s pretty easy to see anything in the right light.

Just my suggestion was my thought is safer in the long run. I am no chemistry expert but, spraying a harsh truck/trailer product on the vehicle everyday may not be the best for it in the long run.

Look at some of the ONR videos with the big red sponge BRS and see what you think


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[Calendyr]

Only washing with foam and water will not get the car 100% clean no matter what product you use or how you do it. It will remove the vast majority of the dirt but some will always be left behind. This is what I do during the winter, I simply pressure wash as much as I can off the car. During the summer, it would be a better idea to do a more traditionnal wash either with soap or with a rinseless product if you want to save some time. For me the quickest safe wash is to pressure wash the car with water only and then do a rinseless wash. It will take you about 10 minutes to do the pressure wash and an other 15 mins to do the rinseless. So it's much faster than a traditionnal wash and it's safe.