Last night I did my Friday late afternoon mini detail. We got a dusting of snow last night and it has quickly melted but the roads where wet/salty. After a short drive it obviously got wet and dirty.

Can a quick detail spray (like Prima Slick) be used to go over the entire car that has seen dirty rain water? Or is that too dirty and should I just rewash it.

Thanks,
k

 

I never used to, but I have started doing just that. When I pull the car in from driving in the rain() first thing I do is grab my MFMF's() and SpeedShine. I fold my towel in 4ths, so I have 8 different sides. The towel does get saturated with water quickly, but at least you have a clean surface against the paint. I then spray the panel with SpeedShine and then CAREFULLY wipe that panel, pushing the water off onto the floor. I then flip my towel and start on a new section. It is improtant to check the towel after every pass. Because the car may be more dirty than normal, you want to be even more aware of whats on your towel. Once I am done with the entire car I get out some more MF towels and do the whole car again just to give it extra pop.

I have recently also started using QD in the winter if the car has salt on it. If this is the case, you must be VERY VERY careful. I am comfortable doing this because I know I will be using my DA in the spring, so any swirl marks I may create will be taken care of shortly. I would rather have a few minor swirls than salt on the car. But as I said, please be careful, if your not, you may end up with more than just minor swirls. So far I have not had any issues.

 

If it is clean rain water on a clean car, go for it. But if the car is dirty from road grime, I would wash it first.

Mark

 

That is prefered, but it hasnt been warm enough here in months...and when it was, it was raining. I miss my MINI

 

I would rather have a dirty MINI, than one with grime rubbed into the paint. But sounds like you are careful with how you do it.

Mark

 

Very. Takes longer to QD that way than it does to wash.

 

In theory, there's no limit to how dirty of a car you can clean with quick detailer and microfibers, but past a certain point, you have to use so much QD (to keep everything lubricated to prevent scratches) and so many towels (to keep switching to a clean portion) that you're better off just washing it.

 

It it warm enough to take it to a wash bay?

Lately, it has been warm here, but I haven't had the time to do a full hand wash (I know, I know) but recently I took it to a wash bay, used the water, soap and rinse, drove it home and then used Prima Slick (since I knew there was still dirt on there) on the whole car with my Monster Fluffy, using S Curvz technique of folding the towel in different sections.

When I was done, the car looked fantastic!

 

It was yesterday, but the car was already clean. I havent been driging her much because of the road salt, ice and snow. Jeeps do much better in snow.

 

if the car was washed and then rained on before it was driven you
can probably QD it without issue.

 

I would agree...this is what I do, too.

 

#1 Don't QD with road or salt grit on car unless you don't mind scratches..

 

i can't wait for summer ..
my car just stays filthy all winter

 

Same here, and it makes me sad just looking at it. Warmer weather is coming, and I finally own a house (and therefore a driveway) so detailing should be a much simpler task this year

 

I have found less and less use for QD spray. I have made some very tiny swirls in a few small spots only because of qd'ing when it should have been washed. Wash the car if you can.

I think qd'ing is for after a wash, after a wax, or when you just washed the car, bring it into a garage, then a day later you want to show off the car and spray it down for a smooth shine. otherwise, wash it as a rule. One grain of sand stuck on a qd'ing rag of whatever type you use could make scratches. Better mildly dirty than f'd up.

 

I'm with El Jefe.

You really do have to be careful. The purpose of a QD spray is not to substitute a hand wash. Every once in a blue moon a car is so lightly dusty that it can be safely QD'd... and even then you have to be really careful.

Save your QD spray for all the good reasons El Jefe mentioned above.

In addition, it's often the best way to quickly remove bird droppings and sometimes water spots when you simply or physically can't wash it right away. In that case, it is often better to risk a few fine scratches instead of letting the bird doo etch your paint. Other than that, it's not worth the risk!

Note also that rain water is often full of sediment, minerals and pollution. This can be not only somewhat abrasive itself, but it tends to attract dust and gunk in the air. A freshly rained on car is often covered in a layer of light grime which isn't safe to QD upon.

So, as a rule, unless you've just recently hand washed your car, you shouldn't rub on the paint- even with the softest MF and a good QD spray. There are some exceptions, but they are few and far between if you want to prevent scratches and swirls in your paint.

Hope that helps!

-Heather

 

I agree Soap lifts dirt way better than QD does.

Mark

 

yikes... this whole QD discussion freaks me a bit. i also have been a little leary of QD'ing very much because it just feels weird to spray on a QD and then wipe off dirt.

since my car is an outside car, i almost always need to do a full hand wash if I'm going to do anything.

that said.... about a week ago, i didn't have time to hand wash, but the car was filthy and the temps were high.... so I took the car to a do-it-yourself wand wash and sprayed the MINI down with soap and rinsed with water. I did not touch the car with anything. of course, i know just spraying with the wand doesn't get the dirt off, so then I drove home and sprayed it all over with Slick and wiped it off.

hope i didn't cause any damage.

what i'm getting from reading is that QD is really for minor maintenance or touch ups. i use it when I have bird droppings, but really, since my car sits outside, there's almost always a fine layer of dirt on the car every morning if there's been any moisture in the air. i really need a garage!

 

So in this instance would a California Car Duster work better than QD, or is there greater risk in using it?

 

I always visually inspect the finish before I QD - if it just looks "dusty" - I QD. If I see "grit" - I don't. I wait until I can wash.

I have a few fine swirls after a LOT of QD'ing in the past 5 months- as well as several one-bucket washes (with gritguard, but still not perfect washing hygiene). But I vote for clean and shiny with a few swirls vs. the grungy car look. I always wash after it rains - but otherwise in dry weather keep it looking clean by QDing every day or two (and Heather and Nick are glad ).

Since my plan is to clay, polish it out with the PC and re-apply Epic every 6 months, I can deal with a little swirl accumulation (just not scratches!).

 

i got some VERY minor hazing from calduster and QD'ing but that level is
well within my acceptable limits. not bad for an entire year running only
one true app of wax on my MCS. as blimey, i'll be lightly polishing the
whole car later on when it gets warmer...and do another coat of
BofS on the MCS.

ive pretty much decided to do BofS on my G as well.

the outdoor cars will get Epic/Hydro treatment, but im eagerly
waiting to see how well BofS held up through the winter.

 

Me, TOO! Then, I looked at your location, and you are in Cleveland. I FEEL your pain! But hey! Starting to get in the 40s tomorrow! Shoot, that will seem like shorts and T-shirt weather!

I would refrain from using QD with a lot of dirt. I think that's 100% how I got some nasty swirl marks in my finish...

 

SUMMER: Unless the car is freshly-washed, I use the California Duster to remove the "chunkier" dirt, then I use clean cloths to detail (I use DP Slick). I start on the sides (which tend to be less dirty) and do the font, then the rear (which is always the dirtiest part). I wash these cloths after a single detailing job, as they can get pretty grimy.

WINTER: I won't detail on top of road salt - that scares me too much. What I do in the winter is go to a coin-op place and hose the worst of the grit off (I put masking tape along the window seal to keep water from dropping inside the door and freezing - takes 5 minutes). I use a clean 100% cotton towel or a waffle-weave microfiber to wipe away the worst of the surface water, but since I'm usually freezing I don't usually get everything. Then I drive home. If ice has formed anywhere I wait till morning (my garage usually stays at 37 degrees or so, so most ice evaporates by morning) and I detail spray THEN. I also use DP Hydro every few washings - seems to hide the minimal swirling that I get throughout the winter.

Good luck!

 

We are starting to get heavy pollen here. Small particles, but lots of them. In a few weeks, everyone's car will be yellow (literally!) Can I QD off a heavy layer of pollen as long as the car is clean underneath? Is pollen abrasive?

thanks

 

I'd spend the $20 on a duster and use that first... Not sure how abrasive pollen is, but even if it's relatively soft it will get all clogged up in your microfiber cloth.