OK, I just washed the car...I got the Gold wash, another bucket (but didn't use it) and I had a mitt. Also bought The Absorber cloth, I hope that is the one y'all were talking about. It's kind of rubbery but it does seem to soak up the water.

I rinsed it with the hose first (not much dirt came off). Then put the soap in a bucket and started with the roof and right rear panel. Rinsed off washed section with hose, rinsed glove. Moved to next section, washed, rinsed, rinsed glove. And so on, around the car. I just "flooded" the whole thing to rinse it off, since the kids left the hose in the driveway and the head got smushed, I can't put a sprayer on it any more.

Then I got out The Absorber and started to dry. I hope that it's OK to mop this cloth and not just lay it carefully on the car until all the water is up. IOW, blotting the car instead of rubbing it. Now I have to go back and use the Invisible Glass.

I am very nervous to scratch the paint or leave swirly permanent marks...I hope I was careful enough. I didn't wash any of the bottom surfaces until I'd washed off the entire top part of the car, because those are usually the dirtiest parts (next to the road and the wheels). I did those last and rinsed again after that.

I'm glad the Fit is as small as it is or I'd have been there all day! Whew! Did I do OK?

Now for photos!!

:wavey:

 

always by hand, here. Ages ago, my first new car was black and I powerwashed it three times a week. I took it back to the dealer asking why the paint was coming off. (duh)

No power-washing, and nothing that might retain grit, for me. And I have always used warm water for washing. Lots of buckets of warm water and a big buckets of soapy water. CONSTANT rinsing of wash glove or any wipey things.

Washing it right is hot, hard work but it's worth it.

 

Double bucket by hand only. <3 Meguiars for now, Gold Class All Wheel Cleaner makes keep the rims shiny easier than hell.

I think I'll have to hit the touch-free wash in the winter though.

 

Juliane, you did great. Sorry, I have been away for a few days.

Ask anyone to show you your alternator and intake.

Ask your husband or a friend who knows a little bit about mechanical stuff. They will point at these things for you.

Basically, if it has wires, you don't want to shoot a lot of water on it. Most engine cleaners recommend that you cover these things with plastic before you start spraying the cleaner in there.

 

Steeldog, I LOLd when I read your message...my dear hubby is NOT the mechanical type...He's a thinker, not a tinkerer...The poor guy was constantly told how clumsy and incompetent he was with anything mechanical (he's a lefty) by his very impatient and anal father, so he quits before he really gets started! You know the type his father is - he starts out trying to show you how to do something, but then if you drop something or make a mistake, it's like nuclear meltdown and he takes it over while berating you for being a dunce. I have to really work to calm dh down if he attempts to fix something and it doesn't cooperate. Usually he throws a tool or breaks the thing in anger.

I have always done my own minor stuff - oil changes, air filter, minor tune-ups but that was before all the computers and hands-off parts...When you could see the ground underneath the engine...KWIM? I was watching tha muscle car auction over the weekend and just drooling...those 440s are what I recognize as an engine.

Anyway, thanks for the advice about wires, that makes total sense! I'll get a schematic of the engine and teach myself how to clean it.

 

Why doesn't someone point out the things that need to be covered and their techniques on a "perfect" engine wash. Everything else is covered in such detail, why not?

 

By hand, my family has had too many bad experiences with drive-in's.

 

Excellent idea! I just ran through the tint thread and it was great! Real-life examples of tint choices are very helpful. A visual how-to-wash-your-Fit inside and out would be great.

 

I put down "by hand" but when im in a hurry or the winter months I will run it threw a touchless wash by my house