How to Wash Just the Outside of a Roadster?

[bjones211]

Sounds like a stupid question but I'm getting ready to graduate and I need to give my car a good wash before any detailing work. With all the curves of the roadster that go to the interior how does everyone wash their car without soaking the interior?

Are there any tricks or timesaving tips that you guys use that could be shared with the group?

Thanks!
Brian

[Slick61]

I bucket-washed mine ONCE... actually, two buckets... one for cleaning & one for rinsing. Used a microfiber cloth in both cases, and a waffle weave to dry. Ever since, I use quick detailer for cleanup duties.

[2FAST4U]

I used McGuire's detail finish on mine

[BobNealy]

Pointing uphill a little will keep most water out

[john lomonaco]

I wash it carefully and use the hose with water barely coming out to rinse
it without getting too much water in the interior. To dry it I use a cheap
Toro leaf blower and blow most of the water off the car. This works especially well around the Le Mans gas cap, wheels and the front grill area.
I then finish drying with a microfiber towel.

[Tazz95]

My car has never seen water.

California duster to get most of the big stuff, then microfiber or 100% cotton deep nap towel with a good detailer/wax.

I like wet paint and McGuires.

[toolerwayne]

I put 4 pieces of towel at the run in spots and aim the pressure washer from the center out. Around the rollbars and near the cockpit get wiped down with the towels. Im not a weekly polish type. Just dry and go.

[DarkWater]

Mine got washed once. That was after it came back form the painter and the interior wasnt in it. Since then I use quick detailer spray and a microfiber towel.

[Bigbully]

tricks...sure, dont drive your roadster unless a nice dry sunny no chance of rain kinda day. theless dirt the less dirty it gets. sounds common sense but...you asked.
keep it clean, and drive it seldom and alls ya need to do it wipe it down with a duster, and a cloth w/spray detailer. and wax often keeps dirt from adhearing to the car also.
liquid glass i think is among the best.

[rich grsc]

So how about bugs?

[nvcobra]

I just wash with regular car wash soap (turtle wax) and do my best to keep as much water as possible out of the interior. A few towels laid across the seats keep most of it from doing any harm. I have been caught out in a nasty rain storm, and got a lot more water in the car than I ever did from washing it. It is a car after all and should get bugs and stuff on it from driving. Just use a little common sense and you'll be fine.

[neckbone]

I've used silicon spray on headlights and grill (tip from bikers) and that does a very good job of keeping the bugs from sticking.

[Radar Pete]

I use a cotton mitt and a bucket of water with a good car soap in it. After I wash it with the mitt, I rinse it off with a wet chamois. Then I wax it. I also use a spray cleaner with a micro fibre towel to clean it most of the time, ie bugs, road grime, etc. Pete

[psychoSEAL]

Best thing to use for the bug removal and eveyone has a can. WD40, just spray on any painted surface let it sit and work for a couple of minutes and then wash/wipe away. Won't hurt the finish and the bugs are gone.

[MGB009]

Optimum No Rinse Wash.

Check it out, it will completely change how you wash any car.

[TimC]

Around the cockpit areas I use the sprayer on a mist setting and hold a large sponge at the edges. This keeps a lot of the water out then what does get through is easy to dry out.

[jirehn]

I wash it twice,After that I will use a good quality and soft cloth to protect the body.

[davidk]

I don't mind getting my car dirty, so if you have to hose it off, park it pointing uphill and use some wide painters tape (once your paint has completely cured). Tape around the cockpit so that the tapestands up forming a dam to divert the water. It won't withstand a blast of water, but it helps keep runoff from running in.

[bobcat]

I use a hose-less wash suggested on this site-do it right in the shop-a bucket of the wash with a micro fiber (Costco) to wet/wash it-then a micro to dry it. get a nice shine-a dirt bucket of wash-a little water on the floor that dries over night and in the comfort of my man cave.

Bob

[maddog71]

Originally Posted by MGB009

Optimum No Rinse Wash.

Check it out, it will completely change how you wash any car.

+1 on the Optimum no Rinse. great stuff. Park on a slight incline, use a 2 buckets with microfiber towels. No rinse required, then use clean microfiber to dry.

here is a link to an old post with great information...
how to wash a roadster

[NiceGuyEddie]

i don't get the slight incline thing. pointed nose up, the water channels down the hood valleys and into the windshield post holes. pointed nose down, the water rolls over the trunk and into the cockpit. i put mine as level and stuff towels behind the seats and under where the windshield posts are.

i don't get the california duster thing. it's impossible to really pick up all the dirt by static electricity. a car kept indoors 24/7 that's "dusty" - maybe.

i have not had good luck with my black paint and the quick detailer as a way to clean the car. mine gets smudges, and you can literally see micro-scratches if you do that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

my advice is that i would highly recommend the leaf blower thing. you will not believe how much water shoots out from your lugnuts, behind the license plate, and from the headlights. open the hood, blow off what water crept in through the hood scoop and you are done.

get it 95% dry, then use a spray wax like FX Synwax Spray. you can keep wiping until all lines from the cloth are gone. and this stuff really helps the water bead wash after wash... and you can feel the cloth slide on the paint. of course, this is no substitute for an occasional wax job, but it helps you interim.



.

[patpur]

is you wash away from the cockpit. By that I mean when you rinse your suds on the car rinse it away from the interior. It's not that hard to do. I snap on my tonneau and plug the hood scoop with a towel. Never had a problem.
Eddie totally agree on the leaf blower. I've used one for years now and like you say it gets all the water out of cracks and crevices. It will also cut your towel use drastically.
Adam's makes an excellent waterless car wash. I think its around 15$ a bottle. Easy to use, just spray it on and wipe off with a micro fiber or 100% cotton towel. I also use it when my car is in the garage during the winter, I use it to clean the undercarriage too.
As for the California dusters I don't like them and refuse to drag anything over the dirty surface of a car. Yes dust is microscopic but sooner or later its got to have an affect on the clear coat. I'd much rather use a detail spray and micro fiber towel.
Back to the wash........be careful and rinse away from the interior and you should be fine. I even did it this way before I had the tonneau which I would suggest you seriously consider because at some point you will probably be caught in a rain shower.

[PaulProe]

Uphill is the way to do it

Park Nose high and wash from cockpit back doing trunk and fenders. Use only light spray to rinse

Turn the car around so the nose is low. Now you can wash from windshield forward. Again, light spray.

You just want it at an angle steep enough that water will run away from cockpit

Paul