How to use Self serve car wash - Car Wash 3 steps + Tips
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- čas přidán 30. 05. 2024
- How to wash your car at the self-serve carwash.
In this video, learn how to use the tools at the self serve car wash. Get some great tips on what to do.
How to wash a car?
Use these steps for regular car care, spring cleaning and especially winter car washing where outdoor manual car washing with the 2 bucket method is not possible. Use our tips to look for a good self-serve car wash near you and start your regular car care maintenance today!
* Please see an important note on using the Foam brush in the comments, pinned to the top *
These car wash steps can help keep your car clean and also aide in rust prevention, especially if your city uses salts or chemicals to prevent icing of the roads.
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Click to skip to chapter to watch:
00:00 - Intro
01:12 - Finding a good Car Wash
01:36 - Entering the Car Wash
01:46 - The Control Panel
02:29 - Tools & Wash Options
02:33 - Prep
02:47 - Wash step #1 High-pressure Soap
03:48 - Wash step #2 Animal hair Foam Brush
05:15 - Wash step #3 High-pressure Rinse
05:44 - Bonus step...Going all the way! Wax & Tire Shine
#Carwash #CarDetailing #carlifestyle #DYK
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Any information available at this channel or on its videos are intended for general guidance only and must never be considered a substitute for advice provided by an appropriate or qualified professional.
Due to many factors beyond the control of Frakking Creations, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Frakking Creations assumes no liability for property damage, injury or loss incurred as a result of improper use of tools, equipment or from any of the information contained in this video. Frakking Creations recommends safe practices when working with tools seen or implied in this video.
Use this information at your own risk. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Important note!
We have received a lot of comments to not use the foam brush due to reasons that any physical contact is not great for the paint. Plus, there are too many variables to control including a poorly maintained foam brush, foam brushes that are made from hard plastic bristles, other particles that may not be easily removed from the brush by spraying it. Thank you for the comments.
From dirty microfiber cloths and wash mitts to snow brushes used to clear snow to driving at highway speed in sandy conditions to foam brushes and more, any thing or particles that come into physical contact with the paint could potentially cause the paint to get swirl marks or micro scratches depending on many variables.
The aim of the video was meant to familiarize people who haven't used the self-serve car washes before. Hopefully it achieved its goal to demystifying what is involved in using one.
Though a 2 bucket method would be recommended for the ultimate care of your paint, most car washes don't allow you to do this since it takes up a stall without payment to use it for the full time you are there. Plus, in the winter zones where temperatures get below 0°C you can't wash your vehicle at home on your driveway (If you have one).
So, if you want to treat your cars paint with the most care at self-serve car washes, then it may be best to use a touchless method to wash your vehicle at the self-serve car wash.
In the past, we have had issues getting the vehicle fully clean with just a touchless method and was a reason we use the foam brush (one that was cleaned by us, expels a lot of foam soap and was made of animal hair, not synthetic plastic or rubber and used lightly). It helped to remove the fine dirt film/residue that gets left behind. To treat our paint the best going forward, we have recently been trying again with a different touchless method and it so far is working better. More testing needed, though.
The new method we are testing:
1) Start the wash using the high pressure soap or rinse from the wash wand to rinse off all dirt and debris from your vehicle. Focusing more time on really dirty areas.
2) Use the foaming soap from the wash wand (Not the foam brush) to dispense soap to cover the entire vehicle and wheels.
3) Stop the timer to stop the charges and to let the soap soak for a few minutes (You can go as long as you want). NOTE: We don't use the Pause function since it still counts the time and continues to charge. You may need to experiment because there will usually be an initial, higher startup cost to start the wash.
4) Start again, using the high-pressure rinse from the wash wand to rinse the entire vehicle clean. Starting from bottom to top to help ensure no sections are missed, then rinse top down.
5) Dry using a large clean microfiber cloth.
6) Use spray wax to finish.
Of course, use whatever method you are most comfortable with to wash your vehicle.
Don't forget that all car washes are different, with different quality and condition of equipment and soaps. Some are maintained better than others, which could give varying results. You can also consider testing the soap with litmus paper (pH test paper) to check the acidity.
Let us know if you have any comments or suggestions!
Great response! I literally went to the comments right after you used the brush and I’m glad you wrote this.
Yes, there are too many variables, but bringing your own wash mitt and drying towels is what I always recommend.
Yes, any sort of contact mars and scratches paint over time, but the goal is not to never touch the paint. It’s to minimize swirls and scratches by proper equipment and technique for each wash.
Wash mitt recommendation:
- The Rag Company Cyclone Ultra
(Amazon)
Drying towel recommendations:
- The Rag Company Liquid8r
- The Rag Company Double Twistress
(Both on Amazon)
When washing towels and wash mitt, I would recommend using a dedicated microfiber detergent. Regular laundry detergent reduced the absorbency properties by clogging the fibers.
I recommend P&S Rags to Riches for washing. Dry on low or air dry. Higher temp melts fibers and ruin the towel making it unusable for being safe on paint.
Thanks a lot for providing your feedback and comments. I'm sure others will find them useful too.
I was literally about to comment this, interesting to see you still commenting on your old videos. I went to a self service wash today, saw that brush, and didn't even try it. I could just sense the evil and dirt. I come back and watch this video and read the comments. I see many people feel the same way... lol
I think it'd be good to include this in the video. How many noobs will actually go to the comments to verify these methods?
Also the soaps used are not ph balanced which will strip away any wax, so the self serve washes are best used when you want to rewax the car too
Shout out to all the people who are here because they’re terrified of looking like a clown trying to use one of these car washes for the first time. We’re all in this together.
haha this is me! Finally own a vehicle and was like.. wait how the heck do I use one of these without wasting money and looking like a fool?
Lmfaooo
Lmao me too
Praise be
Yup I've been postponing my first car-wash experience for days now because I'm quite terrified to look like a clown, especially since I got a nice car finally :D I've decided to go late at night when there's barely anyone and figure it out in peace.
Just used my first self serve carwash today and decided to only use the foam brush on my wheels + tires. My wheels are so shiny and my car looks fantastic. I've never been so satisfied with a car wash.. FOR HALF THE PRICE. And it was fun to do it myself. This might become addicting and it'll be atleast a weekly thing for me haha.
I actually never thought of using the brush on the tires. I’ll do that from now on.
This is the video I've been looking for. Clear, concise, and easy-to-follow instructions help take the mystery out of car washes. For years I drove a 2005 grey Corolla. It was a workhorse and I liked it, but I just picked up a brand new VW GTI and for the first time in my life I found myself suddenly concerned about car washes! This was a huge help. Thank you very much for the time and effort that you took to make such a quality guide.
You're welcome. Thank you for the nice comment and for taking the time to give us feedback. I used to have a 1997 Corolla. Very reliable cars indeed.
Please subscribe to our channel and share our videos. We appreciate your help in helping our channel grow.
Have fun with your new car! 👍
Thank you, I’ve been dodging these car washes all my life, now i think i am equipped
To avoid foam brush, use foam brush setting, gently put foam brush on the body of car to just use the foam. Put foam all over ur car without dragging the foam brush. Use your own wash mits to clean the car using the foam spots uve created.
Thanks for the tip. A good idea for those that want to avoid the foam brush like the plague. In that case, also bring buckets with grit guards to clean the mitts between panels. Pre-fill with clean water/soap at the car wash
"To avoid foam brush, use foam brush"
wow brilliant writing
@@xo7dood my genius is endless
@@BuhnanaFone I mean it makes sense… don’t use the brush as well, the brush. Just get the foam soap from it throwing it on your car then use your own mit or cloth to wipe it
You can always use the foam brush to fill your bucket.
This was perfect. I followed the wash steps and used a spray wax at the end and my car looks beautiful. Thank yall!
You're welcome! And great job. 👍Glad you were able to get great results. Thank you for taking a minute to comment back.
Please share our videos with friends and family if you think it will help them too. We appreciate your support in helping our channel grow!
Thanks for helping the ladies out. I feel more confident about washing my car tomorrow. I’m so tired of letting others wash my car and not thoroughly cleaning or drying.
You're welcome. Though its actually to help anyone. We appreciate you taking the time to let us know.
What were you doing before?
And Scratches
I'm glad they're helping the fellows too 😂. I'm always so unsure if I'm getting bad service when I don't know how to do it myself. Now I probably will always do it myself
Finally, someone I completely agree with! Good job man!
Thank you.
Awesome video explaining how to use a car wash bay. As a Canadian, I was thrilled to see it was Canadian.
Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy using the self car wash going forward.
We would love to have more Canadians watching our videos but get more from the US. Please subscribe and share our videos if you haven't already. We appreciate it!
Just bought this absolutely filthy 09 impala ss I needed this. Bring this 09 back to life now. Thanks
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.
Oh, very interesting. In my city (another part of the globe) all self car washing stations are outdoors, so people usually only use them during warm weather. I think it's very cool to have indoors one.
Thanks for sharing.
I've seen some new ones around our city that are outdoor versions too. The indoor ones are nice for when it's sunny out. You won't get too hot and when you apply wax the car's surface stays cool.
Thanks for the video this is what I saw. Now I know and had fun doing this
Nice to hear. Thanks for letting us know!
This was a great video. Simple, concise, organized, and straight to the point. Subscribed.
Thank you for commenting and subscribing. We're also happy that the video was helpful.
Thank you, just the info I was looking for, other videos didn’t mention the wax. I had no idea what I was doing whenever I went to wash my car, all I used was soap and rinse power wash.
You're welcome. We're glad it was helpful! Thanks for taking the time to let us know.
you learned that from youtube, didn't you?
Simple instruction but still have the details that matter. I like the ‘wash top half first’ tip and also the ‘stop bebore the minute end’ to avoid getting charge for the next minute :))
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This is the same method my old man taught me. I miss the good old days of 50 cent Tuesdays at the car wash. This may not be for everyone but my tip is rinse with the wax or clear coat protectant setting on the spray gun.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your tip. Definitely miss the days of cheaper everything.
That car wash is amazing!! Great video!
Thanks for your comment!
Thanks!! I'm feeling a little less scared of the car washes now 😂 nearly ready to do my first one!
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting!
Me too bro! 😂 about to do my first one right now lol
That was an amazing guide with very well described steps. Really appreciate it, keep up the good work.
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This is a great guide. Just washed my car after watching this video and got pretty good results, did need to scrub a bit more with the foam brush in some areas but otherwise it was good. Also i like to go fast to dry the car instead of towel dry
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Here are the 10 steps I follow:
I take two buckets (one with soapy water and one with just water) lots of drying towels, 3 microfiber mits (only need 2 but one extra in case you drop one), portable pump foam sprayer, soap, wheel cleaner, spray wax, and tire/plastic trim shine.
Step 1: high pressure rinse
Step 2: use your foam sprayer to presoak your entire car and let soak for 5-10 min.
Step 3: clean wheels with your fav wheel cleaner while paint soaks. I like to use the brush method shown in this video for wheels only. Rinse brush after each wheel is clean.
Step 4 (optional): rinse car again and reapply soap from foam gun
Step 5: wash paint with micro fiber mits using two bucket method
Step 6: high pressure rinse
Step 7 (optional): spot free rinse
Step 8: spray vehicle with your favorite spray wax/quick detailer.
Step 9: dry vehicle from top to bottom
Step 10: shine your wheels and exterior plastic trims if applicable.
Now you will have a scratch fee experience, and will never wash your car another way. Happy detailing fam! :D
Some places have a no bucket policy.
what is the cost? can you pause the timer?
Cost will depend on how many minutes you use and what their cost per minute is.
For the ones I have used, you can pause the water/soap but the timer keeps going which is dumb. But you can always stop the wash and restart it when you are ready. Just note that they typically have a higher charge to start the wash which is usually more than the per minute cost. So plan your washes and that should help you spend less.
Thanks so much for this video ♥️
You're welcome! We're glad this video was useful to you. Thanks for taking a minute to let us know.
Thanks for this video! I just moved out on my own and have been watching "how to be an adult" videos, lol. Like I had to watch a video how to use a garbage disposal because my mom taught me wrong lol, and I watched a video how to do laundry because I didn't know if you put the detergent in the machine before the clothes or on top of the clothes, or do you put the detergent in that hole on the side, lol.
You're welcome. Glad our video was helpful. Thanks for sharing your story. It definitely can be a big learning experience when you first move out on your own. One of the reasons we do the videos we do is because as we learned things on our own we also found ourselves saying we wished someone had told or taught us sooner.
Best tutorial! I watched about 5 and this one was the most clear instructive simple and direct. No extra blah blah blah :) 💖
Thank you so much for commenting. We're happy it was useful and direct. That was our aim and it's always great to get feedback like this. Please share with friends and family if it will help them too.
Cheers!
Thanks so much for this video
You're welcome. We hope you get great results!
Check out our other car DIY videos too. You might find them useful too.
Very helpful, thanks.
You're welcome. Glad our video was helpful.
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Great tips! Thanks for a well thought out video. Now I have to go wash my car.
You're welcome. Glad you found the video helpful.
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@@FrakkingCreations Subscribed and liked :)
Thank you!
Excellent, thank you.
You're welcome. Please subscribe and like our video to help our channel grow! Thanks for the support.
Awesome Tip thank you so much
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I just used the foam brush in same manner on a rental and didnt do any additional damage. Afterwards I applied QD and waxed it with sprawy wax - looks impressive and there is no additional swirls or scratches really.
Spoke to the owner of car wash - they replace the natural brush often, but he also recommended pre rinse of the brush to ensure there is no grime in it.
I will test it on new car which I’m picking up next week!
I think more scratches are caused by people doing touchless and then wiping dry.
Excellent job
Thank you. Please subscribe and share our videos to help others.
Thank you so much, because of you i used my first self car wash and loved it.
You're very welcome!! We're always happy to hear that we helped someone. Thanks for taking a minute to let us know. Much appreciated. If you know someone else this video might help, please pass it along. We want to grow our channel as fast as we can to hit 10K subs.
How long did it take and how much did it cost im a broke teen bit want to treat my car right lol
@@annabellishedart4901 it cost me $2 to spray water on it and to scrub it with soap/brush. i believe you get about 4mins.
@@hanklohan I payed 12 dollors lol definitely did something wrong.
@@annabellishedart4901 i just do a quick spray to get dust and dirt off, but i do need to do a thorough clean.
Solid explanation
Thank you.
Why did this make me excited to wash my car?!
Thank you for taking the time and energy to make this video.
You have a new subscriber.
You're welcome. Thank you for taking a minute to let us know and subscribing! Much appreciated.
Checkout our other videos too if you haven't already.
Have fun washing your car!
Me to !! The way he worded things in the video made me feel like he was here to inform or help me and not boast his knowledge like other vids were 🙏🙏💪💪
That was very good
Thank you. Please like, subscribe and checkout our other videos that may interest you too! Thanks for the support.
Makes self service car washing look a lot easier and less intimidating to do now. Thanks! Oh and how much time should be set aside for the whole process?
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.
How much time depends on how good you want the results to be, how much money you are ok with spending and also how dirty the car is to begin with.
We usually take 15 to 20 minutes to do a good clean. You can experiment to find out what works for you. Some people only need about 10 minutes. Add additional "free" time for drying and waxing if the car wash isn't busy. They don't kick you out when it's not busy and you have already paid to wash.
Thanks again. Can't wait to have my car looking crispy clean almost like a new one.
Please Note: You have a fourth option, a rinseless wash. I use Optimum No Rinse (ONR) for my weekly washes all year round, even in the winter. I agree with you, NEVER use an automatic car wash. If you have to use a self-serve car wash, NEVER USE THE SOAP AT A CAR WASH, I would recommend a PH neutral soap, such as Meguiars or Turtle Wax, available at any box store or auto parts store. NEVER USE THE BRUSH AT THE CAR WASH, you never know how the brush was used. Bring a soft microfiber towels, brushes or wash mitts, etc. with your own soap. For professional car detailing videos tricks & tips, I would recommend Brian from Apex Detail or Pan the Organizer. I have been cleaning cars for 45 years, and I still learn from Brian and or Pan HAPPY CAR CLEANING!
Thanks for the comment and providing some good info. We've had a lot of comments about the foam brush and will address it in an upcoming video.
Thank you.
You're welcome. Checkout our other videos on our channel too!
Thanks bro I don't know why I found this so hard to do at first
Glad I could help. Checkout our other car videos too. They may be of interest to you.
Thank you, very informative. I’m off to wash my new truck now!
I hope you didn’t use the brush.
Thank you! I moved to a townhouse so I can't wash my car from home anymore and I really want to take care of my new car. I kept leaving the self car wash with white water marks and I was so frustrated. Thank you for the video !!!!
You're welcome! We are always happy when our videos are helpful. It's great that you don't get white water marks anymore.
Thank you 🧽🫧
You're welcome.
Yea I took your advice on using the brush. Washed it real well. Now I have scratches all over my clear coat.
You probably need to press harder
lol, why not clean the brush b4 use it? Thats an awesome answer. never thought it b4!
As soon as I saw the brush, I left the video 🤭
As soon as I saw this comment copied, I left
As soon as he said skip the pre-soak, i left… smh
As soon as I saw 🤭, I left
well clearly not… you stayed to comment 🥴🥴
The bottom area of the car and the wheels pickup the most dirt so it's fine to scrub with the foam brush here, especially if you have a body kit. For the rest just drizzle foam everywhere without making contact. Then rinse. Easy peasy in and out. Good video though. Thanks for putting in the effort.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your idea.
Awesome video for us budding “adults”
Thanks so much for the comment. Please subscribe and like the video to help our channel grow.
Plus check out our other videos you might be interested in too. We have a variety of topics.
Cool video
Thank you!
Its nice and all if the car stays for like a week clean in my country same day 6h is all what it takes for it to be back to its previous condition
Wow, I learned so much. I was doing it way wrong. Now I know, thank you.
You're welcome. Thanks for taking a moment to let us know!
Thank you. Unfortunately my father wasnt there to teach me this. So it helps a lot.
You're welcome. Sorry your father wasn't there to show you the way. Wish you great results with your car wash.
Thank you so much for this!!
You're so welcome!
Great video, for me i just wash my car every two weeks at home. I would not take it to those automatic washes or self serve. but i i went to the self serve, i would bring my own wash mits and brushes. And contact wash is must, u cant just clean the car just by spraying it with soapy water, that removes like 65% of the dirt stuck on top, i would also use an iron remover as well as tar remover by spraying carpro tri-x. And wheel inner barrels must be cleaned too
Thanks for sharing your experience. I too have found that the spray itself is not enough to remove all the dirt. Usually, there is some residue left behind that you can't see until the car dries.
The self serve car washes are needed for some because some people don't own a house and in some cases, even if they do, they cannot use the outdoor hose in the winter.
@@FrakkingCreations Yep i agree!
4:32 because you will get swirl marks on your paint/clearcoat. sure you can clean the brush and it may be free of dirt and contaminants, but the brush itself is rough, it shouldn't be making contact with the paint or you'll get swirl marks, it needs to be a soft plush wash mitt for the actual scrubbing part. i would use the foam brush to just foam up the car, but i'd bring my own hand wash mitt to actually do the scrubbing. unless you have an older car with imperfect paint anyway then it's not a big deal i guess.
4:45 1000 iq🤯🤭🔥
thanks
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It really does work trust me
Thanks for the video.
1. You're saying automatic washes use very harsh soap...isn't soap the same at self serve washes?
2. how to make sure you don't scratch the paint with foam brush?
Thanks again for your work.
Good video! Is the best way to wash the foam brush just to lay it flat and spray with high pressure?
Do you ever use the ‘wax spray’ available at car washes?
Thanks again for the video!!
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.
Checkout my pinned comment as I don't use the brush anymore and talk about that there.
I typically don't use the wax spray at the car wash as it's more cost effective to bring your own and you can get much better ones. I linked to a few in the video description so choose one that suits you (synthetic, ceramic graphene)
Best car wash video I have seen, but I would stand the foam brush up and wash it with soap instead of putting it down on the floor.
Thank you for the comment and for the suggestion. It should work too. For us, the floor was pretty clean and the spray was strong enough to push the dirt out.
If you don't mind, please share our video with anyone else it will help.
I tired this with a brand new swirl free rental car cleaned the brush off and did just like this, took the car out of the wash inspected the paint and guess what I found swirls everywhere good thing it was a rental 😉 and that’s why I will never use that swirl wand on my personal black car 😁 well actually I do use the brush for my floor mats, engine bay and wheel wells the only thing it’s good for lol
Can I turn my wheel and hit the suspension parts or what that cause damage
Everything was going good. But when i saw that brush on used im out
Fr LMAOOOO
Yup. No person on earth who knows how to properly wash a car would ever touch that brush to their vehicle.
Ritee wtf
That's why I will use the wand on rinse/pressure wash and spray it out way before it touches the car, but that man has a glorious amount of soap out of the brush, where I'm at it is 8 bucks, unlimited time with all the tools wax, vacuum etc spent 2 hours there.
He did warn about people like you who whine about that brush😂
I would love to own a car wash business like this however here in America people don’t wash there own car much they use the drive through car wash. Seems like truck users use these most. Btw great tips that I over looked in the past.
The stock wing on my Fiat 500e might get knocked off in a drive-thru & we're on water restriction, so I'm going to try it.
You can buy a microfibre brush cover for the brush to minimize risk of getting scratches.
I live in a valley surounded by Amish cornfields. It gets really dusty down there. I live there with my parents. I don't give a damn about my car, but My Old Man washed his Jeep Grand Cherokee about every other weekend. He passed away last year. Recently I've been having to drive his old Jeep around to take my mother places. That thing ended up looking terrible. Oh, I should mention the Jeep is Brilliant White. Just took my mother to the dentist this morning, so I thought I swing by the carwash just down the road. It was $3.50 for 4 minutes! But thanks to this vid I didn't spend more than $10.
Sorry about your father.
Glad that our video helped you! Thanks for commenting.
Hi is using drying aid (ceramic spray) when drying is a must to achieve screatch free drying?
Btw in using twisted loopd drying towel
I would always go by the instructions of the specific spray wax.
OK, when I went to the DIY car wash there was a "wax" option on the dial, so I waxed it after doing the soaking and rinsing. Basically I did soak - rinse - wax - rinse. Didn't dry car before "wax". Did the wax do any good or not? Am I always supposed to dry it with a towel before waxing?
I don't find the wax from car washes that good. It's just pricey and not good bang for the buck. Better to buy your own spray wax or syntheyic wax application. It's more work to wax like that but better results. You should dry a bit before wax. Usually a little water is ok but too wet and you dilute the wax. You also don't want to drive off with the car still wet as it will pick up dirt from the road easily. Hope that helps.
Hey,
Nice video , may I ask you though , would it be a good idea to use spray wax to make the wheel wells more water and dirt resistant? As I’m not sure that’d be a good idea as it’ll come in contact with the tires.
The reason why I would like to do this is because the road I live next to is a gravel road. & it makes my wheel arches look horrendous due to the sand and mud. I’ve cleaned my car 2 days ago & my wheel arches look like those on a car you’d find at the junk yard in the Nevada desert. Or worse.
Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Thank you for commenting. I'm not so sure wax or anything can really help here. spray wax would probably just make it easier for the dirt and sand to stick. Unfortunately, wet dirt and sand will just stick to wheel wells no matter what. You might just need to clean it regularly.
The spray wax probably shouldn't be used in the wheel well. Just as you stated, it will get on the tread of the tires and even the brakes, which could be a safety issue.
@@FrakkingCreations thanks!
What can I use on those hard plastic parts to restore some shine after those harsh carwash soaps ? Thx
I'm not sure there is anything that can be permanent without risking damage. A lot of solutions out there are temporary. They look great when you apply them but they wear or wash away over time. I suppose just conditioning them regularly can help slow the deterioration.
Can you opt to not dry with a microfiber towel but just drive around and let the airflow dry the car? Will that leave any streaks, residue, or watermarks behind?
I wouldn't do it since it will leave streaks. The streaks can be from the water drying and leaving mineral deposits but it will more likely come from sand, dust and dirt in the air and on the road blowing up around the car and sticking to the water and then drying onto the car.
Hope this helps.
@@FrakkingCreations Good point, thanks for the reply!
DONT USE FOAM BRUSH! - There's a reason why it's avoided!
It will leave micro-scratches on your car (when even rinsed out properly)
They are microfiber......not foam,and even doing your car yourself will cause spider webbing (swirls in paint) if you don't wax
@@ryanmillar6572 so the foam brush ain’t as bad as people make it sound to be?
@@nibbax7772
Wash it out and the little tub of water it sits in first. You can always feel it for any grit. The real horsehair ones are quite soft, they also use that in higher end paint brushes. Good ones are always pumping out foam and that pushes any dirt out of them as well.
Does the rinse theoretically leave no spots behind at the end? I drive my car out in dirty areas often so I don't want to go the extra mile if I don't have to with the distilled water rinse.
Drying the car after the rinse with a large microfiber cloth will help reduce the amount of water spots. We don't typically use the spotless rinse since it does come out slower and add more time/cost to the wash.
I definitely should have watched this before washing my car this morning and not after. I didn't rinse the foam brush, so it left streaks on my car twice, so I just did the automatic afterwards. 😂 But I'm going to try this again next week. 👍
Thanks for watching and commenting on our video.
Make sure to also wash a panel at a time and wash in consistent and overlapping motions. I find that sometimes if I don't properly overlap then I sometimes end up with streaks in sections that I missed... and I don't find out until the car dries.
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Enjoy your clean car!
1:36 Where is this car wash in the video located ?
Another reason not to use the bay brush is because it costs $$ during the time it’s used. Bring your own buckets and mitts, and pay only for the soap before and rinse after!
only pay for the rinse hah. you can bring your own soap and a brush
So you let the soap out of the brush into your bucket?
@@mysticalsoul1575 either that, or use the ‘soapy rinse’ setting which shoots out premixed soapy water.
@@zane9964 true, but at that point why not just do the wash at home 🙂
@@robkipa thanks for the tip
I've never seen such an awesome looking carwash like that! Where is that located??
This is located in Edmonton, Alberta. There are actually many carwashes like this type here under different names.
We like touchless foam car washing
what is the purpose for the first step, the second step seems to be enough soap to clean and the the third step would rinse all the dirt and soap off, right?
Good question. The first step is to loosen, dissolve and remove as much of dirt from the surface as possible. Especially the larger dirt particles. The reason is that larger dirt particles left behind can potentially scratch the paint as you use the foam brush.
Are these foam ph balanced. I have a protective layer on my car from the dealership. They told me anything thats not ph balanced would eat into it.
As per my pinned comments for this video we've switched from using the foam brush to just using the wash wand. But in either case the quality of foam soap that are in these self serve car washes are dependent on the owner/management that runs them. They could choose to use good quality soap or not. So weather the foam soap is pH balanced or not is dependent on the individual business.
One thing you can do is to buy litmus paper or pH test paper to test the soap acidity yourself. I have a link to one in the video description.
Hope this helps.
@FrakkingCreations thanks for the reply. That makes sense and the ph testing is a good idea. I'll ask the store to see what cleaning products they use. Thanks
You're welcome.
Please, PLEASE do NOT use the foam brush or any brush/sponge on your car. It will cause swirls, scratches, etc. use a microfiber wash kit and rinse it after washing every panel
Not all brushes are bad. Majority are (synthetic fiber ones) but Animal/Boar's hair brushes are very soft and are good if used properly (They hold a lot of water and foam and dirt and release easily when rinsed). If people use a good wash mitt and rinse it after washing every panel, then it can also be done to the brush to rinse or flick the new foam off the brush. Note that the car wash animal hair brushes have new foam regularly pushing out of the brush to push out the dirt and debris. Notice how in the car wash I was at, how much new foam was pushing out. This is also important. Flicking and lots of new foam coming through is similar to rinsing off a wash mitt.
I also indicated to use the high pressure soap to properly spray off a lot of the debris on the car before using the foam animal hair brush. This gets most of the dirt off and also wets the paint surface. I also indicated to lightly scrub and regularly flick off the dirty foam (This can be done multiple times during, within and after each panel). I suppose if anyone is paranoid, they can bring a bucket with a grit guard and dunk the foam brush in after every panel.
Here is a thread with people that haven't had issues with Boar's hair brushes. The OP was originally upset at the results but it was due to method of use.
www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101-a/18179-montana-boars-hair-trashed-my-finish.html
Hope that clarifies things.
No no no I am a detailer you don’t use a brush if they are left on the floor they pick up dust and dirt so you just rub and scratch your paint
That's why it's important to clean them properly before you use and while you use them. Same thing as a wash mitt that is used with 2 bucket method with a grit guard. It has to be clean before use and also during use.
Frakking Creations dirt gets stuck on them then it scratches ur paint so you should pressure wash them about 10 times in a wash depending how big ur car is
Thanks for your comment. For anyone that is worried about this can of course do more flicking of the foam brush to get the dirt off the brush. Remember that new foam (and a lot of it) is coming out of the brush at the self-serve car washes. Not something that home foam brushes have.
You can also, do what you recommend and pressure wash more frequently between washing panels.
Another way is to bring a bucket with a grit guard and wash the brush as you would a wash mitt after every panel.
I tried using the foam brush even with the cleaning/flicking technique before using it and still left a bunch of swirls on my clear coat and lost significant shine on my car. Would NOT recommend it at all.
You don’t know how to use it right
@@hectormtz18 maybe... I don't know. Maybe he's freakin right, the brush is a piece of crap. 🤗
so true!!
yeah the self serve in the video was really nice. My local one has some questionable brushes so I always try to go when its empty and just sneak in a bucket and some microfiber towels haha.
I can't fathom touching the paint with the brush. But, for the wheels? Fair game.
Yeah, that is a valid concern. Thanks for commenting.
We get a lot of comments on the brush.
Even with a wash mitt you can scratch the paint if not used properly with good technique. If you use these brushes with good technique and light pressure (after high pressure washing the large dirt off the paint) it is possible to clean without damage. For those that are worried, they can use a scrubbing technique more similar to that of using a wash mitt and 2 bucket method. Note too that these brushes I showed also pump out a lot of new foam as you use it.
With wheels I think it would depend because some wheels now come painted and that paint can get scratched too.
I show one technique and the video provides more tips than just the brush, so hopefully it is helpful.
Not everyone wants to spend hours doing a car wash. These car washes are needed and useful for those that can't wash outside (when in the winter) or have facilities and in the end it's up to the owner how detailed they want to be.
i swear, this looks exactly like the one i go to. is this in edmonton?
Yes. This is in Edmonton. We've been to a few that look very similar.
HELL YA!! see i was thinking the same thing, why not just wash it before using it? ahahaha. Just watched another youtuber carwash "dont use foam brush cuz of dirt and scratch car" and im like rinse/clean the brush first'? xD. Great vid sir!. Ive been going to shell car wash(auto) and im just not feeling it. also want to clean the inside as well.
Thank you for the comment. I've been to many automatic car washes including Shell's and most don't impress me. They often don't do well enough. If I have to go to an automatic one, I like the Rainbow Carwashes and the Co-op Carwashes.
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Most places where i live don’t allow the two bucket methods, but i do it anyways and they never say anything 😂💪🤙
Yeah you really do have to be sneaky about it. 🙂
And if you're a regular and it's not busy, I'm sure they're ok with it. We always dry and wax inside when it's not busy.
As long as you’re paying for the time, it should be iight. I think the problem comes when people pay for a minute of pre-wash and then pay another minute for rinse
Is this Windermere?
The advice to clean the foam brush is worth while. However, you should realize that foam brushes Will scratch clear coat over time.
Thanks for the feedback. I plan on doing an update video about this in the future as we had a lot of feedback on this.
How long did it take and how much did it cost. Im a broke teen who wants to treat my car right. Its a 2008 Malibu in almost perfect condition every scratch and the few dents where cause by kids at my school and two of the deep ones are on the passenger side door neer the bottom of the car.
For us, it usually costs between $15 to $20 to wash well. If you want to save on cost then most cost effective is to wash at home using 2 bucket method. When you use a facility like this you are paying for the use of it which isn't as cost effective. Treating your car right also means more frequent washing and not leaving dirt, bird droppings, mud, tree sap, etc... to build up on the paint and get cooked onto it by the sun. Park in the shade and get that paint scratch repaired before it rusts!
Hope this helps
Checkout our paint scratch repair video to see if this will help you with the scratches on your car...
czcams.com/video/CyUmqiuz_us/video.html
Subscribing to your channel just because of this video. Great content. Keep it coming. 👍
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Will the time ticks even though the trigger is released?
Yes, the timer will still count down even when you don't use the trigger on the wash wand. You are also paying to use the stall in the facility.
Do you press stop after every step? For example if I'm going to use my own mitt with the soap, do I press the stop since I'm not using anything in the meantime?
Good question ... If you are not using any of the tools then you should press stop. Or else you are paying for something you aren't using.
For the type of self serve car wash I was showing in the video, you can stop and start and the system will charge you for each segment you start and stop and also keep track of your total bill. So when you go to print your receipt it will have the price of with segment and the total.
Just keep in mind that some places could potentially charge more for the first minute so you want to make sure you use at least a few minutes each segment.
What about the wax that is provided at the car wash, how should I use that one
I'm not a big fan of those ones. I feel the less expensive way to go is to use your own spray wax. You could buy higher quality ones plus they will last multiple applications.
If im going to use a manual car wash im going to bring my own wash mitt since even though the brush is clean it still has pointy edge that act like a sandpaper
Not all places are the same and some places will have bad conditioned brushes or even low quality course brushes. If that's the case then don't use the brush.
You can still use 2 bucket method. Get 2 buckets with lids, you might have to carry them to your car from your condo/apartment, but it's better than using the brush. Full One with soap and the other with water. Bring them to the self wash place.
Nice
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What did the clear coat do to you man???
do you need to buy the wax product separately?
If you are asking about the wax setting at the car wash, then no. At the car washes we've been to you pay for.the time you use the equipment. During that time you can use any of the tools provided.