A Carwash Story

25 June 2024 / Words: Jeff Rowe

 

I was going to put this question up on the Illawarra Chapter Web Page but was afraid of all
the different comments that the post would get. So, I decided to write a story instead.
Before I go any further, I should make it clear that I have no shares or interest in any
company names mentioned.
My car is a ‘Brilliant Black’ NC Series 1 Limited Edition. The car looks fantastic when its
clean, as they all do, but it does take a lot of time to get it to look good. Leave it in the
garage uncovered overnight and it looks like it needs another wash. My wife says ‘poor you,
what do you think it’s like for us girls when we need to dust the house every day.'
All of you out there with MX-5’s whatever the colour will take heaps of time getting your car
looking its best to go on a run.
Many of you will remember when we would go to an information night with ‘Mequiar’s’ and
get shown how to wash, dry and polish our cars. We got product samples and the
opportunity to purchase product at a reduced price, I still have some ‘Mequiar’s’ in the
garage. If you were one of the lucky ones you may even have got your car washed and
polished in a demonstration of how the products worked and how best to use them. It always
looked easier when a professional was doing the job.
Washing the car for me is the easy part. A hose, a bucket of water, shampoo with a neutral
Ph., I use ‘Bowden’s Nanolicious Wash’, and a washcloth of some type. For me it’s a micro
cloth. I have found this to be a good start and if I keep the cloth clean, by rinsing it often,
there is a much-reduced chance of getting swirling scratches on the duco.
Washing done. Now comes the drying off part. I have used large thick ‘Micro Cloths’ from a
number of manufacturers in the past which have really annoyed me because it seems all
that happens is you do geography with the water before the cloth starts to absorb it. I spend
a long time wiping away water streaks. Many I have spoken to prefer to use a chamois which
they rinse often.
Now I have found a new ‘Micro Towel.’ This is a cloth that is as big as a small ‘bath towel.’ It
was designed by a gentleman from New Zealand who says on his web page that he was
having the same issues with ‘Micro Cloths’ as I had been experiencing. His product is called
a ‘RapidDry Towel’. It’s on Facebook, which is where I first saw it.
Anyway, despite my scepticism about things I see on Facebook I bought one. To date I have
not been disappointed. It dries the car quickly without so many streaks and little or no water
geography. It’s not perfect though, due to its size it is easy to touch the floor with the ends so
it may pick up some dirt to accidently rub on the car duco. Overall, with a bit of care I have
found this towel to be the best of its type for my purpose.
You can see now why I didn’t but this on Facebook. There will be so many different opinions
out there. Many of you have had differing advice from car detailers over the years in the end
it’s up to you to choose what best suits your needs.
Just wanted to share my experience it may help other car washers out there.