[2000Z3M]

i have covered parking.

right now i take my car to a local car wash and pay them to hand wash but i want to start washing it myself and doing it right.

we have a car wash station that is covered and they have a garden hose.

what can i use to clean my car for parking out side

[rolltidef32]

Originally Posted by 2000Z3M

i have covered parking.

right now i take my car to a local car wash and pay them to hand wash but i want to start washing it myself and doing it right.

we have a car wash station that is covered and they have a garden hose.

what can i use to clean my car for parking out side

Use any decent car shampoo. Adams is about the best there is for all around good.

Sounds like you need to perform a full paint correction. (Do a search on the forum for details and estimated costs).

Even short of that, you can wash your car with two buckets and two gallons of water. Look up Optimum No Rinse. They even have one with wax.

Purchase some quality microfiber towels and some microfiber cleaner/detergent for the laundry.

Grab some quality wheel cleaner also.

Companies like Chemical Guys, Griots, Adams, and Optimum should each become very familiar to you.

Use either Amazon or Autogeek.net to purchase the quality stuff. Stay out of auto zone, Wal Mart and other such filth. Those are places for the guy in the Corolla.

[Dan Bilzerian]

I suggest http://www.theragcompany.com/ for towels and what not

[badbread]

If you use Amazon, find a product you like to use and buy in bulk using Subscribe & Save. You can save yourself a ton of money on product. I wrote a little article on my site about it, check my sig for the link.

[walkertexasranger]

+1 on Optimum No Rinse / two bucket method. It's my favorite way to wash (without buying pressure washer/foam cannon/leaf blower.) Minimizes the number of passes on each panel and thus the number of swirls.

[tnsguypat]

+1 Optimum No Rinse. I would get the No Rinse Wash and Wax to apply a bit of protection to your paint after the wash. It is so easy to use this product. I have one bucket full of about 10 quality microfiber towels and then fill the bucket with water. About 3/4 full. Add 1.5-2 ounces of Optimum No Rinse Wash and Wax to the water and mix. Then all you need to do is gently wipe each panel down with the wet towels consistently switching to a fresh and clean section of the towel after a few passes. You should need to use about 10 towels if you are switching the towels often enough. Make sure you have a clean drying towel as well. A waffle weave microfiber works well to dry but my personal favorite is the PFM towels from Griots Garage. Soaks up water the best and is simply the best towel I have ever used for any purpose on the car. Great drying towels as well. Thats it, wash a panel, dry the panel. Repeat until the car is clean. You can even wash the wheels this way but make sure you do them last and use crappy old towels to clean the wheels. Don't ruin nice towels on dirty wheels. I would apply a good wax or preferably a sealant to the paint once the car is clean. Considering you are leaving the car outside it will help protect the paint from the sun as well as dirt and contaminants. It will make your paint slippery and waterproof as well. There are many similar products to the ones mentioned. Personal favorites are Optimum No Rinse Wash and Wax and Griot's Garage PFM towels. I use Griot's Garage paint sealant as well. You will never need a hose again. Unless you go mudding then you need a hose haha. Good luck. PM me if you want more details on cleaning or any other car care questions. I do this for a living.

[mbfanos]

Originally Posted by tnsguypat

+1 Optimum No Rinse. I would get the No Rinse Wash and Wax to apply a bit of protection to your paint after the wash. It is so easy to use this product. I have one bucket full of about 10 quality microfiber towels and then fill the bucket with water. About 3/4 full. Add 1.5-2 ounces of Optimum No Rinse Wash and Wax to the water and mix. Then all you need to do is gently wipe each panel down with the wet towels consistently switching to a fresh and clean section of the towel after a few passes. You should need to use about 10 towels if you are switching the towels often enough. Make sure you have a clean drying towel as well. A waffle weave microfiber works well to dry but my personal favorite is the PFM towels from Griots Garage. Soaks up water the best and is simply the best towel I have ever used for any purpose on the car. Great drying towels as well. Thats it, wash a panel, dry the panel. Repeat until the car is clean. You can even wash the wheels this way but make sure you do them last and use crappy old towels to clean the wheels. Don't ruin nice towels on dirty wheels. I would apply a good wax or preferably a sealant to the paint once the car is clean. Considering you are leaving the car outside it will help protect the paint from the sun as well as dirt and contaminants. It will make your paint slippery and waterproof as well. There are many similar products to the ones mentioned. Personal favorites are Optimum No Rinse Wash and Wax and Griot's Garage PFM towels. I use Griot's Garage paint sealant as well. You will never need a hose again. Unless you go mudding then you need a hose haha. Good luck. PM me if you want more details on cleaning or any other car care questions. I do this for a living.

Spot on!
I usually do one more step. I mix ONR Wash and Wax in a 2L spray bottle as spray detailer. Before I wash any panel, I spray this and let it sit for about 1 minute to let the dirt release from the panel. Then I wash panel by panel just like you

[2000Z3M]

thank you for the pointers. i have been using optimum no rinse and it works great.