A lot of very useful info here Heather....your knowledge and experience is pretty amazing but, it's the way you break it down into easy to follow tips and advice that anyone can take on, I really admire. You have turned, what I used to regard as a tiresome chore, into something more of a hobby that is enjoyable. Another brilliant video Heather, thank you!! 👍
As someone who is just getting into car detailing, this video was very helpful! It's hard to find a clear explanation of what each product does and when to use them. This video is great, simple and clear. Thanks!
5.58 in the video the vw up makes you look tiny 😂 great video though heather and as always full of amazing tips and info . Have you tried a rinsless wash ? I’ve just been using DIY details rinsless and so far so good , you mentioned those sponges and I was looking into them for the rinsless was but boy are they overpriced
I used multiple mits with the rinseless and also as a pre wash and was so impressed with results , great time saved and made the infinity lite coat just pop
You covered pretty much everything, thanks. I have only one extra tip, when you pull the trigger on your power washer for the first time ( and whenever you change nozzles ) , point the lance away from the car. I had an absolute disaster for the first time the other day. I changed from a foam cannon to a lance and it wasn’t fully locked… lance hit the bodywork like a bullet !
It is very seldom nowadays that someone, working on the detailing of the cars, mentions the importance of using 70/30 blend microfiber towels, when it comes to the soft paints. Your video reveals your professionalism, thumbs up👍!
That's pretty much my method honed over the years watching many RU-vid video's especially during lock down and rainy days. My only slight difference is when waxing I work in straight lines. I wonder what your thoughts are on this.
A little misleading regarding the Citrus and Snow Foam. An good alkaline snowfoam like GT is much stronger than a Citrus, especially when compared for the same PIR. Citrus needs to be used at least 5% but usually closer to 20% on a dirty car. GT V2 at only 3% does a better job.
@@AutoCareHQI really don't know how you are getting better results with a citrus compared to a snow foam that cleans. I've done multiple tests and the citrus doesn't get anywhere near it. Example, CarChem citrus at 1:5 - i.e. 20% vs Carchem presoak+ at 4% and there is no competition. The citrus leaves visible dirt where as the presoak+ doesn't. And GTV2 is better at 3% than Carchem at 4% by quite a margin. Supercharged Llama did a video recently on Nanolex prewash, and in that he comapred it to Citrus and Snowfoam and came to the same conclusion I did. The only use I think citrus may have is bug removal in summer, but more testing needed.
Again I have to thank you for a great video. Your posts are an absolute treasure trove of information and in my opinion are essential watching for the DIYer. I live just outside Toronto, Ontario and plan to put all I have learned from you into practice when the weather warms up a bit. In this area we have had an incredible winter - no snow to speak of and temperatures generally well above freezing. But even so I'll wait for more moderate temperatures. Unfortunately, although the information you impart is available no matter the location of the viewer, the same cannot be said about all the products you use and recommend. So, in some cases, I have had to choose alternatives. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Apart from thanking you for your videos, I want to ask a question. I don't believe my Q3 needs any paint correction so after all the washing, decontamination etc. etc., I plan to go straight to a DA applied sealant. Do you think it necessary to use a product such as Car Pro Eraser before the sealant application? With no polishing involved there should be no question of oil residues being present but an IPA-type product might provide greater sealant-paint bonding. I would sincerely appreciate your advice.
Any good pressure washing off foam so no contact or pressure from a physical object? Or might the high pressure water combined with dirt cause something akin to a sand blasting effect?
Yet another quality video Heather. Thank you. From my experience, there is one other method id recommend, and its one i use if im working on really soft paint. Typically Japanese cars. I will still use the two bucket method, but with a twist. One bucket will still have my shampoo, but the other is empty. I then have a tub with between 8 and 15 wash mitts or plush microfibre towels. I use one per section of the car, then its thrown into the empty bucket. It does require a lot of wash media investment, but theres little to no risk of cross contamintion at all. Which is ideal if im working on a modified 150k GTR for example. Shampoo solution remains perfectly clean and marring is minimised as much as possible. Then a liberal dosing of Koch Chemie FSE and a blow dry. Of course, that level also means charging more money because the drying is far more time comsuming.
This is an extremely timely upload, because I washed my car yesterday and noticed some new scratches which made me quite upset as I try really hard to avoid them, so here I am trying to find some tips and tricks to avoid them.
That's gutting but don't worry about it it's tricky especially on soft paintwork, I've definitely been there too! I'm sure a very light hand polish would probably take care of them too
Fabulous information Heather, quick question, what are the gloves your wearing around the 9.15 mark of the video, they are not the nitrile type, many thanks ☺️
Hello. I love your videos!! I live in the United States so I don’t have access to the Squid Ink products. What other brands can I use as a pre-rinse? Products like Koch-Chemie or Gtechniq maybe?
Excellent pointers. My best tip...clean/polish/detail your p&j within an inch of its life and then leave it in a heated garage😂 (I live in Somerset so permanently wet/muddy here)
Great video, you mentioned about keeping your microfibre towels in a plastic bag - is this after they have air dried?? cos presumably putting them into a bag damp would get smelly?
Another great video. Do you think it’s a good idea to use noodle wash mits. I currently use around 10 wash noodles one for practically every panel. Or is that excessive 😂
Have you tried the garage therapy micro fibre towels ? I don't rate the rag company Eagle 500 the yellow ones anyway i use them for door shuts and engine bay now 🤣🤣 also are you sponsored by squid ink ?
One of the best ways to not scratch a car is to avoid so called hand car washes! They might have fancy names like 'Snow Foamees' and 'Bubbles' but they usually use traffic film remover as the primary cleaner and the mitts end up in the same dirty vat of water! Apparently, washing microfibre cloths or towels that have accidentally been contaminated with fabric softener in a weak salt solution will release the effects of the softener. Just make sure to rinse them out thoroughly.
@@AutoCareHQ so just a middle of the range one, it was like £90 off Amazon. I just couldn't stretch to the bigger brands price. But the one I got is pretty good on the first few uses, so let's see how it goes with it.
Thanks! I use Rags to Riches detergent personally but a non-bio liquid is fine too as long as it doesn’t have bleach/ fabric softeners. I usually just go for 30 degrees Celsius
Could do with showing this to my old man, he likes to use washing up liquid to wash his car, along with a 99p sponge, he keeps in a bucket outside! 🤦♂️
Hi Heather another great video, can you recommend a good barrel brush, I have an auto finesse one but think the bristles are possibly a bit abrasive. It is an older one so may have improved since I purchased it. Thanks in advance
Thanks very much for watching and congrats on the new car! Not sure if you've already been on it but I've got a lot of guides on my website if you're looking for more info: autocarehq.com/
APCs are also great pre-wash products. Something like Optimum PowerClean, DIY All-Clean, Gtechniq Citrus APC, Bilt Hamber Surfex HD, Gyeon APC, Carpro MultiX and ValetPro APC are all great.
Good tips! I like Bilt Hamber Touchless concentrate as pre-wash 2% PIR for general use and 4% PIR for very dirty. Something not mentioned in the video but one bucket and multiple mits/edgeless towels is also a great method utilized by many. So you basically use the towel one time and then throw it in the discard bucket, take a new soapy mit/towel out of your soapy water and continue cleaning. No need to rinse or use grit guard just keep going.
Hello Caretakers. I love watching this channel. It's about dirty and raunchy things that a pretty girl talks about. And it's not even naughty! ;-) Thanks for your advice!
Car driers are absolutely essential and best used in conjunction with a good quality drying towel. I also find using the dryer is very therapeutic and it is also useful to blast off leaves and pine needles etc caught under the bonnet etc before starting the wash process. For tricky areas like the tight hinge areas under hatchbacks (where horrible algae can grow), I also use flexible perspex sheets with a microfibre cloth wrapped around as it gets to the tricky areas and saves your fingers. A good selection of flexible perspex can be obtained from most hobby shops and the sheets can be cut to size as required. Thanks for posting Heather.
Hi Heather - Thank you for excellent videos. I live in the United States and cannot find Citrus Pre-Washes for sale here, only Foam Pre-washes. Would you happen to know why citrus pre-washes aren’t sold in the USA? I’d prefer that to foam pre-washes but they’re never mentioned.
thank you very much. For me Yumcars is a new brand. I have bought Yumcars Foam, Quick Detailer, and Interior. The next new product for me will be the Citrus. I am already a fan of the Wash Pad V2 and the Exfoliator Mitt Interior. @@AutoCareHQ
I don't to be honest just because I can't be bothered swapping haha. The 40 degrees though is probs the better option for rinsing but the 25 degree one is totally fine too
great video & tips Heather, best way to minimise scratching, touch the paint as little as possible. RC's Wolf pack are the softest MF towels i use, but got to be careful with Pluffle/Twisted Loop drying towels (might consider warm air blower) -- keep them damp and use a QD as drying aid, especially in warmer weather.
I use the uselss Autoglym polar snowfoam. After watching many of your videos I bought squid ink citrus prewash, it's was great, but it didn't last long, but I ditched the polar wash. I then bought the new formula bilt hamber touchless, and omg, I finally understood what a proper prewash chemical does.
As usual great video with helpfull tips Heather. PS : I sometimes uses my garden blower to dry my car, it works pretty good. + drying towel after of course. Cheers from France.
Great video and good tips. If you have no drying aid or blow dryer a good tip for after a shampoo wash can be to spray the panels with rinseless wash to provide lubrication for the drying process without really having any effect on LSP, plus the product has many many more uses. Rinseless wash was a product I just couldn’t see being safe back when we had ONR and used it very carefully, nowadays prefer Absolute by P&S or DIY Details Rinseless but with care and a pre wash it’s a much easier job to get the car clean.
Great tips Heather. Totally agree about the pre-wash technique. I did the same at the weekend-citrus with ph neutral snow foam over the top...rinsed off and the car was pretty much clean. Some Detail Bug shampoo finished the job. A damp, twisted-loop towel and some quick detailer is my preferred drying method. Great channel. 👍🏼x
Another excellent video Heather, full of useful tips and information for both enthusiasts and professionals. I've taken some little nuggets from this, including storing my microfibres in a bag to prevent dust in my garage contaminating them, plus the information about 80:20 and 70:30 towels - I now know what to look for when buying my next batch. Cheers, Neil
Nice video, Heather. For those that are on a bit of a budget, could you recommend other brands of microfibre, the RC ones are quite expensive, well, they are for my budget. Thank you and, all the best 👍.
Thank you! In2Detailing do a good line of microfibre towels but to be honest if you want a premium 70/30 blend then they'll be a little bit more expensive
Really great tips while washing a car. Drying stage is where I think the most scratches are introduced because the towel is dry. Its always good to use to damp towel and drying aid. Good Job!
Such a good guide and, maybe I'm a bit weird, but a really relaxing watch. Almost like a mindfulness video. I reckon there is a future in car detailing as a therapy!
Thank you Heather for this helpful video. There’s a few tips I will try in my next wash - use citrus pre wash then snow over the top; make sure the drying towel is damp before drying the car. I never new that about the MIcrofibre blend and what to look for.
Great information. Will you consider reminding us to like the video a little earlier, even 30 seconds before the end. I had to replay the video in order to like it. I don't mind because your information is very good. Keep up the good work.
Cheers Paul! To be honest I've tried to keep the outros quite short as I've noticed loads of people drop off when it starts sounding like the video is ending and then RU-vid thinks people don't like it so it's a bit tricky!
Great video! Another tip is to use wash mits once and then get them to the washer. Have as many mits as you need to wash the car completely and then wash them in the washer. Do not reuse a mit during a car wash. I once saw a program in which they were detailing a Koenigsegg Jesko during its launch campaign, they used around 19 or.more wash microfiber mitts.
First of all, I enjoy your channel and I have learned something each time. In this episode I see the devices that’s under the car tires to raise the car tires to clean them better that’s pretty cool. I would recommend the detail guards that go in the bucket and around the bucket. I have had so much joy using this and feeling like each time I brush my wash mitt against it it’s dislodging dirt and the bottom stays in the bottom I have four other dirt guards none of them stay in the bottom of the bucket except this one and I bought a clear bucket finally the one with the side handles I enjoy it.
I like the washing tips. I used liquid detergent in the past, but I will switch to the stuff I use for my gore-tex as that has no softening agents for the same reasons, clogs up the pores in the ptfe,
thanks for all these tips Heather. I didn't realise there were different grades of microfibre cloths but now I'll know which to get next time I order some.
Good morning Heather 👋 some very useful guidance and advice in this week's video. Nicely compiled with your recommendations. Great stuff all round. Thanks for sharing, and have a great week ahead......(I might even be able to wash my car in between rain bursts at the weekend ! )
@AutoCareHQ Hi Heather 👋 thanks for replying.....fingers crossed for a quick wash of the car at the weekend, me thinks the weather is going to be inclement again ! 🥴. Have a good weekend !
Nice one Heather 😀 Mega important topic and great tips. One thing I do is ‘dry’ the car as much as possible with an open hose so there is less drying to do with a towel or dryer…
