Interior Exterior
Q:
When you wash your car on a sunny day and dry it with
a soft, old T-shirt, you may think you're lovingly protecting
the surface, but you could actually be harming it. Mike
Pennington, director of training for Meguiar's, a leading
surface care company based in Irvine, Ca., has created a
list of important "don'ts" that could change the way you
care for your vehicle.
1. Don't wash your car in the sun. The heat from the sun
bakes soap suds into your car's surface during washing and
leaves harmful swirl marks in the paint.
2. Don't use dishwashing detergent to wash your car.
Common detergents are formulated to strip everything off
the surface, leaving it squeaky clean but with no protection.
For best results, use a pH-balanced car wash product with
conditioners specifically formulated to enhance the appear-
ance and protection of auto paint finishes.
3. Don't only use one bucket. If you use only one bucket,
you transfer dirt back onto the car every time you dunk your
towel or wash mitt into that dirty water. By using two buckets
-preferably with a grit guard in each to trap loose dirt
particles in the bottom-you can rinse the towel in the dirty
bucket first and then dip it in clean, soapy water to avoid this
problem.
4. Don't use old T-shirts or diapers to dry the car. When small
particulates are trapped between a smooth cloth and the
smoothness of the paint, they skid across the finish causing
the very scratches you are trying to avoid.
5. Don't use one big layer of wax. One big layer only wastes
wax products and can often result in excess remains on the
car's surface which can ultimately be counter effective. For
peak protection, use two uniform layers of wax, one as a
primer and one as a finish.
A:
You can use certain dish soaps to wash you car if you want to remove existing wax and strip the surface down to clear, but for only this purpose. Damaging your paint goes way beyond that "list".
~anxiety
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4. Don't use old ... diapers to dry the car.
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Hehehe. I think there are far worse things I can do to my car than doing those washing mistakes.
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6. Don't use your car
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I am actually a bit surprised by the no diaper statement. Most professional car prep people in the automotive industry use cloth diapers (w/o the poop) to dry cars for photo shoots/commercials/etc., they work best for drying the cars and not leaving streaks. I use diapers all the time.
So what are you supposed to use? I can't think of anything short of blow drying that would not have the same issue of particles getting trapped.
Additionally, the paint is probably subject to more abuse from just driving it
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7 dirve it 150mph into a brick wall with a baby puppy attached to the nose.
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diapers are excellent for removing zaino residue.
If you're guilty of any of the above, zaino lots, and zaino often.
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best product i have ever used to dyr a car is avaiable at autozone and checker. its call "the absorber". way better than chamois, it leave no lint, and no streaks. i highly recommend it.
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6. Don't use your car
7. Seal in a zip lock and vaccum air out.
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7 dirve it 150mph into a brick wall with a baby puppy attached to the nose.
That should be number 1. the baby puppy would make one hell of a mess.
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So what are you supposed to use? I can't think of anything short of blow drying that would not have the same issue of particles getting trapped.
I think a gently hand with a microfiber cloth is ideal. They're incredibly soft, and provide some microscopic crevices for the particles to tuck into.
A:
I have a list of 5 more worst things you can do to your car:
1. Dousing it in gasoline and lighting it on fire
2. Locking the accelerator down in 2nd gear pointed toward a 200' cliff and jumping out a handfull of meters before the edge
3. Removing all of your lugs while stopped on a straightaway, then accelerating to 80 mph and attempting to corner a sharp curve.
4. Draining all of your engine and transmission oil and driving to the autoparts store in the nearest adjacent state to get more.
5. Leaving the title and keys in the glove box with your car in the parking lot of a titty bar when you travel abroad (those damn airport parking fees are too costly!)
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Fail to change the oil according to the manufacturer's recommended interval.
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I have found dirty diapers leave more residue than the clean ones.
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Have found those inexpensive imitation chamois
cloths are fabulous for drying the car. They last
a long time, leave no lint, absorb water well, and
when you're through, all you do is wring it as dry
as possible then roll it up and put it back in its
plastic cannister until the next time you wash your
car. Washing it is simple. Add a bit of 'car' detergent
to some water and hand wash it in the sink. Then
just rinse it repeatedly with clean water, wring it as
dry as possible, then put it in the cannister. P.S. - I've
never purchased those pink 'super-absorbent' ones they
sell at the NY Car Show each year but I would think that
they absorb even more than my 'cheapie' one.