Is there any point washing your car in the rain?
In England, especially coming into the winter, we are never short of rain. Now, more than ever, we are being asked; “Are you still coming if it rains?” and the answer is of course, YES, albeit within reason. In torrential rain we wouldn’t be able to provide something we are proud of so may have to postpone/rearrange your visit.
If you are an avid detailer or simply enjoy a Sunday washing your car you may have found that in many ways, it is actually easier to valet your car in the rain and far less frustrating then doing it in brilliant sunshine.
When attempting to valet in any kind of sun you will find that the water spots and streaks feel almost impossible to avoid as the products and water seem to dry as soon as it touches the paint. This issue is always exacerbated with darker cars, a frustration you will never have in the rain.
In most cases the rain will not make the car dirty again so rest assured your hard work will not be in vain. Rain is a softer water with less minerals then found in tap water (the minerals in hard water are normally the cause of water spots) so will simply dry in time leaving little or no marks. On rare occasions this is not the case such as when we have any Saharan sand in the rain but this would be an issue no matter when you last washed your car.
What should you be aware of when valeting a car in the rain
The rain actually helps rinse off any products that have been used as well as any ‘hard’ water but it does hide a lot of the dirt, making it a lot easier to miss spots on the car with your mitt. To avoid this you have to methodically cover every inch of the car. When done properly you will avoid any of the dirty marks (normally triangles that have been missed) showing up when the sun comes out and the car is dry.
Another thing to be aware of, although it might sound obvious, is the electrical equipment you are using as when wet you can damage the equipment or worse be at risk of electrocution.
Finally, as pointless as it seems at the time, you should still dry the car to make absolutely sure that all the products and hard water is removed, this is much more important in lighter rain as it may not be rinsed completely.
What can’t you do in the rain?
Although giving your car a good clean is not only possible but easy, you should avoid applying any paint sealant/coating (wax or ceramic) whilst it is raining or with imminent rain on the way as these need to be applied to a dry surface and cure before exposure to moisture.
Having said that, when the rain seems endless there are still options to get your paintwork coated that don’t require a massive dry space. There are now a lot of brands that offer coatings that can be applied by simply spraying over the car with a foam gun (exactly the same as snow foam) and then rinsing, simple as that. Whilst doing this in the rain may affect the longevity of the coating it is far better than nothing.
Machine polishing can be a struggle in heavier rain. This is due to the compounds become diluted on the wet paint, this not only decreases the cut (increasing the time required to correct the paint), prevents masking tape from sticking to the rubber trim, but also makes a lot more mess as it then tends to spray everywhere.
What valets will go ahead in the rain?
The list below is Wright Shine valets that can be done in the rain
Maintenance Valet
Full Valet
End of Lease Valet
Interior Valet
Exterior Valet
5 Year Coating (as this always needs to be done inside so unaffected by weather)
If there are showers throughout the day we may still be able to do our detailing packages as long as it is dry to finish as we always coat the fresh paintwork after polishing
Localised Polishing
Polish and Protect
Two-Stage Polish and Protect
Ultimate Polish and Protect
We would not be able to do any of the Ultimate Valets in the rain due to the coatings
Ultimate Valet
Ultimate Exterior