The Aggressive Approach to Washing a Car

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I've never used Iron X but think I'm going to add it to my next order,

when using it do you rinse after spraying the iron x or do you apply Iron X and then use the foam gun followed up my a rinse?

To your question..... and keep in mind my method is NOT in keeping with the official recommendations so use at your own risk,

BECAUSE any car I do this to either for my class or when I'm personally detailing a car is going to be thoroughly machine buffed and usually machine compounded, what I do is,

Wash and rinse wheels and tires first. (I always do wheels and tires first)
Spray dry car down with Iron X
After soaking for a few minutes - foam car with foam gun and wash with wash mitt.
Rinse --> THOROUGHLY
Foam car a second time. This time the foam is the lubricant for the next step.
Mechanically decontaminate using either a Pinnacle Clay Mitt, Griot's Garage Surface Prep Mitt, Nanoskin Autoscrub Mitt or Towel
Rinse again
Dry


Look at the above... now that's a recipe for getting a neglected car surgically clean and ready for major detailing session.

(I think I covered all of the above in the articles that is this thread?)

 

[Skimmer0220]

To your question..... and keep in mind my method is NOT in keeping with the official recommendations so use at your own risk,

BECAUSE any car I do this to either for my class or when I'm personally detailing a car is going to be thoroughly machine buffed and usually machine compounded, what I do is,

Wash and rinse wheels and tires first. (I always do wheels and tires first)
Spray dry car down with Iron X
After soaking for a few minutes - foam car with foam gun and wash with wash mitt.
Rinse --> THOROUGHLY
Foam car a second time. This time the foam is the lubricant for the next step.
Mechanically decontaminate using either a Pinnacle Clay Mitt, Griot's Garage Surface Prep Mitt, Nanoskin Autoscrub Mitt or Towel
Rinse again
Dry


Look at the above... now that's a recipe for getting a neglected car surgically clean and ready for major detailing session.

(I think I covered all of the above in the articles that is this thread?)

Gotcha, I believe those steps were covered, just didn't know if there was a rince in between

 

[Avgguy]

To your question..... and keep in mind my method is NOT in keeping with the official recommendations so use at your own risk,

BECAUSE any car I do this to either for my class or when I'm personally detailing a car is going to be thoroughly machine buffed and usually machine compounded, what I do is,

Wash and rinse wheels and tires first. (I always do wheels and tires first)
Spray dry car down with Iron X
After soaking for a few minutes - foam car with foam gun and wash with wash mitt.
Rinse --> THOROUGHLY
Foam car a second time. This time the foam is the lubricant for the next step.
Mechanically decontaminate using either a Pinnacle Clay Mitt, Griot's Garage Surface Prep Mitt, Nanoskin Autoscrub Mitt or Towel
Rinse again
Dry


Look at the above... now that's a recipe for getting a neglected car surgically clean and ready for major detailing session.

(I think I covered all of the above in the articles that is this thread?)

This thread has been ridiculously helpful on several fronts... and I only had to read it about 5-6 times to keep it all straight ! Thank you !

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

This thread has been ridiculously helpful on several fronts...

Good to hear... I'm always surprised that none of the other detailing gurus in the world ever explain simple topics like two very different ways to wash a car.

and I only had to read it about 5-6 times to keep it all straight !

Don't feel bad... I have to read my own writing a few times too so I can type it all straight...

Thank you!

You are very welcome...


:dblthumb2:

 

[fightnews]

Bob has a good point... I realize this is the "aggressive wash" approach, but I personally would be to afraid to take the wash mitts to the foamed-over-iron-x product.

What do you do with the wash mitts later? Can they be washed (washer machine) and reused on vehicles that only require a gentle wash, or are they pretty much put in a box and saved only for the "aggressive wash" projects?

I haven't used Iron-X yet... I usually just wash, dry and go to clay... So I'm not exactly sure of the work-flow and when I would use it.

Secondly I got the foam gun, and enjoy it, but I realized I now have introduced a time-consuming second step to my process. So if I use a foam-gun, I should just forgo the 2bm? At present I do both... perhaps I'm wasting time?

i know im not mike but it depends how dirty the car is, i foamed and rinsed my fathers brand new white truck a couple weeks ago and it didnt take any of the dirty road film off the car

 

[fightnews]

Yes. It's not a convienent suggestion but one that should work if you want to use Iron X to decontaminate the paint on a car and that is to locate and use a do-it-yourself car wash.


Like the one I used in this article,


Blasting Bird Bombs at the Coin-Op Car Wash!

geez where did you find a coin op that's only $1.50? the one's around here are $3.75....

 

[fightnews]

Let me see if I can answer both of your questions at the same time....



First, there was no 2 bucket method or 1 bucket method... just the foam gun. I rarely use any bucket method as the foam gun replaces the bucket or buckets....


As for my method of using Iron X



First... when teaching a class on this topic I get a neglected WHITE vehicle as the bleeding effect is the most dramatic and thus has the most impact when using neglected and contaminated white paint and that's what I'm trying to achieve in the class.... impact.

The people that attend my classes will very likely use ALL the techniques they learn for the rest of their lives because they have impact. And because they have impact they remember them....


For TV, that is for My Classic Car, I also wanted maximum impact for the TV audience, many of whom I'm guessing will have NEVER seen or heard of a product like Iron X and it's function in car detailing. Richard, the cameraman captured this and it will air next year on My Classic Car....

See Richard.... and his camera?

Then as far as spraying on the Iron X and letting it do it's thing and then foaming the car instead of rinsing off the Iron X first....

Look at the title of this thread and the concept it teaches. This is the aggressive approach to washing a car and the point of the aggressive approach is to get the car surgically clean, not be gentle.

We're going to buff the paint out so any wash induced marring is inconsequential because we're going to buff out the car.


2002 SS Camaro Extreme Makeover! - Pictures & Comments

No had we already buffed out this car then we would have used the Gentle Approach to washing a car.

Make sense?


Function over form....

what if you want to use the aggressive method but the cars in good shape and you only plan on using an ultrafine polish? would it then be wise to avoid extra marring? maybe just by rinsing the wash mitt every panel or so?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

i foamed and rinsed my fathers brand new white truck a couple weeks ago and it didn't take any of the dirty road film off the car

That's a sign the dirty road film has impacted ONTO the paint. That is it's not loose dirt. The aggressive wash approach will remove something but this is where you need to polish.


I love this article.... explains so much...

Road Film - If you drive your car in the rain your car has road film


And this article too...


Here's why you need to polish paint...

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

For anyone reading this article into the future....


I wrote this article in 10-24-2014, that's the time stamp of the first post.

Then in 2016 Yancy and I made this video and it shows, demonstrates and explains not only the aggressive approach but the gentle approach as well as waterless and Rinseless washes.



New Video - How to properly wash your car - Rinseless Wash - Waterless Wash - Gentle Approach - Aggressive Approach


This video shows 4 ways to wash a car. To my knowledge, this is the first time ever in a video that the Gentle Approach and the Aggressive Approach have been SHOWN and EXPLAINED.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

what if you want to use the aggressive method but the cars in good shape and you only plan on using an ultrafine polish?

would it then be wise to avoid extra marring?

Yes.

If a car's finish is in "good shape", which is a relative word. Then use an iron remover or a fallout remover and then rinse it off the car. Then after thoroughly washing AND thoroughly rinsing, then LIGHTLY use a Nanoskin towel or mitt to mechanically decontaminate the horizontal panels. Follow with polishing and sealing.

maybe just by rinsing the wash mitt every panel or so?

That depends on how much loose dirt is on the car. There's a huge difference between washing a car that is garage kept and hardly driven and a daily driver driven everyday and always parked outside.

 

[fightnews]

Yes.

If a car's finish is in "good shape", which is a relative word. Then use an iron remover or a fallout remover and then rinse it off the car. Then after thoroughly washing AND thoroughly rinsing, then LIGHTLY use a Nanoskin towel or mitt to mechanically decontaminate the horizontal panels. Follow with polishing and sealing.






That depends on how much loose dirt is on the car. There's a huge difference between washing a car that is garage kept and hardly driven and a daily driver driven everyday and always parked outside.

thanks mike wish i read your reply's before i did the wash lol. heres what i was going to post can you see what you think if you have time?

i just did the aggressive wash with one change. i used griots garage paint prep before the final rinse. i have a black car so its def clean but it left more swirls then i expected. i dont know if it was from the eagle one wash mitt or just because everything is totally stripped off? i know i can get it out but im going to have to use something a little stronger. i would have bought the correction cream or a swirl remover if i knew it wouod be this many swirls.

im not worried about it but i can only use what i have on hand. i have ultimate compound but i would rather not strip any more clear then i have to. just because i have no idea how thick it is and i have already compounded it in the past with m101 and a microfiber pad. what do you guys think on that i have heard that ultimate compound is actually pretty mild i would be using it with an orange correction pad from gg.


other then that on hand i have

scratchx 2.0
m205
ultimate polish
advanced finishing polish pinnacle
hd polish
wolfgang finishing 3.0

i was actually thinking of using the wolfgang or the hd stuff with a correction pad first to see how that does, then sf 3800 or the rupes ultra fine to finish...

what would you guys do?

i have a g15 being delivered today god willing i will be polishing tomorrow

 

[fightnews]

i haven't seen it look this bad, my cars flat glossy black no flake you can see a lot of swirls on the side the sun is hitting. it looks good on the other side. ill be putting it in the garage soon. any advice? i still have the m101 by the way

 

[The Guz]

Were those swirls previously removed? It could be that you are seeing marring from the clay mitt and also washing induced defects from previous washes. I agree with Mike on polishing after using this wash method as the clay alternative can marr the surface.

Test spot will give you the best results. Give M205 and polishing pad a go and adjust from there. Any of those polishes will be a good place to start. You could also use ultimate compound if you have to on a polishing pad.

 

[fightnews]

Were those swirls previously removed? It could be that you are seeing marring from the clay mitt and also washing induced defects from previous washes. I agree with Mike on polishing after using this wash method as the clay alternative can marr the surface.

Test spot will give you the best results. Give M205 and polishing pad a go and adjust from there. Any of those polishes will be a good place to start. You could also use ultimate compound if you have to on a polishing pad.

i dont know to be honest you could not see them before i washed the car. maybe a few but no where near as bad as now. the problem with the test spot is i can only see these swirls in direct sunlight and i mean direct it has to be right on them. i can't duplicate that lighting in my garage unfortunately.

ya i thought i had it pretty swirl free before i stripped it down. im just hoping i didnt go to far through the clear coat during previous polishing. i only used meguiars foam cut compound once on a microfiber finishing pad and ultimate compound on a foam pad once or twice. i just wish i would have gotten a medium cut polish or been more careful with the washing. o well im polishing tomorrow all day. today was the prep day, ill let you know how it goes.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

but it left more swirls then i expected. i dont know if it was from the eagle one wash mitt or just because everything is totally stripped off?

My guess would be the Eagle One Wash Mitt.

i know i can get it out but im going to have to use something a little stronger. i would have bought the correction cream or a swirl remover if i knew it wouod be this many swirls.

im not worried about it but i can only use what i have on hand. i have ultimate compound but i would rather not strip any more clear then i have to.


other then that on hand i have

scratchx 2.0
m205
ultimate polish
advanced finishing polish pinnacle
hd polish
wolfgang finishing 3.0

i was actually thinking of using the wolfgang or the hd stuff with a correction pad first to see how that does, then sf 3800 or the rupes ultra fine to finish...

what would you guys do?

i have a g15 being delivered today god willing i will be polishing tomorrow

I'd do like you're thinking, test one of these with a foam polishing pad,

Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish
HD Polish
Wolfgang Finishing Glaze - this is actually a fine cut polish not a glaze.


If that doesn't get the swirls out then use the Ultimate Compound or the M101. Only buff till the defects are out and then stop and move onto one of the above polishes.

 

[fightnews]

My guess would be the Eagle One Wash Mitt.






I'd do like you're thinking, test one of these with a foam polishing pad,

Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish
HD Polish
Wolfgang Finishing Glaze - this is actually a fine cut polish not a glaze.


If that doesn't get the swirls out then use the Ultimate Compound or the M101. Only buff till the defects are out and then stop and move onto one of the above polishes.

thanks mike, i actually "did it" (still doing it) with the boss correction cream they sent me with the polisher then finishing with rupes diamond gel. i only did the hood so far and it came out real good. what clay mitt do you guys use? i knew it was that i had a feeling, i had tons of lube but i could kinda tell it was from that. i was rubbing to hard i bet. im pretty strong with tools and overall im known to use to much force even at work.

what would you recommend for my front wheel well panel that has a lot of curves? i can either use the g15 with the innerflex pad or the gg6 with a 5" pad and 3.5" backing plate.u think the forced rotation is better for those curved panels?

 

[fightnews]

My guess would be the Eagle One Wash Mitt.






I'd do like you're thinking, test one of these with a foam polishing pad,

Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish
HD Polish
Wolfgang Finishing Glaze - this is actually a fine cut polish not a glaze.


If that doesn't get the swirls out then use the Ultimate Compound or the M101. Only buff till the defects are out and then stop and move onto one of the above polishes.

also just for the record its the eagle one mitt (most likely) plus swirls that ive built up over time since my last polish about 6 months ago. i noticed a dull grey look on the seams of the hood too. it was about ten degrees colder then what they recommend to use the mitt at so maybe that has something to do with it.

ill see if i can get a picture, the paint feels really rough before i polished it.. im not sure if that's normal? i never noticed it before anytime. its even hard to drag a towel across it. maybe from the ironx i hope and not a bigger problem. everyone says im going to polish the paint off it they might be right lol.

 

[fightnews]

im getting great results with the g15 and then the gg6 set up with three inch pads thanks for all the help

 

[The Guz]

One thing to note is to break a clay alternative onto the glass prior to using it on paint. Not a lot of pressure is needed when using one.

 

[fightnews]

One thing to note is to break a clay alternative onto the glass prior to using it on paint. Not a lot of pressure is needed when using one.

good point i saw mike do it to i just didnt put two and two together for the mitt. im not going to be using the cheap one again. my details going great though almost done with the polishing just giving the back a break. that griots correcting cream on the orange pad is wiping out everything it touches. im glad they sent it free with the polisher its just what i needed