This is my method at the coin wash - 2 buckets with my own soap, mitts, towels and brushes. Fill both buckets up with their water; one with my own soap - then I rinse vehicle. That's about $3-4 right there only using the water and I turn it off. I do the traditional 2 bucket wash on the car first, and then I wash the wheels last to preserve my rinse bucket water. Car is now fully washed, I empty my buckets out and pay for the water again and rinse the buckets out on their wall mounted matt hangers. Rinse the car off and turn the water off. Another 3-5$. Now its time to dry the car apply whatever on it and enjoy. So about $6-10 spent using ONLY their water.
I see a lot of comments about self-serve bays that don’t “allow” bucket washing. The reason is because it holds up the stalls and the car wash owner doesn’t make money if you aren’t using their high pressure sprayer. I’ve seen people not only bucket washing, but drying in the bay, and I don’t blame the owners for wanting to keep the potential PAYING customers moving through. But keep in mind most of these facilities are seldom continuously supervised and they all have dead times when nobody is waiting behind you. Most likely the worst thing that can happen to you if you break the rules is some “Karen” playing the role of Car Wash Cop.
Agreed. I've spoken to self-service managers in the area and they're generally ok with a bucket wash if there's no one waiting. I'd still need to use their pressure washer, so there's at least some money spent.
Yup. One went under near me, BMW with felony tinted windows in every bay. 0 fsgiven by the Karens, just drive an 10 minutes to the other one, it's a buck more, so no waiting. Now the BMWs are there.......PS make sure you spray the tire shiney on the rotors to make them shiney too.
The reason is car wash has water purifier , every single soap must be purified by the water purifier, NO soap must go into the nature. This is the Law in Italy at least. So if everybody uses they soap, ( i saw people using dishwashing soap too immagine that ) the purifiers cannot do theyre job properly. And can get damaged long term. If i was the owner, i wouldnt like people ruining my job cuz they use soap not allowed.
I really need to apologize as 2 months back i said it was absurd to expect people to wash their own cars when they may not have a house or garage. Since then, I've learned a ton and now do my own using a variety of techniques and supplies. Even learned that when it's below freezing to dry immediately after each panel or risk your rinseless freezing on the car. Also, if your car is crusted in salt, a few spraydowns of rinseless breaks the crust down and leaves only a film that easily gets washed away with your sponge. So, thank you for getting me started on my journey.
It was a pleasure to have you on my channel Chelsea! You did such a great job explaining things in the video. I wish you continued success with your channel, you deserve it!
I've been doing this for years during the winter months, however, I go during off peak times, as they do frown upon you bringing your own bucket, and cleaning tools and products. Great video, I will check out your channel Chelsea. Thanks to you Pan for sharing your platform with a fellow detailer. 👍
Thx Pan and Chelsea for doing this video! I’m in Toronto Canada and my car during the winter months is filthy….now I will go in the off times and have a happy car again !!
Wow! I wish I'd seen this video before washing my car today. Ironically, I also washed it at a car wash. However, my wheels and tires didn't look as well as I'd liked, despite bringing my own wheel and tire brushes. Now I understand why you sit, Pan to wash your wheels and tires. It's A LOT of work to REALLY get them clean. Or I should say, FOR ME to REALLY get them clean!! Since I had to do my wheels and tires in my yard, I had to contend with the wind and the continual dropping of my microfiber towels on the ground! Thanks to the wind and dropping towels, I used most of the clean towels I had today. My interior was pretty clean, but my exterior was rather dirty. HAD to get my baby clean before the week began. After actually using many of the cleaning steps that I've seen you do in your videos, I have an even DEEPER regard for the work that you do!! Thanks again for posting!
Glad to see you are learning a lot by watching all my videos. I have 1000 videos on my channel so far, with new ones added twice weekly (Saturday and Wednesday).
Most self cash washes don’t technically allow buckets but that’s why I go at odd hours. I typically use a brush/ bucket. I pre soak isn’t something I own as I have a pressure washer for the rest of the year. I should do the entire touchless wipe down. Going to try that maybe more often
This lady was in my backyard all these years and I never knew of her. How bout that. No longer in PA though, thank God no more cold n salt. Great vid and I'm always at my local car wash following pans methods just with my pump sprayer, water, chemicals and preferred safe sponge. Nice to see it from another perspective!
Some self-service car wash have rules that you can’t bring your own tools and chemicals. Got a warning once when the owner was doing maintenance on site. It’s understandable, they make profits by clock and that won’t happen if we just using their water source for 2 mins.
Great collaboration video Pan! Chelsea really knows her stuff. I've been following her for years on other social media platforms. I'm also glad to see "real-world" cleaning, especially being in PA with having salt, road grime, and other things on paint that tend to make detailing in the winter particularly tricky.
Very good video for people like me who detail their vehicles at home but don't have a heated garage for the cold weather. Really useful information for keeping our vehicles clean but not damaged in the process. Since following Pan I am fastidious about getting rid of what I call 'slime' from winter conditions. I live in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Thanks again Pan. You rock!
When I was a kid, I always looked forward to being an 'adult' so I could go to the car wash with all of the quarters I needed to use every single option at the self serve car wash.... Now I know better so I never got to use all of the options... Ignorance was more fun haha
Wonderful in concept. Completely impractical in reality. I love spending time detailing my car in the summer but winter in Colorado (and any other place that routinely gets snow and grime) is more about survival. Self serve car washes have lines of impatient people and loading up so much stuff when you just want to get the grit and grime off your car (fully knowing that it will rain or snow within the next few days) is just not worth it. Here is what I do on a a weekly basis (or at least when I know there is a few days of decent weather which will be worth getting the grit off the car. 1) High pressure water to get the caked on dirt 2) Foam spray on entire car 3) high pressure soap wash of entire car 4) Use the brush on glass ONLY (not on the paint) 5) High pressure rinse 6) spot free rinse (mostly for the glass 7) leave. It takes 10-15 minutes and while it doesn't get the car shiny, it gets the muck off and I'll repeat this every week. My car is graphene ceramic coated and in the summer it shines for 6 straight months and has ZERO swirl marks. Yeah, its not perfect in the winter but that's the joy of living in a snowy winter environment. Come April in Colorado, I will do a 2-3 hour full detail and then maintenance washes until winter comes again in late October.
Thanks Pan for sharing info on these useful washing techniques and for hosting knowledgeable guests. I like to hand wash my car on a weekly basis. Sometimes, if the car gets dusty(it's all glossy black), I'll bring it to the automatic car wash with a 1 gallon pump sprayer filled with a 128:1 Opticoat No Rinse solution. I spray it on, let it dwell for 5 minutes and then use the pressure wand to blow a high pressure stream of pure water nearly parallel to the surface. This gets the car looking like new and then I blow dry it with my battery powered leaf blower.
This is as far as I know the case here in Norway, I have never heard of a manual/self service car wash that allows the use your own chemicals and equipment to an extent that will allow you to anything like what is shown here.. at least as far as commercial and publicly available services.
People complaining about you using your own chemicals at the wash but no one is pointing out that they only provided one hanger for your mats? Most decent self washes give you 4. Great video Chelsea!
I am fortunate to have an insulated and heated garage and a couple of “pay and spray” self serve car washes that are not too far from my home. I live in Massachusetts between Boston and Worcester, this winter has been more wet than snowy, but with he pre-treatment of roads and salt spread during the few storms we have had, it is easy for cars to be encrusted with salt. My winter detail regimen is as follows:I turn on the heat in the garage, pack my wheel cleaners, iron decon chemicals (P&S Crystal Wash and Iron Buster) a sprayer with a solution of Optimum MDR and a couple of pump sprayers with a rinseless wash solution in a small tote. When I get to the pay and spray, I spray the MDR solution on the paint and let that work to break down the salt while I am waiting in line.. I spray the wheel cleaners and iron decon chemicals, what a few minutes and use the rinseless wash to knock down the iron decon residues. I either use my debit crad or cash and purchase $10-15 worth of time then use the rinse functions of the pay and spray to rinse the vehicle down, including the undercarriage. I then bring the vehicle to a nice warm garage, then to a proper rinseless wash and dry the vehicle.
Thanks for watching! How did you discover my channel by the way? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
@@PanTheOrganizer OH man, I've been a sub of yours for over a year now....my car cleaning kit is 99% stocked from your recommendations..... I found you from a search on cleaning bug guts off a year ago when I bought my Camaro and drove it from Chicago to Colorado.
I wash my truck at the self serve car wash like the UPS driver in this video. I have a good and effective system but I’m glad y’all (I’m from Texas) made this video because I see where I can make some improvements. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing. How did you discover my channel by the way? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
Great topic as most folks don’t have the time, equipment, and facility to do a full detail wash. However, I’m not sure of how realistic this approach is for most folks. I really can’t imagine taking your own tools, soap to the self serve wash but most unrealistic is that a person would have the luxury of time to do all of that as all the washes around here are lined up with customers. It would cause an angry mob. Now having said that, I agree 100% with this approach as the best way but I’m just saying that I’m not sure of how realistic it is. Great alternative if possible. 👍
Out at the farm, my well water has abrasives and lime that leaves water spots. I rinse the Camaro weekly at a car wash in the city but I do dry it with microfiber. I'm planning on a professional paint correction, clearcoat and ceramic. These tips will undoubtedly be useful.
Thanks for sharing. Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
Thanks so much Pan and Chelsea! This is very timely for me because I just received my rinseless wash and found a self-serve car wash. Now I’m just waiting for the temps to get above freezing…
You are so welcome! How did you discover my channel by the way Cheryl? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
I literally have been looking for something like this for so long!! Extremely grateful for this content. More of this needs to be made I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Thanks for the positive feedback. How did you discover my channel by the way? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
Great, providing you score with all the right components, the right car wash facility in a nice neighborhood being the biggest. Going on the right day and picking the best time of day is crucial to pulling this off as well. It can be done, but it's generally frowned upon by most car wash places.
I have a unlimited water for €6 here and its great. Sometimes i’m in there for like 1hr and another hr at the dry/vacuum bay for the other parts. Never got yelled at but always make sure i go at like 8am so no one is there. For “maintenance” spraydowns i take an ik multi with BH touchless and i just spray the car, let it soak (sometimes i use the foam of the bay to cover it) and rinse off for a total of €4. Sometimes i do the second option, drive home and do a rinseless wash there. But if my wheels are very dirty i go for option 1
I use the same method of going to those self car washes, but I bring all my materials and four buckets, two large and two small. because here in the Bronx 🗽it is $6 for 8 min. In the first 8 minutes I do the rinse less and store water in the two large buckets and I use the small ones to wash the wheels and one for the car. and after rinsing the wheels with the stored water. Then I wash the car with my things, I put the last $6 to rinse the car and the floorLiners. Sometimes I need more money but I don't exceed $20. Sometimes some Karens show up but I try to go late at night or early in the morning when not many people go.
This is wht im talking about. showing love to other car channels. No hate, im in the fitness industry and there's not a lot this kind of love so Pan I respect u more for doing this
Thanks man. When I started on RUclips, nobody was helping nobody in the detailing channels world. So I promised myself to help others if my channel ever blew up. I keep my promises. 👍🏻
Nice video! I had to use the self cleaning wash recently. I am bringing my own products and only paying for rinsing. My method is as follows: 1) Wheels 2) Pre soap 3) Rinse (charged once) 4) Contact wash GFM 5) rinse again. (Charged twice) Next time I will try with rinsless wash instead of a contact wash. This will definitely reduce the cost. Thanks
How did you clean the door jambs and areas under the tailgate? I like one of Pan's previous pro tips of using a rinseless wash to clean the door jambs.
I have the IK sprayer with compressor. I fill it up,foam up the car agitate the wheels and clean the Matt’s. Power rinse the car, foam again hand wash then rinse again. Followed by a drying agent spray wax.
That's cool because normally I'm always having to "beat the clock". But in this case you've done some of the work both before and after using the actual machine there.
Quick spray of Touchless around the vehicle, rinse off, go home. Under 10mins. Given we're charged a flat rate for time, I'm probably saving Morrisons some money as I'm not using any chemicals at all.
This is the way. No need to bring buckets at all. Just pre-spray with BH TL in a pump sprayer, let dwell for 5 min, rinse off. Pull out, dry with a leaf blower in a parking spot. Drive home and finish with a quick rinseless wash. Done. It's seriously the quickest and most efficient wash you can do.
I always recommend to use the pressure washer first after spraying tires and rims, like you said. Then you can start using a brush and soapy water to remove the traffic film of your rims. Much safer method especially when you have gloss black or matte rims.
Really excited to see this video- I'm planning on going to a self service place to wash my car for the 3rd time ever in a couple days and have been learning about detailing to prep and research some supplies in advance so I can try some new skills (I wanna try adding a decon step this time!). I live in an apartment complex and it doesn't make much sense for me to go over to a friend or parent's house for access to a hose because I have a sleep disorder and am pretty much only awake at night (not really enough light to wash a car and I'd need to be quiet, plus they'd have to be okay with me being there while they sleep), so I'm excited one of the few 24h places left are self service car washes! Gonna be there at like 3am washin my car lol. Really appreciate the video, this is perfect timing!
I'd love to do this, but in Switzerland, you'd get kicked out for bringing your own washing gear into the self-wash bays! I wish they made a good foam attachment I could snap onto the ends of the public wands. The foam systems they use here are horrendous!
Hi Chelsea! Good video. I do it pretty much the same. The only thing different is I don't use their soap. I use a couple of different products, but the same process. The other thing I WONT do is wash there when it's below zero (wisconsin) or during or shortly after a snowstorm. Very cool guest Pan. Thank you folks.
Awesome reminder to us who suffer in the winter season. I’ve been doing this same process for a few years. I also wash the undercarriage of the vehicle.
Thanks for giving us permission to use a car wash. lol. I’ve stayed away for years, but it’s pollen season here and it’s good to know a self wash can be used if necessary. As a weekend warrior, it’s taken awhile to realize perfection is not attainable…do the best I can and learn to balance time, cost, and practicality. Keep up the great content.
I haven’t come across a DIY car wash that will allow you to do a bucket wash. If I need to use a DIY car wash, I’ll spray down my vehicle with a pre-treatment and use the pressure washer to spray down my car. After, I’ll treat the car with a rinsless wash to soften the water. I’ll then drive the car home to do a rinseless wash. I live in an apartment and this process works well for me.
Amazing video and great resource! I find this more complicated than I might recommend to my clients who have hired me to do a wash, clay and seal service. That service deep cleans and leaves a sealant on the surface. I have tried to make the cheapest and simplest system for my clients. Mostly they had already been going to a brushed drive through car wash. I recommend they use a touchless drive through car wash then use a quick detailer and micro fiber towel to dry the vehicle after. I also share how they can safely use either one large drying towel or multiple smaller towels with the QD as a drying aid. It's about $15 worth of product, $30 or less for towels and $7-10 for the car wash. It may be about 20 minutes of their time. I find that with the deep clean and protection we provide, the client can get super clean results safely when they are in between services. Our clients are not interested in becoming a detailer or spending $100+ to get all these tools. I love that but it's not their interest. What are yall's thoughts on this system?
Nice video. After any wash, I also open the trunk and all doors and wipe down the jambs, to get any grime and any hidden water that will leak out and leave water spots on the panels
The only reason I ever have for using the touchless self wash in the winter, is to get the undercarriage. Is there a solution for this for those of us who dont have access to an undercarriage attachment? I live in Ohio, and the road salt melts cars here 😅
Thank you, Pan and Chelsea!! I had the pleasure of meeting you both last year in Chicago. I love both of your channels. This was awesome to see. I go in the evenings when it's not busy in the colder temperatures and have snow and salt on vehicles. Chelsea, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!!! This helps a lot in colder weather!!
I used to wash my car at the self-carwash with my own stuff, and it was very uncomfortable because of delayed other people. My solution was to get there at 6-7 am on weekends.
This is a great video, great advice and tips. I would like to mention, not all self-serve carwashes allow you to hand wash aka bucket wash. Please be very mindful of this and what their policies and or stipulations are.
@PanTheOrganizer Welcome. I reside in Calgary Alberta Canada and I have seen several carwashes that say no bucket washing allowed. I am glad we have a garage and a driveway to handwash. In the colder months we use the spray wand carwashes where only soap and hot water touches our vehicles paint. I'd still rather get the majority of the dirt, salt, grime..etc off the paint, vs leaving it on for long periods of time and doing more harm than actual good to your vehicles paint/clear-coat. Plus spraying out the inner fender wells and the undercarriage as well, which IMO is very important.
@PanTheOrganizer Montreal and Ontario use a ton of road salt, here in Alberta they use less salt and more pebbles and sand. Plus the climate is much drier and rust isn't so much a factor but regardless of all that, the bug guts, oil, dirt, grime..etc needs to be washed off to help maintain a clean vehicle and one you'll be proud of driving and makes maintenance less of a hassle.
I know I know this was already mention- but as someone who lives just 1 state over from her? I am 33 and been into cars and detailing since I was a teen- And I can tell you for a100% fact- coming from some one who never lived in a house with a garage or space to home wash? there is not a single self wash location that will allow you to touch your car with anything else then the hose they provide lol. I have seen people ban from self wash for just trying to clean there wheels while still paying for there time..... I 100% support the self wash owners as it makes sense - but This video should have really left all that extra stuff out and just show us tips and tricks to use a self wash with ONLY what they provide...
That could be an idea for a future video. But this one was more targeted to detailing enthusiasts who want to go the extra mile. We're all a bit OCD hehe. Have a good weekend!
Great collaboration #PanTheOrganizer and #A2D ! So many things needed to wash a car in the winter. I am so fortunate to be in a tropical weather country. Rinseless is all I need for a weekly, bi-weekly wash.
I always go to a self service station. This is my way to do it First spray the car with a pre rinse, I use valetpro citrus Then I rinse my car with the waterlance. After it I use a ik foamer with brake buster and clean my wheel en tires with it. I also use a bucket with water and some soap I first foam. Then rinse tires and wheels, but also bucket and brushes and foam up the soap in my wash bucket. After it wash my car, 2 bucket method. And rinse of. Then dry with dream maker and a towel. Then whipe inside the doors, dry the wheels and tires. Then clean the windows and do some dressing on my tires. Then I clean the interior or just only remove the dust inside with a microfiber.
@attention2detailswchelsea yeah it is, but my car always looks good. I use always 3 buckets. It's only hard to get the water from 3 stairs to the car. The whole wash and filling the buckets takes me 3 hours
Great video Pan and Chelsea great tips. I have been doing it for many years hauling my 2 buckets, leaf blower and bag with towels, i do not miss going up and down 3 flights of stairs, lol.
Im in NZ. Unfortunately most self serve car wash bays (especially at my area) dont allow external fluids and ban buckets. This allows them to make money by forcing me to use only their products while other unattended car wash places that do allow eventually close down or degrade due to lack of finance for maintenance.
I do something like this when the sun is setting & my car's body panel is cool to the touch. 1) clean, but don't dry, the wheels/rims outside the wash bay, 2) at a wash bay, Rinse off the entire car, including the undercarriage, 3) get out of the wash bay if the carwash owner had posted a sign about no handwashing/detailing at the wash bay, 4) safely without scaring the paint of your car, handwash your car, 5) go back to a wash bay & Rinse off your car, 6) get out of the wash bay & safely dry off your car.
This is actually a good idea for a quick maintenance wash. I would suggest taking a EGO blower to quicky dry the car and follow it up with a drying towel
Thanks for sharing this! I have a carport and that is where I clean when it is warm. But I do use a self serve car wash when it is cold! Thanks for your tip Chelsea for the tips! Especially the brush at the car wash! Will never use that again! 😮
I have the gear to do a driveway wash in the summer, BUT what is the hazards of a Canadian winter without washing at all -versus- 2 or 3 touchless automatic, or contactless pay-n-spray.
Because i had a tramatic experiance at a car wash, i just use the pay and spray to get the salt and sand off with a rinse, then i drive home and do my rinseless wash with my bucket of Absolute, a chenille mitt, and my Ik. multipro and finish my wash in my driveway dry with my liqu8dr and beadmaker and i'm done.
@@attention2detailswchelseaMy pay and spray doesn't allow anyone to bring buckets etc, so that is why i do it that way, but it works well, great video!
Hi Pan. Any tips/videos on a compact travel kit? Her kit is more comprehensive than what I would throw in a trunk or in a duffle bag. A kit that can be supplemented by a self serve car wash? Maybe one just power rinses their vehicle and then pull out for a no-rinse clean/detail. Or even possibly stand alone kit (a-la no rinse car wash) Maybe something like: Spray on car wash (maybe Griots) Interior cleaner Tire detailer and applicator Glass cleaner Bug cleaner And various microfibers and a couple of brushes. Thanks.
Thanks for the video, i learned some things ! BUT i don't really understand why you would want to go to a car wash to do a rinceless wash method... I mean... if you go to a car wash, it would be easier and faster to use a dedicated shampoo, like meguiars car wash for example, you just have to put it directly on a microfibre mitt , you do the whole car, then you rince. It's wayyy eaasier imo. Instead of preparing of bucket with rinceless diluted product. No? don't get me wrong, i LOVE rinceless method and i also use it a lot, but not at a car wash.
What i do is in the Super COLD days of winter. I go to a All Water wash and pick the basic wash. Reason being is it has the undercar wash so i can get that Nasty Salt off. And the doors close so u inside. Then i come home and do a waterless spray wash. But at the DIY when its warmer. I just wash the brushes off real good for my tires and lower panels. I Never use the brush above the mid point on my car. I apply ceramic coating every season change. So, its right b4 winter and b4 summer. Since 95% of the time its jus me in my car my interior stays factory fresh all the time...
I own commercial car washes and yes what we call "bucket washing" is frowned upon. Let me give you a similar situation: Imagine going into a restaurant with only six tables at lunchtime, ordering a soda, and then leisurely eating your lunch out of a bag that you brought from home. Meanwhile other customers who actually intended to buy a lunch walk in, and since all six tables are full they leave and go elsewhere to eat. Most people wouldn't consider this acceptable but for some reason it's considered OK to essentially do this at a commercial car wash. These facilities can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions to build. Expenses at mine are huge, including utility bills in the thousands of dollars every month. It's nothing personal, we're trying to make a living and people occupying the bays without the meter running can cost us a lot of lost revenue from others that don't mind paying for the service.
I have on order a new Qashqai that i plan to wash on my own due to bad experience with previous cars, well this video arrived just in time for me, well organized!
@@attention2detailswchelsea The tire dressing was the cherry on the top, I swear I was watching it and was asking myself would she skip the tires but well I was wrong!
Thanks for watching. How did you discover my channel by the way? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 995,000 subscribers and we have over 135 million views! I have been detailing for 27 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
those are a lot of supplies. how does one use all of them and get a good clean wash in a short amount of time when here may be several people behind you wanting to wash their cars too. Isn't there a time limit to use those bays?
Great video and good information and ideas . I just want to tell my experience. I took my car to one of these car washes and took a bucket and wash MIT and etc . The owner was there doing maintenance and when he saw me with bucket and MIT he told me i had to leave . I guess doing it the way i was does not use enough of the car wash chemicals . He took me to the other side of the building where he had a sign that said no hand washing .
No surprise with all the comments about no buckets allowed at these facilities. Still if you don't go on a weekend and go early or late in the day you could do it. She obviously did without getting into trouble. Spent some coin and was in and out as quickly as the process allowed. The wheels took up the most time. Finished in the parking lot. Nice job!
I took a long road trip and got the touchless car washes a few times in 1 month. On my 2022 Jeep I noticed it was almost melting some rubber parts. Now I know the spots of my Jeep that I need to make sure I completely dry after a touchless car wash.
That’s a lot of stuff to carry, I like the sponge you used to get the light film off, I’m using a spray bottle with water and a thick towel to wipe off the film. It’s color coded so I’ll use one side to wipe & the other to dry. I’m using the touch less wash only, I’m also reapplying my ceramic sealant every 3rd wash to keep up my protection. Once I move to a house, I’ll be better equipped to care for my car. I’m always learning from both you guys. Thanks for the advice. 👍🏾
My house has a heated garage with drains, i can't bring myself to go though the tunnel wash.😅 bringing your own products however a good idea. Great video pan & Chelsea. 🇨🇦
@PanTheOrganizer I know you are about the scientific process as much as I am. I'd be curious if you did some sort of scientific methodology to prove your point of "touchless automatic" washes being bad Are they really as bad as you say they are? It's not that I don't believe you, but you usually provide more scientific evidence. It would be really cool to see things like the PH of soaps they use versus some of the pre-washes we use. Also, the dwell time is much shorter than the prewashes. How many touchless washes does it take for you to really see degradation of plastics, ceramics etc.? Some of this technology is so new I'm surprised how the community knows so much about the long-term effects. As always. I'm a big fan and look forward to great content.
That's correct. And even when diluted the pH doesn't drop dramatically. It won't go from pH 13 to pH neutral that's for sure. Also, pH is just one part of the equation. The rest of the chemical makeup of a formula is perhaps even more important. Are you using caustics? Are you using active ingredients of low quality? You can see a leading chemist's answer to "What makes a good quality car soap?" in an interview I made here: ruclips.net/video/Uv2LWtYBxe0/видео.htmlsi=YPycIChUx7kHhCo8&t=995
Hello Pan! I'm from the north-west of Russia, and washed my car like You show in this video just one day erlier 😁. For the prewash I use emulsion of Foam Heroes Citrus Buddy shampoo with D-limonene 1:40 dilution ration. For the second phase - P&S Absolute 1:256, and Labocosmetica Perfecta sio2 as a drying aid. Thank you for your videos. I wish you can try the products of Foam Heroes. They smell great and work delicately.
Thanks! How did you discover my channel by the way? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
@@PanTheOrganizer I started getting into detailing a couple of years ago. At first I watched channels from Russia, and then it became interesting to see how cars are cared for in harsh conditions in the northern USA and Canada. I follow your videos and rad Garage.
Nice and really usefully. Unfortunately where i'm from, you will get kicked out of the self service car wash almost immediately, if you try to do that.
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 1 million subscribers and we have over 135 million views! I have been detailing for 27 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
would it be frowned upon if I go to one of these places and bring my new EGO 765cfm blower with the EGO factory short tube attachment? I love this little monster because it's as powerful as a tornado. :) (EGO needs to pay Pan a commission because I bought it based on his advice.... decided to skip the Metrovac blower) 👍
I was wondering what your thoughts are on Icon Rocklear? They say it's better than ceramic and all that. It's something I'm considering because I have a new car and it has to stay outside all year in Michigan. Is it too good to be true or is it something you recommend? It's a lot of money for me and I don't wanna make a bad decision. Thanks Pan, love your channel!
I never tested their products. All my top recommendations are in my popular car detailing products awards here: ruclips.net/video/KRv7vKsuliQ/видео.htmlsi=xX7XNsDfn0Qr-TeQ Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
🔥 For more quality detailing products visit: tinyurl.com/bdehsjys
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IK Foam Pro 12 (battery powered version): bit.ly/3QXZH7R
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DIY Detail sponge: bit.ly/3L4LmFh
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Wash bucket: amzn.to/4br0vMj
Shine Supply Wise Guy wheel & tire cleaner: bit.ly/49iRJOA
Flag tipped green brush: bit.ly/3SNxa7N
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DIY Detail Rinseless Wash: bit.ly/3KJYVcO
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Microfiber drying towel: bit.ly/4bCy6Do
DIY Detail Ceramic Gloss: bit.ly/42xGgsn
Stoner Invisible Glass cleaner: bit.ly/42vwozh
CarPro PERL dressing: bit.ly/3NPJCkD
Tire dressing applicator: amzn.to/3HPEr0m
🇫🇷 For people in France: c3po.link/QCWWjkv74R
Watch more of my videos below:
✅ How to wash your car like a pro: ruclips.net/video/7Koj5j2Es5U/видео.html
✅ How to clean the interior of your car: ruclips.net/video/Xx_lHXHYpLo/видео.html
✅ Rinseless car wash tutorial: ruclips.net/video/p58Y5qRd3OU/видео.html
✅ Visit Chelsea’s RUclips channel: @attention2detailswchelsea
Thank you Pan!
This is my method at the coin wash - 2 buckets with my own soap, mitts, towels and brushes. Fill both buckets up with their water; one with my own soap - then I rinse vehicle. That's about $3-4 right there only using the water and I turn it off. I do the traditional 2 bucket wash on the car first, and then I wash the wheels last to preserve my rinse bucket water. Car is now fully washed, I empty my buckets out and pay for the water again and rinse the buckets out on their wall mounted matt hangers. Rinse the car off and turn the water off. Another 3-5$. Now its time to dry the car apply whatever on it and enjoy. So about $6-10 spent using ONLY their water.
I see a lot of comments about self-serve bays that don’t “allow” bucket washing. The reason is because it holds up the stalls and the car wash owner doesn’t make money if you aren’t using their high pressure sprayer. I’ve seen people not only bucket washing, but drying in the bay, and I don’t blame the owners for wanting to keep the potential PAYING customers moving through. But keep in mind most of these facilities are seldom continuously supervised and they all have dead times when nobody is waiting behind you. Most likely the worst thing that can happen to you if you break the rules is some “Karen” playing the role of Car Wash Cop.
Was about to write that. 😅
Agreed. I've spoken to self-service managers in the area and they're generally ok with a bucket wash if there's no one waiting. I'd still need to use their pressure washer, so there's at least some money spent.
Yup. One went under near me, BMW with felony tinted windows in every bay. 0 fsgiven by the Karens, just drive an 10 minutes to the other one, it's a buck more, so no waiting. Now the BMWs are there.......PS make sure you spray the tire shiney on the rotors to make them shiney too.
Place I go to the sign says no bucket washing if others are waiting. I go at 6am and I’m usually the only one there.
The reason is car wash has water purifier , every single soap must be purified by the water purifier, NO soap must go into the nature. This is the Law in Italy at least. So if everybody uses they soap, ( i saw people using dishwashing soap too immagine that ) the purifiers cannot do theyre job properly. And can get damaged long term. If i was the owner, i wouldnt like people ruining my job cuz they use soap not allowed.
I really need to apologize as 2 months back i said it was absurd to expect people to wash their own cars when they may not have a house or garage. Since then, I've learned a ton and now do my own using a variety of techniques and supplies. Even learned that when it's below freezing to dry immediately after each panel or risk your rinseless freezing on the car. Also, if your car is crusted in salt, a few spraydowns of rinseless breaks the crust down and leaves only a film that easily gets washed away with your sponge. So, thank you for getting me started on my journey.
Great tips!
Thanks for having me on Pan!
Great down-to-Earth presentation style! I just subscribed to your channel! Keep up the great work!
@@mikehenderson2039 thanks!
Great stuff Chelsea! Thank you
It was a pleasure to have you on my channel Chelsea! You did such a great job explaining things in the video. I wish you continued success with your channel, you deserve it!
@@PanTheOrganizer 🥰
I've been doing this for years during the winter months, however, I go during off peak times, as they do frown upon you bringing your own bucket, and cleaning tools and products. Great video, I will check out your channel Chelsea. Thanks to you Pan for sharing your platform with a fellow detailer. 👍
Thanks!
It's the price we pay for only needing to use their pressure washer.
Thanks Linda!
Thx Pan and Chelsea for doing this video! I’m in Toronto Canada and my car during the winter months is filthy….now I will go in the off times and have a happy car again !!
@@attention2detailswchelsea your car looks good Chelsea
Wow! I wish I'd seen this video before washing my car today. Ironically, I also washed it at a car wash. However, my wheels and tires didn't look as well as I'd liked, despite bringing my own wheel and tire brushes. Now I understand why you sit, Pan to wash your wheels and tires. It's A LOT of work to REALLY get them clean. Or I should say, FOR ME to REALLY get them clean!! Since I had to do my wheels and tires in my yard, I had to contend with the wind and the continual dropping of my microfiber towels on the ground! Thanks to the wind and dropping towels, I used most of the clean towels I had today. My interior was pretty clean, but my exterior was rather dirty. HAD to get my baby clean before the week began. After actually using many of the cleaning steps that I've seen you do in your videos, I have an even DEEPER regard for the work that you do!! Thanks again for posting!
Glad to see you are learning a lot by watching all my videos. I have 1000 videos on my channel so far, with new ones added twice weekly (Saturday and Wednesday).
Most self cash washes don’t technically allow buckets but that’s why I go at odd hours. I typically use a brush/ bucket. I pre soak isn’t something I own as I have a pressure washer for the rest of the year. I should do the entire touchless wipe down. Going to try that maybe more often
This lady was in my backyard all these years and I never knew of her. How bout that. No longer in PA though, thank God no more cold n salt. Great vid and I'm always at my local car wash following pans methods just with my pump sprayer, water, chemicals and preferred safe sponge.
Nice to see it from another perspective!
Thanks for the positive feedback!
Thanks!
Some self-service car wash have rules that you can’t bring your own tools and chemicals. Got a warning once when the owner was doing maintenance on site. It’s understandable, they make profits by clock and that won’t happen if we just using their water source for 2 mins.
She does have a great channel. Thanks for bring her on Pan.
😄👍🏻
Thank you!
That pocket trick for spray bottles is game changing! 😮😮
Great collaboration video Pan! Chelsea really knows her stuff. I've been following her for years on other social media platforms. I'm also glad to see "real-world" cleaning, especially being in PA with having salt, road grime, and other things on paint that tend to make detailing in the winter particularly tricky.
Awesome! Thank you!
Thanks!
Very good video for people like me who detail their vehicles at home but don't have a heated garage for the cold weather. Really useful information for keeping our vehicles clean but not damaged in the process. Since following Pan I am fastidious about getting rid of what I call 'slime' from winter conditions. I live in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Thanks again Pan. You rock!
Thanks John! Cheers from Montreal! I visited BC with my girlfriend two years ago and absolutely loved it! I made a little video of it on my channel.
When I was a kid, I always looked forward to being an 'adult' so I could go to the car wash with all of the quarters I needed to use every single option at the self serve car wash.... Now I know better so I never got to use all of the options... Ignorance was more fun haha
Wow Pan this is the second detailer from Pennsylvania that you've had on your show. Glad to see you give our state love.
Glad to represent PA!
Let's go! :)
Chelsea is a better detailer than me as she gives excellent advice and she has that eagle eye for details. Excellent video Pan!
Thank you!
Thanks Neil! She is a good person too. :)
Wonderful in concept. Completely impractical in reality. I love spending time detailing my car in the summer but winter in Colorado (and any other place that routinely gets snow and grime) is more about survival. Self serve car washes have lines of impatient people and loading up so much stuff when you just want to get the grit and grime off your car (fully knowing that it will rain or snow within the next few days) is just not worth it. Here is what I do on a a weekly basis (or at least when I know there is a few days of decent weather which will be worth getting the grit off the car. 1) High pressure water to get the caked on dirt 2) Foam spray on entire car 3) high pressure soap wash of entire car 4) Use the brush on glass ONLY (not on the paint) 5) High pressure rinse 6) spot free rinse (mostly for the glass 7) leave. It takes 10-15 minutes and while it doesn't get the car shiny, it gets the muck off and I'll repeat this every week. My car is graphene ceramic coated and in the summer it shines for 6 straight months and has ZERO swirl marks. Yeah, its not perfect in the winter but that's the joy of living in a snowy winter environment. Come April in Colorado, I will do a 2-3 hour full detail and then maintenance washes until winter comes again in late October.
Thanks Pan for sharing info on these useful washing techniques and for hosting knowledgeable guests.
I like to hand wash my car on a weekly basis. Sometimes, if the car gets dusty(it's all glossy black), I'll bring it to the automatic car wash with a 1 gallon pump sprayer filled with a 128:1 Opticoat No Rinse solution. I spray it on, let it dwell for 5 minutes and then use the pressure wand to blow a high pressure stream of pure water nearly parallel to the surface. This gets the car looking like new and then I blow dry it with my battery powered leaf blower.
Thanks!
I almost do the same exact thing
Yeah! I will watch later. I use self serve all the time. The challenge is they are on timers.
A better video would have been how to do this with what the manual car washes offer. Most self-serve car washes don't allow you to use your own stuff.
This is as far as I know the case here in Norway, I have never heard of a manual/self service car wash that allows the use your own chemicals and equipment to an extent that will allow you to anything like what is shown here.. at least as far as commercial and publicly available services.
People complaining about you using your own chemicals at the wash but no one is pointing out that they only provided one hanger for your mats? Most decent self washes give you 4. Great video Chelsea!
Thanks!
Thanks for watching Sam.
I am fortunate to have an insulated and heated garage and a couple of “pay and spray” self serve car washes that are not too far from my home. I live in Massachusetts between Boston and Worcester, this winter has been more wet than snowy, but with he pre-treatment of roads and salt spread during the few storms we have had, it is easy for cars to be encrusted with salt.
My winter detail regimen is as follows:I turn on the heat in the garage, pack my wheel cleaners, iron decon chemicals (P&S Crystal Wash and Iron Buster) a sprayer with a solution of Optimum MDR and a couple of pump sprayers with a rinseless wash solution in a small tote. When I get to the pay and spray, I spray the MDR solution on the paint and let that work to break down the salt while I am waiting in line.. I spray the wheel cleaners and iron decon chemicals, what a few minutes and use the rinseless wash to knock down the iron decon residues. I either use my debit crad or cash and purchase $10-15 worth of time then use the rinse functions of the pay and spray to rinse the vehicle down, including the undercarriage. I then bring the vehicle to a nice warm garage, then to a proper rinseless wash and dry the vehicle.
Great tips!
I'm in South Carolina and live a half-mile from a DIY car wash and THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED!!!! My Camaro thanks you already......
Thanks for watching! How did you discover my channel by the way?
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
@@PanTheOrganizer OH man, I've been a sub of yours for over a year now....my car cleaning kit is 99% stocked from your recommendations.....
I found you from a search on cleaning bug guts off a year ago when I bought my Camaro and drove it from Chicago to Colorado.
Glad it could help!
I have been to several self serve car washes that will not allow you to bring a bucket and your own cleaning products.
Even if you can’t bring a bucket you could at least pre spray with the soap and then rinseless wash at home
Unfortunately here in Australia a lot of the self serve car wash places explicitly state that no handcwashing is allowed :(
Even if you can’t wash there could you prespray with the soap and then do the rinseless wash at home?
I wash my truck at the self serve car wash like the UPS driver in this video. I have a good and effective system but I’m glad y’all (I’m from Texas) made this video because I see where I can make some improvements.
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing. How did you discover my channel by the way?
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
its called " pimpin the system" and you young lady just demonstrated exactly that , awesome job !
Thanks!
Great topic as most folks don’t have the time, equipment, and facility to do a full detail wash. However, I’m not sure of how realistic this approach is for most folks. I really can’t imagine taking your own tools, soap to the self serve wash but most unrealistic is that a person would have the luxury of time to do all of that as all the washes around here are lined up with customers. It would cause an angry mob. Now having said that, I agree 100% with this approach as the best way but I’m just saying that I’m not sure of how realistic it is. Great alternative if possible. 👍
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Terry.
Out at the farm, my well water has abrasives and lime that leaves water spots. I rinse the Camaro weekly at a car wash in the city but I do dry it with microfiber. I'm planning on a professional paint correction, clearcoat and ceramic. These tips will undoubtedly be useful.
Thanks for sharing. Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
I have been subscribed for quite a while, some titles catch my eye.
Thanks so much Pan and Chelsea! This is very timely for me because I just received my rinseless wash and found a self-serve car wash. Now I’m just waiting for the temps to get above freezing…
You are so welcome! How did you discover my channel by the way Cheryl?
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
Glad it could help!
I literally have been looking for something like this for so long!! Extremely grateful for this content. More of this needs to be made I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Thanks for the positive feedback. How did you discover my channel by the way?
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
Thanks!
One tip I started doing is to do the interior of car first, vacuuming etc. to give the wheels time to cool off before spraying with any cleaners
Great tip
Great, providing you score with all the right components, the right car wash facility in a nice neighborhood being the biggest. Going on the right day and picking the best time of day is crucial to pulling this off as well. It can be done, but it's generally frowned upon by most car wash places.
I have a unlimited water for €6 here and its great. Sometimes i’m in there for like 1hr and another hr at the dry/vacuum bay for the other parts. Never got yelled at but always make sure i go at like 8am so no one is there.
For “maintenance” spraydowns i take an ik multi with BH touchless and i just spray the car, let it soak (sometimes i use the foam of the bay to cover it) and rinse off for a total of €4.
Sometimes i do the second option, drive home and do a rinseless wash there. But if my wheels are very dirty i go for option 1
Thanks for sharing your process. 👍🏻
I use the same method of going to those self car washes, but I bring all my materials and four buckets, two large and two small. because here in the Bronx 🗽it is $6 for 8 min. In the first 8 minutes I do the rinse less and store water in the two large buckets and I use the small ones to wash the wheels and one for the car. and after rinsing the wheels with the stored water. Then I wash the car with my things, I put the last $6 to rinse the car and the floorLiners. Sometimes I need more money but I don't exceed $20. Sometimes some Karens show up but I try to go late at night or early in the morning when not many people go.
This is wht im talking about. showing love to other car channels. No hate, im in the fitness industry and there's not a lot this kind of love so Pan I respect u more for doing this
Thanks man. When I started on RUclips, nobody was helping nobody in the detailing channels world. So I promised myself to help others if my channel ever blew up. I keep my promises. 👍🏻
❤
👏👏 U guys all do a good job with communicating with each other through YT. I love it @@PanTheOrganizer
Nice video!
I had to use the self cleaning wash recently.
I am bringing my own products and only paying for rinsing.
My method is as follows:
1) Wheels
2) Pre soap
3) Rinse (charged once)
4) Contact wash GFM
5) rinse again. (Charged twice)
Next time I will try with rinsless wash instead of a contact wash. This will definitely reduce the cost. Thanks
Thanks for sharing!
How did you clean the door jambs and areas under the tailgate?
I like one of Pan's previous pro tips of using a rinseless wash to clean the door jambs.
For this quick service I just dried it with my towel and ceramic gloss
nice video , however, sometimes you are not allowed to bring your own detail stuff.
I don’t think the cops will come after you for that
We’ll find one where you can
Just go during less busy hours.
@@johnshukeireh5804 "hello? nine one one? Someone brough a spray wax and towels to a carwash🤬🤬👿"
Go early am or later pm with no lineup of cars.
I have the IK sprayer with compressor. I fill it up,foam up the car agitate the wheels and clean the Matt’s. Power rinse the car, foam again hand wash then rinse again. Followed by a drying agent spray wax.
Thanks for sharing
Great process
That's cool because normally I'm always having to "beat the clock". But in this case you've done some of the work both before and after using the actual machine there.
Quick spray of Touchless around the vehicle, rinse off, go home. Under 10mins. Given we're charged a flat rate for time, I'm probably saving Morrisons some money as I'm not using any chemicals at all.
That is another great way if you can’t finish it there
This is the way. No need to bring buckets at all. Just pre-spray with BH TL in a pump sprayer, let dwell for 5 min, rinse off. Pull out, dry with a leaf blower in a parking spot. Drive home and finish with a quick rinseless wash. Done. It's seriously the quickest and most efficient wash you can do.
@@Aaron.Greenberg yes that is another way to do it
I always recommend to use the pressure washer first after spraying tires and rims, like you said. Then you can start using a brush and soapy water to remove the traffic film of your rims. Much safer method especially when you have gloss black or matte rims.
Yes, on black wheels I would definitely rinse first then clean
Really excited to see this video- I'm planning on going to a self service place to wash my car for the 3rd time ever in a couple days and have been learning about detailing to prep and research some supplies in advance so I can try some new skills (I wanna try adding a decon step this time!). I live in an apartment complex and it doesn't make much sense for me to go over to a friend or parent's house for access to a hose because I have a sleep disorder and am pretty much only awake at night (not really enough light to wash a car and I'd need to be quiet, plus they'd have to be okay with me being there while they sleep), so I'm excited one of the few 24h places left are self service car washes! Gonna be there at like 3am washin my car lol.
Really appreciate the video, this is perfect timing!
Glad it could help!
Great job showcasing Chelsea. I’ve followed her for a few years now. Love her down to earth approach and her great explanations
Thanks!
Totally agree!
I'd love to do this, but in Switzerland, you'd get kicked out for bringing your own washing gear into the self-wash bays! I wish they made a good foam attachment I could snap onto the ends of the public wands. The foam systems they use here are horrendous!
Hi Chelsea! Good video. I do it pretty much the same. The only thing different is I don't use their soap. I use a couple of different products, but the same process. The other thing I WONT do is wash there when it's below zero (wisconsin) or during or shortly after a snowstorm. Very cool guest Pan. Thank you folks.
Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Kim!
Awesome reminder to us who suffer in the winter season. I’ve been doing this same process for a few years. I also wash the undercarriage of the vehicle.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for giving us permission to use a car wash. lol. I’ve stayed away for years, but it’s pollen season here and it’s good to know a self wash can be used if necessary. As a weekend warrior, it’s taken awhile to realize perfection is not attainable…do the best I can and learn to balance time, cost, and practicality. Keep up the great content.
Thanks for watching!
👍🏻
I haven’t come across a DIY car wash that will allow you to do a bucket wash. If I need to use a DIY car wash, I’ll spray down my vehicle with a pre-treatment and use the pressure washer to spray down my car. After, I’ll treat the car with a rinsless wash to soften the water. I’ll then drive the car home to do a rinseless wash.
I live in an apartment and this process works well for me.
Thanks for sharing!
That’s another great option!
Chelsea is an awesome detailer! Thanks for sharing this video Pan!
Love her channel too.
Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
This is an amazing video, Thank you Pan and Chelsea!!! Excited to see a detailer from PA I'm in Reading PA and just started my detailing business.
@@nicholasdamico6963 thank you!
Sooo cool, Pan and Chelsea! One of the best combo ppl, cheers to you both! Great vid!
Thanks!
Thanks !
Amazing video and great resource! I find this more complicated than I might recommend to my clients who have hired me to do a wash, clay and seal service. That service deep cleans and leaves a sealant on the surface. I have tried to make the cheapest and simplest system for my clients. Mostly they had already been going to a brushed drive through car wash. I recommend they use a touchless drive through car wash then use a quick detailer and micro fiber towel to dry the vehicle after. I also share how they can safely use either one large drying towel or multiple smaller towels with the QD as a drying aid. It's about $15 worth of product, $30 or less for towels and $7-10 for the car wash. It may be about 20 minutes of their time. I find that with the deep clean and protection we provide, the client can get super clean results safely when they are in between services. Our clients are not interested in becoming a detailer or spending $100+ to get all these tools. I love that but it's not their interest. What are yall's thoughts on this system?
Nice video. After any wash, I also open the trunk and all doors and wipe down the jambs, to get any grime and any hidden water that will leak out and leave water spots on the panels
Thanks for sharing Craig!
Yes! Great way to help prevent those areas from getting rusty and also keep your clothes clean
The only reason I ever have for using the touchless self wash in the winter, is to get the undercarriage. Is there a solution for this for those of us who dont have access to an undercarriage attachment? I live in Ohio, and the road salt melts cars here 😅
I would for sure recommend an undercarriage pressure washer attachment. See my video: ruclips.net/video/2fOEaNOGTFI/видео.htmlsi=DcAkdYQ1aV71b0gb
Thank you, Pan and Chelsea!! I had the pleasure of meeting you both last year in Chicago. I love both of your channels. This was awesome to see. I go in the evenings when it's not busy in the colder temperatures and have snow and salt on vehicles. Chelsea, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!!! This helps a lot in colder weather!!
Our pleasure!
Thank you!
Chelsea and Pan , great video, thank you for using DIY Detail products.
Thanks boys!
Thanks for making great products
Very helpful tips for keeping time spent at the wash bays down to a minimum and still leave with a car that looks like it's been detailed. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching Erik.
Glad it could help!
I used to wash my car at the self-carwash with my own stuff, and it was very uncomfortable because of delayed other people. My solution was to get there at 6-7 am on weekends.
This is a great video, great advice and tips. I would like to mention, not all self-serve carwashes allow you to hand wash aka bucket wash. Please be very mindful of this and what their policies and or stipulations are.
Thanks Scott!
@PanTheOrganizer
Welcome. I reside in Calgary Alberta Canada and I have seen several carwashes that say no bucket washing allowed. I am glad we have a garage and a driveway to handwash. In the colder months we use the spray wand carwashes where only soap and hot water touches our vehicles paint. I'd still rather get the majority of the dirt, salt, grime..etc off the paint, vs leaving it on for long periods of time and doing more harm than actual good to your vehicles paint/clear-coat. Plus spraying out the inner fender wells and the undercarriage as well, which IMO is very important.
@PanTheOrganizer
Montreal and Ontario use a ton of road salt, here in Alberta they use less salt and more pebbles and sand. Plus the climate is much drier and rust isn't so much a factor but regardless of all that, the bug guts, oil, dirt, grime..etc needs to be washed off to help maintain a clean vehicle and one you'll be proud of driving and makes maintenance less of a hassle.
Is it smart to spray soap onto dry wheels that may be hot, or should they be sprayed with water to cool them off? The downside to that is dilution.
You can prespray with water if you’re concerned. I had been there for a while and they weren’t too hot
I know I know this was already mention- but as someone who lives just 1 state over from her? I am 33 and been into cars and detailing since I was a teen- And I can tell you for a100% fact- coming from some one who never lived in a house with a garage or space to home wash? there is not a single self wash location that will allow you to touch your car with anything else then the hose they provide lol. I have seen people ban from self wash for just trying to clean there wheels while still paying for there time..... I 100% support the self wash owners as it makes sense - but This video should have really left all that extra stuff out and just show us tips and tricks to use a self wash with ONLY what they provide...
That could be an idea for a future video. But this one was more targeted to detailing enthusiasts who want to go the extra mile. We're all a bit OCD hehe.
Have a good weekend!
Thank you Pan for the video. Love that you give time to other detailers. Helps everyone including us viewers.
Thanks Douglas. I appreciate the feedback.
So thankful for the opportunity and just shows you how great Pan is and how he just wants to help people
Great collaboration #PanTheOrganizer and #A2D ! So many things needed to wash a car in the winter. I am so fortunate to be in a tropical weather country. Rinseless is all I need for a weekly, bi-weekly wash.
Thank you!
Fantastic video. Great job Chelsea!
Thanks James!
Thank you!
I always go to a self service station.
This is my way to do it
First spray the car with a pre rinse, I use valetpro citrus
Then I rinse my car with the waterlance.
After it I use a ik foamer with brake buster and clean my wheel en tires with it. I also use a bucket with water and some soap I first foam.
Then rinse tires and wheels, but also bucket and brushes and foam up the soap in my wash bucket.
After it wash my car, 2 bucket method. And rinse of.
Then dry with dream maker and a towel. Then whipe inside the doors, dry the wheels and tires. Then clean the windows and do some dressing on my tires.
Then I clean the interior or just only remove the dust inside with a microfiber.
Sounds like a great process
@attention2detailswchelsea yeah it is, but my car always looks good. I use always 3 buckets. It's only hard to get the water from 3 stairs to the car.
The whole wash and filling the buckets takes me 3 hours
congratulations, Chelsea, on this collaboration 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thanks Carlos!
😄👍🏻
Great video Pan and Chelsea great tips. I have been doing it for many years hauling my 2 buckets, leaf blower and bag with towels, i do not miss going up and down 3 flights of stairs, lol.
Thanks for watching!
Im in NZ. Unfortunately most self serve car wash bays (especially at my area) dont allow external fluids and ban buckets. This allows them to make money by forcing me to use only their products while other unattended car wash places that do allow eventually close down or degrade due to lack of finance for maintenance.
Great video! How would you recommend getting the underbody sprayed to get rid of dirt and salt?
See my video on the undercarriage here: ruclips.net/video/2fOEaNOGTFI/видео.htmlsi=RgajgfUj2Ree2XQM
I do something like this when the sun is setting & my car's body panel is cool to the touch. 1) clean, but don't dry, the wheels/rims outside the wash bay, 2) at a wash bay, Rinse off the entire car, including the undercarriage, 3) get out of the wash bay if the carwash owner had posted a sign about no handwashing/detailing at the wash bay, 4) safely without scaring the paint of your car, handwash your car, 5) go back to a wash bay & Rinse off your car, 6) get out of the wash bay & safely dry off your car.
Thanks for sharing your process!
This is actually a good idea for a quick maintenance wash. I would suggest taking a EGO blower to quicky dry the car and follow it up with a drying towel
Thanks for watching!
Yes! Love my ego blower
Thanks for sharing this! I have a carport and that is where I clean when it is warm. But I do use a self serve car wash when it is cold! Thanks for your tip Chelsea for the tips! Especially the brush at the car wash! Will never use that again! 😮
Thanks Jim!
Thanks and glad it could help!
I have the gear to do a driveway wash in the summer, BUT what is the hazards of a Canadian winter without washing at all -versus- 2 or 3 touchless automatic, or contactless pay-n-spray.
Great video - thanks Chelsea and Pan! Question - wouldn't a one-bucket mitt wash after a second foam application be better to avoid micro-marring?
Yes but could require more time and money and with the amount of dirt we removed with the presoak a rinseless is faster and just as effective and safe
Thanks!
Because i had a tramatic experiance at a car wash, i just use the pay and spray to get the salt and sand off with a rinse, then i drive home and do my rinseless wash with my bucket of Absolute, a chenille mitt, and my Ik. multipro and finish my wash in my driveway dry with my liqu8dr and beadmaker and i'm done.
Sounds like a great method!
@@attention2detailswchelseaMy pay and spray doesn't allow anyone to bring buckets etc, so that is why i do it that way, but it works well, great video!
Hi Pan. Any tips/videos on a compact travel kit? Her kit is more comprehensive than what I would throw in a trunk or in a duffle bag. A kit that can be supplemented by a self serve car wash? Maybe one just power rinses their vehicle and then pull out for a no-rinse clean/detail. Or even possibly stand alone kit (a-la no rinse car wash)
Maybe something like:
Spray on car wash (maybe Griots)
Interior cleaner
Tire detailer and applicator
Glass cleaner
Bug cleaner
And various microfibers and a couple of brushes.
Thanks.
Thanks for the video, i learned some things !
BUT i don't really understand why you would want to go to a car wash to do a rinceless wash method... I mean... if you go to a car wash, it would be easier and faster to use a dedicated shampoo, like meguiars car wash for example, you just have to put it directly on a microfibre mitt , you do the whole car, then you rince. It's wayyy eaasier imo. Instead of preparing of bucket with rinceless diluted product. No?
don't get me wrong, i LOVE rinceless method and i also use it a lot, but not at a car wash.
There are many ways to get to the same end result. Do what feels right for you. 👍🏻
I was actually done faster than my UPS driver who did it that way but it’s really up to you
@@attention2detailswchelsea thanks both of you ❤️
Chelsea is a very good detailer
She sure is!
@@PanTheOrganizer She always answers my questions when I’m in a tight spot even though I have been detailing for 28 years now
What i do is in the Super COLD days of winter. I go to a All Water wash and pick the basic wash. Reason being is it has the undercar wash so i can get that Nasty Salt off. And the doors close so u inside. Then i come home and do a waterless spray wash. But at the DIY when its warmer. I just wash the brushes off real good for my tires and lower panels. I Never use the brush above the mid point on my car. I apply ceramic coating every season change. So, its right b4 winter and b4 summer. Since 95% of the time its jus me in my car my interior stays factory fresh all the time...
I own commercial car washes and yes what we call "bucket washing" is frowned upon. Let me give you a similar situation: Imagine going into a restaurant with only six tables at lunchtime, ordering a soda, and then leisurely eating your lunch out of a bag that you brought from home. Meanwhile other customers who actually intended to buy a lunch walk in, and since all six tables are full they leave and go elsewhere to eat. Most people wouldn't consider this acceptable but for some reason it's considered OK to essentially do this at a commercial car wash. These facilities can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions to build. Expenses at mine are huge, including utility bills in the thousands of dollars every month. It's nothing personal, we're trying to make a living and people occupying the bays without the meter running can cost us a lot of lost revenue from others that don't mind paying for the service.
I have on order a new Qashqai that i plan to wash on my own due to bad experience with previous cars, well this video arrived just in time for me, well organized!
Thanks!
@@attention2detailswchelsea The tire dressing was the cherry on the top, I swear I was watching it and was asking myself would she skip the tires but well I was wrong!
@@_petar it’s always my last step
For a 10 year old car that looks great! You can tell it’s well taken care of! What a beautiful red color!
Thanks for watching. How did you discover my channel by the way?
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 995,000 subscribers and we have over 135 million views! I have been detailing for 27 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
Great video Chelsea. I enjoyed the way you presented the information.
Thanks!
She did a superb job
Thanks Pan. Shout out to Chelsea. She has as great channel. Enjoy your Sunday my friend.
Thanks Jim! Enjoy your Sunday too! :)
👍🏻
those are a lot of supplies. how does one use all of them and get a good clean wash in a short amount of time when here may be several people behind you wanting to wash their cars too. Isn't there a time limit to use those bays?
Great video and good information and ideas . I just want to tell my experience. I took my car to one of these car washes and took a bucket and wash MIT and etc . The owner was there doing maintenance and when he saw me with bucket and MIT he told me i had to leave . I guess doing it the way i was does not use enough of the car wash chemicals . He took me to the other side of the building where he had a sign that said no hand washing .
Thanks for sharing
No surprise with all the comments about no buckets allowed at these facilities. Still if you don't go on a weekend and go early or late in the day you could do it. She obviously did without getting into trouble. Spent some coin and was in and out as quickly as the process allowed. The wheels took up the most time. Finished in the parking lot. Nice job!
Thank you!
@@attention2detailswchelsea You're welcome! I was a bit surprised Ceramic Gloss would work so well at those temps. Keep up the great work!
I took a long road trip and got the touchless car washes a few times in 1 month. On my 2022 Jeep I noticed it was almost melting some rubber parts. Now I know the spots of my Jeep that I need to make sure I completely dry after a touchless car wash.
That’s a lot of stuff to carry, I like the sponge you used to get the light film off, I’m using a spray bottle with water and a thick towel to wipe off the film. It’s color coded so I’ll use one side to wipe & the other to dry. I’m using the touch less wash only, I’m also reapplying my ceramic sealant every 3rd wash to keep up my protection. Once I move to a house, I’ll be better equipped to care for my car. I’m always learning from both you guys. Thanks for the advice. 👍🏾
Have a good weekend Justin!
I was LITERALLY just searching for a video on this from your channel!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Glad it could help!
My house has a heated garage with drains, i can't bring myself to go though the tunnel wash.😅 bringing your own products however a good idea. Great video pan & Chelsea. 🇨🇦
Thanks!
Thanks!
@PanTheOrganizer I know you are about the scientific process as much as I am. I'd be curious if you did some sort of scientific methodology to prove your point of "touchless automatic" washes being bad Are they really as bad as you say they are? It's not that I don't believe you, but you usually provide more scientific evidence. It would be really cool to see things like the PH of soaps they use versus some of the pre-washes we use. Also, the dwell time is much shorter than the prewashes. How many touchless washes does it take for you to really see degradation of plastics, ceramics etc.? Some of this technology is so new I'm surprised how the community knows so much about the long-term effects. As always. I'm a big fan and look forward to great content.
You’ll soon see a video on my channel about inappropriate soaps, following discussions I had with industry chemists. I can’t say more, but stay tuned.
What's the typical pH of soap at a self-serve wand wash?
Typically 12-13
@@attention2detailswchelsea 12-13? Is that before it gets watered down or after?
@@TheBreakfastLover more than likely before
That's correct. And even when diluted the pH doesn't drop dramatically. It won't go from pH 13 to pH neutral that's for sure.
Also, pH is just one part of the equation. The rest of the chemical makeup of a formula is perhaps even more important. Are you using caustics? Are you using active ingredients of low quality?
You can see a leading chemist's answer to "What makes a good quality car soap?" in an interview I made here: ruclips.net/video/Uv2LWtYBxe0/видео.htmlsi=YPycIChUx7kHhCo8&t=995
Hello Pan! I'm from the north-west of Russia, and washed my car like You show in this video just one day erlier 😁. For the prewash I use emulsion of Foam Heroes Citrus Buddy shampoo with D-limonene 1:40 dilution ration. For the second phase - P&S Absolute 1:256, and Labocosmetica Perfecta sio2 as a drying aid. Thank you for your videos. I wish you can try the products of Foam Heroes. They smell great and work delicately.
Thanks! How did you discover my channel by the way?
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
@@PanTheOrganizer I started getting into detailing a couple of years ago. At first I watched channels from Russia, and then it became interesting to see how cars are cared for in harsh conditions in the northern USA and Canada. I follow your videos and rad Garage.
Awesome!
Nice and really usefully. Unfortunately where i'm from, you will get kicked out of the self service car wash almost immediately, if you try to do that.
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 1 million subscribers and we have over 135 million views! I have been detailing for 27 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
@@PanTheOrganizer are you a bot? lol
Thanks Pam for featuring another great detailer in your vids. Great to see the community share. Added A2D w/Chelsea to my subscriptions
Thanks! Keep in mind my name is Pan. Not Pam haha.
I apologize sir
would it be frowned upon if I go to one of these places and bring my new EGO 765cfm blower with the EGO factory short tube attachment? I love this little monster because it's as powerful as a tornado. :) (EGO needs to pay Pan a commission because I bought it based on his advice.... decided to skip the Metrovac blower) 👍
Hehe yeah I love my EGO blower too!
I was wondering what your thoughts are on Icon Rocklear? They say it's better than ceramic and all that. It's something I'm considering because I have a new car and it has to stay outside all year in Michigan. Is it too good to be true or is it something you recommend? It's a lot of money for me and I don't wanna make a bad decision. Thanks Pan, love your channel!
I never tested their products. All my top recommendations are in my popular car detailing products awards here: ruclips.net/video/KRv7vKsuliQ/видео.htmlsi=xX7XNsDfn0Qr-TeQ
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on RUclips as we surpassed 980,000 subscribers and we have over 132 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.