I must say it's been some time since I've HAD to wash a car. With two company cars and a '94 Honda wagon (traded in on the Tahoe), I haven't had a sponge in my hand in years. I was just curious how you guys and girls bathe your Tahoe. Are there any special soaps/sponges I should pick up? I just used the last of some ArmorAll brand soap I had lying around and I'm not sure about the old standby dish soap. Tires and rims are another issue as I've seen the loads of products on store shelves. As far as wax, I know a lot of Vette owners swear by Zaino. Whatever the dealership used to prep my Tahoe is the bomb. I've had the car since October and after a quick bath, it shines like a new penny. Anyway, thought I'd toss it up for discussion (I did search some old threads).

Hatchet

 

Im sure there is a better way but i just use the drive through touchless. Mainly cause the local detail shops dont care if they leave swirl marks or not.

 

I hear ya'...there are plenty of those here in South Florida. Not sure if I'm brave enough yet to even go through one of those!

 

I'm sure you'll get tons of advice but first --Don't use dish soap! It totally removes your wax and is hard on stuff. Get a soap designed to wash cars. I use Meguiars gold class soap and works well and doesn't cost much, I would recommend a wool wash mitt or sponge. They are soft and thick enough to keep dirt away from paint. Wash your rims with the same stuff. I have one bucket and my last wash mitt for the dirty stuff then my newest mitt and another bucket for the paint. Wash the lower panels if it's real dirty first with the old bucket stuff. Then your rims etc.--Then start the body from top to bottom with the new bucket stuff. Stop and rinse each section before you move on.

There is alot more but you get the idea. One good piece of advice is for the final rinse.....remove your nozzle and sheet water acrossyour vehicle from the top down. It will GREATLY reduce the number of water beads and make drying much easier.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll pick some of this stuff up!

You know what's funny is that growing up, I used to laugh at my dad for the time he spent washing our family cars...a '78 Datsun 280Z, Levi's Jeep Renegade w/bikini top, 1985 Nissan 300ZX and others over the years. I used to think, man what a waste of time. Car washing supplies were always a staple for Christmas and birthday presents...one step up from some ugly tie...or so I thought. But, now I know different. Nothing like a little pride in ownership!

 

I hand wash, but use the touchless car washes in between. The touchless washes in my area really dont get the dirt film off, but is OK if a bird crapped on your truck and you dont have time to wash the truck by hand.

 

From what I have heard Zaino is definately the top of the line car care product. I have never heard one user complain about it. It is a little bit more expensive, but it really gets the job done. Like I said, never heard anything but AMAZING results coming from this stuff.

 

I have had good results with the Meguiars products. The only automaitc car wash place I go is the one's with only high pressure soap/water. Anything that touches your car will leave scratches, even the so called "brushless" car washes. Learned that in my highschool days when I worked at a car wash.

Since the Tahoe is so large, I like using the handled mop or brush. Check them out here.....
http://www.meguiars.com/estore/produ...ectionID=22101

 

I'm using the meguiars nxt wash now. I like it alot. You should use a wool mitt like tahoe07 stated. Also the 2 bucket method is good. If just using one, get a grit guard for your bucket (cut out milk crate) so the mitt doesn't pick up the dirt on the bottom. When done washing, waffle weave microfiber are the newest and best drying towels. They can be had pretty cheap and work just as good as the absorber, but with less scratching.[/align][/align]I'm big into Poorboy's stuff (www.poorboysworld.com). I've had good results on my trucks with their products. I just ordered some stuff for the new tahoe. Here's my plan:[/align][/align]Wash[/align]Clay Bar[/align]SSR2.5 (Black tahoe with good bit of swirls from dealer)[/align]SSR1[/align]EX (Three layers)[/align]Natty's Wax (Prob 3 layers)[/align]Wheel Sealant (3 layers)[/align][/align]Should make it through the winter if it ever snows around here.[/align]

 

This is great stuff!

I'm putting a shopping list together. It's bath time tomorrow before football!!