I don't have my granturismo yet (2-3 months out)... but I would NEVER trust the foam brush coin operated self wash locations. There's probably a lot of dirt and sand stuck in that brush. In addition to that, most likely people use that same brush on their wheels or kids scrubbing the ground with it. There is usually no one monitoring at those places so the equipment is not treated with the best care.

I always DIY hand wash or get it professionally detailed. Unless my car is washed when it is taken into the dealer for service. But then again, the wash at the dealer could be using that same brush or even worse the huge, spinning, automated car wash brush from hell!!! I don't like to think about it.. out of sight out of mind I guess....

 

Good point, that was the issue I was wondering about. Do you think taking their power washer to the brush for a second would eliminate most of the bad dirt from the brush? They are just so much easier. If not, I'll stick to hand washing!

 

I used a touchfree wash once - it was pointless and didn't clean the gunk off at all really.... What i have found works best is the two bucket system....

I use my hose and have it on a lower setting to just sort of lightly spray the car .... then i have 1 bucket with my car wash soap (i used one that is a wash/wax combo) ... other bucket is water. I do one part of the car at a time ... spray it with a light coat of water from the hose .... then wash it with the car wash soap ... (ideally using a bucket that has a catch thing at the bottom so the gunk won't get stuck on the mitt/whatever you use to wash it).... then do the side .... light spray with the hose all over that side of the car .... use some microfiber clothes to dry it .... onto the next one. At the end you can use a wax if needed. I do that, and then I do the rims, and then spray the tires with the stuff that makes it shine. Takes a little while but I enjoy it. This method has helped me ensure no swirls/etc.

 

Agree with the two bucket system. I start by washing the top of the car and work my way down.

Also have my own DA machine and crack that out once a year when the swirls build up.

I use glaze every month or two as it does a good job of filling and hiding swirls.

 

Absolutely no public washers whether brush or sponges. Touchless as the person above stated is a waste of time. Use only micro fiber cloths on the car. Completely wash the car off before putting soap, and a microfiber on it. This is your best chance at not putting micro abrasions in the finish. Whatever dirt is still left on it becomes like wet sand paper in the microfiber cloth, so just wash it off the best you can.

Avoid windy days when washing the car if you have to do it outside.

Use a soap designed for cars, not dishwashing soap. Dry it with Micro fiber as well. It's my suggestion you get good quality micro fibers on-line. Chemical guys is who I use but there's other good ones as well. LG GT listed ones he likes in the GS paint correction thread.

http://smile.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-MIC_507_06-Professional-Microfiber/dp/B00BQYCKE8?ie=UTF8&keywords=microfiber&qid=1460929859&ref_=sr_1_6&sr=8-6

 

I do it this way once a week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNcXWajJzEE

 

Agreed with all the previous mentioned comments.

After every couple of drives, I will do a waterless wash followed by a quick detailer spray. Once every couple of weeks I will do a full water wash using the two bucket method and a foam cannon followed by a coat of wax. Once/twice a year I'll use my DA and a fine polish to remove the old wax and apply a fresh coat.

 

Lol you guys are ridiculous. It's a car. that video just annoyed me. I wouldn't want 3 guys essentially making love to my Maserati. You grab the foam brush and you wash it gently. Then you rinse it with the pressure washer carefully from as far back as possible. Then you dry it with a microfibre rag. That's it!! Relax. My quattroporte is completely 3m wrapped anyway.
Take an Ativan Jesus

 

Take an Ativan Jesus

From someone who spent thousands on protecting his paintwork? Try taking a look in the mirror

C

 

I will follow suit with the same advice. NEVER use the brush from a public wash bay nor any rotating drive thru car wash!!!! I live in the country and I can tell you every manner of grit and grim is passed through there from "muddin'" trucks to construction type vehicles to the regular cars. That brush has seen crap you never want touching your paint and the damage it could cause could be extensive.

I will on occassion drive thru a touch free just to get road dust or pollen off when I'm out and about. Other than that, I pressure wash some foam and blast the main stuff off then it's a two bucket system (one clean/one dirty rinse) and a microfiber mitt with some good ole Meguire's. I use a little scrub brush for the wheels/drums but that's it. Once washed, she may get clayed and then I throw a coat of wax on.

I just did a professional wash/polish/paint correction and OptiCoat to further help protect the paint and restore her to showroom quality (given a few stone chips since she's a daily driver).

Yeah and ignore Spine. I'd love to see his garage if he considers a Maserati "just a car". He spent an easy couple grand already to protect his paint so his wash methods are going to be different than yours.

 

Don't ever use the brush, EVER! Most people use that same brush on their paint, wheels, engine, etc. Many times that same brush you will find just laying on the concrete collecting dirt, rocks, etc. Spraying it out first is not going to help, the grime and grease is really hard to get out. The bristles are not very soft either so expect to see a lot of swirl marks once your done, along with a film of dirt.

Touchless is OK if you are just trying to remove light dirt, if you need a full wash, they are worthless IMO b/c they still leave a film of dirt behind.

Doing it at home with 2 buckets is always the best and safest. If you apply a sealer to the car such as Opticoat, Xpel, CQuartz, Zaino, etc you will essentially cut your wash time in half. Depending on how dirty your car is, if you use a sealer you can often times just spray your car with the hose and the dirt just falls off, as does the water beads.

I personally use the Zaino sealer since I am not about to fork over several hundred for the Opticoat etc. The Zaino sealer works excellent for a good 6 months outside, 9+ months if you are storing car in garage. Cost is about $20.

 

Have you tried Wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant? It's a bit more expensive like $32 but give it a shot if you get a chance.

 

At the best wash, of course:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNGZoxahgv0

 

I'm sorry what were we talking about again?

 

Everything you will need to know about detailing your car can be found here: Videos | AMMO NYC

 

When a guy posts a 15 minute video about how to wash your microfiber towels, you know he's a proper detailer.

I make my own quick detailer these days. I keep the old squirty bottle. Just boil a kettle and let it cool then shake it up with a bit of Meg's Gold Class car shampoo and Ultimate Wax. Works a treat and costs next to nothing. You can replace the shampoo and wax with your own favourite brands.

 

Using properly filtered soft water helps quite a bit. One thing that we do hear about too often is when people have the mobile guys that aren't real pro's wash their car and they will end up using harsh chemicals or end up mixing them incorrectly (too strong) to clean wheels / brakes, etc that can take coatings off or leave permanent marks. Be careful who you trust to wash your Maserati, it's only washing a car but at the same time, damage can be done that can be expensive, sometime you won't even realize it until the next wash.

Best Regards,

 

I wash the car with Meguiars car soap and use an electric leaf blower to get rid of 95% of the water. Works amazing blowing out water from crevices, etc and a fast way to dry. After I very quickly wipe down with a light dusting of Meguiars Ultimate Quick Detailer (black bottle). I have a matte vinyl wrap so never polish or use any wax.

 

You beat me to it! Lol, I was going to say this in another thread. But I've actually done this a few times. If you don't put anything on the finish it's hard to scratch it. You just have to be careful how you do it. It can become a sand blaster as well.