[deletedelete]

Im having problems with water spots and streaks. Heres how I do it.

1. Rinse
2. Wash with soap
3. Rinse
4. Wipe all the water off

I cannot just go directly to quick detailer. First I must wipe all the water off which sucks and takes a long time. If I dont I get water spots and streaks regardless of the time of day I wash.

5. Quick detailer
6. End

If I dont use quick detailer I get horrible streaks and water spots. And if I just use the hose for a quick rinse inbetween normal washings, I get dirty water spots, that make it look like it rained dirt. What am I doing wrong?

I hate that I have to wipe all the water off at the end of the wash and im forced to use quick detailer to prevent horrible streaks. Advice?

[Cosmin]

ONR , no water hose , no water spots , wash anywhere !
is not what u ask for?

[BK]

Sounds like hard water. Keeping the car wet while you wash will help, then using a good MF waffle weave towel and drying quickly helps, too. Then get the areas that tend to drip (you'll recognize these spots after a while).

If you want to be hard core about it, use a CR Spotless. It really works and absolutely eliminates water spotting, but it's not cheap: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...rodid=11201522

Also, I agree an ONR wash will leave no spotting behind. But if you're new to washing, read up on using ONR before using it the first time. It works great, but takes some faith, careful use, and a good wash media. Here's an ONR wash of my car from last winter, with photos: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121287

[deletedelete]

Ill check on the ONR. I have never heard of it and have no idea what it is. All I know is that the way Im doing things, is taking all the fun out of the wash. I dread all the time it takes.

[328i]

Originally Posted by Prowess Symphony

And if I just use the hose for a quick rinse inbetween normal washings, I get dirty water spots, that make it look like it rained dirt.

I believe this is part of your problem, and hard water is the other reason. Anytime you do a rinse this you will cause water spots, and most likely water etching. My guess is you already have some water etching and that is what you see when you wash the car. Jet black is a very soft paint and because of this can be more prone to etching.

[SpecC]

are you taking the hose off the nozzle to do the final rinse?

if not, i think this can drastically improve your drying experience. just take the hose off the nozzle and turn the water on at medium pressure. start from the top and go over every panel of the car. you'll notice a lot less water sticking to the paint

[deletedelete]

Well how the heck can I just lightly take off some dirt or road grim without a full wash? The car is constantly freckled with little round dirt spots. I dont think that I ever had this much trouble with any black cars before this one. I dont have a garage so I know that is a problem, but still.

And no I dont take the hose off of the nozzle. Ive never even considered that before, but ill try that thanks.

[SpecC]

Originally Posted by Prowess Symphony

Well how the heck can I just lightly take off some dirt or road grim without a full wash? The car is constantly freckled with little round dirt spots.

I dont think that I ever had this much trouble with any black cars before this one. I dont have a garage so I know that is a problem, but still.

You'd be amazed at how well ONR can work if you are doing it right.

[NiVeDh]

Originally Posted by SpecC

are you taking the hose off the nozzle to do the final rinse?

if not, i think this can drastically improve your drying experience. just take the hose off the nozzle and turn the water on at medium pressure. start from the top and go over every panel of the car. you'll notice a lot less water sticking to the paint

Also known as the "sheeting method" - works great!

[R1200RT]

I just go to an automatic washer street that uses ionised water and blow dries it in the last step. Quick and easy does it for me.

[Gig103]

Do you rinse the panels as you go? Or do you wash the whole car and then rinse it off? I wash a few panels and then rinse them, and try to keep the whole car wet as I go so that spots don't form. And then once the car is all rinsed I use the sheeting method.

I have some intensely hard water (Arizona) but I don't have water spot troubles.

[MrDummy]

Besides the hard water issue, I did my car the SAME way yesterday with meguires NXT car shampoo, worked AWESOME, with very few spots. the only thing I actually dried was the windows.

but it rained today, so

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by Gig103

Do you rinse the panels as you go? Or do you wash the whole car and then rinse it off? I wash a few panels and then rinse them, and try to keep the whole car wet as I go so that spots don't form. And then once the car is all rinsed I use the sheeting method.

I have some intensely hard water (Arizona) but I don't have water spot troubles.

Exact same here. My water isn't insanely hard, but it does leave spots if you're not careful. Wash a panel or two at a time (less if it's hot, you don't want soap drying on there) and rinse. Run some water over the entire car each time you rinse a panel to prevent it from drying up.

Use the sheeting method when you're done washing. It's a tremendous help. All the water should flow right off, and you'll be left with just a few spots to dry up with your waffle weave towel.

When I'm doing a bigger detail (anything more than a standard wash/dry) and really don't want water on the car, I'll break out the electric leaf blower and use that for a while. That really gets all the water off the car, so it's ready for more steps.

Dodo Juice also makes a product called Time to Dry. From what I understand, it's essentially a QD that aids in the drying process. So you're basically doing two steps at once - using QD and drying - with a product that's made to work with some water on the car. Might be worth a shot.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Dodo-Ju...328/250-ml-S1/

[MrDummy]

^^ I am looking into that along with wipes and some 303 int. protectant

[deletedelete]

Im getting a bucket with grit guard. A grout sponge and the onr. I need to find a big rag to wipe off the onr with. Looking forward to trying this new wash technique now.

Heres a question. A light rain or sometimes random, I get water spot like dirty marks. How do I deal with those without doing a full wash again? Quick detailer?

And what kind of big towel should I use to wipe off the onr? Are the cheap ones from autozone ok?

[BK]

I don't know what others do for ONR, but I use two plush MF towels at a time. One for the initial wipe(s) to dry the panel and a second one to dry any streaks left behind after the first towel. IMX, the initial towel gets too wet to completely dry the panel without streaks, so I like having a second towel that's mostly dry to finish it off.

Eventually, the first towel gets too wet to be useful, so I put it aside and grab a fresh one. My second towel takes over the initial drying duty, and the new towel becomes the finishing towel. I end up using about 4 MF towels to do the whole car (except the wheels).

For the wheels with ONR, I just use white cotton towels. I don't waste my good MF on the wheels.

Once you get into detailing, you'll have MF towels up the wazoo, so you'll have lots of drying options to choose from. I've always liked the plush MF towels from Danase, but Detailed Image and other sponsors here sell good MF towels, too. Using something like DI's MF waffle weave drying towel for the initial pass, followed by the DI ultraplush towel or DI multipurpose towel for the streaks would work great, too. I have no idea how good the Autozone towels are.

Read up on using ONR before using it the first time. Get your grout sponge nice and wet to make it soft, then use it lightly on the paint. Don't use pressure on the panels to avoid swirling. ONR works great with no water spots at all, and I am confident you'll like the results!

As for rain in between washings, just don't worry about it. Wash it the next week. Rinsing with hard water is not a good idea.

[jopa489]

Completely agreed with BK's advice above.

I wouldn't recommend rinsing to remove light water spots from the rain, nor using QD on a dirty car. Once you get the ONR technique down, the wash is really fast. Grout sponge and two bucket method with grit guards is the way to go for ONR. Other than that, you'll just need some good MFs to wipe it dry.

[deletedelete]

So a towel like this?

http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Micr...00/36-x-24-S1/

So, ONR in bucket with grit guard. And wipe off. Oh, and maybe a spray bottle with ONR for quick touch ups inbetween washings? This seems so much easier then my usual routine.

[SpecC]

Originally Posted by Prowess Symphony

So a towel like this?

http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Micr...00/36-x-24-S1/

So, ONR in bucket with grit guard. And wipe off. Oh, and maybe a spray bottle with ONR for quick touch ups inbetween washings? This seems so much easier then my usual routine.

That's a perfect drying towel. I want to buy more, but I think I've got enough.

I use a spray bottle and a bucket of it just because I have a million spray bottles around.

[MrDummy]

I like washing with 2 buckets and sheepskin mits myself, BUT HATE the light mist of rain in between washings.. Car is NOT super dirty BUT not clean anymore

[deletedelete]

Just got grit guard, ONR, and big microfiber towel from detailedimage. I didnt prewet. I just used the sponge and then wiped dry with the towel. It worked flawlessly. No garden hose, no water spots or anything. This is now my permanent washing solution.

I only need one sponge and the bucket and the one big towel for drying. It was so much easier then my old routine. Im gonna get a spray bottle for quick touchups. Thanks guys!!!!

[SpecC]

if some areas get really soiled, you might want to prewet it or apply some other stronger cleaner to the area. wiping down very dirty areas is the best way to get swirls! ONR works wonders though. Two buckets would be better. I still only have one grit guard. This is my method for ONR.

Materials
2 Buckets
1 Grit guard in the rinse bucket
waffle weave drying towel
zymol sponge
spray bottle

Fill a spray bottle with your wash solution, and spray down each section as you go. Then with my sponge soaked, I wash that area like I regularly would twice to insure that I got everything. Then I dry after two panels excluding the hood though.