I dont know where you get your info from but, there is more water sprayed over the soft cloth's then you can do in your driveway. in addition they should be rinsed regulary every evening. i worked in a car wash for years and never had anyone complain about micro scraches in the paint. and thats doing 400 to 500 cars a day. black and dark colors often show micro scraches more offten then not because someone wants to save a few dollars and wash it in their driveway.
as for the black paint it may be time to take it to a detail shop and have them wheel out the paint make sure you get pictures of their recent work before you have this process done.
all you do with driveway washings iscontanimate the water since soap does not biodegrate and most commonly the storm drains drains directly into a nearby lake or stream without having any process to clean the waterbefore hand

 

I'm sorry but you're wrong. You obviously have been brainwashed by your previous employer at the car wash.

 

ha, your insane. where are your facts? i know by experience. im sure you seen the picture of my car that i never wash by hand it is a dark color and it dosent have micro scraches in it. but of course im so brainwashed that i dont see the scraches. either way i dont care, do what you want its your car and i guess if the Speakle dont know what hes doing they he may as well take it to a car wash cause what hes doing isint working for him.

 

I dont want to turn this into a pissing match, but ask any professional detailer (no, I am not one) and they will tell you the same thing. Those brushes, or what ever they are collect dirt, dust, and small rocks and scratch the **** out of cars. As for the claim about people only wash in their driveway to save a buck.... I probably have spent more money on my products, not including equipment, than I would have in washing my car at a car wash since I have been driving. That is another thing... the products they use in car washes are watered down soooo much! I am surprised they bubble at all.

I know my wash mitts are always clean, cant say the same thing for the car wash brushes.

 

i am a detailer i wouldnt say im a pro but i have worked side by side with them for 10 years check most of the posts here becides thatnever had and issue with the soft clothes the handle brushes are a diffrent story though even i dont trust them for the most part. eaither way water water water. best way to prevent scraches.

 

In a nutshell, you're basically dragging grit and grime over your paint as you both wash it and dry it. The key is to use products that are designed for cleaning cars properly. Don't use a chamois or a synthetic sponge nor would I suggest a wool wash mitt.

Your best choice would be a natural deep sea sponge. They are very porous and release the grit and grime easily. Use a car shampoo that is high on the lubrication end, use two buckets if necessary (one for washing suds and one for clean rinse water), wash in a linear fashion, dry with a dedicated leaf blower and then dry with a microfiber waffle weave towel and some quick detailer.

The more you rub on your car the more marring you'll put in it.

Anthony

 

I washed her this weekend for the first time in a while (have been extremely busy). I bought a microfiber wash mit and the grit guard for my bucket. I hosed the crap out of the truck to get off as much dirt as possible then would take the mitand pass it over the paint lightly, turn and pass again then hose it off and rinse the mit carefully to get out as much dirt as posssible. I did this to a whole side and then really washed it good to get off any left over and cleaned out the bucket and rinsed the mit out real well and did the other side. The truck was very dirty giving the need for extra care and although ti sounds like it took a lot of time it really only took about a half hour longer than usual and it came out really good. Unfortunantly I wont have time to try and get the scratches anytime soon.

 

I use the two bucket method, one for soap and one for rinse water, do one panel at a time, rinse your mitt and redunk in the soap. you wont believe how much grime comes off until you look in the bottom of your rinse bucket.

The Meguiars 3 step works great. Meguiars online is a great resource for detailing needs.

As for car washes, yes they rinse them off good (the brushes etc) but they can lead to swirls, one car after the other goes through them and any grime or sharp objects can imbed themselves in the cleaners, thus scratching your car up. I take my car through them, but I have to get the swirls out afterwards. They also claim soft wash.

I primarily wash my cars in the driveway using paint friendly brushes, mitts and drying towels. No more dish soap and bath towel to dry.

L8R

Aaron

 

My boss has black vehicles and they look great. It's all i how yo care for them. They do nothing but handwash his trucks. I know they use a lot of ZEP products to wash and wax the trucks

 

I use THE GOLD CLASS it is a clear coat liquid car wax. It will take the fine scratches
off. You will see it realy works good.