The Auto Detailing Podcast May 27, 2026

9 Car Detailing Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Paint

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18:25

Term

pre rinsing

Pre-rinsing means spraying the car before you wash it. The host is saying that rinsing with water usually doesn’t get all the gritty dirt off, so that dirt can still get on your mitt and cause scratches. It’s better to use steps that actually loosen and lift grime, not just rinse it.

Term

wash mitt

A wash mitt is the soft glove you use to wash the car. If gritty dirt is still on the paint, it can get stuck in the mitt and then you spread it across the surface. Keeping the mitt cleaner (or reducing debris before contact) helps prevent scratches.

Term

foam

Foam refers to applying a foaming product (often via a foam cannon or sprayer) that spreads over the paint as a thick layer. The host describes foaming a dry car and then rinsing it off as a way to loosen and lift contaminants before you make more direct contact with the paint. That reduces the amount of debris that can be dragged around by the wash mitt, lowering scratch risk.

Concept

two bucket wash method

This is a car-washing method that uses two buckets. One bucket holds soap, and the other bucket is for rinsing your wash mitt so you don’t keep dragging dirt back onto the paint. The idea is to wash more safely to avoid scratches.

Concept

chemistry

Here, “chemistry” means the cleaning ingredients in your car soap and foam. Different products are designed to loosen different types of dirt. The host’s point is that your washing steps should match what those products can do, not just follow an old routine.

Term

pressure washers

A pressure washer is a machine that sprays water at high pressure. The host is saying some people rely on tools like this, but the right cleaning chemicals and steps matter too—because grit can still remain and cause scratches if you touch the paint afterward.

Term

pH neutral soap

pH neutral soap is a gentler cleaner that’s not too acidic or too harsh. That helps protect the wax or sealant on your car so you don’t clean the paint in a way that makes protection disappear faster.

Term

lubricious

Lubricious means the soap makes things slippery. In car washing, that slipperiness helps your mitt glide over the paint with less friction, which reduces the risk of scratches.

Concept

work my way backwards

This means you start by deciding what you want to achieve, then you figure out the steps to get there. In car washing, it’s like planning the process around the dirt-removal goal instead of just using whatever products you already have.

Term

two bucket method

The two-bucket method is a way to wash your car while trying not to drag grit back onto the paint. You use one bucket for soap and another to rinse your mitt so dirt doesn’t get back into the wash water.

Term

pre soak

Pre-soak means you spray cleaner on the car and let it sit for a bit. That gives the chemicals time to loosen dirt before you start scrubbing with a mitt.

Car

Toyota A90

The Toyota Supra is a sports car, usually a two-door coupe, built for fast driving. Because it has a smooth, glossy paint finish, dirt and grime can stick to it and make the surface look dull. That’s why people may pre-soak it with cleaner first, rinse, and then wash more carefully.

Term

contact wash

A contact wash is when you actually touch the paint with a mitt. The idea is to loosen and rinse off as much dirt as possible first, so the mitt doesn’t drag grit across the surface.

Term

direct Sun

Washing or waxing in direct sunlight can make products dry too fast on the paint. If the product isn’t made for hot conditions, it can leave streaks or stains.

Term

Carnuba days

They’re talking about older car waxes (carnauba) that used to dry and harden very quickly. In hot sun, that could make the wax harder to apply evenly and remove cleanly.

Term

streak

A “streak” is when the soap or wax dries unevenly and leaves visible lines on the paint. Heat can make that happen faster if the product isn’t designed for hot conditions.

Term

stain

A “stain” is a mark or discoloration left behind after a product dries. If the paint is too hot, some soaps/waxes can leave these spots instead of rinsing or buffing cleanly.

Term

traditional glass cleaners

Traditional glass cleaners are the usual spray-on products for windows. The host thinks they can leave extra stuff behind or make the process harder. They recommend trying DI or distilled water instead to see if it cleans better with fewer issues.

Term

distilled water

Distilled water is water that’s been purified by boiling and re-condensing it. It has fewer minerals that can cause ugly spots when water dries. The host suggests it as an alternative to glass cleaner if you’re struggling.

Term

blower

A blower is an air tool that blows water out of crevices and helps dry the car faster. Using it can reduce the chance of water spots because there’s less water left to dry on its own. The host recommends it to improve the drying step.

Term

compressed air

Compressed air is air blown out under pressure. Detailers use it to get water out of small gaps so they don’t have to wipe as much. The host brings it up as a way to improve drying.

Term

deionized water

Deionized water is water that’s been cleaned so it has fewer minerals. When you dry your car with it, it’s much less likely to leave ugly water spots on the paint.

Term

water spots

Water spots are the hard, dried marks that show up when water dries on a car. They can be annoying to get off and may require scrubbing or chemicals that aren’t great for your paint.

Term

wheel cleaner

Wheel cleaner is a special cleaner made to break down brake dust and grime on your rims. If it’s too mild it won’t clean well, and if it’s too harsh it can potentially harm the wheel’s finish.

Term

iron remover

Iron remover is a product that targets tiny iron particles, usually from brake dust. You don’t always need it—only when your paint or wheels have that kind of embedded contamination.

Term

all-purpose cleaner degreaser

An all-purpose degreaser is a general cleaner meant to remove oily dirt. The issue is that it’s not always the right choice for every surface—some wheel/paint finishes can be harmed if the product is too harsh.

Term

high pH heavy duty cleaner

“High pH” means the cleaner is very alkaline, so it cuts dirt and grease strongly. If it’s too strong for the job—or used at the wrong time—it can leave streaks and can wear down protective coatings on your car. That’s why people warn against using it as a pre-soak on hot panels.

Term

hot panel

A “hot panel” is a part of the car that’s warmed up by the sun or heat. When you apply cleaner to something that’s too hot, it can dry too quickly and leave streaks or residue. That’s why many detailing steps are best done in the shade.

Term

trim restore

Trim restore is meant to bring back the look of faded exterior plastic trim. If harsh cleaners dry out or degrade that plastic, it can look dull or uneven. A trim restore product is used to refresh that surface so it looks more like new.

Term

black restore

“Black restore” is about making faded black plastic trim look dark again. When chemicals dry out plastics, they can turn gray or patchy. A black restore product is used to re-darken and even out that appearance.

Term

APC's

APC’s are all-purpose cleaners. The host says they can be too strong for interior plastic parts, which can cause streaks and make the plastic dry out over time. Interior-specific cleaners are usually gentler and safer for those materials.

Term

interior complete cabin cleaner

An interior cabin cleaner is made specifically for cleaning the inside of the car. The host says it’s usually easier to dilute and safer for interior plastics than an all-purpose cleaner. That helps prevent streaks and keeps trim from drying out.

Term

dilute

To “dilute” means to mix the cleaner concentrate with water. The host’s point is that some interior cleaners are designed to be safely diluted, so you can use the right strength without being too harsh. That reduces the chance of streaks and drying out plastic.

Term

pre wash soap

Pre-wash soap is what you use before you start scrubbing the car. It helps loosen dirt so it comes off more easily and you’re less likely to scratch the paint while washing. This host recommends a gentler, near-neutral pH version to avoid streaks and damage.

Term

paint protection

Paint protection is a product layer you put on top of your car’s paint. It helps dirt wash off more easily and reduces the chance of damaging the paint during future washes.

Term

clear coat

Car paint usually has a top transparent layer called the clear coat. It’s the layer you see and it’s the one that gets scratched or damaged first, so protecting it helps your paint stay nicer longer.

Brand

Toughest Shell

Toughest Shell is a paint-protection spray the host recommends. They say you can use it while drying your car to help the towel glide and add protection at the same time.

Term

ceramic coating

A ceramic coating is a liquid polymer system that bonds to the paint surface to form a durable protective layer. It’s used to make dirt and grime release more easily and to reduce how often you need to aggressively wash or decontaminate.

Term

massive drying towel

A drying towel is the microfiber cloth you use to wipe water off the car. A bigger, softer microfiber towel helps you dry without rubbing as hard, which reduces the chance of scratching.

Term

drying aid

A drying aid is a spray you put on the paint while you dry it. It helps the towel slide more easily so you’re less likely to scratch the paint as you wipe off water.

Company

Jimbo's detailing line

Jimbo's detailing line is the host’s own set of detailing products. They’re meant to make it easier to choose what to use and avoid doing too many complicated steps.

LIVE

There are a lot of things that you could be doing or can be happening to ruin

your car's paint. A whole host of things and a lot of people obviously aren't

intentionally ruining their paint but a lot of people are actually ruining their

paint when they're washing their car and so washing is something that we do

obviously frequently and it's something it's a big part of the process where

actually a lot of scratches happen and so I thought I'd break down as I talked

to newer detailers and DIYers enthusiasts and people really coming into

the hobby of car cleaning I thought it would be helpful to make a list of I

think probably like the eight or nine most important things or eight or nine

things that happen especially during the wash process that is actually ruining

your paint over the long term so I'll get right into it so the first thing that

most people are doing wrong and it's so crazy and it kind of goes into the

theme that I'm actually really kind of figuring out and kind of hammering through

that you'll hear me talk about a lot more through a lot of my videos and the

the first thing is a way outdated method which is pre rinsing your car with the

steady stream of water this is honestly the most basic form of

what everyone does when they go to wash a car right it's it would be something

that no one would argue about of course you have a steady stream of water

whether it's a garden hose or a pressure washer new rinse all that debris and

contamination off your car before you hit it with your soap in a bucket right

however water doesn't really do anything I found this out through multiple tests

that I've run and I think we're actually changing the the way that we do wash

cars and people are really receptive to it because it actually works way better

and that is just to do a dry foam on your car or pre soak your car do not

pre rinse but rather pre soak or foam a dry car at least with me the foam with

the super soap or is very functional so a functional soap will actually do

something on the surface of the car it'll actually help you clean your car so

often we see people rinse with a steady stream of water and then maybe they go

to a two bucket method but what is actually happening is that there's

still so much dirt and debris left on the surface that even though you have

multiple buckets that you're trying to mitigate you know how much debris is on

your wash mitt as you go to wash your car you didn't actually remove that much

by pre rinsing it so if you just switch up your steps a little bit and you foam

a dry car you will and then you rinse the foam off you will and use a high

quality soap that's designed to do this you will eliminate a lot of that

scratching because you're eliminating a lot of that debris and again it kind of

goes into my second tip of like outdated wash method so the two bucket met the

two bucket wash method is not a bad method but it's not the safest option

not the safest or most efficient and what I've really that the the thought

that I've had recently is that because I'm like the chemical guy like I love

chemicals right now there's a lot of people on YouTube that love pressure

washers or hoses or tools or tricks or whatever and I love chemicals right and

so what I've realized though and what I've really started to kind of figure

out because I've worked for chemical manufacturers I've worked with blenders I

obviously have my own product line and what I've really figured out and started

to kind of hone in on is that car wash methods have been designed because of

the chemistry that's available so I think the two bucket wash method really was

born out of and so many methods are born out of the chemical chemistry

technology that we have at the time and so the two bucket wash method is was

designed that method was designed to try to eliminate or reduce the amount of

scratching that you have with your car the problem is is that it's just a pH

neutral soap so when you hear about people talk other brands talking about

their soap they talk about you know how lubricious it is or the lubricity of it

right that is how slick it is to rub your wash mitt across the surface of the car

the problem is is that you haven't removed enough debris yet you haven't

removed enough dirt yet so when I was developing a soap and kind of my method

for developing products is what am I trying to solve and then let's build a

product to do that not what products do I have available and then let's build a

process around what I have available I start with the end result in mind and

then work my way backwards which I think is a really big differentiator as I

try to actually make products that make a difference and so you know I don't use

the two bucket method I think the two bucket method is outdated what I would

rather do is let the chemistry let the chemicals do the work for me I want to

enjoy the hobby I don't want to you know I've done so many cars over the years

and it's it's so taxing and so time-consuming that I would like the

chemistry the liquids to do more work for me right and so I think that the two

bucket method is just that is the fact that it was a method born out of a kind

of old-school system old-school chemistry right but if we just switch up

instead of pre rinsing with a steady stream of water you just take your dry

car and you foam it or you you know whether you use a pump sprayer or however

you want to pre soak it and let the chemical do the work and then you rinse

that off and you have like a 90 to 95% clean surface and then you could foam

again and then go in with the contact wash if you want to do that that is

products built for on purpose built for a specific way to do things to make it

even better and I think if we're introducing new products to the market

we need to make them even better than what it the the current products are right

and that kind of goes into my next thing of like you know the internet always says

like don't want you still hear people you know never wash in direct Sun or how

are you waxing in direct Sun and I really think that the the problem is not that

you need to wash that you can't do things in direct Sun but you need to

actually have products that work in the Sun and again I think this old-school

mentality of like coming from the old Carnuba days the real old Carnuba days

where the wax would just dry so fast it would harden so much and you couldn't do

it out in the Sun because it would speed up that process even quicker but again

if we think about modern technology and modern chemistry and if you have a

brand that's interested in that like I am then it really becomes indifferent to

like in the Sun in the shade and then it just comes down about like are you

comfortable in the Sun that's it right and so the products my products at least

are intended to always work in the Sun I have a long long history of being a

mobile detailer where my only option was to be outside and so I specifically look

and want products that will and are designed to work just as well in direct

Sun as they are in the shade right and so we don't see that too often that is

still becoming that is still a rarity to see that I get questions asked all the

time you know the soap if I'm foaming a dry car do I can I do it when the

panels are hot now I do throw out a blanket statement because I think it's

obvious like if your panels are scorching hot maybe maybe a steady stream of

water to cool the surface down right and then go into your foam is smart but a

lot of other brands and a lot of other products the reason why you can't spray

it on a hot surface is because it will streak on the surface it will stain on

the surface but my products aren't designed like that they are designed to

not do that so you can foam a hot car why well because sometimes I don't have the

option if I'm a mobile detailer and I'm outside sometimes I don't have an option

to cool that panel down obviously I will still continue to say like ideally cool

the panel down but it doesn't have to be a cool down inside climate controlled

you know surface and I think that's so often what happens and used to drive me

nuts is like you have to have all these ideal circumstances for a product to work

ideally and the reality is is that those ideal circumstances only happen in a lab

and they don't happen in the real world right and so I had to adapt my product

brand I do had to adapt my chemistry my formulas to be different and to actually

work in those situations and so they do so though you know there's stuff that is like

common you know detailed knowledge but that is evolving as chemistry evolves

and as chemicals get better another big one is and I just did a full episode on this is

another thing that's kind of ruining your wash process maybe not ruining your paint but ruining

your wash process is using traditional glass cleaners right so again I think the best glass

cleaner is actually no glass cleaner I think too much of the formula gets in the way and so I

think glass cleaners are just another way for brands to you know it's another profit center

which I think is fine but honestly if you're struggling with glass cleaning switch to just

deionized water or switch to um distilled water only maybe literally only and

see if that works obviously if you have heavy buildup heavy grime on the window you want to

clean that off first but honestly the best glass cleaner is actually no glass cleaner at all

it's just deionized water or distilled water so I think another area where you actually can be

ruining the paint is in the drying process but I think a lot of the drying process actually starts

at the washing process like I've talked about so making sure the the the surface of the car is

actually as clean as possible before you go in with a towel and I think making sure you use a

blower or compressed air I know a lot of people get like all worried about what type of air to use

or what type of blower to use but honestly any blower will be totally fine you could use a leaf

blower you can use compressed air it's totally fine so to help with drying you should use deionized

water so deionized water again leaves nothing behind it is incredibly effective and I'm a

big proponent of telling people before you get a pressure washer before you get anything else

get deionized water because I don't think that there's anything that will make your wash process

more enjoyable than having spot-free water and then also you won't be ruining your paint by

getting water spots and then having to actually remove the water spots right and so starting

with having deionized water however you do that whether that's you know renting tanks buying

tanks switching out your own resin whether that's you know buying I don't know di water from the

local detail supply store and putting it in a water tank in your garage I mean there's a bunch

of different ways that you can do that but again I think deionized water is probably my number one

recommendation to not ruin your paint yeah so another thing I think people do that just doesn't

really make any sense is just using a weak kind of wheel cleaner just don't clean that well I mean

just use soap or they're either using one that's not doesn't do enough cleaning or they're using

one that's too aggressive right it's kind of right in there and so for the vast majority of people

especially if you're worried about your rims or worried about you know the finish on your rims

just as you foam the car clean your rims and tires as you do that I know we're starting to see a lot

of data come out that like the browning and removing the browning from tires actually isn't as good

for the tires we thought it was it can actually lead to premature failure of the tire and so

just aggressively scrubbing everything you usually don't need to do that if detailing is a hobby you

enjoy car washing chances are your car is not dirty enough to warrant like using a iron remover

on your wheels and tires every time something like the super soper again that has very very good

cleaning ability is going to be absolutely perfect for that so another big area that I see people

make a mistake is they use like an all-purpose cleaner or all you know whatever you want to call

it an all-purpose cleaner degreaser for everything and the problem is that apc's or all-purpose

cleaners are generally too harsh especially on interiors but I've seen a lot of brands recommending

pre soaking with an all-purpose cleaner and then I've seen people taking up that method and then

complaining that they're getting stripes and stuff on their plastics and that's because the all-purpose

cleaners are too aggressive and I know the brands will try to you know not admit that but it is from

all my experience that's exactly what it is is that you're pre soaking with a high pH heavy duty

cleaner and that's when you really don't want to apply that to a hot panel because it will streak

it'll damage your paint it'll strip your waxes it'll degrade your plastics so then you need to

do a trim restore or a black restore on your plastics and that's just the outside of the car on the

interiors apc's are usually way too hard again they can cause streaking they could dry out plastics

especially over time dedicated products work way better interior complete cabin cleaner

an interior specific product that you can dilute a ton of different ways is going to be a much better

fit than trying to save a little bit of money and do an apc on everything again do not pre soak your

car with an all-purpose cleaner it you are going to dry out your plastics prematurely you're going

to get streaking you're going to get issues use a cleaner and a pre wash soap like the super

soap that is as close to pH neutrals I could get it while still being effective and you still get

all the other benefits of every other soap out there it is incredibly slick and lubricious fine

it is a super foamer right but that foam is functional I always talk about that functional

foam it has to be doing something it can just look pretty right these products are intended

and and developed on purpose to do things where other products fall short you do not need to

pre soak with an apc in fact again pre soaking with an apc in direct sun is a big no no because

that apc is too harsh but it doesn't mean that you should never wash in direct sun it should it

doesn't mean that you should never pre soak with a heavier chemical but you need the right chemical

you need the right brand the people that understand the chemistry that enable you to do that to throw

out a blanket statement like you should never wash your car in the sun it's just a fallacy you

just need the right products right so and then of course what I think that probably the number two

other than dini's water uh but one of the next biggest mistakes people do is they don't protect

the car so when you add protection it's going to make future washing easier and safer and then of

course you don't get as much dust buildup dirt and grime doesn't stick as much it's protecting

that clear coat underneath so making sure uh you have some sort of paint protection on the car

is going to obviously make it so you don't ruin your paint later so toughest shell the gloss

boss the ceramic coating whatever I would pick something that is very easy to apply you can

apply it even during the drying process which will help you dry your car better so you can do a

couple sprays of toughest shell before you use like the massive drying towel and dry your car

and then you're doing double duty you're you're have a drying aid which is adding more slickness

to the paint it's helping that towel glide across the paint but you've already cleaned off everything

off the paint with the super sober then while you're drying it you're adding paint protection

onto it it's going to make it your car stay cleaner for longer it's going to look better

and it's going to be easier to clean the next time you drive it so easier drying it's better

long term for your paint right so I think the biggest thing the biggest hurdle that people

deal with is that detailing is very over complicated and I think that there are too many

products there's too many steps there's too much confusion I think detailing should be enjoyable

and I think a lot of people get to this point to where they haven't washed their car in a long time

and they've actually neglected their car because they don't know what products to pick up they don't

know what to do and so what I've tried to do with the Jimbo's detailing line and with all these

videos and podcasts is to make this very simple very straightforward very easy to understand

and sometimes if we understand what the problems are that are causing the issue that we have

we could then not do those things so those are kind of something I just wanted to get out there

hopefully that helps hopefully that makes sense but those are a few things that I notice people do

that actually ruin their car's paint so I will link all the products that I talked about below

thank you for watching listening I hope you guys enjoyed that one and I'll catch you

on the next one see you

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18:25

9 Car Detailing Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Paint

work my way backwards

interior complete cabin cleaner

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