Car owners can't remove grime from vehicle surfaces
14 posts across 2 communities in the last 30 days; 93% from r/AutoDetailing.
“Hose down the car. Wash from the top. Hose down a lot. Get the wiping tool in the windows. Pass a fast microfiber towel on the whole car and I generally have zero eater spots. [re: Why does it take me so long to wash my stupid car? :-)]”
“That is the problem there. All it takes is ONE missed rinse. You need to rinse it off, otherwise the grit is still there, and rubbing it into the surface. Either BH Touchless or foaming the car (e.g. foam-rinse-foam) before contact wash, you want to rinse it. Unless your car is…”
“I have a 2022 red VW SUV, low mileage, in excellent condition. Recently moved and there are tall trees everywhere which I didn’t realize was a huge problem until the small and large sticky drops started. It’s been late spring until now and it’s driving me nuts. My car looks like…”
Multiple car owners are struggling to remove persistent grime and spots from their vehicles, despite using various detailing products and techniques. The issues range from aphid honeydew to water spots and coating residue, and owners are seeking advice on effective cleaning methods.
SOURCES (14)
“Hose down the car. Wash from the top. Hose down a lot. Get the wiping tool in the windows. Pass a fast microfiber towel on the whole car and I generally have zero eater spots. [re: Why does it take me so long to wash…”
“have a 2026 Honda Accord and black rims. Always have water spots. How can I make them clean? What product is that? Thank you [re: First time ever using a tire dressing (CarPro Perl). Loved it!]”
“My car is constantly getting covered in stains from leaves and tree pollen. I finally found an APC that seems to help loosen them, but still requires a lot of elbow grease, which is too time-consuming and probably not good for the paint. I currently only have a garden hose, but was wondering if using a pressure washer would help get rid of the stains without so much scrubbing by hand. submitted by /u/ThighOfTheTiger [link] [comments]”
“That’s true. The main reason I use the APC is because some leaf or pollen stains develop on my car over the course of a week. Besides that, it’s not too dirty. [re: Do I need to rinse off ADS clean APC before doing a rinse wash?]”
“That is the problem there. All it takes is ONE missed rinse. You need to rinse it off, otherwise the grit is still there, and rubbing it into the surface. Either BH Touchless or foaming the car (e.g. foam-rinse-foam) before contact wash, you want to rinse it. Unless your car is super dirty, covered in dirt, the pre-wash, WITH RINSE, should get most of the physical dirt/sand/grit off. The contact wash is to then deal with the remaining haze, road film, etc. Optional, but have a look at one of tho”
“I have used Adam's clay mitt with either clay lube spray or car wash soap suds and have seen contaminated vehicles much improved without any noticeable marring. [re: Polishing necessary?]”
“Any advice would be greatly appreciated thank you. Neighbours had builders few weeks in summer whilst I'm stayin with family (UK). Their building work dust had covered neighbouring cars. Including my (3 months old) metallic silver car. ! Summer was quite hot & i been busy helping a family member with a garden project in garden. I DIY BASIC DETAILING MY CAR EVERY COUPLE WEEKS; Usually i DIY, wash clean car with love & care. Citrus pre, Alloys iron fall out wheel removers ,washing, Bil”
“I'll finish washing the car,dry everything off, pack my stuff away... then drive down the street & get out to find dirty water running down the doors from both side mirrors. Every single wash. Going over the bottom of the housing with a plush microfiber doesn't catch the water trapped behind the glass. I know the standard answer is a leaf blower, but I live in an apartment and I don't have the storage space or garage outlets for a massive 600-CFM Ego blower just for two mirrors.”
“89 Mercedes that sat under a tree for a wet season. Using Purple Power on a small test spot takes off all that grime and algae off - basic auto soap doesn't. What should I use for the whole car?? Pic here the car is wet obviously submitted by /u/Artistic-Republic844 [link] [comments]”
“I have a 2022 red VW SUV, low mileage, in excellent condition. Recently moved and there are tall trees everywhere which I didn’t realize was a huge problem until the small and large sticky drops started. It’s been late spring until now and it’s driving me nuts. My car looks like shit. Yesterday I found the back half of a bee that got stuck. The trees aren’t on my property so I can’t cut them, it’s an apartment so I can’t readily install a solid carport (in RI). There are ladybugs everywhere but”
“Hi everyone. I think this post is allowed, I've tried to get some advice from AI/detailing yt but I'm still not sure what the best way forward is. tl;dr I keep a Miata in central London on a street with a lot of Plane trees. I do my best to not park underneath them but nevertheless I am struggling to clean these grey-brown spots which I guess are aphid honeydew and have proliferated in the last 2 months. I did an ironx decon when I got the car which did a great job on the black spots (br”
“Have a black gloss car. I typically just foam cannon, scrub it with a scrubbing microfiber lance that also allows the power washer to funnel water through it. then I power wash everything off and dry it with a towel. Car gets dirty often since I have a gravel driveway and pass through dusty construction area often. The problem I mostly have is just getting water spots after since I do half ass the drying because towel either gets too soaked and starts streaking, or the sun comes out and I just w”
“Im gonna be applying my first ceramic coating to a windshield. Im using the griots one. Now ik i need to have the windshield super clean, and people recommended i buy a glass stripper on top of glass cleaner. But if I have a clay bar kit, can I use that as a final decon step instead of the glass stripper? Or theyre 2 different things? submitted by /u/boiyo12 [link] [comments]”
“I recently bought a second hand car (honda jazz/fit). It has this coating done on the dashboard, which i think has broken up due to heat exposure. I tried removing it with a credit card scratching, isopropyl alcohol + rubbing it with hard woven and microfiber clothes. While I was able to remove the loose corners, I am not able to remove it fully. I am looking for an advice for removing it. Pictures attached. 3rd image is how it was before my efforts. submitted by /u/bigbang_om [link]”