Car Washing - Best With Zymol

First:

This is the all important point where detailing your car begins. Check the area temperature before starting your car washing. Has your car been sitting in the hot sun? Move your car to the shade and let the surface cool before you begin. Ideally, the outside temperature should be between 50 and 80 degrees F. Keep in mind that it is still OK to wash if it is 49 or 82 degrees (considering the alternative). In hot climates morning or early evening hours (assuming daylight) can be ideal, sparing you and your car from the hot sun.

Please note that brake rotors can be very hot on recently driven cars. Cold water can warp them! If you feel heat coming from your wheels, please wait for them to cool completely. If cold water gets onto the brake discs, they could warp. Warped rotors can be an expensive lesson!

Fill your CLEAN bucket with warm water (NEVER HOT!) and use a car wash soap. ZYMOL Clear is ideal!

NEVER EVER use dishwashing detergent. Those dishwashing detergents do a great job cleaning up your dirty dishes, but they also REMOVE WAX with their added “grease-cutting” agents. Even worse, dishwashing detergents can harm your car's clear coat. Any company that tells you otherwise doesn't deserve to have their products taken seriously.

Please leave the dishwashing products in the kitchen.

Rinse your car completely with the hose. Be careful with metal hose nozzles and metal parts of your clothing to protect your car. Jewelry and watches are best kept away for your car’s paintwork. Plastic or rubber water nozzles can be a good low cost investment.

Wash the roof first, then the hood, then the trunk. Use lots of soapy water on your sponge. ZYMOL sponges are specially made for car washing with small pores that are less likely to pick up stone chips and grit. Rinse liberally after washing any panel. Then work your way around the car, first with the upper panels, then the lower.

Now, rinse the entire car!

If you find that your wash water is extremely dirty when you’re only halfway through do the right thing and get yourself a fresh batch. Why transplant grit and dirt?

Use a real or synthetic Chamois to push water off of the car. ZYMOL Synthetic Chamois is excellent for this task!

DON’T USE THE CHAMOIS TO DRY THE CAR as it can remove wax when dry. Use unsized cotton towels such as ZYMOL Towels to dry the car. When you wash the towels in the laundry process, avoid the fabric softener and dryer sheets.

Proper washing takes a bit of time, but your car is usually the second largest investment you will ever own. Keep in mind that a regularly washed car will be so much quicker and easier to clean. Not to mention a much easier road to the next show n' shine or concours!

Lastly, how often should you wash? Every week or so is a good guide for a regularly driven vehicle. Make this habit part of your routine. Remember, you never meet anyone who washes their car and regrets it later.:-) A covered garage-dweller may need washing much less often. Cars need MORE attention during the Winter months to remove damaging sand and salt deposits.

If your vehicle got dirty due to a long trip, picked up construction dirt or pollen deposits, then it’s time to do the right thing. WASH!

Lastly, top up your wax protection on your now clean car with a quality detail spray like Zymol Field Glaze or Raceglaze Ltd. Clearmist. Just spray a section, followed my a quick rubdown with a good microfiber towel. Don't cut corners with the big box store's cheap offerings here. Trust me, the finish is inferior when you attempt to save mere cents per application.

Using a good detailing product will maintain protection, and provide you with a pleasing appearance until your next detail session, and only takes minutes.