Machine wash or hand wash only?

[danny wilde]

I kept my first Aston Martin from new for almost 16 years and only did hand wash, never machine wash with brushes.

But, looking at my daily driver, that gets machine washed with brushes only, I must honestely say that paint scratches on both cars are equal. So, I somehow think that It is not worth the effort to go for hand wash only.

What do you think? Do you use machine car wash with brushes for you beloved Aston?

[Jon39]

Is it you who carefully does the hand wash, or a few guys who might use gritty sponges?
If you, then how can scratches occur?

I even say no washing at servicing time and was told I am not the only customer saying that.
Mind you, I always make sure each car is very clean, before taking in for service.

[LTP]

danny wilde said:

But, looking at my daily driver, that gets machine washed with brushes only, I must honestely say that paint scratches on both cars are equal. So, I somehow think that It is not worth the effort to go for hand wash only.

It sounds like there's something wrong with the way you're hand washing

danny wilde said:

Do you use machine car wash with brushes for you beloved Aston?

Good grief no. That would be swirl city, especially on Onyx. Two bucket method.

• Wheels and under sills first with their own, separate mitt, wheel brushes and tools; then a 4 mile run to dry the brakes (put them away wet and they stick onto the discs - ask me how I know)
• Bag the wheels
• Insect remover on the front, mirror caps and A-pillars (if required)
• Snow foam
• Rinse with pressure washer
• Fresh soapy (pH neutral) water and rinsing water in 2 x 20-litre buckets with gravel guards
• Wash with super-soft microfibre mitt, in sections starting at the top. Mitt strokes in lines with the panel, never rubbed in circles. Dunk mitt in rinse bucket before picking up more suds
• Rinse car with pressure washer after each section
• Keep washing and rinsing by sections, top down, until whole car is washed
• Towel dry
• Blaster warm air gun and towel to blow water out from under badges, panel gaps, brightwork, mirrors, etc
• Open closures; clean and dry shut faces
• Dry fuel filler well and flap
• Autoglym Fast Glass on glass and mirrors
• Vacuum interior and dust facia (if it needs it)

Takes about 2 hours
Wash all mitts, microfibres and towels in washing machine on rinse cycle and let dry naturally ready for next time.
Like Jon, my dealer never washes my car.

Edited by LTP on Monday 3rd November 00:20

[CSK1]

I always jet wash the car at one of those Elephant Bleu stations they have here in France. I live in the South of France so it doesn’t get very dirty.
First I use the prewash setting, leave it to soak a bit while I clean the wheels (I make sure no foam or cleaning products come in contact with the CCB’s, rinse with demineralised water, then I have very thick microfiber cloths to dry, I blow some air in the nooks and crannies, hoover the interior, then I put some finishing product that protects the paint and removes water marks if there are any left, go over the glass with a special product and a cloth.
Job done, takes about an hour to an hour and a half.
I have never ever used the automatic facility with brushes, that would ruin the paint in no time.
As others have mentioned, if you have swirl marks on a hand washed car, you’re not doing it right or perhaps it is someone who does it for you and who’s a serial paint killer using the same bucket and cloths for several cars, sure it’s quick but I always wash my car myself and would never let anyone else do it for me.
My 13 year old son wants to wash my car so he can earn some money, I prefer to give him some money to stay well away from it!

[Import]

Same here..hand wash only…more dust than dirt around here..have never used a service wash on any of my cars..I enjoy washing them..and I prefer to keep the waxes intact…

[ragingfool]

i have only ever hand washed (and waxed) every vehicle i've owned. about every 6 months. i'm not that AR about appearances

[AstonV]

You should get a pressure washer and a foam cannon. Rinse it well first then use the foam cannon with 2 bucket wash. I always do the wheels and tires after my car is washed, before it’s been rinsed. Even better if you run the water through a deionizer before it gets to the pressure washer. That way you can blow it dry or even let it air dry. Invest in some Gyeon wet coat, it’s amazing! Sounds like you need paint correction at this point.

[V8 Minotaur]

Personally I don’t use a pressure washer, but if that’s your thing be careful not to point it at any edge if you have PPF - always point the washer from the centre of the PPF towards the edge.
I don’t have an air dryer but if there are any bits of tree seed etc. I use a leaf blower on the convertible hood, scuttle area around the wiper arms and side window seals first - also a wooden toothpick for any bits stuck in the window seals.
For the tyre gel I find a concave sponge (with a plastic handle like a massive hex nut) from ebay / amazon is great for easily sweeping around the tyre.

[skyebear]

AstonV said:

You should get a pressure washer and a foam cannon. Rinse it well first then use the foam cannon with 2 bucket wash. I always do the wheels and tires after my car is washed, before it s been rinsed. Even better if you run the water through a deionizer before it gets to the pressure washer. That way you can blow it dry or even let it air dry. Invest in some Gyeon wet coat, it s amazing! Sounds like you need paint correction at this point.

Rinsing the car first is pointless if you intend to use a foam pre-wash. They're designed to go on a dry car so all you're doing is over-diluting it when it hits a wet panel.

[AstonV]

skyebear said:

Rinsing the car first is pointless if you intend to use a foam pre-wash. They're designed to go on a dry car so all you're doing is over-diluting it when it hits a wet panel.

Even if you use a pre wash I would still rinse well before using the foam cannon. You don’t want to use your wash mitt if the car has dirt on it, you’re just grinding it in. Foam sticks well to a wet car. My car never has more than dust on it anyway. Always garaged and never driven in the rain.

[BiggaJ]

Always handwash my car, start with a foam, then jet, then two bucket then wheels but recently been using Bilt Hamber wheel cleaner which effectively removes the need to manually clean the wheels, amazing stuff.

I will now start to use an air blower to remove water from panels gaps, around lights etc. to stop the odd dribble before towel drying and then use Bilt Hamber Carbuba wax to finish.

Bought this recently to blow dry, great little device.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176769151266?chn=ps&amp...

[Discombobulate]

AstonV said:

Even if you use a pre wash I would still rinse well before using the foam cannon. You don t want to use your wash mitt if the car has dirt on it, you re just grinding it in. Foam sticks well to a wet car. My car never has more than dust on it anyway. Always garaged and never driven in the rain.

You are adjusting the panel impact ratio down and reducing the foam effectiveness even if it sticks well. It is designed to be applied to a dry dirty car for maximum effectiveness.
The best approach if you have a very dirty car is to apply to dry car and up the ratio as outlined in the instructions eg for Bilt Hamber product it is 1 part per 100 (1%) rising to 5 parts per 100 (5%) for the dirtiest cars.
https://bilthamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/...

Mine is ceramic coated and if just dusty I use 1-2% and I don't even need to use a mitt - just drive for a few miles to dry the body and brakes off.