So what's the best way to wash an xB without getting those swirly marks? For my old car, I would always go to car washes and have them do it for me, but I don't want those marks. I live in an apt complex that doesn't offer hose outlets. One more thing, what's the rule for taking your car to get washed? How long do I have to wait so that I don't go ruin the factory wax?

 

you can get it washed whenever you like. They wash it before it gets turned over to you.
Go to a touchless carwash place to avoid swirl marks. Some places I've seen even have an air chamois (sp?).
Wax is good to do soon too

 

What I've seen a lot of people do around here is get the normal supplies to wash a car (bucket, soap, rag) and head to the hand sprayer car wash. They put in the minimum amount of $ to get it started. They fill the bucket with water then rinse the car. Wash as normal from the bucket and then with a little more $ rinse the car.

 

Or you could just buy the complete spray wash kit without water like i do. So your car will never see water. Just spray on, wipe off. Dirt is gone. Spray on wax, wipe off. Nice and shiny. I went to a carwash when i first bought my car, big mistake, i got a dent on the roof. So that why i wash all by hand now without water.

 

be carefull of the touchless carwashes i have ran my through one by my work a few times and have noticed some water has been getting into my headliner through the place where my rear washer hose goes through my back hatch area from the high pressure it uses. i hope thats where it came from!!!!

 

that waterless wash scares me. I just think that thats the easiest way to scratch it

 

In your case, I would invest in a few things and go to a self service wash and do it myself. Most car wash places are about volume, if you care about your car's finish, don't take it to one of these.

I just about s**t a brick when I took our box in for the first oil change, the dealership ran it through the wash there. It looked like crap.


I really need to create a sticky or something for this but here it goes...

I have a BBC, I learned a lot from my old Celica which I bought used. It was black, but the previous owner(s) didn't take care of the paint.

Things you need...

Chennile (sp) or Lambs Wool Wash Mit ( Stay away from Microfiber)
Meguiars Gold Class Car Shampoo
Meguiars Quick Wax
Microfiber Towels (At Least 6)
Meguiars Hot Shine Tire Foam
Bucket
Hose with multi-spray nozzle.

I'm a big fan of Meguiars, but Mothers is also pretty good. I have yet to try any of the NXT stuff, I just stick to Gold Class.

Get the entire car wet. Use the high pressure setting of the hose to remove all loose debris. Follow up with a mist setting to cover the entire car in water. Pour an ample amount of Gold Class Shampoo in the bucket and fill with water.

Take the wash mitt and submerge it in the bucket. Make sure it is entirely soaked. Start from the Roof. I generally will only go in straight lines when I was. I do not make a circular pattern as that will start swirls marks. Rinse the mitt as much as possible in the bucket. After doing a section such as the roof or back hatch, stop, get the hose, rinse off the soap using a slow stream of water that creates a sheet effect. Continue this over the entire car. Finally, go over the entire car using a mist setting of the hose so that there is plenty of water on it for drying. The secret to not getting water spots is to keep the car wet until you are ready to dry. You may notice a few spots that were missed the first time around, it is fine to re-wash those areas. Remember though, wipe mitt over in straight lines, back and forth, and rinse the mitt frequently. If your car was really dirty before, you may want to refill the bucket with soap and water midway to keep the mitt from picking up particles in the water.

After you have cleaned everything, I usually take a cheapo sponge and wipe off the tires and wheels (though depending on how much your wheels cost, you may want to use something a little more $$$). This is also a good time to clean around the wheel wells. Rinse off the wheels. I usually spray the tires at this point so the spray is dry before I drive off.

Drying - Meguiars Quick Wax is awesome if you are in between waxes, but don't want to lose the shine. Grab 2 of the microfiber towels and the quick wax. I grab 2 because the first one will be the one that absorbs most of the water and wax and the second is for clearing off the fine water particles. First, take one of the microfiber towels and dry of all the glass. I start at the roof so that the remaining water runs down. Spray the quick wax over a 3x3 area, wipe in straight lines again until most of the water is gone. Then follow that with the second towel until the area is dry. Repeat this over the entire car until it is all dry.

 

Do what you would do if this was a collector car, an antique or exotic.

Stay out of the "car washes.".
A brush wash avoidance is somewhat obvious (even though the dealer ran the car through exactly that type during so called detail).

An old fashioned bucket, a garden hose, and some good sponges, towels, and chamios will work wonders.

A number of good waxes have already been named.

The fact of the matter is that if your car left the dealership without swirls or scratches--you're better than half way home!

Okay, I'm being a little faceous here, who hasn't heard this line: Oh! Don't worry about that scratch/swirl! We got this guy down in detail who has been here forever and he's really good! He'll get that out and you'll never know the difference!

A.) He is so good because he gets all kinds of practice.
B.) He never gets it out before you take delivery.

Hand wash. Hand wax. Period!

 

Another great wax to try is Eagle One's new Nanowax. I tried it on another vehicle I own and used my buffer and it made this vehicle's paint look just like when it was new. Easy on and easy off. It's a new technology and looks great on my '08 nautical blue paint. Although I hand waxed it. No need to use a buffer. Eagle One also has another product in it's nanowax line called wash n wax. You can spray it on after you wash while car is still wet and then wipe it off. Also has a shampoo with carnuba in it.