Anyone using Kranzle Powerwashers?

[JC220]

For a long time now I have wanted to buy a new cold pressure washer for washing my own cars. Something that will allow applying snow foam and lots of power for rinsing off. I already have a large Lavor Diesel steam cleaner for really heavy duty washing like engine blocks but it's way too big to wheel out and wash a car with.

I have had Karcher before and what a waste of money!! They appear disposable and designed to just outlive the warranty before giving up.... not wanting to waste more money I wanted to try and find a quality professional grade unit.

Has anyone heard of or used the Kranzle K1152TST? It is a high quality German made machine- I spotted a video from Obsessed Garage on it and from some research decided to order one from Germany today.

(The machine- not his whole kit) This is a better video just about the machine itself

Very much looking forward to trying it out when it gets here! What do you guys use in terms of setups - Snow foam setups etc?

 

[captruff]

I had considered the Kranzle brand years ago, but they had so few stateside distributors I passed.

I have tried so many different brands, keep in mind the brands do not always = the manufacturers, but to name a few:

Snap On, via Costco
Karcher
GreenWorks
Sun Joe
Stark
Honda (gas powered)

The most durable in my experience has been the Greenworks from Lowes, specifically the model pictures below I have gone through about 30 units over the past 20 years



The unit was maybe $100.00 and they offered a 2 year extended warraty for another $15.00....now I typically pass on extended warranties, but since I have not had the best luck with pressure washers I decided to purchase. Well close to 2 years later the pressure washer gave up the ghost...went back to Lowes and got a replacement unit and asked if I could also purchase the same extended warranty. The said no problem and handed me close to $20.00 in change. I asked why am I getting money back?? The cost of the unit came down and even after adding the warranty back in I had money coming back to me!

That said, after watching the videos of the Kranzle with all the attachments perhaps one will be in my future, but $1,600.00 is a bit pricey, but as I remind others, "Nice things cost money!"

Jeff

 

[gerryvz]

but as I remind others, "Nice things cost money!"

Jeff

Didn't someone here on the forum just say the other day that you can never over-pay for good quality stuff?

 

[alabbasi]

I have a gas powered Honda pressure washer at the shop and this Ryobi 2000psi washer at the house

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-2-000-PSI-1-2-GPM-Electric-Pressure-Washer-RY141900/205566055

Both pressure washers have interchangeable attachments for car washing, concrete, wooden fence etc.

I bought a foam cannon attachment like this on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/MATCC-Adjust...m+canon&qid=1554341866&s=gateway&sr=8-3-spell

It works a treat. I think that aside from the interchangeable attachment fitting on the wand, both pressure washers are waaaay over kill for washing a car. If you have fence , siding or decking. They will come in handy.

 

[Maui]

I have a Subaru pressure washer that I picked up from Costco. I have used it for all kinds of stuff from cleaning the deck to car parts. I think I paid about $300 for it. I paid for with my Costco card rebate. It's gas powered and has an electric start. I love it.

 

[LWB250]

I think that aside from the interchangeable attachment fitting on the wand, both pressure washers are waaaay over kill for washing a car. If you have fence , siding or decking. They will come in handy.

Agreed. I can’t imagine the damage I could do to my cars with a pressure washer. Maybe, maybe I would consider it for the undercarriage, but not any painted surface.

There’s something to be said for hand washing a car, and it also doesn’t involve having to roll a bunch of equipment out to do it, either.

For what it’s worth, I like to hand wash a car before I buy it. This lets me see far more details than just walking around and looking. Amazing the stuff you find this way, too.

Dan

 

[atg]

Pressure washers dont really clean the car, no matter how expensive they are. The boundary layer effect limits how effective water can be at the paint surface so you end up using a brush or cloth no matter how pricey the washer is.

I bought a Simpson mega shot 2750 some years ago and it has been super. Honda motor. You can get them as powerful as you like but for 1600 suffice it to say you could have something in a Simpson that will remove wood from itself.

Mine was about 350 and works great on cars. Always starts. Could use a hose reel but that's about all it needs.

https://www.gxparts.com/product/339...9HBijHgq3_fzA7nBlUjc9IPkuozG0U7QaArT3EALw_wcB

I know a guy who makes the ones they use on airplanes. That would probably be worth the spend. It uses compressed air and water both at the same time r separately with a three stage trigger. More of a nozzle than a pressure washer and you need a big compressor to keep up with it. Probably light years ahead of any pressure washer type thing and still easy on the paint. I will get one from him and report back; I have a 5hp beall that should pump enough air for it.

87 300TD om606 compound turbo
94 e420
85 300tdt

 

[gerryvz]

The cheap and weak Karcher type power washers are pretty good for cleaning wheel well areas and modest undercarriage cleaning.

I would NEVER clean the exterior paint with a power washer of any type. Hose and two buckets only for me.

 

[JC220]

Gents – thankyou for the great comments so far! I forgot to mention that I also have a high powered Honda gas pressure washer – with an Interpump WS201 200bar Industrial pump. And that for many years 2x of my brothers as teenagers ran a weekend carwash service near our home using this Honda machine. That is a powerful washer which I myself now own but reserve for washing my driveway exclusively. Why? It requires a water butt to draw it’s supply from – a garden hose is not sufficient. Too big a faf to use it for washing my car once off. Same goes for my Diesel Lavor NPX “hotbox” which I only reserve for very tough underbody + engine block degreasing. It is amazing at that task! I could not restore car’s without the Lavor NPX

Now – my brothers used the Honda gasser for years and washed 100’s if not 1000’s of cars with it. How many were damaged by washing them with this Honda high power pressure washer? None. Zero. Zilch. With respect – if an idiot is behind the lance of course you can do damage using most any equipment so let’s not point out the obvious here. (I try not to be an idiot most of the time – so I think I’ll manage)

I have also exclusively hand washed my cars for many years. But despite me not using a chamois regularly (Too small good weather windows in Ireland to bother at times!) my car’s all suffer swirl marks. I believe now that using just a garden hosepipe and sponge method is contributing to these swirl marks, if not the no1 cause! So this is why I seek to change my method up and Snow Foam and pre rinse off dirt / grit as much as possible prior to touching the car paint with a sponge or mit. This is more of a detailer type wash and here are a couple of links to describe “the proper” way to wash your car!

https://detailingemporium.com/pre-wash-snow-foam-guide/

This is all aimed to prevent inflicting swirl marks in your paint by rubbing around surface grit or dirt which is the case with a simple garden hose + sponge wash IMO. Each to their own but this is something I want to improve upon personally. What I am wanting here is a quality and portable electric washer – with built in hose reel etc and the ability to provide decent power + applying snow foam. I will store it in my front garage so it will be easy to roll out, plug in and get going. Note also that cheap electric washers tend to come with quite tough, hard plastic hoses which are too short to wash a car, let alone a W220 LWB etc. This Kranzle has a 15m / 50 Ft hose which is professional grade, very flexible and thinner than your average Karcher etc.

For the machine itself – I paid £600GBP (784 USD) including shipping from Germany. Which was the upper end of my budget but I will most always try to buy the best I can..... buy cheap, buy twice as they say. Which is definitely the case with cheaper washers – and I have learned this with my Karcher POS already. I think this Kranzle will be just what I was looking for – fingers crossed!

 

[gerryvz]

The "two-bucket" wash method can help reduce swirl marks by getting rid of grime when rinsing your sponge and/or wash gear.

 

[JC220]

The "two-bucket" wash method can help reduce swirl marks by getting rid of grime when rinsing your sponge and/or wash gear.

Yes that's true too Gerry- I will be equipping myself with 2x or 3 buckets + grit guards etc too

For what it’s worth, I like to hand wash a car before I buy it. This lets me see far more details than just walking around and looking. Amazing the stuff you find this way, too.

Dan

Sorry Dan but I cant stop wondering how this works! Do you go view a car with bucket and sponge in hand and ask if you can wash it for them? Or test drive it and wash it when out with it?

I ask just because its intriguing! Heck when I view a car I feel bad checking the VINs and looking under the oil filler cap

 

[LWB250]

Sorry Dan but I cant stop wondering how this works! Do you go view a car with bucket and sponge in hand and ask if you can wash it for them? Or test drive it and wash it when out with it?

I ask just because its intriguing! Heck when I view a car I feel bad checking the VINs and looking under the oil filler cap

If it’s a car I’m serious about purchasing, yes, I ask nicely if I can wash the car, and I make sure I have my bucket and car wash stuff in my car. And yes, I have gotten some raised eyebrows when I ask, but I explain why and nearly every seller has said, “Gee, that’s a pretty good idea.”

I’ve yet to have someone refuse, but I did have a seller once tell me they would wash it and let me watch. I did. Not as useful, but watching gave me some insight into how they cared for the car. Sort of threw me off, but since I had asked I figured I might as well go through with it.

Dan

 

[Bogeyman]

This guy at Dallas Paint & Correction had a new take on the 2 bucket method....

 

[alabbasi]

The "two-bucket" wash method can help reduce swirl marks by getting rid of grime when rinsing your sponge and/or wash gear.

That's how I shower

 

[msq]

Anytime you use anything (sponge, 100% cotton towels, chamois etc.) to wash or dry a car you are going to create thousands of little scratches/mini-swirl marks. I have tried everything (I remember one site saying to dry the car, make sure the towel was 100% cotton and not only 100% cotton, but it had to be 100% American cotton they said because you could not be sure it was all cotton - and I even tried that for drying the car). As soon as you put any material (cotton, natural sponge etc.) against your paint and apply any pressure you are going to create micro-fine scratches.

I do think that pressure washing (at right pressure with the right soap etc.) can work and is better than hand wash, and you can easily do it without damaging the paint. How do I know? I did a little experiment: - all of my other cars I have used some kind of material to wash the car (highest quality I could find, based on a lot of homework etc.) and ALL of them end up with thousands of little micro-scratches. One of my cars I would wash with expensive/high quality clothes/soaps etc and then clay, and use super high end waxes etc. and it still had micro-scratches - sure you can hide it with good "paint correction", but as soon as you wash it, it will happen again.

Then on my BMW, since new, I have never let anything touch the surface except high pressure wash (there is a local wash that has great high pressure/hands free wash plus high pressure undercarriage & wheel wash. Typically most of these are useless, but this is a good one)...it's been 3 1/2 years of nearly weekly washes and you can't find any swirl marks, there are none of those thousands of little micro-scratches, zero paint damage and funny enough I get more unsolicited compliments on the car than my other cars and people think its "new". Over time, each time I get in the car and see a section of the hood I think "I never had any cars paint look that good after 3 1/2 years".

 

[JC220]

Anytime you use anything (sponge, 100% cotton towels, chamois etc.) to wash or dry a car you are going to create thousands of little scratches/mini-swirl marks. I have tried everything (I remember one site saying to dry the car, make sure the towel was 100% cotton and not only 100% cotton, but it had to be 100% American cotton they said because you could not be sure it was all cotton - and I even tried that for drying the car). As soon as you put any material (cotton, natural sponge etc.) against your paint and apply any pressure you are going to create micro-fine scratches.

I do think that pressure washing (at right pressure with the right soap etc.) can work and is better than hand wash, and you can easily do it without damaging the paint. How do I know? I did a little experiment: - all of my other cars I have used some kind of material to wash the car (highest quality I could find, based on a lot of homework etc.) and ALL of them end up with thousands of little micro-scratches. One of my cars I would wash with expensive/high quality clothes/soaps etc and then clay, and use super high end waxes etc. and it still had micro-scratches - sure you can hide it with good "paint correction", but as soon as you wash it, it will happen again.

Then on my BMW, since new, I have never let anything touch the surface except high pressure wash (there is a local wash that has great high pressure/hands free wash plus high pressure undercarriage & wheel wash. Typically most of these are useless, but this is a good one)...it's been 3 1/2 years of nearly weekly washes and you can't find any swirl marks, there are none of those thousands of little micro-scratches, zero paint damage and funny enough I get more unsolicited compliments on the car than my other cars and people think its "new". Over time, each time I get in the car and see a section of the hood I think "I never had any cars paint look that good after 3 1/2 years".

Thanks for the comments- interesting that non contact washes made a perceivable difference in paint swirl marks. I may just try that on my daily driver for a bit and see if non contact pressure washing (with appropriate detergents) keeps it clean enough.

It had taken what feels like a loooonnnnngggg time but the Kranzle is supposed to arrive from Germany today

 

[Melville]

Speaking with professional detailers, they say the most important stage in washing a car is the high pressure rinse before you put mitt to paint. As noted above, if you can see dirt etc. on the car when you put the wash mitt on the paint, you are rubbing grit along the surface. The soap helps lubricate it, but it's still an abrasive. I spend a lot of time hosing my cars off before I wash. I use a regular garden nozzle, not a pressure washer, but I put it at the highest setting and focus on removing as much visible dirt etc. as possible. And for the spots that remain, I tackle them separately as I get to each panel to make sure I'm not dragging grit along the paint. I've been meaning to get a pressure washer for a while to speed this process up. Of course, you can't be foolish with it, but it will speed up the process and not caused damage if used properly.

Even with the two bucket method, if you are just using regular hose pressure to get your car wet before using a wash mitt, you're probably scratching the paint.

 

[gerryvz]

The bottom line is that there is basically nothing you can do to NOT get swirl marks -- you will get them sooner or later. Sure, some techniques accelerate or exacerbate getting them. But just driving your car in the real world, guarantees that airborne abrasives/sand/dirt/particles are going to hit, land on and scratch your paint. Not to mention rocks and stones. It happens. You can minimize this, but you can NEVER eliminate the acquisition of blemishes (however fine) and swirl marks unless you NEVER drive your car.

And even then, the act of putting on and taking off a car cover is going to introdude micro-abrasions on the paint (very much like the "micro-aggressions" we hear about on college campuses and in society at large these days). I do understand that both micro-abrasions and micro-aggressions do make some here want to run and find a safe space to get away from the stress of having to deal with it.

Waxing and occasional polishing helps minimize micro-abrasions' visibility and effect, but they eventually return.

We can't get too anal about this stuff -- maintaining factory showroom perfection in automotive paint finishes is impossible to achieve in the real world, with a car that is actually driven.

My advice -- drive, enjoy, wash when dirty, polish when needed, keep waxed, drive, enjoy.....rinse, repeat......

 

[Hakie]

I use a (small) Kranzle powerwasher to pre-wash and rinse after soaping the car by hand. Works perfect for me. I wash my cars in less then 10 minutes. After rinsing I only wipe them roughly dry. No spots, stains or anything.
The water here normally contains a high amount of (calque?). I mounted a water softener in the system to reduce the calque level to 0. That is a big improvement for taps, quookers, washing machine, dishwasher, coffee maker, etcetera. Everything stays as good as new.

 

[JC220]

The Kranzle turned up today, finally! (The courier was a joke but I'll not get into that)

No shipping damage thankfully and the first impression is the weight of it - at least twice that of a similar Karcher etc. I got it set up very easily just to make sure all was well. My foam cannon etc is here too so tomorrow I will give it a whirl on my daily driver w211 first.

The quality of this thing is turned up to 11. The sort of quality German stuff I really only associate with older benzes! You get what you pay for - and this is worth every penny

 

[8899]

Don’t forget the MasterBlaster for drying:
https://www.autogeek.net/metro-blaster-car-dryer.html

Oh.....where is that video clip of the guy using a power washer on a car’s interior???

 

[JC220]

OK so I have been using the Kranzle for a number of days now and washed 6 cars. I am using Lava foam cherry fragrance snow foam and find it works very nicely – the main difference is the added “lubricity” for the wash sponge with the thick layer of soap. Plus it really is fun to use snow foam!

The washer hose is super quality, thin, flexible and professional grade rubber hose (Not cheapo semi hard plastic like other home gamer units) coupled with the reel makes it very easy to roll out and get going.

I find the lance just fine and don’t see the need just now to get the upgrade lance that Obsessed garage offers. My 500E has been dry stored in my carport for a number of months and was looking sorry for itself:

A good rinse, devil’s blood wheel cleaner (Goes on clear then changes red and bleeds on contact with iron contaminants) followed by snow foam and a contact wash. At the moment I am using a chamois but seriously considering getting a high quality in line hose water spot filter. That way I should be able to have a final step of sheeting filtered water off all panels and simply leaving to air dry to a spot / streak free finish. It will be quicker and has less contact with the paint for those pesky swirl marks







Sorry for the sideways shots. I did correct them in paint before uploading but the forum now appears to remember and apply the original aspect

 

[Hakie]

Looks great! I see i need the foam applicator too!

 

[alabbasi]

I do like my foam canon, Probably the best $20 that I spent on car wash gear. The trick I found is a 30/70 mix of soap and water (with soap going in last).

 

[JC220]

I have since been using the 1152 quite alot. And just yesterday to clean around my back yard. The dirt blaster lance is pretty amazing:

Normally it takes a nearly a full day with my Honda Gasser but I used the Kranzle instead and reduced the time to 4 hours - very impressed with this little machine! Highly recommended

 

[JC220]

Looks great! I see i need the foam applicator too!

The foam cannon I got cheap on Ebay- nothing special but with the output of the Keanzle it puts out shaving foam thick snow foam! I'll post a link and photos of the foam cannon tomorrow it was £20 or so IIRC

 

[Hakie]

The foam cannon I got cheap on Ebay- nothing special but with the output of the Keanzle it puts out shaving foam thick snow foam! I'll post a link and photos of the foam cannon tomorrow it was £20 or so IIRC

Thanks, JC! I ordered one on Ebay the same day. . Works like a charm. I payed about 40 euro including shipment from Germany. 50ml soap in the 1000ml bottle is enough to get a fine layer of foam. Immediately got comments from neighbors see me “wash” the car.

 

[8899]

I really think this is the optimal way to wash your car....zero contact with a mitt.

 

[LWB250]

I have since been using the 1152 quite alot. And just yesterday to clean around my back yard. The dirt blaster lance is pretty amazing:

Normally it takes a nearly a full day with my Honda Gasser but I used the Kranzle instead and reduced the time to 4 hours - very impressed with this little machine! Highly recommended

Better yet, buy a surface cleaner like this:

https://www.kaercher.com/us/accessory/15-surface-cleaner-86410350.html

It cuts your operating time down by easily 50%-75%.

Here in Florida a pressure washer is a requirement for homeowners. I can pressure wash my three car wide driveway in about 45 minutes with this accessory. With the wand and a fairly wide nozzle it was more like 3-4 hours. Amazing labor saving device, I highly recommend.

Dan

 

[gsxr]

I really think this is the optimal way to wash your car....zero contact with a mitt.

Dumb question. With a pressure washer and foam cannon, do you still need to use something that has physical contact with the paint? Or does the foam + pressure clean it well enough to not require any other contact?

 

[LWB250]

Dumb question. With a pressure washer and foam cannon, do you still need to use something that has physical contact with the paint? Or does the foam + pressure clean it well enough to not require any other contact

I have wondered the same. What about bird droppings? Bugs? Road tar? How would you get them off without some sort of physical interaction?

Dan

 

[gerryvz]

I think that using clay is the best way to get contaminants (particularly partially embedded ones such as bugs and iron filings, etc.) off of the paint.

That said, these "foam cannons" seem to be the latest fad in car washing. Even Griot's Garage is now offering a couple of different "foam cannon" solutions, as is I'm sure Meguiar's:

Griot's Foam Cannon product 1: https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/the+boss+foam+cannon.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

Griot's Foam Cannon product 2: https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/pump+up+foamer.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

Griot's Foam Cannon product 3: https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/air+foamer+sudsing+gun.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

 

[JC220]

I have recent tested non touch wash - at work at present hold tight I'll edit this post with my findings

 

[LWB250]

I think that using clay is the best way to get contaminants (particularly partially embedded ones such as bugs and iron filings, etc.) off of the paint.

That said, these "foam cannons" seem to be the latest fad in car washing. Even Griot's Garage is now offering a couple of different "foam cannon" solutions, as is I'm sure Meguiar's:

Griot's Foam Cannon product 1: https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/the+boss+foam+cannon.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

Griot's Foam Cannon product 2: https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/pump+up+foamer.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

Griot's Foam Cannon product 3: https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/air+foamer+sudsing+gun.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

I think these are gimmicks in my opinion. If the recommendation is clay to remove surface contaminants like bird droppings and bugs, which seems like a lousy choice based on years of detailing experience, that would suggest that you're going to be reapplying wax on a regular basis as well.

I totally understand the desire to limit rubbing anything against the finish, especially on a clear coat black car, but there's going to have to be some sort of physical contact to remove things. Personally, I use a two bucket washing method with a wash mitt.

Dan

 

[Melville]

I talked to a professional detailer about foam cannons. He said they were great...for making videos to post on social media. It looks cool! But in his opinion they don't do anything to actually improve the car wash process. Foam + pressure wash is not enough to wash the car.

Re: clay, the guy who does the Ammo NYC videos stressed that clay should only be used when actually necessary, ideally less than once a year. Yes, they do a great job of remove things embedded in the paint, but you are still rubbing something against the paint.

 

[Bogeyman]

I've got a boar's hair brush I got from Griots many moons ago. Not cheap but it's the best I've found.
Don't know if they even still sell them.

 

[gerryvz]

I've got a boar's hair brush I got from Griots many moons ago. Not cheap but it's the best I've found.
Don't know if they even still sell them.

Yep, they do. I'm actually on my second one. The first one started letting go of hairs some years ago, from the holes drilled in the underside. Nothing beats a boar's hair brush.

 

[LWB250]

Agree with the clay. I clay my cars once a year unless the surfaces are really rough - then they'll get it as needed. They get waxed twice a year as a part of that regimen. Living in a climate such that Florida has it's really critical to keep things clean and waxed, as the sun can do a serious number on the finish.

Understand that even living an hour from the coast there is sand in the air at all times. I can open the hood on any of my cars whether they're garaged or stored outdoors, and in the corners of the engine compartment will be a little pile of sand.

I do thoroughly rinse my cars before washing to remove any particulate matter that might be sitting on the surface. I've also got one of those "California Dusters" for removing pollen during that time of the year. The oak pollen here is unbelievable. Your car will have a coating of yellow dust within an hour of being outside.

Dan

 

[gerryvz]

I talked to a professional detailer about foam cannons. He said they were great...for making videos to post on social media. It looks cool! But in his opinion they don't do anything to actually improve the car wash process. Foam + pressure wash is not enough to wash the car.

Re: clay, the guy who does the Ammo NYC videos stressed that clay should only be used when actually necessary, ideally less than once a year. Yes, they do a great job of remove things embedded in the paint, but you are still rubbing something against the paint.

There's really NO way to get around rubbing SOMETHING on the paint, to get it really clean. The best you can really do to mitigate it is to use soft items such as microfiber towels, boar's hair brushes, and perhaps a two-bucket washing regimen. I don't think that clay is going to hurt things ahead of a quarterly or twice-yearly wax application. You can certainly feel the difference when using clay "before" and "after" as far as removing things sitting on/in the paint that washing by itself just won't take care of.

"Touchless" car washes are OK, but again they (like all car washes) leave something to be desired in terms of getting the car actually clean. Nothing beats a good hand wash. So for a quick clean, a touchless wash is great, and certainly preferred over a "touch" wash that drags stuff across the paint.

I don't see (and have never seen) how "foam cannons" can clean things better than a good touchless wash -- foam in and of itself doesn't have the power/ability to lift that much dirt/grime off the paint -- I'd like to see foam get anywhere NEAR what a good clay job and then careful hand wash can do. Foam for the most part doesn't reach into/onto the paint and "scrub" it -- it just helps lift off easily lifted surface dirt.

I challenge folks with foam cannons to wash a panel of the car with their magic foam and gun. Then take some clay (before washing) and quick detailer (follow the clay company's process) and run it on a panel, and then carefully wash it. You tell me which gets things cleaner and smoother. Your fingertips will tell you in an instant.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[Melville]

I agree - ultimately, if you want to clean your car, you have to touch it. They key is just to understand how to minimize the risk of micro-scratches that, as they accumulate, visibly affect finish quality.

And then there is the fact that real life means you need to make compromises (or at least I do). I'm sure if I would spend 6 hours washing a car, it'll look great. But I don't enjoy the act of washing my cars. I have a sense of satisfaction after it's done, but I'd rather be doing a lot of other things. So I make decisions to speed the process up. Maybe I'll spend an extra bit of time carefully spraying the car off, but at some point it just has to be good enough and I get on with it. With work, kids, house stuff, etc. I have very limited free time. Given the choice, I'd rather drive than wash.

And it's a compromise with how much money to spend too. I suppose I could take the car to a professional, or I could spend a lot of money on pressure washers and air dryers, but there are other things I'd rather do with that money.

And even if I didn't make any compromises, the finish would still get some scratches from washing it, driving it, etc. The only way to have a completely scratch free finish is to not own an actual, physical car, but to have a car that you own only in your imagination. You could close your eyes and think about the car, with great satisfaction about the shining, swirl-free finish. But then people would think (know) that you're a moron as you stand next to your empty spot at your local Cars & Coffee talking about how much you love your (imaginary) car.

 

[LWB250]

If you drive the car, it's going to get marks in the finish. Either accept this as a function of use or park it, cover it, and walk away.

One of the first really nice cars I had was a 1963 Cadillac Fleetwood. Darned car was so long the front got to where you were going 10 seconds before the rear. Buddy of mine had a paint shop out of his garage, and did absolutely amazing work. He offered to paint it for me (it was solid but the finish was tired) with the understanding that I bring the car to him, hand him the keys, and don't ask or call about it. He would contact me when it was done.

Took it to him on Memorial Day weekend. Got it back on Labor Day. It was so long he had to paint it in halves. How he did this I don't know, but you couldn't tell.

Anyway, first weekend I have it I drive it to our local cars and whatever that happened every Saturday night at the local Dog 'n Suds drive in. Everyone walked around looking at each other's cars as you would expect, and you could leave your car unattended without concern, or so I thought.

Walked up to the car from wandering off and some little sh*t was leaning up against the hood. He had jeans with rivets in the pocket corners. Chipped the darned finish on the front of the hood. Yes, I was livid and this child definitely saw his life pass before him from my outburst.

Took it back to my paint guy. He told me that he wouldn't touch it up unless I listened to what he had to say. So I did. And the first sentence of this post is pretty much what he told me.

 

[gerryvz]

Micro-scratches are the very LAST thing that I worry about. Heck, I maintained the original factory paint on my SEC for 15+ years, and have maintained the factory original paint on my E500 for the past 16 years, with no issues. Sure there are plenty of swirls, but the only way one will never see any paint wear is by not driving the car in the real world, nor washing it or touching the paint with anything at all (even a California Duster).

To be honest, good buffing and polish can and will take out most all imperfections.

 

[Hakie]

I think the foam cannon is a great addition to wash my car quick with a great result. Never had the intention to use it and never touch the car anymore. Spray on the soap, witch STAYS on, and wash the car from top to the cladding with only one bucket of clean water with a microfiber towel. The cladding only need a quick wipe second stage. Cleaning is much easier, faster and more fun to do.
Anyway, wash your car as you prefer. I changed my method.

 

[JC220]

Since changing a few things up my cars have never looked cleaner than lately – here is what I do now:

If quite dirty spray front and lower claddings with TFR detergent (Removes dead splattered bugs too)

Apply “Devil’s blood” type wheel cleaner.

Allow TFR to dwell for 3 mins or so and before it starts to dry spray on snow foam. (Extends dwell time of TFR and also softens all crud on the car.

Allow Snow foam 5 mins to work then give the car a thorough rinse down.

Use the 2 bucket method with a plush microfiber wash pad (My preference – don’t like mitts)

Rinse off and dry with large microfiber drying towel – apply tyre dressing and sometimes a hydrophobic sealer detail spray

REF Clay I don’t use it very often just pre polish / wax. It takes me well over an hour to clay a car using traditional clay and lube spray. However- I recently got a cheapie Clay “Mit” (really just a microfiber wash towel with a rubber layer on one side) – AMAZING! My w211 paint was very rough feeling with contaminates and it took just a little longer than a regular wash to clay the whole car and leave the paint super smooth (10 mins extra tops). Even when car was washed the clay mit was rubbing black / brown water off the car again whilst taking contaminants off – quite satisfying.

I have also experimented with contactless washing also on my daily driver and W204 with great success. When using contactless method I will do a thourough pre rinse before applying the TFR + Snow foam to make it work hardest. They key to contactless washing is using appropriate detergents and snow foam – the snow foam extends the dwell time of the chemicals and adds extra cleaning power. I mix a stronger TFR / snow foam for this too. A shaving cream thick snow foam with TFR below does over the space of 5 mins really start breaking down and washing dirt down the panels. No contact required – but I still prefer my normal wash method stated above.

I am rapidly getting sucked into the world of “detailing” my own cars and really enjoying it! Buying supplies in large qtys now to keep costs down when washing my cars. EG 5L of Dodo Juice Supernatural Leather Cleaner is much cheaper than buying several of the 500ml spray bottles. Meguires all purpose cleaner in a gallon makes up 11 gallon of carpet shampoo so is considerably cheaper than buying small bottles of shampoo locally. My S430 using normal products locally cost about £40 in materials for the interior alone. Buying bulk like this now that same qty (and quality) of product will cost about £3 - £5.

 

[TerryA]

If you drive the car, it's going to get marks in the finish. Either accept this as a function of use or park it, cover it, and walk away.

One of the first really nice cars I had was a 1963 Cadillac Fleetwood. Darned car was so long the front got to where you were going 10 seconds before the rear. Buddy of mine had a paint shop out of his garage, and did absolutely amazing work. He offered to paint it for me (it was solid but the finish was tired) with the understanding that I bring the car to him, hand him the keys, and don't ask or call about it. He would contact me when it was done.

Took it to him on Memorial Day weekend. Got it back on Labor Day. It was so long he had to paint it in halves. How he did this I don't know, but you couldn't tell.

Anyway, first weekend I have it I drive it to our local cars and whatever that happened every Saturday night at the local Dog 'n Suds drive in. Everyone walked around looking at each other's cars as you would expect, and you could leave your car unattended without concern, or so I thought.

Walked up to the car from wandering off and some little sh*t was leaning up against the hood. He had jeans with rivets in the pocket corners. Chipped the darned finish on the front of the hood. Yes, I was livid and this child definitely saw his life pass before him from my outburst.

Took it back to my paint guy. He told me that he wouldn't touch it up unless I listened to what he had to say. So I did. And the first sentence of this post is pretty much what he told me.

Those old Caddy’s were great cars. The lap of luxury. I had a 67 Coupe DeVille which I remember fondly. I drove it from SoCal to New Orleans and back. At the time IMOP there was nothing better.

Just Saying

 

[gsxr]

Joe, it sounds like you are using the pre-treatment / foam / rinse first, and then still following up with a 2-bucket hand wash, correct?

What's this TFR stuff, btw? Haven't heard of it. I have some of the bloody wheel cleaner though.

 

[JC220]

Joe, it sounds like you are using the pre-treatment / foam / rinse first, and then still following up with a 2-bucket hand wash, correct?

What's this TFR stuff, btw? Haven't heard of it. I have some of the bloody wheel cleaner though.

Yes that's correct Dave - snow foam etc is a pre stage and normal contact wash is after that. Idea being to remove as many contaminants as possible before touching the car paint.

TFR is Traffic Film Remover. It is a special car wash detergent, usually acidic but also available as PH neutral. All carwashes here use it since it is a strong cleaner, but it really is only meant for pre cleaning stages and imparts no wax or protection..

 

[TerryA]

My 500E is 040 and in my care for the last 15 years.

I hand wash it rarely. I use mostly Meguire’s products. When I do wash I first flood the car completely with pistol grip nozzle water hose to knock off any loose dirt. Then I take a large microfiber wrapped sponge and cover it generously with Meguire’s concentrated car wash and wash the car. Rinse it off. I then use a synthetic chamois to dry it off. That’s it!

I use Meguire’s Ultimate Wax a Cal Duster and Meguire’s Ultimate Detailer and lots of microfiber towels to keep up my finish. I use a clay bar occasionally.

I’m completely satisfied with it’s appearance and have no swirls. I do use lots of detailer and usually clean it up after every drive. Also it is garaged.

Other members who have seen my car have always complimented me on it’s appearance.

Anyway that’s it!

 

[LWB250]

Those old Caddy’s were great cars. The lap of luxury. I had a 67 Coupe DeVille which I remember fondly. I drove it from SoCal to New Orleans and back. At the time IMOP there was nothing better.

Just Saying

A true “land yacht”.

I used to work with a Hungarian guy who was from Detroit. His dad, a first generation immigrant to the US and a very successful businessman, always drove Cadillacs. Due to his position in the local Hungarian community, he was deeply involved in assisting new arrivals from the “old country” when they arrived here in the States.

Mike told me a story about how one time he rode with his dad to the airport in one of the Cadillacs to pick up a newly arrived family who was emigrating to the US.

They met the family with all their luggage and brought them out to the curb. Mike’s dad told him to hit the remote release for the trunk and the massive trunk lid rose up slowly.

When Mike got out of the car and walked around to the back, the family was climbing into the trunk! They thought that’s where they were supposed to ride.

 

[LWB250]

I have some of the bloody wheel cleaner though.

What’s the “bloody wheel cleaner”? I’ve yet to find a wheel cleaner I’ve been happy with.

Dan