Do you use a Wash Brush or Sponge on your Fiesta ST?

[lessard.dcj]

micro mitt here

 

[D1JL]

Jose.





Dave

 

[DaveSignal]

I just washed mine for the first time myself... usually I pay someone to do it. But I wanted to do it myself right in the parking lot behind my home. I got a hose, two buckets, a wash microfiber wash mitt, two synthetic leather chamois, some more microfiber cloths, autoglym shampoo, super resin polish (for a very light scratch that I took out of the front bumper... it worked great), and extra gloss protection. I decided to use mostly autoglym products after the guys who tinted my car washed the whole thing with the same products and it looked spectacular... as it did again when I did it myself. Highly recommended.

If you are going to use a sponge, try to get one that is lambswool or some kind of similar material, because it will absorb any dirt further into the sponge, preventing scratches from rubbing it back into the car. The good microfiber mitts work like this too.

 

[Sekred]

I use three sponges, one for the body, one for the sills and one for the wheels. I use two buckets, one for the wheels and sills and the other for the body. I wash the wheels separate to the body and use a sponge, brush and then a Scotch-Brite sponge on a stick to clean the insides of the rims to remove all of the brake dust. I even wash the inside of the wheel spokes.
Prior to washing the body, I will clean the sills with a separate bucket and sponge.

 

[_Hunter702]

Haha I see what you did there.

 

[Sekred]

Haha I see what you did there.

Exactly,
I also only wash in the shade and the temp must be below 31.5c, clean the left side with my right hand, the right side with my left hand, swirl the bucket water clock-wise and dip the sponge into the centre for 5 seconds.

 

[dyn085]

All joking aside, it is very easy to cause paint damage and much more difficult to remove it. Here's my hood after the car had been washed exactly one time, which was by the technicians at the dealership rushing to get the car ready and not being concerned with the paints finish-

Here's some of what I use to correct and level-

And an after shot that isn't in the same lighting-

I put a considerable amount of time and effort into leveling and correcting paint, and that's with the use of power tools. All of that would be a complete waste of time if I ran it through a touch car-wash just one single time. Not everybody wants or needs a show-finish on their car and that's fine, but if you do or if you just want your new car to look new longer then it's a good idea to learn how to do a proper two-bucket wash.

 

[MKVIIST]

Amazing results dyn085, if you don't mind me asking what buffing pad are you using?

 

[dyn085]

The majority of my pads are Lake Country CCS pads with an additional orange waffle-weave, but I'm probably going to order some Cobra pads soon.

 

[MKVIIST]

The majority of my pads are Lake Country CCS pads with an additional orange waffle-weave, but I'm probably going to order some Cobra pads soon.

Great thanks, going to have to give them a try.

 

[propergarage_ST]

I use a wool mit. paint only. powerwash prior to hand wash. dried with "the absorber" then coat of carnuba wax.

 

[D1JL]

I use Jose on mine.




Dave

 

[MmerleST]

Microfiber sponge. Wouldn't touch it with a brush or terry cloth. Dry with blower and either wax or detail. Minute scratches, swirls or water spots will kill the shine.

 

[LT Berzerker]

Wool by hand, two grit guards and two bucket method.... Take it through the auto touchless wash first to get most of the abrasive dirty off before I touch the car with anything!!!! Protect that paint, I use sealant ultima paint guard plus WI winters are hell on paint. (Upgp lasts longer than carnauba and way easier application process)

 

[MOFiestaST]

This is what I do and highly recommend this method to anyone who's using brushes right now.

Car Body:
Car wash soap with a micro fiber wash mitt in one bucket to wash entire body of car.

Wheels & Tires:
Then take that bucket already filled with car wash soap and water and add dish detergent.
Now use that combo with a different micro fiber wash mitt to clean wheels and tires. If the wheels are really dirty use a soft brush instead.

Always use the same micro fiber wash mitt to clean the body, as well as only using the wheel micro fiber wash mitt on the wheels and tires.

Drying:
Use a chamois to dry car. After the body is dry wipe down all the door jams, doors and trunk.

 

[westcoaST]

I have migrated to the two bucket method, but use the auto geek (Mike Phillips) method of washing and protecting my paint finish. When I bought my FiST I told the dealer not to wash the car, but they had already washed it, so there was a lot of swirl marks. I'm sure since the car set for several months in San Diego, bad car washes were the norm. When I got the car home, I used a two bucket wash, but also used a pressure washer with a foam cannon. I use Adams car wash, diluted 5 parts soap to 8 parts water, and pour this into the foam cannon bottle. I spray the wheels with Sonax full effect wheel cleaner, let that soak in while I'm getting the buckets set up and the pressure washer connected. I use wheel woolies to clean off the OZ wheels. These are powder coated blue, so I take special care with them to remove the brake dust weekly. I rinse off the wheels, and then apply the soap with the foam cannon. This puts a lot of very thick soap foam on the car. I have a microfiber mitt that I wash the car with. Then I use the power washer to get all of the soap off of the car. Next I use a Master blaster to remove all of the water from all surfaces. I always wash my car befor any direct sun comes out, usually at 6:00 AM. Then I pull the car into the garage, and spray and wipe with several microfiber towels and Sonax Detail spray.

When I detail the car, after drying, I spray the car down with car pro Iron-X to remove iron particles, then I scrub the surface using a nanoskin autoscrub mitt to remove paint contaminants. I check the paint before and after the decontamination with a plastic baggie run over the surface. Any snags or roughness, and theres still contaminants on the paint. I mask off the plastic bits and prepare the car for power buffing and polishing. I used Wolkgang swirl remover and then finishing glaze. For a final step I use both a polymeric sealer (Klasse) and pinnacle wax, both applied by machine. I detail the car once a year. I'm going to do it a little early this month as I noticed some tiny swirl marks on the roof.

 

[MmerleST]

Whew! And I thought I could get carried away with detailing
Looks like you have a good method down. How long does it usually take to complete it all?

 

[westcoaST]

Washing only takes an hour. Detailing can take up to 6-8 hours. I've been doing this for quite some time, and am anal about the finish of my cars. I do not like swirl marks on my cars.

 

[MmerleST]

I'm with you on that. I've always done the full treatment on my cars at least a couple of times a year. Takes me 6 - 8 hours to do it all. Used to have a 12 year old Mustang that I'd keep that way and everyone couldn't believe how good the original paint job looked on it. My FiST doesn't have quite the quality of paint on it that the Mustang had but it still shines up pretty good.

Bet yours looks great when it's done.

 

[shook sez]

I use a grout sponge, doesn't mar rthe paint at all. I've used one on a black Ti, nd also a darker blue FRS
you can find grout sponges at Homey Depot or Lowes