http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...cargarage.com#

 

Are you serious?

I live in North-Bethesda/Rockville-ish, and I see other mustangs all the time.

They're literally everywhere. Also, I'm Asian, so sorry to keep breaking your stereotypes

I would recommend against anything that doesn't involve a large volume of water washing away debris. (i.e., ONR.. even 2 bucket makes me uncomfortable, since the "clean" bucket is still getting dirty unless you have a set of 50 sponges/cloths and use each one only once)

I take my car to Flagship car washes - they have booths where you put in a $1 token to spray your car down with a high pressure jet of water for about a minute and a half. They're all up and down I-270, and one a mile off exit 4, that I use. I don't know if they're in DC or not, but not touching your car (i.e., jet of water) is always safer than touching your car (scrubbing debris into your paint), if you're in a hurry and don't have time to do a really good job.

 

Quick google search for flagship in DC revealed one here:

4432 Connecticut Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20008-2301
(202) 363-4960

You can do high pressure soap, rinse, and even filtered water for a "spot free" rinse. They have a "foaming brush" option, but I would stay away from that.. Also stay away from their automatic wash.. you don't want to run your brand new paint job through a bunch of rough, spinning brushes that are coated in debris from muddy SUVs. They have a "laser" touchless wash up in Gaithersburg, but other than that, I stick to the self-serve booths.

 

I disagree partially. The two-bucket method reduces the chance of scratches/swirls, not eliminates them. No matter what, if you touch the paint, you're capable of inducing scratches.

Personally, a foam gun and clean bucket of rinse water is my favorite method. The better a lubricant you can use between your sponge/mitt and the paint, the less your chances are for scratches.

I just see ONR as a product that works, but only if you're proficient with it. Otherwise it has the potential to do damage like a poor wash without enough soap would.

 

Pretty sure I agree with everything in your post.. I don't know where your partial disagreement is. I'm recommending against touching your paint at all, and against ONR or two-bucket.. and only touching your paint when you've got time to do it right.

 

Sorry, I was referring to you being uncomfortable about the two-bucket method specifically.

The key IMO is a good wash mitt and good practices. Pre soaking the vehicle and removing loose dirt, washing the wheels first, and using separate water for wheels and body are absolute necessities.

I've been detailing for about 3 years now, and I still find new and better ways to do things, but washing in general is a huge area that you can do yourself and save yourself some grief.

OP, I'd look into detailers in the area, since you don't have a place to wash it yourself. If you can keep it rinsed off, that's a start, but a good detail 2-3 times a year is worth its weight in gold.

 

 

So how do you dry it to avoid water spots?


RE: two buckets... there are times I change rinse water a couple of times throughout the wash. Just depends on the amount of bugs, dirt, etc. in the rinse water.

 

My .02 for what it's worth...

Wash with 2 bucket method and clay. Detail (remove tar, bugs etc) and wax with product of choice. Cover the car if possible. Use a Cali duster to remove dust, use a good qd to keep it shiny.

 

A typical full detail with swirl removal for me is as follows:

-PW rinse down of vehicle
-wheel cleaning (using P21S wheel cleaner)
-two bucket wash of body (Megs Gold Class)
-clay vehicle using QD as a lubricant
-re-wash car (same as above)
-polish depending on paint condition using PC7424XP and appropriate pad/compound combo (usually CCS white pad and Megs #205)
- Klasse sealant glaze and/or wax (Natty's blue, Gold Class, or equivalent)
- isopropyl alcohol rub down of any remaining residue

Depending on condition or desire, I cut those steps out accordingly. My car gets that treatment twice a year and looks flawless each time. Even while dirty, it has a shine that most people can't touch.

 

Autopia is definitely a good place to search for some answers for questions like this, but be prepared to take awhile to sort through all the info there. For me it would partially depend on what color the OP is getting on his new Mustang. On a black car I'd probably recommend against ONR or other similar products, as black shows any little flaw in the paint. For lighter colors, I'd say it shouldn't be a problem if care is taken. You may still get swirls or tiny scratches in the paint from using ONR or other waterless detailers or cleaners, but they don't show up on my silver and gray cars like they do on my black and other dark colored cars.

 

Gotta Love it! Our Nations Capitol full of imports!

 

Great, poor people drive Mustangs in VA...

 

My ordered car is currently candy appled metallic red with tinted clearcoat.

 

I use the filtered water option at Flagship, which has almost no residue - and then dry with a microfiber towel, but only after I actually wash it well.

If only have 5 minutes for a quick wash w/ no sponging action, and I'm in a hurry, I just rinse with the filtered water, and air dry on the interstate - leaves some residue, but it's better than being unwashed

 

Another fellow DC member here.

I've heard some good things about ONR and will give it a try soon. A professional detailer that posts alot on other forums highly recommends using ONR and uses it on most of his details. If I were in a condo, i'd have no problem using it. Even though its not required, a rinse down with a hose wouldn't hurt. If you don't have access to a hose, then another thing you can do is put some of the ONR in a spray bottle w/water and spray each panel down prior to washing it.

 

It is a pretty sad sight.

Everyday I drive home and just shake my head watching all the imports and luxury german/jap cars drive by. Yes, some are very nice looking but kind of blend in with the rest. Everyone just tries to one-up their neighbor

I'm originally from the Detroit area so I was used to the exact opposite.

The past few years I almost fell into the import trap and was looking at a G37. My GF owns an IS350 which is a nice car and kind of gave me the itch.

But I want to stick to my American made vehicles and get something with some guts.....and thats what led me to the Mustang which i'll be ordering when the '12 model comes out.

 

I'll have to see about getting one of those lamb's wool wash mits. Haven't really had trouble with the sponges I've used in the past, but I am going to want to be extra careful with this car.

 

I bought one yesterday after watching the video. Finally found a 'real' lamb's wool mit after the 4th auto parts store, and it was their last one. Its so soft. It didn't cost as much as i thought it would, $10.31 with tax added.

 

Check out http://autogeek.net/ They have it all at fair prices.