It's slightly pricey, but well worth the long term investment, to buy a pack of three wheel woolies. The large one is perfect for the wheel face, and gets behind the spokes really well. The tiny one gets between the spokes, and then the middle size one with a long handle gets right to the back of the barrels. You are then using a different one for each part of the wheel, a quick rinse in a bucket of water and on to the next wheel. They seem to last for a LONG time too, really durable, had mine 2 years and they are good for at least another 2 yet, and I wash my car every week !
That thing about shampoos with gloss enhancers - wash n wax type things - is really interesting. Some of the newer ones, like Turtle Wax Ceramic Wash and Wax, really do leave some serious protective qualities behind. The water behaviour can be insane. Epic Car Detailing has just done a video on a new one. Makes me wonder if they are more suited to a person who does like to wash their car regularly but is time poor and doesn't want to do anything else. Another great video that's going to be so useful.
Yeah they're are some good options which can leave great protection behind, usually these are the ceramic-type ones like you mentioned. Bilt Hamber Touch-On is another good option in this category. I recommended that to a friend who just to wash their car as quickly as possible and couldn't be bothered adding the protection in a separate step!
Cleaning the wheels face makes much more sense, I shall adopt this procedure from now on 😎 love your channel and love how many different products you use 👍👍👍👍
Some excellent tips here, I have done most of these things in the past and still do one or two at times! Completely agree about doing the wheel barrels after the faces, it has always seemed to be the logical approach to me.
@@AutoCareHQ Faces first is how I've always done my wheels. Seems the more logical approach to me! I've just stumbled across your channel Heather, and have subscribed. Looking forward to more content!
Hi Heather. Been watching your videos for 3 years and just recognized i forgott to subscribe. So i did it now with pleasure! I like your vids a lot, no nonsense straight to the point and good advice...thank you for your work and greetings from Slovenia.
I'm a bugger for layering products ...... I do the same as you with the wheels thinking about it ......towels is do em yourself as you know parents / partners will add softener etc in thinking they are helping make things softer 😮......gloves I go through loads at work as the key store works off finger prints which isn't ideal. If you remember back I burnt my hands filling a bottle with iron remover caused by splash back so I wear them now for refilling bottles as well
One of the important things on protecting yourself is remembering we are dealing with chemicals and must wear appropriately PPE such as long sleeve shirts so they don't contact our skin, gloves, eyewear since we don't want to be spraying and wind all of the sudden blows and sometimes by accident some get in our eyes, mask up especially when cleaning interiors. Always on interiors checking under seats with a mirror and in between seats so nothing cuts or pokes us since there could be lancets or syringes besides other nasty materials and have Narcan available in case there's powder that might be drug or when poked by syringes that we didn't notice, but that's the importance of inspection and avoiding emergencies since we always have customers of any walks of life. One thing I always recommend other Detailing partners is using a tennis wrist band because when we are applying coatings and having sweating on our hands, the sweat will escape and end on the surface we are coating, so the tennis wrist band absorbs the sweat and you avoid the problem.
Mistake 3 i see alot across RU-vid. I always pre wash the wheels with TFR/Citrus and snowfoam, before the contact wash of the wheels. Even more so on wheels like my BMW that are black, can be marked so easily. Tip number 6 is my car as a product tester 😂 not the best idea like you say, more isnt always better. Tip number 7 is a very good one, i like the idea and actually makes sense. Great video yet again, thanks for sharing Heather 🙌
Cheers Jason! Yeah it's quite rare to see the wheels getting a pre-wash but well worth doing in my opinion especially on delicate finishes like on your BMW. Haha I reckon a lot of RU-vidrs are guilty of layering a load of products on their own cars!
Great video Heather 👍 For the wheels I'm a barrels first guy 😊. But rinse the wheels before making contact with the faces. This also includes rinsing the barrel brush, before putting back in my wash solution.
Good tips. On the DA polish advice, on my own 20 year old garaged Mazda RX8 with similar paint depth as your Mazda, I prefer to hide any minor swirls with BH cleanser polish hand applied, then put some Dodo Juice purple haze on top. It wouldn't last so long if I did that with my daily driver but for a garaged dry use car it's great and only do bi annual at most. I save my DA polisher for my Mondeo daily driver, correct once a year to 18 months.
Oh god, i hope there isn't more than ten else my hobby could be a disaster in the making. My personal one was the first time i used a pressure washer i got right in on the wheels and gave it a ruddy good squirt to watch the plate which covers the brake disc at the back fall out onto the drive. (as it was very rusty anyway). Im very careful with calipers and pressure washers as well. Just a gentle rinse from a distance is plenty. let the products do the work. this was from a time way back when i didn't watch your channel and was yet to amass a garage full of products and wheel cleaners, most of which I'm still yet to use - yes Im looking at you for my full range of barely used Mile Deep products - haha! Their time will come!) Some good tips in here, and great video as usual, The Heather. One I'd add is if you are wheels off and ceramic coating them do the barrel first. then you can turn it over and do the face - you won't ruin the face as it dries by doing it the other way around. I have skin issues anyway so it reacts to jsut about anything so i use big yellow rubber gloves for most things (nitrile if not a bucket of liquid) as I've realised i'm too old to care about what a wally i look. I also use a full 3m facemask for anything that stinks (last thing I want is wheel cleaner in my eye) and is obviously bad to be breathed in or if im blowing out hte interior and bits are going everywhere. Again i look like Bane in rubber gloves but my lungs will thank me one day i'm sure.
Thanks for watching :) You need to get on it and use the Mile Deep products, they're really good! Great tip about coating the barrel first so you don't rub the coating off the wheel face. Masks are definitely a good idea too!
@Auto Care HQ. Helpful straighforward video. I do have a genuine question about environmental impact though and washing these cleaning chemicals down storm drains where they can make their way into the water system / rivers etc.
Thanks for watching :) With regards to the environmental impacts I do believe some brands have started to be more conscious of this with their formulations now and I'm seeing a lot more biodegradable snow foams etc on the market
Great tips Heather 😀👍 Pre-washing the wheels has to be a must and the water spot remover is a great one. DuxShell gloves look great, I’m planning on checking them out 😀
Thanks very much! Definitely worth having a look at the gloves, pretty sure there will be some deals on them atm so you should be able to get them reasonably cheap
I have teached detailing for 35 years to be fair it was not really call than then and I always clean the face of the wheel first. Great minds think alike.
Fantastic video! I want to add some extra evidence to the demineralisation phase for old sealants etc ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dSceKoRpoE4.html I was genuinely amazed at how it bought back the Flex Wax and Obsidian after 9 months. Labocosmetica's fallout remover is also a demineraliser too, which is properly handy!
Cheers Adrian! That video is a great demo of how much difference it can make. I didn't know that about Labocosmetica's fallout remover either that's really useful!
@@AutoCareHQ neither did I until someone else pointed it out to me. It's pricey on the face of it, but when you think about it being two products combined (both of which are pretty effective), then it's actually good value.
Something also to consider is vacuum cleaner hoses on the doors, move the vacuum cleaner closest to where you are cleaning, use a long old towel so the hose doesn't scratch the paint or use The Rag Company suede fender defender, it can also be used when detailing engine bays so you don't scratch or marr the painted panel when we lay our bodies against the fenders while cleaning the entire engine bay.
Best thing I changed about routine was to totally ditch 2BM method. A back injury made carrying 2 heavy buckets a strain. Now I use 1 bucket and 6 mitts for entire car. A mitt is only used once on each side per panel, then put in an empty bucket. That way they never return to your wash bucket, minimizing grit transfer. It’s also quicker not rinsing mitt. Try it. 5-6 mitts. One bucket wash. Uses less water too.
THIS ^ After a few years of the two bucket method, I came to the conclusion that unless you are doing a vehicle which is really REALLY dirty, then two bucket method is completely pointless and a waste of water. Most of us into detailing will basically be cleaning a pretty clean car anyway, and the majority of us have some topping to protect the paint making the dirt come off even easier. So, once you have citrus (if needed), snow foamed, and rinsed, there should be nothing abrasive left on the paint to cause any swirling or marring, provided you have a good soft mitt, decent shampoo, and good technique. Provided you have used a good foam, and/or citrus pre wash, and a good power water jet rinse, those alone should have got the paint 98% clean anyway. The contact wash is basically to just remove those final little missed areas of slight grime, or stubborn birdshyte remains, and isn't really intended for heavy dirt removal because if your car is still dirty visibly after citrus and foam, then you are using crap products or crap technique ! One bucket, a good mitt, a good shampoo, and you shouldn't really even need a grit guard, although for the money it's advisable to use one as an extra precaution.
Great advice! I've never thought about cleaning the wheel face first (I've always done the barrels first out of habit) and I'm also guilty of layering too many products😅
Awesome info ,I started with a BM demon shine box and took on the learning curve from there😮,4 year later I finally found by base chemicals and products and equipment I’m happy with but always willing to learn and take advice. The gloves look good thanks for the link 👍
i want to share my opinion about the wheels.i also used to not pre wash them and washed them first,but lately what i do is snow foam the whole car first so the wheels also soak,then rinse,and i wash them next,and its much easier,at first it seemed wrong to first do the pre wash of the whole car and then the wheels but i have never seen any grime spilling in the paint
Yeah that’s very true, as long as you don’t go crazy splashing dirt everywhere when cleaning the wheels and the paintwork stays wet after the pre-wash that’s a good way of saving some time
I always do wheels last. As pointed out snow foam takes most of the grit off. With good PW control even rinsing tyres get barely any splashing on arches. Any is cleaned up with final qd wipe when attending to drips etc. Also if I run out of time or daylight wheels finished next day.😊
I like to do the face before the barrel, too for precisely the same reason. When I started out it was completely different but you learn over time and this is the what and the why for me. Also-also, it's totally ok to wash MF towels on hot but when you dry it's imperative to do so on low or extra-low temps. Just ask me how I know...
I ceramic coat, and what I’ve found is I’m basically just polishing the ceramic coat each season. I could be wrong since I’m judging this off the hydrophobic properties being still there. But one of my cars is 11 years old and still shines with an annual correction.
What about using different branded products- will that affect any long term durability? Say a autoglym shampoo, maguires polish & chemical guys wax/sealant?
Hi got a question about using stubby gun. When I attach a snow foam lance on with quick release fitting the foam lance moves side to side when holding the stubby gun. Is this normal or am am I doing something wrong
Very good tips well im guilty of a few of them as for cleaning the wheels i always do the barrel first then rinse off and re apply the wheel cleaner to the faces right or wrong its the way i do it dont think either way is wrong to be honest just do what works best for you another great video as always 👍 keep up the good work
Really great video. I just purchased an Audi Q3 and have been researching proper procedures for its care and protection. Your video has been truly educational since you discussed some critical issues that I had not considered previously or that I had never heard discussed, even by other "professional" detailers on RU-vid. Also, if I may add, I love your accent.
Hi Heather, Yes we’ve all done those things! Totally agree about the wheels, always prewash the whole car including the wheels before any contact. Also when doing the contact on wheels it’s faces then barrels - why would you clean the dirtiest (and mostly hidden) bit first then rub it onto the cleanest and most visible bit? 🤨 Keep up the thought provoking and informative work! 👍
I've just cleaned my car. Doing the wheel barrel before the face and dragged some gunky stuff on to the face..... then just carried on😂. However, my thinking is if I clean the face and spokes I may go too far and drag some dirt from the barrel onto my mitt and do way more damage. Maybe I should do barrel, rinse, face, rinse! Great video, thanks for sharing
Great video! I have one question. What is your thoughts on doing a prewash with foam cannon (something slightly higher on ph), little dwell and rinse. Followed by contact wash without foaming the car again but rather only with suds from the bucket on a wet car. I am doing prewash in foam cannon and also ph neutral in foam cannon before contact and it’s not efficient, it adds time and would like to be more efficient
I was just about to ask which gloves do you use but you literally just said it as I'm writing this 😅 another wee question though, what power/pressure washer do you use? I'd like to get a more agile handheld one like what you have. Cheers!
Great video. But brushes do scratch paint, even the soft ones. Check the Gyeon guy - he only uses microfibre cloths on paint. Makes alot of sense and when you try it you will see how effective it is. Trust.
Hello! This is how i treat my Ren Talisman Gtechniq - CSL Crystal Serum Light - Ceramic Coating, Gtechniq Car Shampoo. Auto W1 GWash Shampoo GYEON WetCoat C2 Ceramic Sealant Gtechniq
I do the same with the brush work nowadays, it’s a much better practice and it’s surprising to see how many well known folks go straight in with brushes after foaming a dry vehicle. I used to do the brush work before the contact wash, during the foam stage, but that was always after a pressure rinse before applying the foam. I completely agree about washing the wheel barrels after the rims, faces and spokes, I would go as far to say it’s not controversial at all, I think it’s entirely logical when you think about it. Great tip on pre washing the wheels, something I am guilty of not doing. My wheels tend to be coated so I usually think a pre pressure rinse is often enough, but I will definitely try the pre wash too 👍
I enjoyed your video and tips. I had some problems understanding your heavy accent tho. I’m glad you showed on video what you were speaking about at the same time!! ❤
Ginormous point that about the wheels and barrels. Every youtuber does it, you see all the disgusting brown clay being pulled from the barrels, then pushed all around the face of the wheel. I've said it many times over the years. I have gloss black and they get a pre-rinse, apply a strong solution of APC/citrus, I do the tyres, once the tyres are done I rinse. Apply wheel cleaner then agitate with a soft brush to knock off the majority of the clag. Then I go in with the AD finger mitt or my Klin Softie pad to do the face. Then I use both large and mini EZ Brushes on the barrels. I use a Halfords finger mitt for behind the spokes. EZ Go brush and citrus in the arches. Anything else is defeating the object of detailing. I do use wheel shampoo in the IK foamer for contact washing plus some in the bucket. Every brush is sprayed off before being put in the bucket. Some great points there!
@AutoCareHQ watched all your vids dood and you've improved amazingly 👏 The other thing that bugs me is youtubers putting down a citrus prewash then rinsing it off then putting a blanket of snow foam down. Defeats the object of snow foam.
Hi Heather, thanks for some useful tips. I actually wash my wheels in the same way cleaning the barrel second, but to be honest I hadn't put much thought into the reasoning behind it.
At the risk of embarrassing myself , but just a friendly reminder to everyone.. If your washing out microfibers in the laundry sink, remember to turn the tap off , never walk away while the waters running even if the plugs not in.... i know that's common sense right , but when you've been working long hours and weekends for months without a break it's easy to have a " brain fart " accidents happen. My home is dry now and thankfully with very very minimal damage.. Edit ) i wash wheels the same , faces first and always apply a pre cleaner.
I wish youtube had shown me this video last night before i spent the entire morning cleaning & protecting my car ready for winter 😂 Guess where all my mits & towels went after.. straight in the washer 😑
Hi Heather. Great info as always. Please can you start to do an outro of some description. I get so engrossed in the chat/content and before I have a chance to give a massive thumbs up 👍 the video has ended. Ps I always go back and thumbs up. But would be good to have a 5-10 second time to make sure at the end. Please keep up the great work and dedication to pleasing us all. Much respect as always.
Thanks Harry! Cheers for going back and liking the video! I did used to have outros but I honestly thought it was harming things as most people drop off instantly at that point and then the percentage watch time drops on RU-vid so they potentially not push it as much. It’s tough to know what’s best 😂
@@AutoCareHQ I get that completely. RU-vid is a minefield of what's good and bad for your own channel. But rest assured I will always go back and like. Would not want my recommendations to harm your chances of growth in any way. Just had a thought... If it's possible and won't affect the length of the videos.. maybe add the like and subscribe icon in bottom corner 10 secs from the end 🤔 as that wouldn't alter things that much. But it's ultimately your channel and yours to put out what you like. Either way I'm a lifelong subscriber and will smash the like button every time. 👌
Great deal of knowledge I also clean the barrel of the wheel first I have to rethink the next time cleaning my wheels love your videos can’t wait for the next one
Wheel face, then tyre, then barrel. That's my past 7 year's on cleaning wheel and tyres. I foam rinse and foam again detail brush plus some car shampoo in a spray bottle while the foam is doing it's thing rinse, then via a snow foam bottle i apply the car shampoo of choice, Foam make contact if i have to with a mitt rise dry and add some protection. Open doors and bonnet to dry the jambs etc, pack car away and admire for 5 minutes.
@@AutoCareHQ First part was about the wheels and second part was what i do when it comes to washing the car I just had a read of my comment and i hope it doesn't/did confuse anybody. Life is routine Heather take care from Tasmania, Australia 🇦🇺
Hi heather I hope you are well just come from Usa for work so yes I agree with you in all points and I hope in the future no more mistakes, excellent explanation you car look gorgeous i leave my like for you. Best🇨🇦.
