Washing MO In The Garage - Nissan Murano

red kiosk · 10-13-2008, 10:53 AM

With the weather starting to turn colder and another Chicago winter looming ahead, I started thinking about how I was going to retain the MO's swirl-free black paint and also keep my newly cleaned and organized garage floor clean, after all the winter road crud fell off the car. I walked over to the neighborhood "hand wash" shop to check them out, for this seemed like the best choice for for keeping the MO clean when it's too cold to wash it outside. I left with my eyes bugged out and a sickening feeling deep in my stomach. It was just another "hack n' wack" assembly line, screaming "let me scratch your paint".
While looking for a garage mat to solve the floor crud problem, I ran across this product:

http://www.garagemat.com/index.html

which got my creative juices flowing to solve the washing problem. Although my garage is only a single car size, it is long in length, under the house, well insulated, houses the furnace, water heater, washer dryer, sink and even a toilet. At any given time, it differs only by one or two degrees from inside the house and actually has opening HVAC ducts if need be. And the crown jewel, I guess, would be it's floor drain.
I put some photos in my gallery to show what I did to the mat to make it work even better for washing the MO in the garage. The MO, mirror tip-to-mirror tip fits on the 7.5' wide mat. The 18' length just fits from the base of the cabinets to the garage door. I use a very low sudsing wash soap (Zymol Clear), which makes rinsing, with the correct nozzles, a non-splashing procedure. The raised lip on the mat, contains run-off from washing and rinsing and the floor drain does what it's supposed to do. I have an 18" wide squeegee that takes care of what little water that might miss the mats and splash onto the surrounding floor area. After I pull the MO out of the garage, I use that same squeegee to push any water remaining on the mat into the drain. My trial run worked quite well and I'm looking forward to "safe washing" this winter. Take care!

Jim

Phatty McPatty · 10-13-2008, 11:27 AM

Seems like a good product.

All i need now is a garage!

Warhammer · 10-13-2008, 12:30 PM

The mat also covers up those nasty cracks in the nicely stained concrete.

Just be sure you're careful about what you wash down the drain so you don't clog it up.

red kiosk · 10-13-2008, 02:21 PM

I don't think my 16 year-old daughter will be washing her hair down there, so I won't have to worry! Take care!

Jim

red kiosk · 10-13-2008, 02:26 PM

In the design business, that floor has got what's called "patina" and people pay good money for that look! Take care!

Jim

**njjoe** · 10-13-2008, 06:23 PM

red kiosk-

Nice job!

That is definitely original.

I can see your neighbors scratching their heads after you pull a salt-encrusted MO into your garage and leave 30-minutes later with a pristine MO.

-njjoe

benhui86 · 10-14-2008, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by njjoe
red kiosk-

Nice job!

That is definitely original.

I can see your neighbors scratching their heads after you pull a salt-encrusted MO into your garage and leave 30-minutes later with a pristine MO.

-njjoe

it only takes you 30 minutes to wash your murano? your quick.... washing the back of the rims alone take 10 minutes for me

Warhammer · 10-14-2008, 08:44 AM

Do you whisper soft sweet nothing's to your MO while softly exfoliating its rear tires?

I remember a guy on Spike TV not too long ago that described how his car washing business uses nothing but completely natural and organic materials. He doesn't wash the car unless it's over $100K and well maintained. I have to admit that it was an absolutely pristine and detail oriented job. The car looked like new when he was done.

When I detail my MO it takes me all day between waxing the exterior, polishing the rims, scrubbing the tires, polishing plastic, conditioning the leather, etc, etc, etc. Great workout too!

Is there a buffing compound that can be used to get rid of the swirl marks on the exterior? Or will I have to wet sand it and use a scratch removal compound. I got my MO used a while ago and it came with minor swirling. I’m currently using TurtleWax Ice paste with a 3 stage rotary buffing system. I also give it a complete rub down with a microfiber cloth after I’m done.

benhui86 · 10-14-2008, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Warhammer
Do you whisper soft sweet nothing's to your MO while softly exfoliating its rear tires?

I remember a guy on Spike TV not too long ago that described how his car washing business uses nothing but completely natural and organic materials. He doesn't wash the car unless it's over $100K and well maintained. I have to admit that it was an absolutely pristine and detail oriented job. The car looked like new when he was done.

When I detail my MO it takes me all day between waxing the exterior, polishing the rims, scrubbing the tires, polishing plastic, conditioning the leather, etc, etc, etc. Great workout too!

Is there a buffing compound that can be used to get rid of the swirl marks on the exterior? Or will I have to wet sand it and use a scratch removal compound. I got my MO used a while ago and it came with minor swirling. I’m currently using TurtleWax Ice paste with a 3 stage rotary buffing system. I also give it a complete rub down with a microfiber cloth after I’m done.

sanding is reserved for big scratchs, leveling touch up paint, leveling orange peels..... thats about all you should use sanding for.....

use meguiar's scratch X..... it'll take you like 30 minutes a panel but it really works well for swirl marks..... takes longer if they are more severe..... its around $9 a tube and it lasts very long time...

I have my own dual action polisher which you can get for $150 at meguiars website and it does the job 100x quicker than it would by hand and get a better result....

Do not use turtle wax rubbing compound because that mars the finish.... they are not meant for clear coat.... it'll just leave you with a big hazy dull mess....

Warhammer · 10-15-2008, 08:40 AM

Okay...so Meguire's Scratch X, a dual action polisher, and some time. Doesn't sound too bad.

Do you have to use the dual action polisher or can a random orbital rotary buffer do the same?

10-13-2008, 10:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
red kiosk The Phone Booth Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Evanston, IL Posts: 713	Washing MO In The Garage With the weather starting to turn colder and another Chicago winter looming ahead, I started thinking about how I was going to retain the MO's swirl-free black paint and also keep my newly cleaned and organized garage floor clean, after all the winter road crud fell off the car. I walked over to the neighborhood "hand wash" shop to check them out, for this seemed like the best choice for for keeping the MO clean when it's too cold to wash it outside. I left with my eyes bugged out and a sickening feeling deep in my stomach. It was just another "hack n' wack" assembly line, screaming "let me scratch your paint". While looking for a garage mat to solve the floor crud problem, I ran across this product: http://www.garagemat.com/index.html which got my creative juices flowing to solve the washing problem. Although my garage is only a single car size, it is long in length, under the house, well insulated, houses the furnace, water heater, washer dryer, sink and even a toilet. At any given time, it differs only by one or two degrees from inside the house and actually has opening HVAC ducts if need be. And the crown jewel, I guess, would be it's floor drain. I put some photos in my gallery to show what I did to the mat to make it work even better for washing the MO in the garage. The MO, mirror tip-to-mirror tip fits on the 7.5' wide mat. The 18' length just fits from the base of the cabinets to the garage door. I use a very low sudsing wash soap (Zymol Clear), which makes rinsing, with the correct nozzles, a non-splashing procedure. The raised lip on the mat, contains run-off from washing and rinsing and the floor drain does what it's supposed to do. I have an 18" wide squeegee that takes care of what little water that might miss the mats and splash onto the surrounding floor area. After I pull the MO out of the garage, I use that same squeegee to push any water remaining on the mat into the drain. My trial run worked quite well and I'm looking forward to "safe washing" this winter. Take care! Jim __________________ "The pathologically precise are annoying, but right." 2009 LE - Black/Black - Nissan JDM LED DRLs - Nissan JDM Black Chrome Grille - Nissan JDM Side Window Visors - Color-matched Lower Bumper Covers - Black Chrome Nissan Front and Rear Emblems - 255/50-20 Yokohama Parada Spec-X tires - Refinished 20" OEM LE Wheels in Nissan GTR Hyper-Smoke - Stealth Chrome Turn Signal Bulbs - Hoen Xenonmatch Fog Light Bulbs - Hella Supertone Horns - 35% Tinted Front Side Windows

10-13-2008, 12:30 PM	#3 (permalink)
Warhammer Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rio Rancho, NM Posts: 2,418	The mat also covers up those nasty cracks in the nicely stained concrete. Just be sure you're careful about what you wash down the drain so you don't clog it up. __________________ *Ain't nothin' MO fun than drivin' a MO.*

10-13-2008, 02:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
red kiosk The Phone Booth Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Evanston, IL Posts: 713	I don't think my 16 year-old daughter will be washing her hair down there, so I won't have to worry! Take care! Jim __________________ "The pathologically precise are annoying, but right." 2009 LE - Black/Black - Nissan JDM LED DRLs - Nissan JDM Black Chrome Grille - Nissan JDM Side Window Visors - Color-matched Lower Bumper Covers - Black Chrome Nissan Front and Rear Emblems - 255/50-20 Yokohama Parada Spec-X tires - Refinished 20" OEM LE Wheels in Nissan GTR Hyper-Smoke - Stealth Chrome Turn Signal Bulbs - Hoen Xenonmatch Fog Light Bulbs - Hella Supertone Horns - 35% Tinted Front Side Windows

10-13-2008, 02:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
red kiosk The Phone Booth Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Evanston, IL Posts: 713	In the design business, that floor has got what's called "patina" and people pay good money for that look! Take care! Jim __________________ "The pathologically precise are annoying, but right." 2009 LE - Black/Black - Nissan JDM LED DRLs - Nissan JDM Black Chrome Grille - Nissan JDM Side Window Visors - Color-matched Lower Bumper Covers - Black Chrome Nissan Front and Rear Emblems - 255/50-20 Yokohama Parada Spec-X tires - Refinished 20" OEM LE Wheels in Nissan GTR Hyper-Smoke - Stealth Chrome Turn Signal Bulbs - Hoen Xenonmatch Fog Light Bulbs - Hella Supertone Horns - 35% Tinted Front Side Windows

10-13-2008, 06:23 PM	#6 (permalink)
njjoe Super Moderator Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Jersey Shore (not THAT Jersey Shore, the real one) Posts: 11,737	red kiosk- Nice job! That is definitely original. I can see your neighbors scratching their heads after you pull a salt-encrusted MO into your garage and leave 30-minutes later with a pristine MO. -njjoe __________________ 2005 SL AWD, Platinum -OEM HID conversion & HID fogs -OEM iPod interface -Upgraded (non-Bose) speakers - Pioneer TS-A1702C & TS-G1643R -Muth signal mirrors -Valley Industries hitch and wiring harness -Aluminum fuel tank shields

10-13-2008, 11:27 AM	#2 (permalink)
Phatty McPatty Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: United States Posts: 870	Seems like a good product. All i need now is a garage!

10-14-2008, 08:44 AM	#8 (permalink)
Warhammer Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rio Rancho, NM Posts: 2,418	Do you whisper soft sweet nothing's to your MO while softly exfoliating its rear tires? I remember a guy on Spike TV not too long ago that described how his car washing business uses nothing but completely natural and organic materials. He doesn't wash the car unless it's over $100K and well maintained. I have to admit that it was an absolutely pristine and detail oriented job. The car looked like new when he was done. When I detail my MO it takes me all day between waxing the exterior, polishing the rims, scrubbing the tires, polishing plastic, conditioning the leather, etc, etc, etc. Great workout too! Is there a buffing compound that can be used to get rid of the swirl marks on the exterior? Or will I have to wet sand it and use a scratch removal compound. I got my MO used a while ago and it came with minor swirling. I’m currently using TurtleWax Ice paste with a 3 stage rotary buffing system. I also give it a complete rub down with a microfiber cloth after I’m done. __________________ *Ain't nothin' MO fun than drivin' a MO.*

10-15-2008, 08:40 AM	#10 (permalink)
Warhammer Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rio Rancho, NM Posts: 2,418	Okay...so Meguire's Scratch X, a dual action polisher, and some time. Doesn't sound too bad. Do you have to use the dual action polisher or can a random orbital rotary buffer do the same? __________________ *Ain't nothin' MO fun than drivin' a MO.*

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