Last hand wash of the year

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I washed my Sonata today for what will probably be the last time before I put the hoses away for winter to come. It is only suppoe to be in the 30's round here next week so I figured I would take advatage of this nice day to give it one more hand wash.

During the winter I will be washing it at gas station washes and maybe wax it in the middle of December or New Years time. I put some eagle one Gel wax with Carnuba in it and washed it with Blue Corral Wash and Wax with Carnuba. Should protect it from road salt thi winter.


I took some pics which I will post up her later t see he shine.
 
If you have a garage, you can still hand wash! I use Optimum No Rinse in my garage (heated). It works great! If I have a lot of salt build up, I may take my car to a spray and wash which may 1/2 of the salt off. Then I go home and fill a 5 gallon bucket 1/2 way with 2 oz of ONR.

Sponge it on, take a wet microfiber towel (dipped in onr and rung out) to get 75% of the water off then follow up with a dry microfiber and you are done!

I usually follow the wash up with some Lucas Slick Mist to add some extra protection.

The entire wash process takes about 25-30 minutes.
 
I also use a waterless wash during the winter. This winter I will be testing Griots waterless wash repeatedly but, wn1998 recommendation is very valid, take it to a touch less gas wash if it is very dirty. Your choice of wax will not last very long. If you prefer the warm glow of wax as most people do but need longevity and then I recommend to first apply a sealant (which typically last 3-6 months) and put a wax over it. As Consumer Reports indicated and most people who detail will tell you, most waxes only last 1-2 months. This is why you need a sealant underneath because the winter will last longer. Collinite has the reputation as the longest lasting wax. We just experienced the hottest month on record in the whole US here in Oklahoma and both of my cars were still beading after more than 5 months. I had used Duragloss 501 (a sealant) and Collinite 845 (a wax).
 
If it gets into the 40s I have been known to hand wash my car if the hoses are not frozen. I use hot water in my wash buckets and rinse with the hose.
If too cold for a long period, I use a car wash that uses fresh water-not recycled water at the most a couple of times each winter. I do not like car washes.
 
if you are looking for a long lasting wax/sealant, I swear by Blackfire wet diamond. It is very easy to put on and lasts a solid 2-3 months.
 
NuFinish will make it through the winter. Might not shine the best the it does last a long time and protects even against salt.
 
That's right! Gonna get cold down here on thursday. Finished my last section(the top and sail panels)with 3 coats of meguires's gold class liquid. Now I've got 3 coats on the whole thang! Now I can just touch up just 1 coat on the front bumper and hood,as needed,when I wash the bugs off. I'll do the 3 coats thing,again,next Spring.
 
Thanks for the advice I will have to look into the no rinse thing for the winter time. As for the wax I know its not going to be long lasting but I figure I can reapply in December and then again in February. I will look into getting some good sealant for the future.
 
Here they are finally uploaded them

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Yup, looking at giving my corolla a final wash and wax, wash with megs gold class or megs ultimate wash and wax, followed by nufinish, and if i have the energy a coat of gold class paste wax on top.. not looking forward to winter..
 
I try to keep it nice, I usually buy a car for long term so keeping up its appearance is important as well as maintanence. Thanks!
 
can't imagine this no water carwash solutions work all that great if one has mud on their vehicle??

Asking cause I don't know. Never honestly thought it was possible to seriously wash a vehicle without water.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblin Fever
can't imagine this no water carwash solutions work all that great if one has mud on their vehicle??

Asking cause I don't know. Never honestly thought it was possible to seriously wash a vehicle without water.


I can't imagen it would work very well either. In winter you get all kinds of [censored] on the can and under it. You have to flush it with soap and water....no way around it.
 
Last year we had nearly 20" on the ground at this date!

I'm lucky. I set up a hose connection to hot water at work. I can wash comfortable down to about 10 deg F outside, then move the car into the heated shop to dry for a couple hours. I can't stress the importance of having NO water in the door seals!
 
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