Touchless wash - Advice and products please

[marzman]

Hi guys,

 

I'm being super lazy and  bit cheeky - i'm looking for some pointers on the products and process required to be able to do a touchless wash, I tried researching but there's  so much information available. 😅

 

I've got a Nilfisk pressure washer and an aftermarket foam lance which works really well.  Currently I'm just using a generic snow foam and some super cheap shampoo with wax from Costco (https://www.costco.co.uk/Tyres-Automotive/Car-Maintenance/Car-Cleaning/Simoniz-Car-Shampoo-with-Carnbuba-Wax-5-Litre/p/179949)

 

My current process is:

Pressure wash to remove big bits of dirt

Snow foam

Shampoo (also with foam lance)

Rinse

 

The wax in the shampoo at least stops water spots, and gives a little beading, but my real issue is that there's still dirt visible on the car that would typically be removed by agitating.  Will a stronger shampoo or other products help here?  Or do i need to spray some bug and tar remover on the car too before snow foaming etc?

 

To finish is there anything recommended that means i dont have to dry?  I used to use Gyeon Wet Coat about 6-7 years ago which seemed pretty good but is there anything better nowadays?

 

Ideally i'd have the car ceramic coated, but i've found a paint defect in my passenger door which i've contacted Lotus about, and they've said they'll replace my door under warranty so no point in getting it coated until after this is resolved, which will be a few months yet. 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

Edited July 29 by marzman

[ilogikal1]

The short answer is; there's no such thing as an effective touchless wash. Unless you wash it after every drop of rain, gust of wind, etc. even a coated car will need a proper wash from time to time.

 

You will get a better clean if you foam a dry car rather than rinsing first, but nothing will give you a truly touchless wash for long. Use a stronger dilution for your snow foam - but there's a point of deminishing returns, 8% PIR is probably about right for most snow foams (certainly for the good ones; Car Chem & Bilt Hamber).

 

To avoid having to dry, your best bet is a coating is use an open hose for your final rinse - if you do it right the water will just sheet straight off. Wet Coat is still a very good product in the meantime (and for topping up a coating from time to time - if you're not going to wash properly [i.e. a contact wash] the coating will clog up sooner, so topping up is recommended).

Failing that, a DI water filter; use for the final rinse and leave it wet. Filtered water = no water spots.

[DoogyRev]

The only advice I can give you to achieve a true touchless wash is to buy a deck chair and then sit and watch someone you hired to wash your car 😂

 

 

[The Bounty Bar Kid]

If you want a strong snow foam I'd advise Bilt Hamber touch less (newer formula). Follow the dilution instructions and get the right PIR.

[Stutopia]

+1 for an inline water filter and open hose rinse - game changer in the effort and carefulness required in the drying phase, but it won't get rid of more dirt I you can't touch.

 

To assist with that problem, I like Bill Hamber Surfex HD as a prewash, but it requires a bit of care in application (don't let it dry in sunshine or on hot panels!) and correct dilution - https://bilthamber.com/product/surfex-hd/ I know it upsets some people but I also put a splash in my snow foam lance, apparently you need to be careful if your snowfoam is already alkaline.

[marzman]

Thanks guys, really useful.

 

Snow foaming a dry car makes complete sense - will do that from now on.

 

Diluting products and PIR... i've always just yeeted as much product into my foam lance as possible. 😂

 

Clean And Shiny has the Bilt Hamber Touch System - 5l of Touchless snow foam, and 10x sachets of Touch On -  a paint protection and shampoo product.  I watched some videos and this can be applied with a foam lance and rinsed off.  It sounds like with this combo, i won't need any additional shampoo, and also wont need the Gyeon Wet Coat as the Touch On does the same job?

 

https://www.cleanandshiny.co.uk/products/bilt-hamber-touch-system?_pos=1&_sid=90c9935a4&_ss=r

 

I'll also pick up some Surfex HD for some extra degreasing action.

 

Does this all sound good? 

[ilogikal1]

I will admit that I’ve not used Touch On myself, but from my research is sounds similar to Gyeon Bathe+ (and other similar shampoo products). I’ve found they’re okay at adding a bit of protection but they’re never as durable as stuff like Wet Coat. That’s the only benefit of using Wet Coat instead (or as well as if you’re inclined) Touch On though.

[The Bounty Bar Kid]

Why the adversion to touching your car? As long as you use safe methods, you can reduce the chances of scratching the paint work and then when you get it ceramic coated, it'll be polished beforehand. Once ceramic coated, chances of causing scratches via washing will be greatly reduced anyways.

 

IMO not agitating the dirt and leaving it to bond to the paint would be more detrimental in the long term.

[marzman]

9 minutes ago, The Bounty Bar Kid said:

Why the adversion to touching your car? As long as you use safe methods, you can reduce the chances of scratching the paint work and then when you get it ceramic coated, it'll be polished beforehand. Once ceramic coated, chances of causing scratches via washing will be greatly reduced anyways.

 

IMO not agitating the dirt and leaving it to bond to the paint would be more detrimental in the long term.

 

Good question - its to save my back!

 

I had surgery on my back 15 years ago following a sports injury. I suffered with it through my late 20's and early 30's, but for the last 7 or so years i've had almost no problems (i'm now 40), and it's no coincidence that i've been using the local car wash instead of cleaning myself.  Using the local car wash made a mess of my blue Mustang i had a few years ago, so i wont be taking my Lotus to them - i'll do it myself.  So I've done a full contact wash now a couple of times and on the second one (about a month ago) my back went and i slipped a disc for the first time in years. It's taken a full month to recover.  Meanwhile my car has been dirty, which i dont want 🤣

 

I will do a touch wash occasionally, but ideally only once every 5 or 6 washes, in theory.

 

Edited July 31 by marzman

[marzman]

12 minutes ago, ilogikal1 said:

I will admit that I’ve not used Touch On myself, but from my research is sounds similar to Gyeon Bathe+ (and other similar shampoo products). I’ve found they’re okay at adding a bit of protection but they’re never as durable as stuff like Wet Coat. That’s the only benefit of using Wet Coat instead (or as well as if you’re inclined) Touch On though.

 

Okay, so you think ditch the Touch On, get an additional shampoo, and go for Gyeon Wet Coat instead?  Shall i just go for the regular Bilt Hamber shampoo?

[DoogyRev]

33 minutes ago, marzman said:

Thanks guys, really useful.

 

I was thinking my comment was really not that useful 😂...... however .....

 

2 minutes ago, marzman said:

Good question - its to save my back!

 

Its more relevant than ever, just find a good mobile detailer, hey presto clean car ....and no bad back 

[ilogikal1]

1 hour ago, marzman said:

 

Okay, so you think ditch the Touch On, get an additional shampoo, and go for Gyeon Wet Coat instead?  Shall i just go for the regular Bilt Hamber shampoo?

 

That depends on how frequently you wash your car, to be honest. If you're doing it every week or two, Touch On might work for what you want it to do. Any less frequently than that though and you're better off with something more durable for protection.

 

If I were you, I'd got with your current plan see how you get on. When you get the new door consider a ceramic coating (probably via a pro detailer for the sake of your back) and reassess whether to stick with Touch On or go back to Wet Coat then.

 

 

As a comeplete side note, regardless of which shampoo you go for; foam on & agitate (when doing a full wash). It's only a small amount but it'll save your back a little bit and works just as well. Plus it means you only need a rinse bucket.

Edited July 31 by ilogikal1

[The Bounty Bar Kid]

Maybe have a watch of this...

 

 

 

Edited August 3 by The Bounty Bar Kid

[GranTurismoEra]

Get a strong cordless blower for the drying. Sure bubbles and beads will go sideways for a while eventually itll dry.

[Stutopia]

These are useful, I have a 'blow r buddy' which is decent and also warms the air slightly, but it is overpriced for what it is and I would buy an alternative product with no "detailing" tax, if it needs replacing. But I only use it to dry the car if I need to apply a product after the wash and need a dry surface quickly. Otherwise, if you're just doing a wash, and you use an inline water filter, there is no need to dry it - blow or otherwise. An inline filter will pay for itself compared to using a blower each time and eliminates a job.

[davey_83]

Sorry to hear of your issues.

 

+1 for Bilt Hamber Touchless, it's mega. A Touchless wash will be greatly affected by the quality and durability of your current sealant. I would:

 

- Pre wash with BH Touchless 50:1 *dry car

- Jet wash thoroughly

- Air blower or go for a short drive

 

I personally would however alway look to clean the glass with something like BH Traceless or similar. Clean glass is essential, safety related and won't be taxing on your back. 

[HEADPHONES]

Hi Chris.

I often do touchless washes.

A summary of my experiences would be........

Have a fresh LSP on first.

Even if it's a quick and easy coat of something like TW Hydrophobic Sealant Wax aka Seal n Shine.

 

Do it often eg. at least once a week to prevent dirt bonding strongly to the paint.

 

Mineral free water from a SPOTLESS WATER depot or filtered water for a final rinse as you deffo don't want to touch dry.

A strong blower works for me also as Manchester tap water is relatively mineral free compared to the ghastly stuff from London taps.

 

Driving at speed to dry the car never worked for me. Although most of the car would dry nicely, the turbulence at the rear would suck road grime onto the boot 👎

 

Here is a write up of my 6 weeks of touchless washing..

 

[HEADPHONES]

 

[marzman]

I remember reading this thread during lockdown Andy - it probably planted the idea in my mind that it is possible to get good results.

 

Order placed with Clean & Shiny:

 

Bilt Hamber Touchless (5L)

Bilt Hamber Touch On (10x sachets)

Bilt Hamber Surfex HD (5L)

Gyeon Wet Coat (1L)

Gyeon Ceramic Detailer (400ml) *free gift

 

And a hosepipe inline water filter from Amazon.

 

Total cost was £99.

 

I shall report back with pics on success!

 

Thanks for all the advice guys.