4Runner168
New member
I need to wash my 4Runner but I am debating if I should go to a car wash and risk the chance of having hairlines on the paint or just roll-up my sleeves and do it myself at home with a sponge and bucket? 
What's the best way to wash the 4Runner?
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RamThis
New member
Never go to a car wash with brushes. They will destroy your finish in no time, plus they dont even clean your car anyway.
Touchless car washes wont damage your finish, but they dont get the car clean for shit either. Gets the loose stuff, but the road film will never just "blast" off.
The only way to TRULY get the car clean, is some car wash soap, alot of water, and I like to use an old dish towel, the soft terry towels.
Be sure to give the car a good long rinse before you start to wash. Blast it off good with the hose, all up in the wheel wells, along the lower rocker panels, the dusty back hatch, just rinse rinse rinse, to remove all the large dirt particles that could scratch your paint. Then, make sure you keep it wet as you wash one panel at a time, dipping and wringing the rag in the soapy water to dislodge any dirt, and clean the next panel, repeat, and rinse as you go. Do the body and windows first, then do the rims, and lastly do the wheel wells and frame/ suspension that's visible. This order is critical so your cleaning towel does not become loaded with dirt before you clean any painted surfaces.
Then, I like to use the two towel dry method. I just use a couple old bath towels, the terry type again. One is your damp towel, one is your final dry towel. wipe the heavy beaded water away with your damp towel, then quickly wipe and polish off the water haze left until it's perfectly dry, a panel at a time. This stops water spots, even in hard water. If it's hot outside, you may need to keep wetting down/ rinsing the car ahead of what you're drying so the water does not evaporate before you can remove it and leave water spots. (I used to maintain a BLACK truck on country WELL WATER, and it never had a water spot, so I KNOW this works, it's just pretty physical because you have to move fast to get the water off the body and glass before it evaporates, unless it's cool enough outside that it's not drying off really fast. This is mainly why you want to wash your car early in the morning, or late in the evening. )
Touchless car washes wont damage your finish, but they dont get the car clean for shit either. Gets the loose stuff, but the road film will never just "blast" off.
The only way to TRULY get the car clean, is some car wash soap, alot of water, and I like to use an old dish towel, the soft terry towels.
Be sure to give the car a good long rinse before you start to wash. Blast it off good with the hose, all up in the wheel wells, along the lower rocker panels, the dusty back hatch, just rinse rinse rinse, to remove all the large dirt particles that could scratch your paint. Then, make sure you keep it wet as you wash one panel at a time, dipping and wringing the rag in the soapy water to dislodge any dirt, and clean the next panel, repeat, and rinse as you go. Do the body and windows first, then do the rims, and lastly do the wheel wells and frame/ suspension that's visible. This order is critical so your cleaning towel does not become loaded with dirt before you clean any painted surfaces.
Then, I like to use the two towel dry method. I just use a couple old bath towels, the terry type again. One is your damp towel, one is your final dry towel. wipe the heavy beaded water away with your damp towel, then quickly wipe and polish off the water haze left until it's perfectly dry, a panel at a time. This stops water spots, even in hard water. If it's hot outside, you may need to keep wetting down/ rinsing the car ahead of what you're drying so the water does not evaporate before you can remove it and leave water spots. (I used to maintain a BLACK truck on country WELL WATER, and it never had a water spot, so I KNOW this works, it's just pretty physical because you have to move fast to get the water off the body and glass before it evaporates, unless it's cool enough outside that it's not drying off really fast. This is mainly why you want to wash your car early in the morning, or late in the evening. )
Jeff Kleb
New member
Car Washing
I am lucky enough to have a decent 'automatic' car wash nearby. Their basic wash is $3, the deluxe is $7 and the top-dog wash is ten bucks. I always just get the basic, since I don't need Rain-X or wheel brightener.
They don't have any brushes, but use felt "curtains" that do a fairly decent job without harming the paint. They have a warm air dryer at the end and a vacuum hose for the interior.
After I leave, I drive about four or five miles -- just to get enough extra "wind drying" action so that I don't end up with any water spots. Upon arriving home, I'll shine the tires and clean the brake dust from my wheels. If the interior is getting a bit nasty, I'll wipe down the dashboard with some Armor-All and break out some newspaper & Windex for the inside of the window glass.
Of course, there is nothing like a good hand wash in my own driveway, but who has the time? Besides, some people live in apartments or may not have place to wash cars.
Those brush-type car washes are better than they used to be, but there's always the chance you will end up getting there after some nimrod used that same brush to de-grease his engine block.
I am lucky enough to have a decent 'automatic' car wash nearby. Their basic wash is $3, the deluxe is $7 and the top-dog wash is ten bucks. I always just get the basic, since I don't need Rain-X or wheel brightener.
They don't have any brushes, but use felt "curtains" that do a fairly decent job without harming the paint. They have a warm air dryer at the end and a vacuum hose for the interior.
After I leave, I drive about four or five miles -- just to get enough extra "wind drying" action so that I don't end up with any water spots. Upon arriving home, I'll shine the tires and clean the brake dust from my wheels. If the interior is getting a bit nasty, I'll wipe down the dashboard with some Armor-All and break out some newspaper & Windex for the inside of the window glass.
Of course, there is nothing like a good hand wash in my own driveway, but who has the time? Besides, some people live in apartments or may not have place to wash cars.
Those brush-type car washes are better than they used to be, but there's always the chance you will end up getting there after some nimrod used that same brush to de-grease his engine block.
If u are going to take ur Runner to a carwash, make sure it is a soft cloth wash. Stay away from washes using nylon brushes. Touch free washes are also worthless. Dont even waste ur money on those. They use more chemicals on ur car in place of the cloth. I used to work at a carwash for 8 yrs.
4Runner168
New member
SERNNR said:
I used the soft cloth wash in my previous vehicle and never had any issues with it, then again back then when I got my Maxima it already had hairlines from the dealership using a brush to clean the snow off it when it was sitting on their lot so I guess I never thought too much about it.
Guess I'll start off with a hand wash for now.....
lawwailok
New member
i used to wash my cars every other week myself. waxed, rainXed, interior protection. and i clayed my cars every 5 months too. but since my store opened, i have to stuck here 13 hrs a day at least, getting too lazy and no time to wash my cars, i just go to car wash from Shell or pay someone else to wash it.
We have an entire forum dedicated to detailing. Check it out. Here's the sticky: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=17134Runner168 said:I need to wash my 4Runner but I am debating if I should go to a car wash and risk the chance of having hairlines on the paint or just roll-up my sleeves and do it myself at home with a sponge and bucket?
Thread moved to Detailing forum where it better fits.
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