some detailing questions

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ballfan4141

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when you detail a car, you do the tires first before the car. when you are done with the tires do you dry them completely? and how do you go about drying the rims without streaking? the lug nuts brush that is sold on the site, does it streak or strach rims?
 
I clean the rims, tires and wheel wells first but I don't bother drying until last. The lug nut brush will not scratch your rims.
 
Dubbin1 said:
I clean the rims, tires and wheel wells first but I don't bother drying until last. The lug nut brush will not scratch your rims.
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That's how I approach washing a car. Wash wheels and tires and wheel wells if you're getting that deep.

After that as you wash the rest of the car it's easy to give the wheels and tires a spray of water to keep them wet till you're finally done and ready to wipe all of the car dry.


I'm probably a little more D.O. than most on "some" cars in that after wheels and tires I'll wash the lowest portions of the car to remove the bulk of the grimy dirt and then start at the top and work down.

The reason for this is because if the car is fairly dirty, the lower sections will have the most collected dirt and if I remove this dirt first then I reduce the potential for ever accidentally washing this area with a mitt I'm going to use on the upper panels.

It does require using a different mitt, sponge or brush because you wouldn't want to wash the upper panels with the same mitt, sponge or brush that you use on the lower panels if the car in question has a nice finish to start with.

Kind of D.O. but that's how I do it...


:)
 
I wash the wheels first too, with a separate dedicated bucket and mitt then for the rest of the car. Then I finish the tires last, dry with an old terry towel before applying tire gel.
 
I wash wheels last. I end up washing/drying paint then deal with the wheels so I can use the same soap as the paint. I will occasionally get little water on the paint but a simple matter to wipe off.

I have tried it the other way but seems to slow me down since the wash water can get dirty and I like to use fresh soap on paint (2 bucket method). If you use just a spray on wheel/tire cleaner and not use the bucket, I can see doing it first. I will alternate just to see if something works better.

You just need to find what works for you.
 
Bunky said:
I have tried it the other way but seems to slow me down since the wash water can get dirty and I like to use fresh soap on paint (2 bucket method).
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Using a separate bucket solves that one! :xyxthumbs:
I use a smaller bucket w/ only a little soap to stay "conservative" :laughing:
 
A4 1.8tqm said:
Using a separate bucket solves that one! :xyxthumbs:
I use a smaller bucket w/ only a little soap to stay "conservative" :laughing:
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I have tried that too. I had some cheap soap that I used but like I said it just seemed like an extra step (more soap, more water). The good news either process works.
 
Bunky said:
I wash wheels last. I end up washing/drying paint then deal with the wheels so I can use the same soap as the paint. I will occasionally get little water on the paint but a simple matter to wipe off.

I have tried it the other way but seems to slow me down since the wash water can get dirty and I like to use fresh soap on paint (2 bucket method). If you use just a spray on wheel/tire cleaner and not use the bucket, I can see doing it first. I will alternate just to see if something works better.

You just need to find what works for you.
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Exactly my sentiments, I always do wheels last for most cars except for cars where the wheels are heavily soiled. Then I dedicate a seperate step for them. I too use the leftover soapy water from the washing stage for wheels as I feel it wastes less product and deletes an additional step in the process.
 
Would this also be a good idea?

Using a diluted APC and putting it in spray bottle and just spray the wheel, tires, and wheel wells let it do its job while you wash the car then just scrub and rinse as whole?

Sounds better then washing the whole car first then going to wheels and use car soap which might take a little bit longer to get the tougher dirt off the wheels. Saves a bit of time I suppose
 
I do wheels, tires first as well. Scrub them and get them clean, then use a tire foam on the tires and wheel wells.

Let that settle for a bit, then wash the whole car. Prevents overspray on the paint and helps get a little deeper clean on the wheels and a little shine in the wheel wells.

Then after the wash and dry, I apply my tire dressing of choice to the tires. Seems to work really well for me.
 
I wash the wheels/tires/wheel wells first with a dedicated bucket, then I wash the car making sure to keep the wheels wet to prevent water spots.

Pull the car in and dry the rims and wipe down the tire sidewalls. I always save applying tire shine for last because it's like the icing on the cake after a nice wash. :xyxthumbs:
 
I wash the wheels/tires/wheel wells last. As I use ONR, I don't worry about keeping them wet, etc. This method allows me to use the ONR mix when its at its dirtiest (I would get a clean ONR solution if needed).
 
anyone use the same cleaner they use when they wash the car on the trim?
 
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