Washing between stages of a Detail?

[Selectchoice]

I've seen quite a few people mention they re-wash their car during the stages of a detail. Some re-wash after a compound to remove dust, some also re-wash after a polishing stage, and some straight after the LSP.

I wash before the job starts, compound and polish as needed and wipe off my LSP and usually that's it. Occasionally a Quick Detailer to remove any remaining smears but that's not often and usually confined to small areas.

Cuirous to know why this has become such an emerging trend. In my opinion the re-wash step allows an opportunity for your freshly corrected paint to be marked- even if only very slightly, by the washing process, especially considering the freshly compounded or polished paint is without wax/sealant protection at this point.

For paint correction I have mainly used M105 via DA which is prone to dust more than UC however this can be controlled with a simple adjustment to the amount of product used, priming the pad and regular cleaning of the pad. I used UC on a full correction job recently and was amazed at the differences compared to M105. Both correct to a similar degree, but in my opinion, the UC was not as user friendly in a direct comparison to M105. However my background involves a lot of rotary polisher use so this could skew my view on useability. The one thing UC would not do for me is dust.

As a fair percentage of MOL posters would be using UC over M105, the lack of dust, at least in any significant amount, makes me wonder why you would add the extra stages into the already lengthy process that is car care.

[Murr1525]

Re: Washing between stages of a Detail?

It makes your process sound fancy.

[Car Potential]

Re: Washing between stages of a Detail?

I could see myself washing my car again if I did some paint correction and did not have time to apply wax the same day. I know I could use UQD on the car the next day before applying the wax but I would feel more comfortable washing it.

Also, if someone did wash their car after compounding and/or using polish with abrasives and before applying wax I don't think it would effect the paint in a negative way.

I guess everyone has their own technique and preferences.

[Detailing by M]

I use very little 105 too but it's still very dusty and gets everyware.
I wash, use new microfibers and give it a gentle wash. Nothing has ever happend to the "freshly corrected" paint.
Without washing the dust off, my details woudn't be superior.

[Selectchoice]

Re: Washing between stages of a Detail?

I understand if the car has been sitting for a lengthy period between stages, but not when moving straight between stages as people are doing.

Remember, anything that touches the paint has the potential to create swirls, scratches and the like. Washing a car included.

As the wax/sealant acts as a sacrificial barrier for the paint underneath it, washing paint without any wax/sealant must therefore be less protected and more prone to marks. Sure if your wash process is absolutely perfect you might get away with it, but after spending so much time making the paint perfect, I wouldn't want to go back to spot correction of marked areas.

I'm picky with my cars, when I detail my goal is as close to 100% correction as possible. Even on my black daily driver.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Washing between stages of a Detail?

If your defect removal process isn't creating any dust, or virtually none, then washing again following that step is probably not necessary. But when using a very dusty product, or perhaps rotary work with a wool pad, you can make quite a mess in the process and washing prior to a final polish step or LSP is probably a good idea for overall presentation.

As with anything else in this game, a lot depends on a whole slew of variables.

[Selectchoice]

Re: Washing between stages of a Detail?

If your defect removal process isn't creating any dust, or virtually none, then washing again following that step is probably not necessary. But when using a very dusty product, or perhaps rotary work with a wool pad, you can make quite a mess in the process and washing prior to a final polish step or LSP is probably a good idea for overall presentation.

As with anything else in this game, a lot depends on a whole slew of variables.

Absolutely agree Mike that sometimes it may be an idea, however it would be the rarer case that these extra washing steps are needed (or 'vital' might be a better term here) especially when using a DA and a product like UC for the correction steps. It just seems that a lot of the recent write-ups and videos of an individual's processes show these extra washing steps included when they shouldn't be absolutely necessary.

I love detailing cars but the process to perfect paint takes long enough without adding additional steps that aren't absolutely necessary.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Washing between stages of a Detail?

Just as the paint will often dictate product choice in order to correct the defects present (there is no one miracle product that works equally well on all paints in all conditions, right?) the process itself may well dictate any additional steps that are needed.

When watching detailing videos it's important to remember that not everyone uses the same workflow, and we've seen some people do what seems like pretty odd stuff yet they still get fantastic results. We've also seen cases where people take shortcuts that don't really help them, and cases where people just over complicate the heck out of things! We've all got our little differences that work for us that others may question. But as the old saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a........ well, that old saying may be offensive to some pet owners, so let's just say "there's more than one way to polish paint".