Carwash - where do you guys go to?

[Guest stealth123]

Hey folks,

Would like to do a little survey.... Where do you guys go for car wash service?

Apparently - heard that car must be washed weekly to maintain the "smoothness"... advice from the detailing center.

Used to send it to wash services at the petrol kiosk... but there, one cloth is used to wash from top to bottom kind... resulting in some scratch marks..

Can share your experiences / good contacts?

[Guest Sareve]

The Shell near my house along dunearn road.

[Guest redhood]

I wash it myself. Thining of getting a Karcher to do it but worries the power is too strong. If ur car kena a lotnof tree sap n bird shit, u must clean them off or wash the car as soon as possible. Otherwise, it'll eat into the lacquer of ur body work.

[Guest OKL]

For me, got a professional to groom the car. Since its a new car, don't need polish.

After which, I use only water to wash the car every day or whenever it is dirty.

Waxing can be difficult, but washing is not. I believe no 1 can wash the car cleaner than yourself.

[Guest Andlee]

For me, got a professional to groom the car. Since its a new car, don't need polish.

After which, I use only water to wash the car every day or whenever it is dirty.

Waxing can be difficult, but washing is not. I believe no 1 can wash the car cleaner than yourself.

Ur maid bro..hahaha

[Guest ACSLK]

my car is sent for grooming every 2 months............and normally i will wash it myself...........

not easy to maintain it especially if your car is BLACK...........

:clap:

[Guest OKL]

For me, got a professional to groom the car. Since its a new car, don't need polish.

After which, I use only water to wash the car every day or whenever it is dirty.

Waxing can be difficult, but washing is not. I believe no 1 can wash the car cleaner than yourself.

Ur maid bro..hahaha

Errr ya..my maid..and me. Thanks for pua my kang tao.. :whip2:

Still no 1 can wash the cleaner than yourself.

[Guest toycarz]

I have no maid wor, so contracting ah neh to wash for me :clap:

Yup, noone will wash better than yourself That is on the assumption your bones are not as lazy as mine

[Guest funng]

sisters & bros, if you all don't mind petrol kisok washes, there's one on telok blangah road (near the old pasir panjang ITE), SPC. its a MINDS wash (charity, sort of). $6 for a hardworking wash by the MINDS workers. been to it twice cause needed a wash but no time. i like the service and puts my mind at ease knowing doing something for charity.

beats a $5 bangah/mainlander wash for sure.

[Guest ladyseals80]

tried the MINDS carwash before... those kids are under supervision so can rest assure they wun spoil your car.

only setback is you must have lots of patience while they do your car... and of coz dun expect too much from a $6 car wash... juz go for charity sake...

[Guest redhood]

A detailer told me once that it is not a good idea to wash car with just water as there are a lot of contaminants that are stuck on the paint surface that are not loosened if u do not use shampoo. Washing action may lead to many micro-scratches. Better to shampoo or not wash at all.

Dunno if it is true but I have since abided by this advice.

[Guest stealth123]

when I got my first car way back ... I remember trying to wash it myself.. Did that every saturday evening,.... fight for one of the two washing bays with my neighbours.. quickly drive my car there - and spend 2 hours washing and vacuuming.

It has been many years since - I have gotten lazy ... and these days fully leverage the youthfulness of others. *LOL* a.k.a. car wash at the petrol stations.

But now... with all your input... I am once again inspired to relive my youth... (and also think that the SLK is now a smaller car than my previous one)... I shall try to do self-wash.

As the saying goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - hope I succeed in convincing myself to pick up the sponge this saturday evening...

[g8crasher]

A detailer told me once that it is not a good idea to wash car with just water as there are a lot of contaminants that are stuck on the paint surface that are not loosened if u do not use shampoo. Washing action may lead to many micro-scratches. Better to shampoo or not wash at all.

Dunno if it is true but I have since abided by this advice.

My dad in laws W203 is testament to this. He has a habit of hosing the car down with water w/o wiping it dry. The watermarks accumulated over 4 years were almost impossible to get rid of. The rear windshield is just horrid to see at night because of the marks. Don't even get me started on the paintwork.

[Guest OKL]

Definitely need professional to minimize water marks, swirl mark to maintain your precious ride. Even if you use shampoo everyday, without polishing all the whatever marks also come out.

I use water after professional groom my car as it will maintain the glossy and smoothness. I have successfully maintained my previous w203 for 7 years with no problems. Furthermore mine is a white car.

Just my input. Of cos, to each his own. :thumbsup:

[Guest sociex]

The PI I bought my car from said they would throw in "paint protection", which is apparently some kind of coat that is supposed to last for a year before re-application is needed. I usually just hose down my car and wipe it clean with a chamois cloth. It's a labor of love I guess.

Anyone tried these:

http://www.maxpolish.com.sg

http://www.unique1995.com.sg/CSii/index.html

[Guest pongster]

I agreed with most. Best way to keep the swirl marks away is to DIY. hardwork but that's the best way. Petrol Kiosk carwash are good but scratches and swirl marks are gonna be there sooner or later because of the powerful jet they uses (not good for your paint), clothes (one and only use for all the cars), passion (do you think that those workers got the sim to do your car like their own).

But there are 2 places which i can recommend; one along race course road (I forgot the name) they do carwash and grooming. Another one @Tradehub21 Essential Zone #01-62. Look for Alec (98804255), he is really someone who has lots of passion for cars. Anyway, his company is posted in Torque magazine.

N.B. I am not involve in Alec business...

For the best results and savings, still DIY :punk1:

[Guest maxpolish]

Hi everyone,

Gabriel here xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. I started xxx xxxxxx together with my army mate Max and we have more than 10 years of car grooming experience between us. We also attended courses held by xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx to keep ourselves current.

I saw from my web traffic analyzer today that someone has posted up our link (I didn't pay him/her to do it!) and some members have already visited our site. So here I am!

Read this thread on car wash and decide to give my 2 cents worth on how to do a first class DIY car wash.

- Lift up your wipers (so it doesn't accumulate water during the wash. This makes drying the car easier later)

- Hose down your car with a gentle spray to wash away loose surface contaminants (jet spray will cause surface contaminants to 'sand blast' your car whereas too soft a spray can't wash the dirt off. Moderation is the word). Start from the top, then one section at a time (wind screen, bonnet, front left fender, front left rims so on and forth) so you don't miss any parts

- Mix car shampoo per instructions with a pail of water

- Optional: Spray some degreaser onto your rims and let it sit while you...

- soap down the car with a piece of soft foam starting from the roof (we prefer to use microfibre hand wash mitt as we think its gentler on the paintwork) Don't scrub too hard against the surface. Again wash one section at a time (try to go the same order per your hosing so it becomes routine and don't miss any parts)

- Scrub the rims, paying special corners to the ridges and edges of the rim spokes as thats where all the brake dust/ general road grime accumulate

- Rinse off the car

- Optional but recommended at least once every 3-6 months: Clay the car to remove micro particles stuck to your paintwork that are irremovable by mere washing. Rinse off the car again

- Dry with soft chamosis (only the car body!), starting from the roof again and working down one section at a time per your routine.

- Thoroughly dry off areas that collect water like your door sills and boot sills (with a second small piece of chamosis)

- Dry the rims and tyres (with a piece of rag)

Stress that its VERY important to keep the main piece of chamosis as clean as possible and use it to dry only clean areas, as the main cause of swirl marks is the rubbing of surface contaminants against paintwork during washing and drying process.

Simple things to note to avoid swirl marks is

i) gentle scrubbing during washing process

ii) ensure surface is very very clean before drying off (here where's claying does its magic)

iii) use a clean chamosis to dry the car (one main reason for scratches during car wash is they use the same cloth to dry the door sill, which is usually dirty and the dirt goes onto the cloth. They then use the same cloth to continue drying your car, and the next car and the next...)

That's it! I'll be glad to answer any questions if you guys have any for me.

Rgds,

Gabriel

Sorry for the edit as to protect our site sponsor in the same trade.

[Guest Kiske]

i get mine car washed @ zaino first auto .. twice every mth, and other times i DIY

[Guest OKL]

SLK cannot lift up wipers entirely to wash. U can only lift up little bit n wash n wipe.

If u think like normal car can lift up high high put there n wash...good luck. You will scratch!

So have to be careful when u visit car wash. :death:

[Guest maxpolish]

SLK cannot lift up wipers entirely to wash. U can only lift up little bit n wash n wipe.

If u think like normal car can lift up high high put there n wash...good luck. You will scratch!

So have to be careful when u visit car wash. :death:

hi OKL, good point. I am referring to most cars

And I am sure most car groomers including ourselves have the common sense and experience to not use brute force on any particular car component.

[Guest OKL]

SLK cannot lift up wipers entirely to wash. U can only lift up little bit n wash n wipe.

If u think like normal car can lift up high high put there n wash...good luck. You will scratch!

So have to be careful when u visit car wash. :death:

hi OKL, good point. I am referring to most cars

And I am sure most car groomers including ourselves have the common sense and experience to not use brute force on any particular car component.

Yeah definitely. You guys are the pros :thumbsup:..but u never know those bangalas who work at the carwash.. :death:

[Guest Kompressor]

Hi All

Just my 2 cents worth of suggestion

Never allow any grooming centre to use machine with high speed spinning and cheap material on your car, it look nice when you collect your car because the shine cover up the swirl mark but after 2 wash you see all the swirl mark.

I dont believe there is such thing as paint protection for 6 month or 1 years, i tried before many expensive product from various grooming centre claim this & that. At the end any water mark appear they say you must have wash with detergent la, maid la, under the sun too ofetn la bla bla bla bla all source of excuses.

The best way is groom your car frequently, as frequent as once every 3 month and need no special treatment for car wash. Just car shampoo and rinse.

If i have to pay so much $$$ for special product and spent so much time carefully wash my car, i think the product is not up to its value.

Mine is a black car and spent at least 9 hour a day under the sun & rain, i groom with good sealant it once every 2 month and is well protected over water mark and watery shine even after no special care for washing. Just car shampoo and rinse.

You need to build layer and layer of wax & sealant on your car to protect from paint damage.

Those who knows me here, i am a very very fussy owner.

[Guest pongster]

Hi everyone,

Gabriel here xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. I started xxx xxxxxx together with my army mate Max and we have more than 10 years of car grooming experience between us. We also attended courses held by xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx to keep ourselves current.

I saw from my web traffic analyzer today that someone has posted up our link (I didn't pay him/her to do it!) and some members have already visited our site. So here I am!

Read this thread on car wash and decide to give my 2 cents worth on how to do a first class DIY car wash.

- Lift up your wipers (so it doesn't accumulate water during the wash. This makes drying the car easier later)

- Hose down your car with a gentle spray to wash away loose surface contaminants (jet spray will cause surface contaminants to 'sand blast' your car whereas too soft a spray can't wash the dirt off. Moderation is the word). Start from the top, then one section at a time (wind screen, bonnet, front left fender, front left rims so on and forth) so you don't miss any parts

- Mix car shampoo per instructions with a pail of water

- Optional: Spray some degreaser onto your rims and let it sit while you...

- soap down the car with a piece of soft foam starting from the roof (we prefer to use microfibre hand wash mitt as we think its gentler on the paintwork) Don't scrub too hard against the surface. Again wash one section at a time (try to go the same order per your hosing so it becomes routine and don't miss any parts)

- Scrub the rims, paying special corners to the ridges and edges of the rim spokes as thats where all the brake dust/ general road grime accumulate

- Rinse off the car

- Optional but recommended at least once every 3-6 months: Clay the car to remove micro particles stuck to your paintwork that are irremovable by mere washing. Rinse off the car again

- Dry with soft chamosis (only the car body!), starting from the roof again and working down one section at a time per your routine.

- Thoroughly dry off areas that collect water like your door sills and boot sills (with a second small piece of chamosis)

- Dry the rims and tyres (with a piece of rag)

Stress that its VERY important to keep the main piece of chamosis as clean as possible and use it to dry only clean areas, as the main cause of swirl marks is the rubbing of surface contaminants against paintwork during washing and drying process.

Simple things to note to avoid swirl marks is

i) gentle scrubbing during washing process

ii) ensure surface is very very clean before drying off (here where's claying does its magic)

iii) use a clean chamosis to dry the car (one main reason for scratches during car wash is they use the same cloth to dry the door sill, which is usually dirty and the dirt goes onto the cloth. They then use the same cloth to continue drying your car, and the next car and the next...)

That's it! I'll be glad to answer any questions if you guys have any for me.

Rgds,

Gabriel

Sorry for the edit as to protect our site sponsor in the same trade.

Cheers dude! thanks for the advice!

[Guest stealth123]

Sorry for the edit as to protect our site sponsor in the same trade.

:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P

mods.. post can edit... *LOL* but user name still very telling wor.. *LOL*