How Many Times is a Vehicle Washed?

Who in their right mind writes an article on washing vehicles? Well, let's look at a typical vehicle repair and list the amount of times the vehicle is — or should be — washed, and why this number is necessary.

A motor vehicle is most likely the second most expensive purchase you will make. This is likely true of your customers as well. Many people consider their vehicles an extension of themselves. They wash, wax and dress the tires routinely, often at an automated car wash. Over the past few years, "Hand Car Washes" have opened up, offering hand washes with no brushes, mops or other automated machine cleaning your vehicle. Hand car washes offer fewer chances of scratches and vehicle damage versus an automated one, due to the automated track rolling system most employ. Hand car wash facilities usually utilize a rolling floor that moves a parked vehicle along as four to six washers on both sides of the vehicle hose, soap, scrub and wipe the vehicle clean. Then, foam wax, Rain-X and other surface protections are applied through a shower system. The vehicle is then driven outside, and two to three detailers blow-dry, vacuum, clean the glass and tire-dress the vehicle. This process can take 20 to 30 minutes and produces a great-looking vehicle. When such a vehicle gets in a collision, the tire dressing and waxes can cause problems later on during the repair process. Fisheyes, adhesion problems, dirt and other issues can arise. Let's take a look at procedures that will prevent these problems from ever occurring in your shop, using the following scenario:

A vehicle is involved in a frontal collision and is taken to your shop. The vehicle is in very good condition; other than the damage, the vehicle is clean. At the same time, another vehicle is also dropped off at your shop with side damage. But this vehicle was hit while parked, and there are some bird droppings and leaves on the vehicle. Both vehicles need to be inspected and a complete damage report written; they both need attention before the damage repair begins. Here's a procedure to consider and the reasons why you should adopt these protocols:

First wash and degrease: This will be performed before the vehicle is disassembled or repairs begin. The repair shop area is supposed to be a clean area void of dirt, tar, grease, leaves and pollutants (e.g. Armor All/tire dressing, wax, etc.). So this wash will ensure removal of any foreign particles. This wash will also ensure an easier prep-wash prior to refinishing. If the vehicle's battery has sustained damage (and after identifying the type of battery and appropriate neutralizer), you will need to neutralize acid residues leaked from the battery or accumulated over time. Generally, the damage analysis and mapping will be performed, and then a spray mask will be applied to the non-repaired areas.

Second wash: This will be performed after all the body/cosmetic repairs are complete. There will be shop dust on the vehicle. Prior to priming the repaired areas, the technician will need to sponge or towel off the vehicle to ensure there will be no foreign particles introduced into the booth or the primed area.

Third wash: This will be performed prior to refinishing, generally called "Prep for Booth" or "Prep for Refinishing." After the technician has block sanded all the repaired primed areas, he/she will need to sand the remaining areas of the panel in preparation for refinishing. Here is a "Hot Tip:" Use a hose or squirt bottle — never a bucket. Wash buckets have a tendency to accumulate sludge and debris at the bottom, and technicians have a bad habit of not washing the bucket prior to refilling with fresh water. Another issue that arises is that you are sanding with dirty water from the bucket; a hose or squirt bottle will prevent these issues. This wash is intended to remove any dirt or debris accumulated in the repair area to ensure those particles will not become airborne inside the spraybooth and cause paint defects.

Fourth wash: Well, this is not as much a wash as it is a wipe down. After the vehicle has cooled down and checked for any imperfections, it will be removed from the booth. After removal from the booth, all the masking paper and tape need to be removed. This step causes small particles of paint to fly off the masking tape and, in some cases, stick to the freshly-painted areas. These small particles could bond with the freshly-painted areas and could be difficult to remove later. To prevent this issue, you will need to blow the vehicle off with compressed air and wipe down the panels with a tack rag.

Fifth wash: The vehicle will be partially reassembled, and then will go to a detailing/buffing technician. The technician will de-nib and sand any light dirt or debris in the finish. Wipe the area with a damp towel and then buff the refinished and adjacent panels to even out the shine and sheen of the panels. Buffing causes dust and compound residue to form and collect on the vehicle, especially in the crevices, and as we all know this can be difficult to remove once it is dry. So the recommendation is to wash the vehicle as soon as the buffing compound procedure is complete (prior to machine glazing).

Sixth wash: After glazing, you will need to completely wash and blow-dry the vehicle. Now, the vehicle is ready for a complete reassembly.

Seventh wash: After the vehicle has been completely reassembled, wheel aligned (if necessary) and test driven, you will need to do a final wash, vacuum, detail, hand glaze and, of course, tire-dress. Now, the vehicle is back to pre-loss condition and appearance, and is ready for delivery.

Many of you might not realize how many times you are actually washing the vehicle. But if you sit back and observe the vehicles in your shop and compare the above list, you may realize that you are actually washing the vehicle four to seven times. The most important and the most overlooked wash is the pre-repair wash. This will ensure that you are starting with a so-called "clean canvas" to create your work of art. Who would ever think that washing a vehicle is such an important part of collision repair?

Following the above steps will help your repair facility avoid contaminants that could affect and ruin the finish of a repaired vehicle and cause the very expensive and dreaded "re-do." As we all know, you were only paid once to do the job, and any re-dos are not only unacceptable, but also preventable if the proper SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) are followed and enforced.

Hopefully, this article has brought to your attention the importance of a clean vehicle, the processes required and, of course, charging for what needs to be done to restore the vehicle to pre-loss condition. Feel free to contact us at any time if you have any questions that we could help with.

Larry Montanez is a former I-CAR Instructor and is co-owner of P&L Consultants with Peter Pratti Jr. P&L Consultants work with collision repair shops on estimating, production and proper repair procedures. P&L conducts repair workshops on MIG & resistance welding, measuring for estimating and advanced estimating skills. P&L also conducts investigations for insurers and repair shops for improper repairs. P&L can be reached by contacting Larry at (718) 891-4018 or larrygoju@aol.com.

Jeff Lange, PE is president of Lange Technical Services, Ltd. of Deer Park, N.Y. (www.LangeTech.net). Jeff is a licensed New York State professional engineer who specializes in investigating vehicle and component failures. Lange Technical Services, Ltd. is an investigative engineering firm performing forensic vehicle examinations and analysis for accident reconstruction, products liability and insurance issues. Jeff can be reached at 631-667-6128 or by e-mail at Jeff.Lange@LangeTech.net.