OK, two buckets wizards, please show me the way...

[vapor trail]

I'm a total noob at the concept of two bucket technique. Never been an expert at detailing. But don't want others handling my car during the pandemic and feel pangs of guilt using automated car wash.

Anyone who has a simple technique for getting their cars looking all shiny and new (that doesn't take a silly amount of time), please share your materials list and method. FWIW, my car has full xpel wrap on paint.

Thanks in advance!

 

[lowtek]

With a wrap? Should look shiny and new all the time automatically .. just wash with Dawn and a soft sponge, be careful around the edges of the wrap, dry with a microfiber .. done!

Edit: With a wrap you can effortlessly wash and dry your car in about 20 minutes, don't waste money/risk damage in a drive through. It's good exercise.

 

[2101Guy]

I used to use 2 bucket, then found a more effective/more efficient way that works for me:
1)Foam gun (not cannon hooked to air compressor, but thats fine too..just not sure THAT many suds are ever required)
2)Meguiars Gold car wash/shampoo in the foam gun.
3)I thoroughly spray the car
4)I thoroughly soak my mitt with the soap
5)One panel at a time, I spray the panel while I lightly/gently wipe that panel in back and forth (not circular) motion.
6)When done, I rinse the car thoroughly with medium force spray.
7)I dry with powerful leaf blower.
8)remainingg crevices I dab with a waffle weave towel

The above results in no micro swirls/scratches. There is so much suds/soap/slickness and gentle wiping, it just doesnt happen. Also, since I keep a good coat of Turtle Wax ICE on the car (I spray it on couple times a month since it so easy to apply/remove) the car never gets SUPER dirty where it requires more than a light wiping when washing.

The above method allows me to compltely wash the car in about 15 minutes tops.

 

[vapor trail]

Thanks for the tips! Keep them coming (2101 guy - mad respect for use of pressure washer and leaf blower! I am looking for a quieter approach, sans power tools).

This guy has a reasonable 2 bucket method, although it looks like he has more free time to spend shining his car than I'd like to devote to mine:

 

[2101Guy]

Thanks for the tips! Keep them coming (2101 guy - mad respect for use of pressure washer and leaf blower! I am looking for a quieter approach, sans power tools).

This guy has a reasonable 2 bucket method, although it looks like he has more free time to spend shining his car than I'd like to devote to mine:

No no. No air compressor for me. I have a foam cannon that connects directly to the hose. Quiet.

Leaf blower? Thats a different story. lol

 

[FatherTo1]

Ceramic coating did the trick for me. I know it's a pricey option and I was hesitant at first but absolutely no regrets after all the time it has saved me.

I don't have any PPF applied and used to wake up at 6am to spend four hours washing, claying, waxing and polishing my car. With the ceramic coating the car stays clean longer and is a breeze to wash. It instantly shines up after a wash without any waximg or polishing (well, they do paint correction before applying ceramic coating).

Like poster above I also use a foam gun attached to a regular hose and use a variation of the two bucket method i learned on here:

1. One soapy bucket with 15-16 clean microfiber towels.
2. Spray with foam gun
3. One towel for each panel (a towel never touches the paint twice)
4. Dirty towels go into second bucket
5. Rinse car with sheeting action (just remove whatever attachment you have on the hose so it doesn't spray)
6. Dry with electric leaf blower and waffle towel. Combo of ceramic coating and leaf blower removes 95% of water in under a minute.

Takes all of 20 minutes, wheels included.

I just bought an electric pressure washer and want to try that with a new foam cannon.

 

[Ostrichsak]

With a wrap? Should look shiny and new all the time automatically .. just wash with Dawn and a soft sponge, be careful around the edges of the wrap, dry with a microfiber .. done!

Edit: With a wrap you can effortlessly wash and dry your car in about 20 minutes, don't waste money/risk damage in a drive through. It's good exercise.

Why wrap your car if you're worried about a drive-thru car wash? That's the whole point of wrapping your car in the first place.

 

[lowtek]

Why wrap your car if you're worried about a drive-thru car wash? That's the whole point of wrapping your car in the first place.

Good point. I don't even know if you can go through a car wash with a wrap, assume you can???

 

[vapor trail]

xpel states that automatic car washes are safe to use. I still feel guilty if I use one. Either way, the results are inferior to hand washing.

 

[vapor trail]

Why wrap your car if you're worried about a drive-thru car wash? That's the whole point of wrapping your car in the first place.

You're saying the whole point of wrapping a car is to use drive-thru car washes? That wasn't my reasoning. I wanted protection from minor scrapes and chips - hazards of driving and leaving a car in parking lots.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Good point. I don't even know if you can go through a car wash with a wrap, assume you can???

You can. That's the point of wrapping the car to protect it from every day life and use of they car. You can also put this cars through a car wash w/o a wrap as well so the warnings about how "soft" Tesla paint is on this forum is greatly exaggerated.

 

[Ostrichsak]

You're saying the whole point of wrapping a car is to use drive-thru car washes? That wasn't my reasoning. I wanted protection from minor scrapes and chips - hazards of driving and leaving a car in parking lots.

The whole point of wrapping your car is to protect the paint from possible scratches or small nicks and dings... by your own admission. The reason people avoid car washes is because they're afraid of this exact damage that wraps were created to prevent. is there some reason you decided to take the effort to challenge my post when we're basically saying the same thing? This is an easy conclusion to draw w/o me needing to connect those dots for you so please stop trying to stir up conflict for the sake of arguing. Some people on this forum...

 

[vapor trail]

The whole point of wrapping your car is to protect the paint from possible scratches or small nicks and dings... by your own admission. The reason people avoid car washes is because they're afraid of this exact damage that wraps were created to prevent. is there some reason you decided to take the effort to challenge my post when we're basically saying the same thing? This is an easy conclusion to draw w/o me needing to connect those dots for you so please stop trying to stir up conflict for the sake of arguing. Some people on this forum...

I appreciate your reasoning. Not arguing. Just discussing. An effort to challenge your post? That's sort of funny. Not looking to get into a battle. Simply asking for car washing suggestions.

Based on my reading on this forum and elsewhere, it seems most Tesla owners frown upon automatic car washes, even if a car has been wrapped, for fear of damage to wrap treatment and/or paint. Not saying the sentiments are grounded on fact.

 

[beatle]

I did a 2-coat of CQuartz last December and do periodic "washes" with Wash Wax All: https://www.amazon.com/Waterless-Ounces-Aircraft-Motorcycle-Anywhere/dp/B00X04JRMU/

I can clean the whole car in about half an hour. That's a little longer than if I were to get the hose out and wash it with two buckets, but there is nothing to dry off, and I have no water spots at the end to touch up with QD spray. I have pretty hard water, and even washing my car in the shade leaves water spots before I can dry them - especially when washing a vehicle as large as the S. I have not seen any swirls develop. Not sure if I should credit the CQuartz, the high-pile MF cloths, or the Wash Wax All, but the car still looks great.

I can also do everything in my garage which is a real bonus in the winter when it's cold and dark, or in the summer when it's ridiculously hot.

Ceramic won't protect against everything though - I still collect rock chips on my hood.

 

[airborne spoon]

2 buckets? it seems pretty much like an extra step and potentially slower. takes no more than 10 minutes to was this way.

spray car with garden hose
wash one of the 4 sides at a time with soapy water in mop bucket
rinse side just washed with garden hose
repeat all sides
dry with old beach towel

I have no wrap, just factory paint and it looks great, every 3rd wash I apply a coat of turtle wax, the old paste kind not the new spray crap.

 

[Russell]

2 buckets? it seems pretty much like an extra step and potentially slower. takes no more than 10 minutes to was this way.

spray car with garden hose
wash one of the 4 sides at a time with soapy water in mop bucket
rinse side just washed with garden hose
repeat all sides
dry with old beach towel

I have no wrap, just factory paint and it looks great, every 3rd wash I apply a coat of turtle wax, the old paste kind not the new spray crap.

I do mine the same way but without the bucket or soap and my car looks great.
I find that dirt rinses away easy on a car with a good coat of wax. The oils in the waxes doesn't let *sugar* stick.

 

[vapor trail]

Awesome. You guys mixing in with the old school regular car wash and wax. I'm too lazy to apply wax and assume I'd screw it up.