How long does it take you to wash the car?

[Nick1994]

Took it to the touchless car wash today. Took about 10 minutes. First I pull into one of the stalls and use their foam cannon thing, then rinse it off with the pressure washer on the wash setting. I don't rinse with clean water. I then pull into the touchless wash and it does the rest, even blows it dry. $3 for the part I do myself and $4 for the automated wash. One of these days I'll do a proper wash.

 

[Warstud]

Originally Posted By: PimTac

Brushes leave micro scratches that don’t show unless you look real carefully or with special lighting

So in other words you can't see them with a naked eye.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: UncleDave

Been using a boars hair brush for 20 years - never once marred the paint on any vehicle - as long as I keep it rinsed but that goes for anything. Fastest way to wash a big panel or hood is with that brush.

Not all the wash places use boars hair but the one I started using recently does. They have a low pressure pre-soak, then high pressure soap, then can use the brush with soap coming out of it. I use very light pressure and spray it out first before using. Then rinse with the spot-free rinse. Did this Monday with the Camry. It's actually almost fun doing it. Each cycle is $2 but I put $5 into it. I only used the brush on the lower areas and didn't use it at all on the top. But when rinsing I used the high pressure rinse on the top areas. Skip the wash places that use man made cheap/stiff brushes. Took it home and sprayed the car with Ultima detailer and wiped with a plush MF towel. Came back a few hours later and sprayed it with Duragloss Aquawax. Looks great! Used some Stoner's Tarminator for the lower portions and the driver's door jamb. First good cleaning after the winter gunk. I'll do a more thorough cleaning soon. Using Iron-X and a nano-sponge. Then a sealant.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted By: Warstud

Originally Posted By: PimTac

Brushes leave micro scratches that don’t show unless you look real carefully or with special lighting

So in other words you can't see them with a naked eye.

At first you may not but over time as they accumulate they will be evident.

 

[Garak]

And black always makes things more evident.

 

[TN_OIL]

Originally Posted By: Warstud

Spray the van directly with your foam gun and wipe with a mitt then rinse.

To further improve your excellent response, I would merely suggest getting/using 2 or 3 mitts (4 or 5 would be even "better") If you foam your car first, you can make quick work with a mitt on each hand. Swap em out about halfway through the job to keep contamination down. Then rinse and dry.

 

[nolesfan]

I don't move too fast when washing, but it takes me about an hour and a half or so (counting time to get setup, wash and put away). Our house has really low water pressure, so I had to buy a pressure washer to actually be effective at cleaning our cars, so that takes time to setup and put away. I don't think it's too bad, the bulk of my time is washing the wheels and tires. After that I can move pretty quick over the panels. If I'm cleaning the inside, that's maybe half an hour tops.

 

[Eddie]

I take about 15 minutes. 5-10 minutes in a do-it-myself car wash and 5 minutes to towel dry. Ed

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: Eddie

I take about 15 minutes. 5-10 minutes in a do-it-myself car wash and 5 minutes to towel dry. Ed

Sounds about right. I like the diy washes because you don't have the prep time to assemble everything or the clean up of supplies after a wash. Plus the wash in the middle takes right around an hour for me.

 

[UncleDave]

The car wash with boars hair tries...but doesn't clear the brushes often enough and residual debris from prior autos is what catches your paint. Do it in your driveway you wont suffer the same scratches. Boars hair is softer than the paint on a microscopic level (which is why it was originally chosen as the material of choice) unlike polyester thats in the sewn edge of so many towels and brushes and " microfibre" towels. pull a thread down and light it with a lighter - If it turns black and curls up - you are using the wrong stuff. UD

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

When I used to do my truck every 4 months, 3-4 hours, just on the exterior. Always has been 1 hour-1-1/2 hours on the interior. Between details, 1 hour exterior. Wash, blow dry, detail spray wax. My son does the detail process every 6 months now. With my supervision, 3 hours. Without, 2 hours. Between detailing, 30-45 minutes. I wonder why it's less time when I'm not around?