I wash my car about once a week, and ill tell you how i do it so you can help me. First i spray it down w/ water then i wash half the car w/ dishsoap, and then rinse that. then i wash the other half and rinse that. Then i wait maybe 5 minutes for all the water to settle down, then i towel dry. HERE is my problem: when i try to dry it, it leaves all these streaks after its dry. I dry so hard to get them to go away, but they wont. Theyre not really sunspots, they only show if the suns shining on it like a glare. I just wanna know how to make it more shiny, and not so dull after i wash it? Should i not use dishsoap, is it bad to use dishsoap? Any tips would be appreciated.

 

Dish soap is the reason. Well, part of the reason. It takes off any wax or protectant on the paint, and thus takes away any shine...you might want to pick up a soap made for cars. I'm sure Prinz will chime in with the perfect solution, but this is a start.

 

I also use warm water to put the soap in, and i see ppl saying use cold? is this another reason?

 

Mistake #1: You can use dish soap every once in a while to remove old layers of wax, but to wash your car every time with it is not a good idea. As previously stated, the waxes and oils are stripped from the paint much like the natural oils are stripped from your skin after going swimming in a pool with chlorine. Also, you are running the risk of damaging the trim.

Mistake #2: I don't let water settle on my car after the final rinse. After the last bit of soap is rinsed off, I go at it with my water blade and then follow up with the chamois (soon to replaced with MF waffle weaves). Sometimes, I just start claying. The point is you don't want water spots to form on your finish. Water spots can be a pain in the keester to remove (especially if you are in an area with hard water).

Mistake #3: Terry towels can be quite harsh on a paint finish. Some towels are known to leave swirling because of either the material, stitching on the ends, or the tags.

What I recommend is the following:

a) Get a dedicated car wash soap for regular washing (e.g. Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo)

b) Change your drying medium to something that is not harsh on the finish like a Chamois, absorber, Water Bandit, or Waffle Weave Microfiber. After the final rinse, don't wait to start drying.

c) You are definitely going to need a polish to remove some of the swirl marks from the towels as well as restore the lustre in the paint. I also advise you to consider claying the finish to get rid of the contamination. As for polishes, I'd definitely recommend Meguiar's Dual Action Cleaner Polish for this situation.

 

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What did I say? : )