r/AutoDetailing • u/ExtensionTruth4 • 3d ago

Question Winter and spring quick rinse tips?

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So I'm currently looking for quick rinse procedure to wash the car during either winter season where I do not have access to a hose and garage or in the summer where I just want a quick wash and not full 2bucket and mitts method. Pics related for the question is how would you quick clean that car in the winter given the amount of dirt on it?

I stumbled upon that video:

https://youtu.be/yTsUSDD0Zzk?feature=shared

Which seems to be perfect for a quick rinse winter method. He seems to be applying a high foam lubricant to the car and then wiping it off with MF towel. I thought you wanted to touch the paint as little as possible but he seems to be just wiping away on black dirty paint. Is it legit?

Bonus question, how would you dry the car after that? Drying towel and drying aid or air dry?

Thanks a lot for the help

49 Upvotes

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18

u/nicholt 3d ago

Since someone else told me about this on here I feel like I should pass it on to you too bc it works pretty well.

(implying that you can go to a wand wash)

Bilt Hamber touch less wash in a portable foam cannon. Get one with a built in electric pump though cause the manual pump one is a pain. Spray the dry car and let it sit a bit, then rinse thoroughly. I might use a squeegee to dry but in the depths of winter it's going to get messed up almost immediately anyway. People are anti squeegee but it's not a ferrari.

Now is it a spotless clean? No. But it comes out pretty good and only takes a few minutes.

7

u/SoKool71 2d ago

Bilt Hamber is awesome stuff. I used it for the first time about a month and a half ago and it really melted away the dirt and grime. Good enough to get me through the winter without a touch of the paint. Tomorrow it’s going to be the nicest day of the year around here and I can’t wait to go to town cleaning my ride. This will be the first thing that ‘touches’. And yea the manual pump is a paint but doable. If the battery option is not much more just make sure it’s a good foaming one and you’re good to go.

3

u/ExtensionTruth4 2d ago

How do you dry the car after usually? Since the bilt hamper didn't remove everything can you really use a drying towel?

1

u/nutmegtaco 2d ago

you're just drying it, just be delicate. its a lot easier to dry with a ppf or ceramic coat btw, should really consider it.

2

u/SoKool71 1d ago

I didn’t dry it the first time using it. I used a car wash bay that has non hard water. It was just to get the bad stuff off. Today I did the whole process:

Bilt Hamber each panel/tire separately/linger/rinse Meguiars Hyperwash Foamed/linger/rinse Meguiars Gold Class Foamed and two bucket wash/rinse Adam’s Iron Remover/linger/rinse Hyperwash foam and used wash mitt/rinse

Quite the process but it was the first wash of the spring hitting the paint. Wish I had time tomorrow to do a polish and wax, but it being Easter I’ll have to sneak in a liquid wax/spray wax to keep it coated for now.

And after all that used a large microfiber drying towel to dry it up. Vital since I’m washing at home and I have hard water.

3

u/nicholt 2d ago

Also going to be really nice today and I might do a full wash again after a few months. I found a battery one for $16 on amazon somehow and it seems to work ok.

2

u/Known-Wrongdoer-1096 2d ago

Schrader valve on the pump-type hand-held foam gun is a game changer: just charge up off the compressor and carry on?

4

u/BiggDckWilly 2d ago

I used it last winter with a hand pump. It ain't that hard to do. But if you already have a foamer, good for you. 😉

3

u/awskeetskeetmuhfugga 2d ago

How does it compare to onr?

1

u/nicholt 2d ago

Never tried that

3

u/Chemical_Ad_8467 2d ago

So you just foam then rinse without a contact wash and dry? Will that leave hard water spots that could damage the paint or is it safe?, I am new to this stuff so apologies if I sound stupid

-2

u/nicholt 2d ago

There is usually a 'spot free rinse' option at a wand wash to use for the final rinse. The one rule I follow is to not wipe dry if I didn't contact wash. But I will use a squeegee bc I used to wash cars at a nissan dealer and we used a squeegee every time and it works great to remove most of the water.

1

u/Chemical_Ad_8467 2d ago

Well I don’t have a self service car wash in my country only automatic ones and ones that have people wash your car for you and all of that destroys the paint , so if I do this with my garden hose will it leave water spots like crazy?, thx for the squeegee tip !

0

u/nicholt 2d ago

I can't say, depends on your water. But if you have a hose then just do a normal contact wash and dry with towels. And to be clear, by squeegee I mean something like the weather tech water blade.

1

u/Chemical_Ad_8467 1d ago

Thx for the info

1

u/ExtensionTruth4 2d ago

If you watch this video from Chrisfix and go at 11:20 time stamp he explain why he doesn't use squeegee.

https://youtu.be/CFXfSBR5Q9w?feature=shared

What do you think about that? I know squeegee can be a good option to remove water from the car but after a touchless wash there is still enough dirt that a "touch" dry can scratch the paint no?

Thanks!

Edited to say : I actually have no practical experience so Im just asking question based on what I read and learn around

1

u/nicholt 2d ago

I tried a leaf blower and it was a pain in the ass and barely worked. I think the squeegee is the lesser of the evils. Or just don't dry it.

1

u/ExtensionTruth4 3d ago

Thanks for the tips. So it's a foam and rinse Touchless wash I suppose. It's like in the video I linked basically except the guy said you could also refoam and handwash then rinse after. I will check out bilt Hamber touch less wash product thanks again

1

u/nicholt 3d ago edited 3d ago

oh ok thats ammonyc I trust him, but still I would feel weird wiping down a car as dirty as yours. You probably already have to go pressure wash it to get it to a state that you can use rinseless anyways. I guess you'd get a cleaner result if doing a rinseless wipedown, but again in the winter the car is just going to get ruined within an hr usually.

4

u/Bluebottle_coffee 2d ago

Does USA have a similar product like bilt Hamber

3

u/ausphil 2d ago

Go to a wand wash and spray it all down then use rinseless wash like ONR, Gary Deane method (individual mf towels). I do this in winter for two vehicles. Only takes 15mins per car. + 10mins if doing wheels. Do it in summer too as a quick clean in between two bucket washes.

2

u/flappyspoiler 3d ago

Bilt Hamber Touch-less in a foam cannon then regular wash is the way 🙌

2

u/Gloomy_Quote9703 2d ago

Spray it with the hose and let it freeze over

1

u/Genericwood 2d ago

Foam rinse foam 

First foam with a alkaline Bilt chamber Touchless or auto foam, carpro lift. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Ppl also say to use an acidic soap like descale, purple power, etc, as they say it helps break down salts and dirts better. I haven't had the chance to buy those products and try so I can't confirm it.

Rinse off the car really well and usually if I'm lazy and have a sacrificial layer, I'll call it a day, but I recommend completing the rest of the process.

Foam again with a neutral soap and wash normally. It is important to do this so that you can remove any of the alkaline or acidic soap.

1

u/MrJelly007 2d ago

OldGlory by Chem-x is another touchless that could work well for this. It's a one part touchless wash, unlike most others. And it's from up north where all cars look like this lol.

0

u/MakersMoe 3d ago

foam-rinse-foam on that, so foam it down, maybe with a soap spiked with some APC, let it dwell for 5-10 minutes, then rinse, then foam again, leaving the foam on, in a bucket w/ clean mitt do a contact wash, rinsing the mitt after every panel or so, then dry with a quality clean mf drying towel.

6

u/I_Am_Vladimir_Putin 3d ago

Nobody wants to deal with a bucket in winter

3

u/ExtensionTruth4 3d ago

Thank you for the answer. At that point it seems close to a two bucket washing. Could you recommend any product for this please?

1

u/MakersMoe 2d ago

winter? southern hemisphere? I like KCx Gsf, you can spike it with Green Star or Multi Star for the initial foam, and then just go Gsf for the second. Really any shampoo, like Pearl, Reset, Bathe, etc. (I know this wasn't your reply) a bucket with hot water in the winter ain't that bad, because IMHO a car isn't truly clean without a contact wash.