# Sunny Days...Car Cleaning...



## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

hey guys, some useful advice here...all these sunny days were having lately is bad news for us detailers. Because u can do some real damage to your paint if you wash it in the sun, so DONT WASH YOUR CAR IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT, OR IF THE PAINTWORK IS HOT TO TOUCH! :thumb: Bad news for us


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

What kind of damage can you do by washing a car in sunlight? I know the shampoo dries overly quickly and results in water spots if you don't rainse as you go, but I get on okay in direct sunlight, just rinsing each panel as I go... Tend to wait until after five to wash a car at this time of year though, when the sun has gone down a little..


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## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

i've been told it can scorch or weaken your paint, making it flake...


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## Mr OCD (Apr 18, 2006)

I wash mine at about 8pm during summer.... easier to do as cooler!


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## Schizophonic (Jun 8, 2006)

How old are you really 12 Yr old valeter?


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Engine_Swap said:


> I wash mine at about 8pm during summer.... easier to do as cooler!


Thats what i'm about to do now


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## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

i'm 12, as my user name suggests


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

as iam a valeter i cant wait till 8 oclock , washing in sunlight cant see any problem in fact its easier to dry the car .
polishing yes i agree , but then you have the time to do it later i havnt


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

peter richards said:


> as iam a valeter i cant wait till 8 oclock , washing in sunlight cant see any problem in fact its easier to dry the car .
> polishing yes i agree , but then you have the time to do it later i havnt


I power washed my car at around 1100 this morning, as I had done a 300 mile trip last night/this morning, yes indeed the car dried quickly and the 1st time ever I had some spots,  , mind you i didn't cloth or blade dry (i rarely do) , but I put this down to the remaining rinse water drying so quickly. just give the car another quick wash and put the car away, the gentler temp should bring me back to my usual spot free fininsh. :thumb:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

I always rinse as I go if I have to wash in warmer temperatures, bit don't really get problems with water spots... maybe cause I live in a soft water area, but I've never been troubled by them which is possibly why I don't mind washing a car in the sun if I have to... Still, I'd rather wait until the cool evening.


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

i dry it straight away no spots at all


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

peter richards said:


> i dry it straight away no spots at all


I used to, then I used to rinse each panel after washing it, however when I use the power washer, I just do the whole car at once.
It was about 24c by 1100hrs here today, so I'm sure the heat had something to do with the spotting today. Prolly solar salt


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

sometimes ill use a blade , depending on the condition of the car , if its a prestige car ill dry it with a couple of guzzlers they are brill .
but a blade does save time , ill only use the blade on a rough car


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## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

yep, so im wrong then  o well, yes i use a my blade usually for glass but in the summer depending on car i will use a blade.


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

not to worry mate , its a big learning curve :wave:


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## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

yep, always next time


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## andburg (Feb 13, 2006)

just rinse as you go, wash a panel, rinse it off, move along.

the follow round with a clean MF and a spray of filtered water to remove any remains that you might have missed


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## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

yep, will have to use that tomoz, im detailing a car tomoz which will hopefully be this months entry...my first


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## DarrylB (Feb 17, 2006)

I must admit I struggle to wash my car in the summer, having a black car doesn't help and living in a hard water area doesn't help at all, by the time I have done the roof and rinsed, the water is already steaming off. 

I wait till the cooler evenings to wash mine


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## richie.guy (Apr 10, 2006)

I tend to park mine in the shade as much as possible to avoid it drying too quickly. Still harder to do though 

Got a detail to do tomorrow, hopefully i'll get 1/2 the car in the garage...


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## Throbbe (Oct 27, 2005)

I bought a gazebo to keep the rain off, but it helps with the sun too.


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## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

very good idea throbbe :thumb: must be a pretty big gazebo to fit a car, you and your gear


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

Parents brought a pop-up gazebo from Argos last weekend. I told them I may borrow it to detail the car. They kinda looked at me funny...



Throbbe said:


> I bought a gazebo to keep the rain off, but it helps with the sun too.


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## tonyflow (Mar 6, 2006)

Whats wrong with using a blade?

Assuming everyhthing is clean (it should be after it has just been washed), i dont understand how it damages the paint?

FWIW, I clean min in the mornings, so they are clean for the rest of the day  2 hours later they are covered in pollen, but hey-ho!


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## Throbbe (Oct 27, 2005)

12yearoldvaleter said:


> very good idea throbbe :thumb: must be a pretty big gazebo to fit a car, you and your gear


3m x 4m. Think it was on offer for £15 at Homebase. Bargain.

It does need securing though, as it blew away and hit a neighbours car! Luckily he was pretty cool about it, and rather pleased I had owned up. Buffed out the scuff marks and gave the rest of the car a quick going over and he was well chuffed.


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## Wested (Jun 9, 2006)

The same thing happened to me at the weekend. I got a 4m x 3m Gazebo from Homebase on saturday and as soon as I put it up the wind took it flying off down the garden! Luckily missed the neighbours cars but I'm sure they had fun watching me chase this giant kite around before finally securing using the guide ropes.:lol: 

Great purchase though...


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## vpricey (May 8, 2006)

I just wash mine round the side of the house in the shade!! The sun never gets round there till about 8 at night!! Lucky a!?


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## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

i just dry with a waffle weave, never a blade or chamois.


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## matt (Jun 29, 2006)

JJ_ said:


> i just dry with a waffle weave, never a blade or chamois.


Whats wrong with using a chammy?


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## matt_mph (Jul 26, 2006)

or just wash it in the garage lol, and wipe the floor dry


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## Jay Herts (Dec 26, 2005)

Oh ok then 12 yr old shall I take the summer off then and just work in the rain?.
:wall:


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## CLEAN1T (Jul 2, 2006)

*working out doors*

being a valeter for 5 years
i can polish a car in most sunny days we get in scotland.
i can polish them smear streak free no dust on rags.
just had to adadpt for working in sun use ur body as a shadow dude...

i might design the ultimate car port that fits in a car. like a sunbed covers all the car ??? that be good.


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## Razor (Oct 25, 2005)

The only problem with washing in direct sunlight is the relatively short period of time the water will dry and the resulting streak marks - especially if it has dried before you had enough time to rinse. This can actually be a matter of seconds if in really hot weather and your paintwork is toast. However, other than that I can't really see a problem with washing cars.

The only no no (in my book) is waxing / applying sealant in direct sunlight (especially the latter) - if it dries quickly and you leave it on to the point where it is in an advanced stage of curing then it can be a right PITA to remove and you could risk swirling the paintwork if not careful (ie too much elbow grease)  .

Mark


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## BenP (Dec 2, 2005)

I try not to wash cars in direct sunlight but sometime you have no choice. I find that if it's dried before you get round to drying it, a health does of Last Touch will remove any water marks, even on a black car. If the water spots have been there for ages, a mild acid gets them off (read white vinegar or fallout remover).

As far as sealants go, if I have to do this in the sun I'll use Ex or EXP - you can leave both of them on as long as you like and the come off really easily.

The only thing I don't like doing in direct sunlight is paint correction, basically because I don't really like any of the sun friendly products.

Ben

Ben


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

I'm seriously thinking of one of these for the sunny/rainy days
http://www.ajmshopping.co.uk/more_details.asp?MainCat=Gazebos&SubCat=FoldawayGazebo&ItemCode=06922


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