One option that hasn't been suggested yet. I use this one on several occations. Mine isn't black but it's close and definitely know the TX heat. In that head with our hard water I still have to hurry.

I do one section at a time. Takes a good deal more time but it does work. I will wash/rinse/dry the top of the cab, then hood, then one side to the bed, then other side to the bed, then one bedside and insde bed/toolbox, then the other bedside and rear, then finally the front.

 

Thanks again for the help. It appears I'm just going to have to prioritize my time and get it done right before the sun goes down. If nothing else, it'll give me a reason to make sure I leave the office at a reasonable time.

 

Much as I hate to say it, you may want to do it after dark at an open self-serve joint. Another alternative is after dark in your driveway with some halogen lights.

 

glc, after dark with lights is a good idea, but I've found in the past that when I do anything out of natural sunlight (even in darker areas of the garage with the door open during the day) I don't see the finish on my truck as well. In the past it's resulted in pulling my truck out only to find terrible swirls I couldn't see in the dark. Then again, I guess washing is innocent enough and can't really cause any damage. In the past, I've mainly had problems while cleaning/polishing something. Anyone have any similar experiences in the dark?

 

Wash and dry it at night, then hit it with QD when you can see.

 

I always get up very ealry in the morning to wash my black truck. I lived on the gulf coast prior to moving to Hawaii so I know about the heat down there and it gets very hot, very fast in the summer months.

Someone mentioned the Mr. Clean water filter already, but I highly recommend it. I use it all the time and think it's great! It does a great job on my truck and I hardly ever end up with water spots after washing my truck.

 

Hey I second the Mr. Clean I had a black mustang and the filter works great on the hard water...always worth a shot...

 

Again, thanks for all the tips. They've answered most of my concerns - namely how to prevent waterspots as much as possible and whether or not using a QD to try and remove them afterwards was stretching the use of the QD beyond what it was intended for and possibly hurting my paint by pressing too hard. I think I'm going to start washing at night as many have suggested (and follow with some lighting if needed) and plan on a QD in the morning. This also works well for full detail weekends as I can get the wash out of the way before Saturday morning and get straight to work on the more time consuming tasks.

I do have a small question on the Mr Clean filter. I went to their website and looked around and it appears that they're product aims to provide a full cleaning process. I still very much like the two-bucket method and Megs Gold Class Suds, are you guys using the entire process or is there a setting on the hose attachment that simply filters the water? IF you are using the entire process, have you had good results? Does it compare to the two-bucket method?

If time works out for me, I'll get my first "DUSK" wash in this evening and start the week with a shiny, spot-free ride.

 

thats the best time to wash your ride. its the only time i wash mine

 

I use mine like the 2 bucket method. I use the Mr. Clean to rinse off the truck and apply the soap, but I also have a bucket of clean water with a grit guard in it to rince out the mitt. I wash a section (1 body panel) at a time and then rinse the mitt in the clean water. There are actually 3 settings on the Mr. Clean attachment. 1 to rinse the vehicle, 1 to apply soap and 1 for spot free rinse. You can tell I use the Mr. Clean system the entire process while also employing the 2 bucket technique and I'm happy with the reults it produces.

I'll be posting up some pics later today of my truck. Washed it yesterday using my method and will be finishing up the detail job today.

 

Im glad it works for someone WX. I bought my dad an Autodry for fathers day a few years back and I don't think its worth a crap. But to each their own I presume. I usually wash my truck at night and then pull into the garage and finish her up

 

I use to use it but I still would dry it. So that way if the moldings or mirrors dripped it'd save it from spotting. It worked pretty well. Not drying it at all and only using the Mr. Clean Autodry would still leave some spots, granted they weren't that big or bad, they were spots none the less.

 

I guess you could use it then let it dry and qd it to get the spots out

 

I have the same problem doing my black truck, I just wash it once it has cooled off for the day, I don't think that there are too many options.

 

Probably but there are much better ways to go about it.