Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: gofast182
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
So I have to ask, how do you get the nooks and crannies so clean?
I can never seem to get things like door jambs, trunk openings, and underhood that clean.
Perhaps I m too afraid of getting water and mess everywhere, but there is always dirt left behind when using a small sponge, a boars hair brush and a microfiber rag.
Some come out looking ok, but others, like underhood and in door jambs especially, just are too tight to fit implements or fingers in easily.
So what do you use tool wise and how do you do it?
How do you get it wet/soapy/rinsed/waxed without making a mess?
Looks good!
If they're really bad they need to be done separately from the wash and done first. If that's the case use an APC like Critic suggested. In this care I saw it was all organic matter and not much grease so I use a separate bucket of wash water and a separate (junky) mitt than the one I use to wash. Just scrub and shove the mitt in the nooks and crannines and they'll come clean.
To rinse I use the hose with a strong stream, it will seem counter-intuitive but with proper aim very little water gets in the car, especially when doing the door jambs (the trunk is harder to keep dry). When you do this, the outside of the car will look terrible, worse than what you started with, particularly around the front and rear quarter panels after doing the engine and trunk. Don't worry, you're going to wash next.
After the jambs are cleaned well they shouldn't need any attention other than a wipe-down after normal washing (provided you wash on a normal basis).
Edit: the engine bay is done with APC, my P21S Total Auto Wash, then rinsed and gone over with the "jamb mitt". That APC is so good it achieved 85% of the result by itself.
Thanks. Call me dense, but what about the hinges and door checks? Will hinges need to be re oiled? Won't water get inside the door skin via the door check?
A mitt can only go so far. Wouldn't a small brush be better?
With the hose spraying, I'm assuming you have it set as a pretty narrow jet, and that you throttle back the flow pretty far?
Thanks!
I do it all with a mitt. You do have to work it into some of the tiny spaces.
No re oiling needed. Those parts are greased and there's enough of it on the contact areas its not been needed on any car I've ever done.
Don't assume! WOT on the hose, even better if you have a pressure washer (that's how we used to do it at the Chevrolet dealership I worked at in college)! You'll be amazed but the 1+" rise where the weather stripping and sill trim start keep 90% of the water from getting in the car. Another tip: only do this from the tops of the side body panels down (start and end where the tops of the door panels would be). Spread a towel just over the inside if you're worried but you'll quickly find it doesn't get very wet.
Originally Posted By: gofast182
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
So I have to ask, how do you get the nooks and crannies so clean?
I can never seem to get things like door jambs, trunk openings, and underhood that clean.
Perhaps I m too afraid of getting water and mess everywhere, but there is always dirt left behind when using a small sponge, a boars hair brush and a microfiber rag.
Some come out looking ok, but others, like underhood and in door jambs especially, just are too tight to fit implements or fingers in easily.
So what do you use tool wise and how do you do it?
How do you get it wet/soapy/rinsed/waxed without making a mess?
Looks good!
If they're really bad they need to be done separately from the wash and done first. If that's the case use an APC like Critic suggested. In this care I saw it was all organic matter and not much grease so I use a separate bucket of wash water and a separate (junky) mitt than the one I use to wash. Just scrub and shove the mitt in the nooks and crannines and they'll come clean.
To rinse I use the hose with a strong stream, it will seem counter-intuitive but with proper aim very little water gets in the car, especially when doing the door jambs (the trunk is harder to keep dry). When you do this, the outside of the car will look terrible, worse than what you started with, particularly around the front and rear quarter panels after doing the engine and trunk. Don't worry, you're going to wash next.
After the jambs are cleaned well they shouldn't need any attention other than a wipe-down after normal washing (provided you wash on a normal basis).
Edit: the engine bay is done with APC, my P21S Total Auto Wash, then rinsed and gone over with the "jamb mitt". That APC is so good it achieved 85% of the result by itself.
Thanks. Call me dense, but what about the hinges and door checks? Will hinges need to be re oiled? Won't water get inside the door skin via the door check?
A mitt can only go so far. Wouldn't a small brush be better?
With the hose spraying, I'm assuming you have it set as a pretty narrow jet, and that you throttle back the flow pretty far?
Thanks!
I do it all with a mitt. You do have to work it into some of the tiny spaces.
No re oiling needed. Those parts are greased and there's enough of it on the contact areas its not been needed on any car I've ever done.
Don't assume! WOT on the hose, even better if you have a pressure washer (that's how we used to do it at the Chevrolet dealership I worked at in college)! You'll be amazed but the 1+" rise where the weather stripping and sill trim start keep 90% of the water from getting in the car. Another tip: only do this from the tops of the side body panels down (start and end where the tops of the door panels would be). Spread a towel just over the inside if you're worried but you'll quickly find it doesn't get very wet.
