How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

[pcray1231]

Re: How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

Simple standard exterior wash (no waxes, etc.), and not including filling buckets and gathering supplies. Just hose, wash, quick wipe of the wheels, hose off, dry with microfiber towel. 20ish minutes. Subaru Outback. Usually takes close to twice that time cause I do 2 cars at once, so I'm cutting 40 minutes in half. I probably do this about once a month on average, but more often in summer and rarely in winter.

Add a wax - add another 20 minutes per car. I don't do spray waxes. Been using Ultimate Liquid Wax 3 times per year (as early as I can in spring, mid-summer, and as late as I can in fall). I usually don't treat the trim unless I simply feel like working longer.

Clay - do once per year only on my spring detail - add another 30 minutes per car. (took much longer, as in hours per car, the first time I did it on each car, but now that they aren't so bad it goes a LOT quicker).

Polish - much longer. Only did it once, which was the OB, and it's not that bad (1 cycle virtually everywhere). It took about 7 hrs for just the polish step on Meg's DA Power System on one car (and that's in addition to the wash, clay, and wax, so pushing 9 hrs total). I don't plan on doing this more than every other year or so.

Compound/polish - very much longer. Starting this on the wife's car, which is in worse shape. So far I've only done the hood and that took 2 hrs alone. So I waxed the whole car then figure I'll go back and do one panel at a time, and work through to getting the whole car by summer's end.

Wheels: I run a winter tire/wheel package, so I do a hardcore wash of each set of wheels once per year when they come off, and I give em a quick coat of wax right before they go on. But this is separate from any exterior paint detail. During details they just get wiped down a bit, I don't even dry them. I do nothing on the tires, except wash them with the wheels.

Interior: As needed and at odd intervals, not connected to any exterior detail.

[Top Gear]

Re: How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

Are you sure about those (non-washing) times? 20 minutes to wax an entire car by hand (or even with a DA) and to remove and buff it?? 30 minutes to clay an entire car?? I really don't think so, not in my experience. At the other end, 7 hours to polish an entire car with a DA is an extremely long time, particularly with only 2 hours on compounding. Are you sure?

Claying is can be the longest, most demoralizing step in a full correction - I often skip it (because my surfaces are so well-manicured already from so much QD/QW detailing), or I'll do spot-claying for new scratches, etc. Compounding is a long hard slog, unimaginable by hand for the whole car (unless you're just fooling yourself by wiping it on and off), and with a DA can easily take an entire day or more (as opposed to a rotary, but without the risk). 2 hours to do a consistent and swirl-free compound job is incredibly unlikely, unless the surface is already basically swirl-free. To me, compounding is the real time sink and everything after that feels like gravy by comparison. So, polishing will go faster, unless I've skipped compounding for that area/panel, and waxing is faster still using the DA, but still longer than 20 minutes. I've learned to break the work into panels or sections, doing all the steps and then moving on, especially since I'm not garaged.

[pcray1231]

Re: How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

Yeah, I'm sure. Remember, I'm discounting set up/clean up time, so this is just while I'm washing and drying paint. It also doesn't include interior, and only a quick wipe on the wheels. And on a standard, wash and that's it day, I do both cars, so I'm saying 40 minutes to do 2 cars, and cutting it in half. I hose down both. Then wash both. Then rinse and dry one, then rinse and dry the other.

Claying 1 car the first time took me hours, and that was true on both cars (separate days). Subsequent times more like 30 minutes per car. They didn't really need it. With maybe the exception of low on the door panels (road spray area), it glides on the first swipe, so I didn't have to keep going over it. Spray in one hand trying to keep up with the clay in the other, and the spray turns into the slow part! A couple slightly more stubborn areas, and all of the lower door panels, took a couple of swipes but still nothing like the first time I did em where I had to go over every area multiple times and often re-spray in the middle of it.

The polish I said took 7 hrs to do one whole car. That did NOT include compounding, and the time is for the polish step only (so total time, add the wash, clay, wax, etc). Just Ultimate Polish only. And it took the majority of the fine swirls out, but yes, if I really look hard I can find a few left. It was the first time I've polished in any form, and this is my own daily driver, my goal was not absolute perfection. I posted pictures in my post in the "welcome" forum. It was done with the DA Power System (the one that attaches to a drill)

As for compounding, I haven't compounded a whole car yet, but have started on my wife's car (which needs it). It was taking a really long time so I'm gonna do it panel at a time. Do a panel or two in a day. In a couple weeks when I get some more time do another panel or two. By the end of the summer it'll be done.

Waxing, yeah, 20ish minutes is realistic with Ultimate Liquid for me. I found it quicker by hand. It goes on REAL thin and easy, you don't gotta be careful around trim, on badges, cracks, and door handles, etc., and it almost doesn't even need wiped, lol. I do the whole car then come back around and wipe the whole car. By the time I get where I started it's practically invisible, I think the weight of the towel itself would get the job done. Really, it's fantastic stuff, and made a Meg's convert outta me. I don't understand the draw to quick spray waxes anymore, as doing a proper liquid wax is just as quick if not quicker.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

Less than an hour with my 3 gallon rinseless wash method. Add another half hour if I dry it with my WorxAir leaf blower. Since I use only distilled water, I can opt to let the car air dry and come back later to clean up the dried water spots with a quick detailer.

[Low83]

Re: How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

Usually a couple of hours, it's like therapy for me, Sat mornings are my time to unwind from the work week. Love cruising around the weekends in a clean and shiny car

[Agent 99]

Re: How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

Location location location.

You driveway people have it made! I live in an apt complex and luckily we do have a "car wash" station which is nothing more than a concrete slab and a hose but it takes forever. Pack up all the buckets and brushes and cleaners and add another 30 minutes. Moral of the story is be grateful you all that have driveways!

Yeah other option is the local car wash but I'm always afraid they'll say something or I'll hold someone else up.

[Eldorado2k]

@Agent99. 1st of all, us driveway people don't have it all sweet.. We're jealous of the garage people, they're the ones who've got it made! Lol.

And when you said "little slab of concrete and a hose" I read that as dollar $igns. Lol.

Btw, when you said they might say something if you went to the car wash, who are "they"?

[billddrummer]

Re: How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

Touchless wash, takes me about 20 minutes to dry off what the blowers miss. DD in the Sierra Mountains (600+ mi/wk), so I only obsess about once a month.

The time for me is cleaning up surface/subsurface defects, polish and wax. Last time I did the full regimen it was 2.5 hours even using my DA polisher for subsurface defects and polish (clayed, UC, UP, then Gold Class Carnauba Plus paste wax).

Looked great for two days, then it snowed.

Several dear friends made jokes about the eerie coincidence--whenever Bill waxes his car, it snows.

At least I got to enjoy the shine for the two days.

[Blueline]

Re: How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

Location location location.

Moral of the story is be grateful you all that have driveways!
.

I will think of this when I am blowing three feet of snow off it every other day next year.

[thedoc46]

Re: How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

It the wheels that slow me down... It would probably be quicker to remove them, and clean them, then navigating a brush thru the holes and making sure the insides that are normally caked in dirt, are clean.. Plus i end up cutting my hands and bruising them. But its kinda hard to leave the dirt on there. I can spend a good 45min doing the wheels.

Being that I never let me car get that dirty, normally a quick shake out of the mats are all that are needed, i can have the car done in 30mins. If its dirtier and i need to go to town on it, a good hr + whatever time i invest in the wheels.

[Top Gear]

Re: How long does it take you to do a car wash by yourself?

Yesterday I had the day free and the weather was perfect, so why not? I did a fairly quick wash and blow dry, as the car wasn't very dirty except with my own QD/QW residue and pollen. So, that was about 30 minutes. Then I decided to do some spot corrections using ScratchX I've been testing and a DA with the MG burgundy foam pad. That took maybe an hour and a half, as it was just a few spots including the whole hood. I then decided to fully polish the whole car using UP and the MG yellow pad. That was exhausting, as I did a thorough job at a higher speed (5 and 6 on the Porter Cable). I also clayed the glass and did some Ultimate Black on much of the trim, and then applied the Gold Class with the DA, waited for it to firm up, then removed by hand with an MF and chamois. The result was as stunning a correction job as I've ever done, and all told, that was 6 totally draining and glorious hours, including breaks

Claying 1 car the first time took me hours, and that was true on both cars (separate days). Subsequent times more like 30 minutes per car. They didn't really need it.

Yes, I'll admit I've found claying to be easily skipped, only because over time I'm wiping the car so much with QD/QW. No love lost on claying either, as it's the most tedious finger-breaking step and you'd still have the others to go. I do clay for spot corrections, though, as it will often be a quick fix for scuffs and grime without going into further steps.

The polish I said took 7 hrs to do one whole car. It was the first time I've polished in any form...

Yeah, you'll probably see that time come way down. However, it depends. I've tended to DA too lightly, and only in my last two corrections have I just said "go for it" to myself and turned up the speed and pressed down harder. I'm finally getting the swirl-free results I've wanted for so long. Yesterday, though (see above), my polishing was probably 3.5 hours.

As for compounding...I'm gonna do it panel at a time. Do a panel or two in a day. In a couple weeks when I get some more time do another panel or two. By the end of the summer it'll be done.

Ha-ha! That's about the way it feels!! For me, it's been a process of building up trust in the process. When I first started with a DA, I barely touched the surfaces and called it a day. While it looked good even fairly close, I wasn't swirl-free. Since then, I've used much more aggressive pressure and speed both with UC and ScratchX, getting closer to pro-results.

Waxing, yeah, 20ish minutes is realistic with Ultimate Liquid for me. I found it quicker by hand. It goes on REAL thin and easy, you don't gotta be careful around trim, on badges, cracks, and door handles, etc., and it almost doesn't even need wiped, lol. I do the whole car then come back around and wipe the whole car. By the time I get where I started it's practically invisible...

Ah, that explains it. When applied wax by hand, it was longer than 20 minutes using an applicator pad or an MF. Changing to a DA, the application is probably around 20 minutes, NOT including removal and buffing. The removal and buffing, as it was for me yesterday, can be far more involved than it seems. I put the GC on a bit thick this time, and the result in some areas was caking that was hard to remove and left cloudy areas even then. When I've put it on very thin, though, it's much easier to remove and buff (MF in one hand to remove, chamois in the other for final buff). I want to see if the thicker application has any effect.

I don't understand the draw to quick spray waxes anymore, as doing a proper liquid wax is just as quick if not quicker.

That's because QW is not used for doing a regular wax job. It's used to "boost", touch up, and temporarily re-polish the surface during "waterless washing", and even to lightly re-wax after a full wash between full corrections. QW is great on trips and anytime you need to avoid a full wash, etc. With some QD and a California Duster, in dry weather you can go weeks and months without ever washing the car.

Location location location. You driveway people have it made!

Yes, it's a luxury to have the space and water hose, but what I really want is a garage. I spend most of my detailing time cleaning because I'm not garaged.

It the wheels that slow me down...

Of course, I should have remembered, it totally depends on the design of the wheels. Mine are 19s with large open areas around the spokes. So, I can easily reach with my sudsy mitt into the barrel of the wheel and move the mitt around the Brembo calipers, all around the inside, etc. With a smaller or tighter wheel, that would be impossible, so brushes or other tricks are needed, which probably take more time.