HOW TO: 4 bucket wash / detail - pic heavy

This will be a rather detailed post, purposed for both NOVICES and ENTHUSIASTS who want to keep their car FRESH and CLEAN. It may seem like overkill to many but most all tips in here DO help keep your car clean and SWIRL FREE. Experienced washers may find some new tricks in here to feel free to stay tuned or pass through areas you already wrote the book on!
As a detailing enthusiast I want everyone with a GTI or sportscar for that matter to represent the community well by keeping their rides not janky, but showroom fresh.
These are tips I have learned over the years from a multitude of people, and some tips I came up with myself (or haven’t heard them elsewhere yet). A few people I’d like to give credit to are Larry at Ammo NYC (who makes awesome tutorials and products) and some youtuber named Junkman2000.

Benefits of these washing techniques include:
Resale value
Protection / rust prevention
Show shine finish
Regular maintenance

I have broken this post into separate posts for those looking to see more about:
SUPPLIES - POST 1
WHEEL CLEANING / EXHAUST / FLOOR MATS - POST 1
PAINT CLEANING http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showpost.php?p=382610&postcount=2
RINSING / DRY/QUICKWAX http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showpost.php?p=382620&postcount=3
FINAL TOUCHUPS/MAINTENANCE http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showpost.php?p=382627&postcount=4

The level of detail and care you put into washing your car depends on how many swirls you want in your paint.
TIP ONE: NEVER put your car through an automatic wash. TOUCHLESS ONLY. Besides that, hand wash ONLY. Unless of course, you like your car to look swirly and don’t care much for resale.
TIP TWO: For those who DO wash their car by hand, never use dish soap! Seen SO many people washing their car with dish soap. That's a big no-no, as it removes any waxes on the car! Don't use it, unless you are planning to polish and wax/seal afterwards!
General note: If this is your first time doing all this, It may seem daunting but the amount of crap you knock off of your car will be amazing. Following this and doing everything listed here regularly you will be surprised how much easier it becomes and how much less effort is needed to MAINTAIN the cleanliness rather than working backwards to remove TONS of dirt/brake dust/buildup.


So lets get to it!
Of course first things first, SUPPLIES.
This is a basic list of things you need to perform these FOUR bucket washes.
4 5-Gallon buckets, color coded!
1 bucket: For sitting on while doing the wheels/etc
1 bucket: Wheel supplies
1 Bucket: Suds bucket for paint
1 bucket: Rinsing bucket for wash mitt

Wheel tools/ supplies:
1 or two washmitts
Various brushes (different sizes for different purposes), and a ‘wheel woolie’
Wheel cleaning suds of your choice. I use chemical guys products mostly

Paint cleaning:
The two buckets, and bucket grit gaurds for both buckets
Two wash mitts
Car ‘shampoo’ (again your choice, I stick to chemical guys, and steer clear of most store bought crap)
**Car shampoo should have some form of wax/protectant in it, which most do these days
Weed killer pressure sprayer jug or ‘waterless wash kit’
Waterless wash
Microfiber towels
Another scrubbing brush, soft bristles only
Bug/tar remover





Paint drying:
One or two large microfiber towels, waffle weave in my case
Spray detailing/wax/sealant
Air compressor with nozzle, or leaf blower

Extra:
Toothbrushes, all purpose cleaner, more microfiber towels


WHEELS/EXHAUST/FLOOR MATS:
IMPORTANT: All wheel tools/mitts/buckets are for wheels/exhaust/floormats/engine ONLY. Once something has touched the wheels, it cannot be used on paint. To some this is obvious, to others, not so much! Your calipers and rotors create brake dust which is microscopic abrasive metal shavings. You do not want to scrape all that into your paint. Also, this is why the wheels are washed first, so that when you wash the car, just by the slight chance that your mitt comes into contact with a wheel, you aren’t then bringing all that onto the paint.
So, step one is the wheels. Set up your one bucket upside down for sitting on! Each wheel takes approximately 5 minutes to clean! Get comfy.

Rinse the wheel down with high pressure to knock off all mud that you can. Spray the inside of the wheel well also with high pressure.


Spray the wheel with your cleaner of course, inside and out, and also a few squirts over your calipers.

The order of operation and reasoning is this:
Start from top to bottom cleaning the outside of your spokes. Then move into your lug nut area and squeeze your mitt into those. Then run the edge of the mitt carefully along the entire outside of your rim. These are actually the cleanest part of your rim.

Then, run your mitt (or SECOND MITT, preferably) along the wheel barrel, it’s a two hand process: Insert the mitt into the barrel then use your other hand to push and pull it around between the brake rotor and the barrel, reaching in as much as you can. Then you may want to dunk the mitt into your wheel bucket (full of tools/water) and then do the backside of your wheel spokes and area where the wheel comes into the hub. You can also use a 'wheel woolie' (pictured)

definitely picks some stuff up..


Finally, do as much as you can to clean the pretty red calipers! This is where some various toothbrushes/ scrubbers really come into play.



Then, a few more squirts of product on your tires and wheel wells..
Scrub your tire both around the tire back and forth, and then ‘up and down’ to follow the tire ‘design’ ridges.


Take another brush or wheel woolie deal and get at your wheel well. Scrub up down in and out but avoid touching your PAINT at all costs. Do your best; these are the sorts of things that separate a clean car from a detailed car.



Look at these calipers and wheel barrels! You will NOT get this from an auto wash or even a detail shop!



Once you’ve done your wheels you can then use some product and the mitt on your exhaust tips (only when they are cold). Spray the water lightly into the pipe but be careful.



Finally, the rubber mats (if you have them) can be cleaned using a brush and also wheel soap, but rinse the matts down well before and don’t use too much product – weathertechs are actually sensitive to too much product. Rinse them off and let them air dry OUT of direct sunlight!

PAINT

PAINT:

1st tip – IT IS WINTER! Go inside and fill your buckets with warm water!

So there are a few tips and prep steps to ensure you get this all right.
• Move your mitt in ONE direction.
• Your mitt only touches the surface of the paint ONE time (twice if you need to re-hit the area with a rinsed mitt.)
• Paint is to be wet and lubricated during the whole process.
• Top down, front to back.
• Do not put more pressure than necessary on the wash mitt
• Wash your washmitt /microfibers after every/other wash. (medium wash temp, low dry temp or air dry) Replace the mitt maybe once every 10 washes or if it starts to show discoloration/feels rough
• Test all mitts/pads/towels on a CD to see if you can scratch the CD with them. If it scratches the CD, it can scratch your paint!
• Presoak your paint in water then a waterless wash or foam gun!


So lets get into a little more detail here. I have seen SO MANY PEOPLE scrubbing their car with their mitt in circles on their paint. Not only is this unnecessary, but you are harming your paint. Let’s bring this back a few steps and explain the wash process and how it works.

Your paint is dirty. (its a bad girl). It needs to be rinsed, sudzed up, and the suds pick up the dirt and suspend it above the paint essentially. The mitt then lightly kisses the surface and moves the dirt away like the itsy bitsy spider. Rinse, done.
There is a method to the madness you will see ahead. The wash mitt picks up dirt as it moves over the surface. This dirt now turns your wash mitt, as it moves, into a brillo pad! This is the exact reason that you do not under any circumstances want to swirl your mitt around the paint in different directions.

Additionally, once your mitt touches the paint, you need to start ‘rolling’ the mitt as you move it – once all of one side of the mitt has touched the paint, you flip the mitt over. Once the mitt is flipped and used, you dunk it into your rinsing bucket and grind it against the grit guards, releasing as much of the dirt as you can, then do the same in the suds bucket, and repeat!

The other benefit of washing in ONE direction (shown below) is that any ‘swirls’/washmarks that are introduced will be only in one direction. Swirls and washmarks are noticed when light hits them a certain way. Having the marks only in one direction means that the light can only make them visible when hitting it right. When you wash in circles, it almost doesn’t matter what angle the light is, as it has a million different angles to find the scratches and expose them. (think //// vs ####)
Finally, if you are good you will start to notice when you are getting scratches in that one direction, and this will be a clear indicator that it is time for a new wash mitt, more lubricative or effective soap, your paint needs more protection, etc.

Other wash prep:
Rinse off your car to knock off as much crap as possible (pretty obvious)
Then, presoak your paint in a waterless wash or if you are lucky enough the have a foam gun use that! The idea here is to let soap absorb as much dirt as possible BEFORE anything actually touches the paint to guide it away. I use chemicalguys waterless wash formula.


Then, use a clean microfiber soaked in your suds, then spray a bit of bug/tar remover on any obvious areas that have bugs/tar. Alternatively, you can use a hot towel to achieve the same results.


Now for the order of what body panels are washed first. See this diagram and follow along..

1: I always start with the headlights, tail lights, and door B pillars, as those are the most sensitive areas on the car, being made of plastics. When you start the wash is when your mitt is the cleanest, so take advantage of it
2: Top of car – again it is likely the cleanest part of your car, and also very easy to notice scratches introduced during the washing process. Additionally, suds move from the top down carrying more dirt down with them.
3: Hood. Definitely the most noticeable part of the car to see swirls. Your choice whether you want to wash from side to side of back to front. I do back to front here.
4: Front bumper – tip, I use another soft bristle brush to get the front grilles and rear diffuser at this time as well


5: Top half of doorline (above wheel) front to back
6: (USING 2ND WASHMITT) Bottom half of car
7: (USING 2ND WASHMITT) Back of car – the rear hatch area is the dirtiest part of the car, it is important to spray as much crap off as you can and let it soak in soap suds as long as possible before lightly going over it. Following this, I also take an edge of the microfiber wash mitt or a different microfiber towel entirely to work into the edges of the spoiler or bottom of the rear window glass, and license plate areas


Washing in one direction, just guiding the mitt along..


TIP: At this point in time when your car is wet and covered in suds is a good time to take a quick walk around to see if there are any stubborn spots to rehit. Anything really on there can be hit with a clay bar. Once your car is dry, you can't touch your paint again until you wash it!

RINSING AND DRYING

RINSING:

Okay so of course your just rinse the car from top down, but heres another trick some may not be aware of and that’s called ‘water sheeting’ I believe.
Now, you need properly maintained and regularly waxed/sealed paint for this to work nice, so don’t expect this to work on your car if it sits outside all year and isn’t properly washed. Another benefit to having properly sealed paint is that your paint acts almost hydrophobic, where water just kind of rolls off of it in general, leaving a cleaner car overall even after some rain.
Turn your water off
Remove the wash nozzle
Turn the water back on almost as low as it will go while providing you a stream of water (LIKE THIS)


Run the hose gently across the paint surface as close to the surface as you can get, letting the water ‘pool’ on the paint.
Working from the top down, you will leave a pool of water behind, which essentially picks itself up as it rinses down, leaving behind BONE DRY PAINT.

See the before and after. No camera tricks 





DRYING:
MOST DAMAGE THAT OCCURS DURING THE WASH PROCESS HAPPENS DURING THE DRYING PROCESS
Throw chamois and squeegees away.
Always use an as-new-as-possible HIGH QUALITY large microfiber towel, dampened.
You can wring out your huge towels MUCH easier using a bench clamp!


Or, a swimsuit drier found at local pools! Totally buying one of these right now.  I’m a genius (lol)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Laundry...597233?hash=item33c6708df1:g:yjUAAOSwrhlXT8Jl

Spray the car with a spray wax/sealant before drying with the towel. I used this stuff shown below.



Remember, now that you have rinsed off all the soap suds, you have rinsed off the lubrication between your towel and the paint! Even though you are using a nice microfiber, you still need lubrication (and protection ) Additionally, you need to be building up layers between all washes, and doing this every wash provides a little safety net against the elements and your next wash.
Dry the car just like you washed it. Top town, and only in one direction. Again, do not scrub the towel against the paint, but glide it over the paint as gently as you can. Keep the towel folded in 4ths to keep it plush.


Wring out as necessary; following a proper water sheeting rinse, I only wring the towel out after dampening it prior to drying, then after giving the car a once over dry.

Now, fill up your air compressor (if available) or leaf blower. There are also blowers made specifically for this purpose which I totally recommend but haven’t bought yet.
Disclaimer: both air compressors and leaf blowers are risky in that air compressors can spit out oil and fine deposits and leaf blowers too can blow air contaminates at the paint. Be careful and discontinue if any noticeable damage occurs. Safe trick to blow the air compressor at a white towel for a few minutes to see if it is spitting anything out. There are also in line filters to help with this.



Use the blower to get at the wheels, and all crevices of the car, grilles, gas cap area, door handles, window lines, etc. You may be amazed how much additional crap comes out of them along with the water….


Re-wash any dirty areas if needed or give the car the final wipedown dry.

DOOR JAMS / ENGINE

Now open all doors, hood and trunk, and dunk a fresh or old microfiber into your wash bucket, wring out and get all your doorjams. This is one of those areas that most people completely ignore and not only does it look night and day from cleaning, but prevents one of the most major hotspots for rust which is the bottom front of your front doors.
Why have a perfectly clean car on the outside to open your doors to find a bunch of dirt? Clean that up!



Again, regular maintenance pays off.


TIP: For the rear hatch area, hold it closed about halfway to get the top area!


You can also give your plastic door sills and pedals a quick wipedown while youre there.

I use the same towel to get under the hood every time to wipe around, using green cleaner and a toothbrush to keep up with the engine. This of course is an opportune time to check for leaks and check your fluids. A clean engine bay is a critical selling point when it comes to resale value.



give your wipers a quick wipe while your hood's open since the arms hit the hood when it's closed!




clean engine! these do clean up easy due to the dust gaurd on the bottom tray.


Enjoy your work, and thanks for reading! If anyone has any tips or comments please share below!

Good write up, but you missed the very first step....put your wipers in the service position.

http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5707

Awesome. I'd also recommend not using the mitt on the black plastic door pillars/rear wings. Use window cleaner and a microfiber or two.

Yes, both good tips, and I agree with using a microfiber instead, but I keep my wash mitt quite clean and well washed or replaced, so if i start off with those areas it's not a huge deal.

I may also make a thread on interior cleaning and possibly polishing at some point - I can see the benefit to providing a VW specific polishing system as all manufacture's use different paints which respond differently to polishing methods.

Great post. I'm pretty good about washing and detailing my car weekly but there were still things I learned from reading this.

riceburner said:

I may also make a thread on interior cleaning and possibly polishing at some point - I can see the benefit to providing a VW specific polishing system as all manufacture's use different paints which respond differently to polishing methods.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the write-up.

Which polish do you use?

Thanks guys!

So what I have found is that my polisher (porter cable 7424xp) is not very effective, via all my techniques it just doesn't seem to cut much.

Therefore I think i'm going to try a new polisher with a little more power and a tad less 'safety' such as a Torqx or Rupes.

I think sticking with a few various hex logic pads, M105, and then some finishing polishes will suffice. Our paint is a tad on the soft side IMO so the pads won't need to be too heavy of a cut, likely the orange will work if you can work it hard enough.

I did polish the B-pillar (shiny black plastics) by hand with an applicator pad and some V36 polish, and took out most swirl marks.

The good thing is, in my case, i hardly even need a polish yet because the paint has hardly any wash marks. I do believe just about all marks came from the previous owner who had it for the first 8000 miles.

Stay shiny my friends.

Credits to those who are willing to take the time to post and share their techniques. I don't think I could stand to sit in front of this monitor long enough to do the same. Lol. This is an addiction however, and the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

My name is Panzer, and I have a detailing addiction.

Nice haha

Yeah, well part of keeping any community strong is to help everyone keep their stuff nice! That way the rest of us don't look bad!

I also used to use the V7 as a drying lube, it has be reallocated for door jamb, wheel, and engine bay duty. Ever since CarPro Echo2o joined the lineup it has been replacing a lot of other products. Of course, I got a gallon of V7 like a month before CarPro launched Echo2o it at SEMA. Car looks good man!

I have also incorporated more towels in my drying process. I have a a CG woolly mammoth that I simply pat the large flat area(roof, hood, and windshield) with. It holds like 7 pounds of water or something crazy like that, I then follow up with waffle weave micro towels from DI. I used the CarPro Echo2o diluted to 1:12 as a drying aid in a spray atomizer that covers the entire car in a layer of it. Works great. I experimented with mixing 1 oz of V7 in with the 4 oz of Echo2o, and it just killed the hydrophobic properties of the SiO2 in the Echo2o. I will probably try the same with After Wash but it will likely end the same, no beading with the CG product added. I was never too shook up about the longevity or beading properties of V7, but the shine is always GREAT. Once my gallon is gone though I probably won't get anymore. Easy to use, yes. But I would rather just go through the same effort and use something like CarPro Reload for a spray sealant. Even though it cost significantly more, nothing comes close to it.

I hear you there.

I did just purchase some ammo nyc products after a lot of consideration.

His ammo 'hydrate' really seems to be a great drying aid, AND his winter wash 'boost', which claims to make salt and other mineral type deposits 'inert', which makes washing your car in the winter much safer, by softening the salt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0hzJImmvNU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJCQ0X5E5Ig

his products:
https://www.ammonyc.com/shop-ammo/