How best to wash and protect for a lazy guy with no garage?

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JFunnyman

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At the moment I'm looking for the best and quickest way to wash and protect my car. I usually use Duragloss 901 and follow it up with some Duragloss Aquawax as I dry. Living in the south and not having access to garage I have to wait until the sun starts going down to prevent water spots. I wash my car every weekend and, maybe I'm just slow, but it usually takes me around 2 hours to wash and dry the car with the Aquawax. Other than the 901 and Aquawax, the only product I use on a weekly basis is Optimum Power Clean to clean my exhaust tips and a 10:1 dilution of OPC to help with getting bugs off of the car. Since I don't have much in the way of shaded areas or shelter for the car I find that by the time the car is washed I'm running out of daylight to wax and such.

What would be the absolute fastest effective method of washing and adding some bit of protection and shine to my car? Is washing and using the Aquawax the most effective method, would something like a wash and wax be better, or is there some other method that I should try?
 
You need to convert to a rinseless wash.

A panel at a time would be the way to go and no worries of water spots.
That would give you time to wax or just use Aquawax while drying.
 
Since you seem to be a Duragloss guy, I'd switch to the DG rinseless wash, which has AquaWax in it already. It will take you a bit to develop your technique, but you should be able to wash much faster and will less waterspotting issues. The kicker is the wheels/tires, because I have a ton of conventional wash, I haven't forced myself yet to perfect a rinseless regimen for wheels, but it can be done.

Or, if you're not wedded to DG products, there are plenty of other rinseless washes, including Optimum.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Since you seem to be a Duragloss guy, I'd switch to the DG rinseless wash, which has AquaWax in it already. It will take you a bit to develop your technique, but you should be able to wash much faster and will less waterspotting issues. The kicker is the wheels/tires, because I have a ton of conventional wash, I haven't forced myself yet to perfect a rinseless regimen for wheels, but it can be done.

Or, if you're not wedded to DG products, there are plenty of other rinseless washes, including Optimum.
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When you say you haven't perfected your technique what exactly do you mean? Haven't perfected as in you're trying to make your technique more effective, or as in it leaves water spots or something? I have black painted rims that show water spots really easily.

I'm not tied to any specific brand, I just happened to pick up those two at a car care shop on a recommendation.
 
Try Hydro Blue or Hydro2o. Wash, rinse ,spray with Hydro, rinse, dry, your done and protected for a month or two.
 
JFunnyman said:
When you say you haven't perfected your technique what exactly do you mean? Haven't perfected as in you're trying to make your technique more effective, or as in it leaves water spots or something? I have black painted rims that show water spots really easily.
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No, no water spots, just wheels and tires have different kinds of soil, usually, than the rest of the car, you frequently use harsh cleaners on them, it's just different with rinseless, different things to think about, different products perhaps.
 
Fastest would be duragloss rinseless with the aquawax already in it. Or the optimum rinseless wash and wax.

Both are rinseless products with protection some say ample enough if used on a regular basis

Let’s face it a multi bucket hose wash takes time


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Washing your car weekly doesn’t count as lazy. LOL

The Rinseless Wash and Wax option might be the best. And use some version of the Garry Dean multiple wash towels in one bucket with your “soap” method so you are not spending time rinsing your towels.

You get a fresh towel that’s been soaking in your rinseless wash, fold it so you have several sides. Apply the wash to your car and use a drying towel to wipe it off. Flip your wash towel to a clean side and repeat. When all sides are dirty, put that towel aside and get a new one, etc etc etc...
 
Another vote here for rinseless washing. It is by far the fastest way to wash your car.

The DG Rinseless wash is my favorite (and I've tried many others). The level of gloss and slickness it leaves behind is like no other. Mix yourself up a QD batch from the DG concentrate for inbetween washes to continually replenish the Aquawax layer. If you do this on a weekly basis you may never have to wax conventionally again.
 
Waterless washing is the quickest for me and also leaves behind a solid level of protection. I usually use either Meguiars UWWA or Blackfire waterless on my car. My car is sealed and has solid protection so I'm not sure about longevity with the Blackfire, but the Meguiars is excellent for what it is.

My wife's car is a lease and rarely washed. I had to compound out some scratches back in July, so I washed it with the Meguiars UWWA prior to the correction. The car was still beading fairly effectively the other day when it rained. The only time that car was waxed was over 2 years ago with Ultimate liquid wax, so I doubt it has any of that protection left.

With my car, I can wash it safely and effectively in 15 minutes, maybe 25 with doing wheels/tires and wheel wells.
 
Well now I'm conflicted on using either the duragloss rinseless with aquawax or using Hydro Blue every few months with a normal 2 bucket wash.. I've never done a rinseless and definitely have some reservations since my car sometimes gets a bit dirty between washes. I know the rinseless will be quicker than a 2 bucket, but the Hyrdo Blue will protect better than the DG w/ AW. Then again, I'm not sure that would be saving be any time, since I'd most likely be using spray wax or QD as a drying aid.
 
Yeah, there's a lot of good solutions. You've just got to decide which is best for you, or try both ways and see which works best for you.
 
Until my garage is clear ... I just snow foam it , power rinse, then rinse with filtered water.
Then I wool mitt wash 2 panels, clay and rewash and then blow dry those panels and follow by 3 coats of Collinite 476s on the 2 selected panels.

Took 9 day on a Mercedes S Class Coupe.

Then I powerwashed and washed with a wool mitt, then Blow dry with a garden leaf blower, and did one coat of Collinite the same day.

This was a real mare of a job, that could have been done in a garage in 2 days easily! But needs must before the winter sets in.

She is now easy to maintain, as the Collinite pretty much repels everything, and she blow drys real fast, and the last coat of collinite goes on and off really fast.

pic of the Raceglaze 0PPM water filter, costs £100. Resin refils are £40 for say 36 washes. No alternative if you have limescale water.
 
If you decide to continue with bucket washing, I’d suggest you go with something like this:

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Use it after every wash [don’t have to overthink about whether it’s once per month like some other products]

Once you’ve rinsed away the soap, simply spray 1-2 shots per panel and quickly rinse again for the fastest way to get what you’re looking for.

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JFunnyman said:
How is the gloss with those?
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Gloss with McKees is good. Do not use it in direct sunlight. Blast it with water IMMEDIATELY or you will get massive streaking even after it dries.

If gloss is what you're looking for, I highly recommend a rinseless wash like Wolfgang Uber or Optimum No Rinse followed by Meguiar's Ultimate Fast Finish. You will get a nice crisp reflection from the paint. Should take 10-15 minutes to do the Fast Finish.
 
Lazy guy with no garage here. Here's my go-to for weekly washes.

Single bucket rinseless wash
- Pinnacle rinseless
- Lots of small microfibers in the bucket
- Fold a wet microfiber into quarters, wipe over a panel, dry with separate large microfiber

Wheels
- Once paint is clean, spray with generic wheel & tire cleaner
- Gently clean wheels with barrel brush and tire brush using left-over rinseless water to help agitate and lubricate the brushes
- Dry wheels and tires with old mircofiber
- Top with wheel dressing

Clean interior with quick vacuum, vinyl cleaner, and hit the glass with Stoners. If I have more time I top the exterior off with spray wax.

That covers me for 90% of my washes.

Today I did a full fall detail with wash, clay, klasse aio, and Collonite 476. All out in the sun, so I'm a bit cooked, but it can be done without a garage.

View attachment 65233
 
Or, you could wash as you currently do (personally, I don't feel my car is clean unless I spray it with at least, a hose, and hit it with a mitt & soap), and lay down a layer of sealant, or wax 1/4 of the car per wash.
I like sealant and waxes. I've come to think they protect better at bird poop etching than a thin spray wax, or thin spray sealant.
Once, it's sealed, or waxed. It should dry quicker.
If you do go the rinseless method, Optimum makes a spray sealant that also avts to dey the car quicker as you use it. For get what it's called though.
 
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