How do you wash your Stinger?

[voon]

There's power wash and there's power wash. Many power lances (also on the karchers at home), depending on water flow rates, produce more of a water steam than hard killer rays ... I can safely hold my hand into them at the distance I have a car as well at. That shouldn't do too much harm, unless your throwing pebbles in dirt across your paint with it. Of course, if you mount the dirt killer lance at home on a powerful kraenzle or similar machine, producing a single thin rotating water beam that will really hurt when it hits your foot ..... that's not the thing to use on cars

The salt issue may be more of a thing for undercarriage than paint. While it does wash the belows, you also push some salt a bit deeper into the crevices and hidden areas. That's where a proper undercarriage coating comes into play.

 

[AV8R]

There's power wash and there's power wash. Many power lances (also on the karchers at home), depending on water flow rates, produce more of a water steam than hard killer rays ... I can safely hold my hand into them at the distance I have a car as well at. That shouldn't do too much harm, unless your throwing pebbles in dirt across your paint with it. Of course, if you mount the dirt killer lance at home on a powerful kraenzle or simialr machine, producing a single thin rotating water beam that will really hurt when it hits your foot ..... that's not the thing to use on cars

The salt issue may be more of a thing for undercarriage than paint. While tit does wash the belows, you also push some salt a bit deeper into the crevices and hidden areas. That's where a proper undercarriage coating come sinto play.

You may want to check spelling second last line and last line of your post lol.

 

[voon]

Lel .. ah man I hit edit a few times, but then lost it all when I accidentally hit the send button of the reply field below, losign all the edit till I have up with my hand issues/pain syndrome

 

[StingerGT68]

Get it cermic costed and you won’t have to wash it. Ever. Maybe a wipe off every once in a while but that’s it.

Really? How good does ceramic look? Can you tell something has been done to the paint?

 

[voon]

I follow detailing intensely since 15 years now with a million products at home, and I can say this: Nothing I ever saw, not even pro coatings, will keep a car dirt free. Less? Yes. Washed away superficially on a rainy highway trip? Yup. Completely free of traffic film (visible moslty on white cars). Nope .. never. Neither will you be totally free of brake dust and similar hard stickers.

Good coatings last very long, provide good gloss and make washing very easy. But nothing on the market to my experience will ever keep anything completely free of dirt, there's nothing that has that kind of zero friction.

Also, a lot of the 1000$ for the coating are in the work .. properly done, this takes a good while (clean, chem prep, polish scratches etc). Which is why you can do it yourself for a few dozen dollars. There's good coatings out there, and applying them is really easy (ONE thing to really remember: Buff off within asked times and do not leave residue harden out ).

 

[StingerGT68]

I follow detailing intensely since 15 years now with a million products at home, and I can say this: Nothing I ever saw, not even pro coatings, will keep a car dirt free. Less? Yes. Washed away superficially on a rainy highway trip? Yup. Completely free of traffic film (visible moslty on white cars). Nope .. never. Neither will you be totally free of brake dust and similar hard stickers.

Good coatings last very long, provide good gloss and make washing very easy. But nothing on the market to my experience will ever keep anything completely free of dirt, there's nothing that has that kind of zero friction.

Also, a lot of the 1000$ for the coating are in the work .. properly done, this takes a good while (clean, chem prep, polish scratches etc). Which is why you can do it yourself for a few dozen dollars. There's good coatings out there, and applying them is really easy (ONE thing to really remember: Buff off within asked times and do not leave residue harden out ).

Thanks for the info. I may look into this ceramic coating, even for the fact that it'll make washing the car that much easier. Are regular car washes "safe" if the car has a ceramic coating then? Like no swirl marks? Or should those traditional car washes still be avoided?

 

[voon]

Ceramic coatings (compared to older "nano" coatings) with thei SiO content will quite probably avoid a few swirl marks due to the hardness. But even they are a mere few nanometer thick and won't repel anything like a stone chip etc. So brushing your car hard with dirt/sand loaded brushes from the other cars passing in an automated car wash? I doubt this will leave your car swirlfree, even with ceracoats.

I only do handwash to all my cars. It will also reach all corners, which no automated wash will and is done fast enough.

PS: All pressure lances wont remove traffic film.

 

[StingerGT68]

Ceramic coatings (compared to older "nano" coatings) with thei SiO content will quite probably avoid a few swirl marks due to the hardness. But even they are a mere few nanometer thick and won't repel anything like a stone chip etc. So brushing your car hard with dirt/sand loaded brushes from the other cars passing in an automated car wash? I doubt this will leave your car swirlfree, even with ceracoats.

I only do handwash to all my cars. It will also reach all corners, which no automated wash will and is done fast enough.

PS: All pressure lances wont remove traffic film.

Looks like I'm stuck with hand washing and fancy "touchless washes" then, even with the ceracoat. I may try this next week...a steam car wash: Rated #1 Car Wash in Clifton, NJ - Yelp

 

[voon]

Just steam is something new to me The idea is simple with washing: What can scracth your car, must not slide over your car. Waterfree shampoos etc depend on the cloth taking up the grit AND keeping it in the back .. water is usually, what lets drit flow away (which also is why superthick snowfoam that doesn't move is a load of bull but people are in awe. It has to be around a while, though ,and not rip apart to soften up things ).

I don't trust anything, that doesnt wash away sand corns much. Fluffy, thich MF cloth can of course grab stuff and keep in itside, but you still might get one or two on the surface of the cloth.

 

[Kazz]

Coatings and paint protection products are there to help the paint not get damaged. That's all. As a side benefity, the usually help keep the grime from sticking as easily, as well as making it easier to come off with little effort.

The advice from my professional is to use a brushless wash - home or commercial - and use a spray detailer product with the proper microfiber cloths to remove any grime that may remain with very gentle effort.

 

[StingerGT68]

Coatings and paint protection products are there to help the paint not get damaged. That's all. As a side benefity, the usually help keep the grime from sticking as easily, as well as making it easier to come off with little effort.

The advice from my professional is to use a brushless wash - home or commercial - and use a spray detailer product with the proper microfiber cloths to remove any grime that may remain with very gentle effort.

From what I've been reading, though, is that ceramic coatings don't really prevent swirl marks, paint chips, etc. It's really just a durable wax.

 

[Clearly Canadian]

It's so frustrating living up north in the winter. FINALLY had a day remotely close to freezing (instead of super cold) so I washed my car (in a heated wand wash type garage -- not doing bucket wash in my unheated garage!)

Drove like a grannie to work, ignoring the M5 buzzing me and everything. Got to work, can't even tell I washed it.

 

[Kia Stinger]

It's so frustrating living up north in the winter. FINALLY had a day remotely close to freezing (instead of super cold) so I washed my car (in a heated wand wash type garage -- not doing bucket wash in my unheated garage!)

Drove like a grannie to work, ignoring the M5 buzzing me and everything. Got to work, can't even tell I washed it.

It's extremely difficult keeping our cars clean here in south Florida as well. There are always sprinklers running coming in and out of communities. This means there's always water in the streets. It's aggravating...

 

[westcoastGT]

It's extremely difficult keeping our cars clean here in south Florida as well. There are always sprinklers running coming in and out of communities. This means there's always water in the streets. It's aggravating...

Dude .............really ?..........water ? ..............OMG .................you need a few winter weeks in Canada you poor thing !! water ..............geeezuuzzzz !! snow , hail , sleet , gravel , sand , rocks , ice and new Canadian drivers that have never seen snow ( let alone ever owned a car ) ..............not for the feint of heart ................or you could come to Vancouver and plant a palm tree ! bawaaaaaaa

 

[Clearly Canadian]

Dude .............really ?..........water ? ..............OMG .................you need a few winter weeks in Canada you poor thing !! water ..............geeezuuzzzz !! snow , hail , sleet , gravel , sand , rocks , ice and new Canadian drivers that have never seen snow ( let alone ever owned a car ) ..............not for the feint of heart ................or you could come to Vancouver and plant a palm tree ! bawaaaaaaa

Honestly, for half of the year you might as well drive a beater.

 

[StingerGT68]

It's so frustrating living up north in the winter. FINALLY had a day remotely close to freezing (instead of super cold) so I washed my car (in a heated wand wash type garage -- not doing bucket wash in my unheated garage!)

Drove like a grannie to work, ignoring the M5 buzzing me and everything. Got to work, can't even tell I washed it.

So would something like a ceramic coating help with that? I know it's not a fix for dirty cars but maybe it would repel at least some of the water coming off the road?

 

[westcoastGT]

So would something like a ceramic coating help with that? I know it's not a fix for dirty cars but maybe it would repel at least some of the water coming off the road?

Its very good for keeping the paint surface "slippery" attracting less dirt and makes it easier to clean

 

[TB 00]

Took mine through the carwash today...was supposed to drive through the 'touchless bay' instead wasn't thinking and drove through the 'brush' one...oh well...at least it's clean and still looks good.

 

[Tazztattoo]

I've put together this DIY detailing guide with a lot of advice from people on this forum to help those both with or without ceramic coatings to their vehicle:

 

[BIGRED]

Dude .............really ?..........water ? ..............OMG .................you need a few winter weeks in Canada you poor thing !! water ..............geeezuuzzzz !! snow , hail , sleet , gravel , sand , rocks , ice and new Canadian drivers that have never seen snow ( let alone ever owned a car ) ..............not for the feint of heart ................or you could come to Vancouver and plant a palm tree ! bawaaaaaaa

Don’t forget the potholes!