our Wash guide

No need to look anywhere else, just follow these simple steps that will set you up for success.

step 1: The right Chemicals and Tools

When it comes to maintaining your vehicle, this is the first step to set you up for success that way you don’t need to guess what works and what doesn’t. We’ve already figured that out for you.

If you want to just buy the basics in one place without spending time adding different things to your cart, just buy this Feynlab Maintenance Kit and choose the “Maintenance Kit with Pure Wash” option. We also sometimes stock this same kit in our shop. This is going to cover your basics and we have tested every chemical and product in this kit. We know it works and works well. This doesn’t include any wheel and tire specific cleaning chemicals or tools.

We also have an Amazon Affiliate Link as well that has additional tools and chemicals (such as wheel cleaning specific products) that we have grown to like over the years that make the process even easier if you are inclined to invest some more money into your process.

Step 2: Washing the Right Way

Now that we have all of the correct chemicals and tools, we need to set up your correct environment to ensure a smooth process.

We have multiple variables to look out for when we wash a vehicle.

We have multiple variables to look out for when we wash a vehicle: where you wash, when you wash, what touches your paint, and the order you do it in. Get these right and the whole process becomes almost foolproof.

Where and when

- Wash in the shade or indoors. Never in direct sun.

- Panels should be cool to the touch. Hot panels flash-dry soap and water before you can rinse them, and that leaves spots and streaks.

- In summer, aim for early morning or evening.

The two-bucket method

- One bucket with soap, one with clean rinse water. Grit guards in the bottom of both if you have them.

- Dunk the mitt in soap → wash a section → rinse the mitt in the rinse bucket → back to the soap bucket. This keeps grit off your paint instead of dragging it around.

The wash, step by step

1. Rinse the whole car first, top to bottom, to knock off loose dirt and grit before you touch it.

2. Start at the top and work down. Lower panels and rockers are the dirtiest, so save them for last.

3. Use straight, overlapping passes, not circles. Straight lines keep any fine marring far less visible.

4. Use a clean, plush microfiber wash mitt and rinse it often.

5. Wheels and tires get their own mitt or brush and their own bucket. Never the mitt you use on paint.

6. pH-neutral soap only. The Pure Wash in the kit is exactly this. No dish soap, and no "wash & wax" products, the wax fillers dull a ceramic coating's slickness and beading.

7. Rinse the whole car thoroughly. Don't let soap dry on the surface.

Step 3: Drying the Right Way

Drying is where most swirl marks actually happen, so this is not the step to rush.

- Never air dry. Minerals in the water dry into spots that can etch a coating over time.

- Use a large, clean microfiber drying towel, or better, a filtered air blower / dedicated car dryer.

- Mist a ceramic-safe drying aid or quick detailer as lubricant so the towel glides instead of dragging.

- Pat and gently pull the towel. Don't scrub it back and forth.

- Get water out of panel gaps, mirrors, and PPF edges so it doesn't drip and spot after you're done.

How Often Should You Wash?

The honest answer is: more often than most people think.

- Every 2 weeks is the sweet spot.

- Once a month is the minimum for a coated or PPF'd vehicle.

- Wash more often if it's a daily driver, if you're near the coast, or during dusty and pollen-heavy stretches.

Going 4–6 weeks now and then won't hurt anything. Making that your normal will. The coating and film do the protecting, washing is what keeps them able to.

Spot Care: The Stuff That Can't Wait

Some contaminants will etch even a coated or filmed surface if they sit long enough. Remove these within 24–48 hours:

- Bird droppings

- Bug splatter

- Tree sap

- Water spots and sprinkler overspray

- Road tar and fuel spills

Don't wipe them off dry, you'll grind them in. Spray a quick detailer, let it soften the spot, then lift gently with a clean microfiber. If it won't come off easily, call us before you start scrubbing.

What NOT to Do

This is the short list of things that can kill a coating, tear a film edge, or void a warranty. Please read it.

- ❌ Automatic / brush car washes. The brushes are abrasive and loaded with everyone else's grit. Even Touch-less car washes can cause damage. Touch-less car washes use aggressive chemicals to clean without touching the vehicle which is like washing your face with dish soap, its too aggressive and dries the surfaces out.

- ❌ Pressure washing straight at PPF edges or seams. Keep the tip about a foot or two back and angle it along the panel, never into the edge.

- ❌ Dish soap or any harsh, abrasive cleaner.

- ❌ Polishes, compounds, waxes, or "scratch removers." These are designed to cut into a surface, they'll thin or strip a coating. Carnauba wax will stain PPF.

- ❌ Wiping dry dust off with a dry towel. Always add waterless wash or a quick detailer first.

- ❌ Picking at a PPF edge or corner.

- ❌ Letting droppings, sap, or bugs bake on.

- ❌ Random products you're unsure about. Ask us first. It's free, and it beats a repair bill.

Keeping the Beading Alive (Ceramic Coatings)

Over time a coating's water beading can flatten out from road film and buildup. That doesn't mean it failed, it means it needs a refresh.

- A ceramic booster / SiO2 topper spray, applied every few months or every few washes, restores the slickness and beading.

- The maintenance products in the kit are built to do this during a normal wash.

- If beading has really dropped off and a topper doesn't bring it back, book a maintenance service with us.

PPF: A Few Film-Specific Things

- Self-healing: light swirls and fine scratches in the film disappear with heat, a warm day, a warm rinse, or a hair dryer on low.

- Edges: don't pick at them. If an edge ever starts to lift, don't pull it, bring it in.

- Yellowing: modern film has UV inhibitors and won't yellow like the old stuff. Staining is different, that comes from contaminants left on too long, which is exactly why spot care matters.

Annual Professional Maintenance

Once a year, bring the vehicle in for a full decontamination and inspection. We:

- Deep-clean and decontaminate the coating and film

- Refresh hydrophobic performance

- Inspect the PPF for any lifting edges and address them

- Keep your warranty in good standing

If something goes wrong

Ceramic Coatings

Call us first. A warranty claim must be filed within 30 days of the issue appearing. Feynlab charges a $100 inspection fee for a claim, which is refunded if the claim is approved. We'll walk you through the whole process.

The official, always-current terms live here: feynlab.com/warranty-terms. Feynlab updates them from time to time, and their posted version is always the final word.

Paint Protection Film

Call us first. As your authorized installer, we file the claim with Pure PPF, and it must be filed within 30 days of the problem appearing. If the claim is approved, Pure PPF provides replacement material for the defective area.

> The official, always-current terms live here: [pureprotectionfilm.com/warranty](https://www.pureprotectionfilm.com/warranty). Pure PPF has final say on any claim.

When to Call Us

Reach out any time you see:

- A PPF edge lifting or peeling

- Water no longer beading or sheeting the way it used to

- Staining or water spots that won't wash off

- Any damage, or before you try a new product you're unsure about

That's what we're here for.

(909) 925-9077 | brandosautocare@gmail.com