After years of washing cars, we thought it would be a good idea to share with you the methods we have found to be most effective in properly cleaning your car. You can wash your car at any car wash facility. Spray with high pressure soap and rinse thoroughly. Odds are your car will not look much better when you are finished then when you started. If you want to clean your car, then this is where we can help.

Important factors to removing harmful contaminants from your vehicles exterior.

1. Softened water allows the soaps to foam properly generating the proper cleaning action and rinses better as no residue is left behind.
2. Heated water cleans much better than cold water.
3. Premium wash products such as Turtle Wax do perform superior to the less expensive no-name products.
4. Properly rinsed, hog hair brushes do not scratch your paint, they do provide the cleaning action necessary to remove pollutants and grime from your paint.
5. Pre-soaks are vitally important to obtaining and clean car. This is not a step to skip. The proper dwelll time for the pre-soak to work is about 2-3 mins. It saturates the dirt particles, lubricates them, and releases them from the vehicles surface so that they roll off of the paint. Pre-soaking with high pressure soap will not provide the same release action.
6. Spot free is only spot free when the filtration system is well maintained. If it leaves spots after drying it is either not being maintained properly, or possibly not being applied correctly.
   

These are areas where many car washes tend to skip on, as they do add significant cost to the process. Don't be afraid to ask where ever you wash your car. It's your money being spent.

Step 1: Tire/Engine Cleaner: (low pressure, green in colour)
Allow several seconds for the cleaner to fill the spray line. Once it starts spraying, hold it about an arms length away from the surface you are spraying to obtain the proper spray pattern. Spray all four tires and thoroughly soak the wheels, especially the front ones where brake dust tends to bake on. Spray your windshield (Tip:leaves your windshield super clean), the backs of your mirrors, the back windows on vans and SUVs, running boards on trucks, and any plastic exterior trim, as well as the front grill area and headlights. This product is great for removing bugs, bird droppings, and tree sap, in the summer time. It is however, not recommended for your painted surfaces as it tends to remove any wax, but will not harm paint.
If you plan on cleaning your engine, simply spray cleaner all over the engine components and up under the hood. Generally soaking the hood insulation is avoided since it will hold mositure for a long time before drying. Once complete, close the hood until you get to the rinse cycle. It should be noted that when cleaning your engine, moisture may damage electrical components that are not properly sealed. Our experience is that this rarley happens, but is possible, so be aware of the risk.

Step 2: Pre-Soak : (Low pressure, white in colour)
Simply apply at an arms length (proper spray pattern) to all surfaces where you did not use the tire cleaner. Most notibly on white cars, you will see the cleaning action immediately as dirt loosens from the painted surface and starts rolling off. This is the most important step in obtaining a superior wash.

Step 3: Foaming Brush (hog hair brush, tr-coloured foam)
Remove the brush from the holder so that the brush head is on the ground facing forward. Select the high pressure soap option for a moment and using the spray gun, rinse out the bristles to make sure the brush is free of dirt that may scratch your paint. Put the spray gun back in the holder and press the foaming brush option on the panel. Start at the front grill area, work up to the hood, d o the windshield, and continue brushing moving around the car in a clock-wise direction, (the hose will follow you better making the task easier). Complete one section at a time, being sure not to miss any spots. Don't forget to scrub the tires and wheels. Make sure you extend the brush around the bottom of the rocker panels and under the overhang at the rear of the car.  The action should be smooth and steady to complete the task in the shortest amount of time, while doing a thorough job.  Any spots missed during this stage will be noticable at the end of the wash. Place the brush back int he holder when complete.

Step 4: Rinse (High Pressure – hang on, it really is high-pressure)
The trick here is not to spray directly at the vehicle, (causes the soap to spray directly back at you), but away from yourself at slightly more than an arms length. Start at the top of the vehicle, slowly circling the vehicle several times allowing the water to flow downward taking the soap with it. This saves a considerable amount of time. Use a direct, close spray on the wheels and wheel wells to remove dirt and brake dust. If you sprayed your engine compartment, now is the time to lift the hood and spray the cleaner off. You will be amazed on what a good job this does. Our testing has shown it does as good or better than store bought engine cleaner and is much safer for the environment. No obnoxous smell either! Once the exterior is rinsed, hand the spary gun back up.

Step 5: Polymer Conditioner (low pressure, blue foamy product)
The special applicator for this step is mounted on the far wall of the bay.  This product looks great, smells great, and works excellent when used before the hot wax spray.  It uses a negative charge to attract the positive charge of the wax to the painted surface, and adds a thin layer of sealant to the paint providing a protective coating with a lustrious shine. Hang the sprayer back in the holder when complete, and select the WAX start button on the panel.

Step 5: Hot Wax  (high pressure, white foamy appearance)
The best method to apply the wax is simply use it to rinse the blue polymer conditioner off of the vehicle, starting at the top and working your way around and down the vehicle. There will be some white foam left on the surface that can be rinsed off using the spot free rinse.

Step 6: Spot Free Rinse (low pressure, mineral removed from water)
The science behind this process is that all the minerals are filtered out of the water. When water dries, it is these minerals that leave the spots, not the water itself. Start at the top of the car with the sprayer about an arms length away from the surface and simply replace the water that is on the vehicle with the spot free water. When done, hang the spray gun back up. You are finished!

Following this process, not only will your vehicle have a deep lustrious shine, but it will stay cleaner longer, and wash easier next time, as dirt and grime will not stick so easy. This is due to the superior quality of the Turtle Wax Polymer and Wax combination. The total wash cost usually runs around $8 for a car and upwards of $10 - $12 for a larger SUV and worth every penny.

Ask the on-site attendant to assist you through the process the first time in. Our experience is that once we have shown you once, it is an easy process to master and always results in high customer satisfaction. At Miami Car Wash we are committed to providing the best value for your dollar!