cloudy sky as good as shaded area?

[Rob Munro]

I don't often have access to a shaded area to wash the car. Today is going to be cloudy all day with little chance of rain. We have a sunny weekend coming.Is a cloudy sky as good as a shaded area for washing the car? I know you can get sunburned through the clouds. Do you think I'll get waterspots or is that entirely due to the direct sun's heat?

[Mr. Poopypants]

Yes, as long as the sun is not baking the wax on your car, a cloudy day is fine, sometimes, I like it better. You get a nice breeze. Just make sure to do the wax in small areas just in case it starts to rain.

[GT_King]

And drink a beer while you're working!

[Fialchar]

It's not necessarily AS good, as clouds move and sometimes the sun can come out unexpectedly. The main thing is that the sun isn't shining on the car.

[Stang2Vibe]

A cloudy sky should be fine. The problem that the sun causes with washing the car is that it heats up the surface of the car and cooks off the water rather quickly. This leaves behind the subborn residue of water spots. As for waxing in the sun, I have found that it makes the wax dry too fast and and is harder to remove. It also seems to not last as long on the car when the sun dries it quickly.

[Fialchar]

Well for me, washing in the sun isn't a problem (And that's a Florida sun to boot!) I keep on spraying down the entire car, including the areas that have already been washed and rinsed. Once the entire car is finished, I spray it all down once more, then towell-dry it all off.

[Stang2Vibe]

That's how you have to do it if you must wash in the sun. You have to constantly use cool water to keep the body of the car cool until you can dry off the car.