If you value the appearance of the exterior paint on your car, always use grit guards with two buckets when washing your vehicle. Let me explain why.
I didn't know about the 2 bucket wash technique with a grit guard until I watched a youtube tutorial. Search youtube for:
Junkman's 2-Bucket Wash Technique - Part 3 or search for Chis Fix.
I finally got around to detailing the paint on my car. The polishing on the roof revealed some deep scratches from front to back that I didn't notice previously.
The scratches were from grit in my wash mitt as I moved the mitt from front to back in a straight line.
I spent the entire morning removing most of the scratches. I started with 3M's 3000 grit sandpaper then 3M's 5000 grit sandpaper. Then coarse polishing. Some scratches were still present so I repeated the sandpaper steps a few more times. But some scratches were so deep that I stopped sanding to avoid removing the clear coat.
I learned that it is essential to have a grit guard at the bottom of each bucket so that grit falls to the bottom of the bucket and is not reintroduced back into the mitt.
The grit guard must fit tightly into the bottom of the bucket. The bottom of the grit guard must have 4 fins to eliminate any rocking motion.
I bought 2 buckets from Maison Depot for $3.25 each (lids cost extra).
These $18 grit guards (set of two guards!) fit nice and snug into the buckets.
These are great guards at a very reasonable cost. I just wish I knew about them earlier.
First off these things seem pretty durable. It's a pretty hard plastic that doesn't flex. I haven't had a chance to use them because they didn't fit in the lowes bucket I had. They are about 10 3/8in from end to end for those wondering.
Update: Found 3.5gal black buckets at HD that these where able to fit in but a bit loose. I added some zip ties at the edges and now they don't move or fall out.
These guards are great and yet depending on the type and size of 5gal bucket you use, they may not fit right.
My suggestion to you is this.
Take these guards with you to a big box home improvement store, and try them in the wide variety of buckets that they carry until you find the one that allows the guard to rest flush on the bottom. Also make sure there is minimal or NO gap between sidewall of bucket and the guard. If you get a bucket that is too "loose" or big for the guard, they will float to the top of your wash or rinse bucket, thus defeating the purpose of buying them to begin with.
I did not do this but did buy proper buckets for these guards. One bucket must have been molded slightly abnormally as one of my guards floated.
***HERE's the golden tip! Take zip ties and wrap it around the outer ring of the grit guard, at all four points nearest the cross fins. The zip ties will act as a spacer at those points where the circumference of the guards tend to pull in a bit in the molding process. You can try more or less, larger or smaller spacers depending on how much gap you're trying to fill. GENIUS! ...Too bad it was not my idea :)
These fit perfectly in the 5 gallon buckets that Home Depot and Lowes sell. They fit snugly enough to prevent floating to the top and if you've never used a grit guard, you will be amazed at how much grime collects in the bottom of the bucket while washing your car.
The plastic seems well made and reasonably thick and looks to last a long time. I have used them in extremely cold weather and not experienced breakage.
If you're going to keep your car in pristine condition you need 2 grit guards and the 2 bucket wash method. I've been washing my cars incorrectly all my life and I found it was quite easy to move over to the 2 bucket method. Pair this product with a couple of cheap Lowes (blue) or Home Depot (orange) buckets and a nice quality wash mitt and you'll stop scratching your car every time you wash it.
Cleanup is simple and storage is a snap since they will both fit inside the bucket (which fits inside the other bucket).
Feature Product
- Grit Guard is 2 1/2 inches tall
- Diameter is 10 3/8 inches
- A Grit Guard insert fits a 12 inch diameter bucket.
- The Grit Guard Insert
- Includes 2 Grit Guards for a 2 Bucket system
Description
The Grit Guard Insert Blue (Two Pack) - Fits 12 inch Diameter Bucket Grit Guard is 2 1/2 inches tall. Diameter is 10 3/8 inches. A Grit Guard insert fits a 12 inch diameter bucket. The Grit Guard Insert - Blue. Keep particles, grime, and particulates off your sponge or mitt while washing with the Grit Guard Insert. Designed with a raised radial surface that fits in the bottom of most 3-5 gallon buckets. Works to extract grit from your wash mitt or sponge when dragged across the Grit Guard surface. The dirt then settles on the bottom of the bucket, away from your wash mitt or sponge, keeping your water clean. The four quadrants at the base of the Grit Guard calm the wash water and hold the grid above the bottom of the bucket, so dirt falls to the bottom and stays there. You'll be amazed at how much dirt accumulates in the bottom of your wash bucket! WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals which is [are] known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
before purchasing I noticed lots of complaints about this grid not fitting in many plastic buckets. I relied on the measurements given and then measured several of the old drywall mud buckets I have. The Grit Guard fit right to the bottom of two of my four buckets. I can't see spending extra money on a specific bucket for this grid when there are drywall jobbers throwing good buckets away every day that will work just fine.
I'm recently new to the 2 bucket wash system as well as Grit Guards. I figured I'd order them to make my weekly car washes safer. The grit guards are a lot smaller than I imagined, but they fit just fine in my 5 gallon Home Depot "Homer" buckets. Another great thing about these guards is when you're done washing, you can take them out and lay your wash mitts on them to rinse them off thoroughly and keep them off the ground so they don't pick up any garbage that can ruin your paint. My car is never very dirty when I wash it, but I guess the grit guards kind of add a little security to the wash process knowing that they keep the grit and dirt where it all belongs... at the bottom of the bucket. If you baby your car, these are a good addition to your washing ritual.
Let me just put it this way, I wish they were cheaper so I could buy a dozen! I would not only use them for car washing but in my home dusting cloth (to swish around my wet dusting micro fiber cloth) and also to place at the floor of my shower stall. I would then place large shampoo bottles on this so that the floor underneath the bottle dries, or you can place anything else that you need to drip dry in the tub or shower. But as for hand washing a car, I don't know how I ever got along without one of these, its a simple and relatively inexpensive way to keep the heavy dirt and grime from being reabsorbed into your cloth.
The grit guard inserts fit perfectly into two 5 gallon buckets from Lowes. The only complaint that I have is that when I first used them, I had a red plastic shaving from one of them on my microfiber wash mitt that could have scratched my car if I didn't see it. The whole point of using these is to prevent swirl marks and scratches. So if you buy these, make sure to watch for any loose shavings from them when they are first used.
It's a pretty simple, but amazing device. Keeps grit off your mitt, as it should. Sturdy plastic, and fits perfectly in a Home Depot orange bucket. If you don't have any of these, I'd recommend them if you're really obsessive about the health of your cars paint.
0 comments:
Post a Comment