How often do you wash your car? I wash my weekly regardless of how clean it is Is this normal Also am I doing more harm than good ?
Joe, if its clean, I would not wash it just for the sake of washing it. Everytime you put a sponge, wash mitt, chamois on the paintwork you are potentially exposing it to scratches no matter how careful you are. I only wash when required, I keep the car covered with its car cover in the garage so it does not collect dust.
Wash Just before a cruise/ ran... So your mates/ others can see how nice the car is and a chance for it to dry. Although I find driving with wet rim/ brake tends to cause brake dust mix with water dripping on the inner rim which is hard to wash off
No, it's not normal. Seek professional help. Wash it when it's dirty. It's bound to get some dust whenever you drive it, but that's not the same as being dirty. If you're just going to the grocery store (which I do all the time), a little bit of dust is OK. If you're going to an event, then washing and waxing is nice. As for car covers, I only use my full cover when the car is perfectly clean and it's going to be stored for a while. If I drive it, even on clean dry roads, it picks up dust, particularly from the door handles down. So, I had my wife cut an old soft king size sheet in half, and sew it together end-to-end. When the car is not perfectly clean, I use one of those synthetic dust wands to lightly dust off the upper surfaces and then put this home-made cover on. It covers the car from front to back and hangs down just over the side mirrors, keeping additional dust off the top. The advantage is that the car is mostly covered but I don't risk scratching the lower parts by using the full cover. Plus I don't risk contaminating the lower edges of full cover with road grime. It works great and I find that if it isn't raining, I can make quite a few trips and/or spirited drives here and there without washing; yet to the "non-Concours d'Elegance" eye, the car looks clean. Usually brake dust on the wheels or a drive in the rain is what triggers a wash job for me.
Now I realise why my wife looks as me weird when I wash a perfectly clean car I also use a leaf blower to get all the water out before I chamois it If it's any bonus I enjoy washing it It's like admiring a beautiful woman Maybe I do need help lol
I fully understand ... What I do when the car is clean yet you feel the need to outpour your 'love' is to clean under the car and all the bits under the wheel arch. They are always in need of a clean..
Every 2-3 weeks depending on luck with weather. Use a great shampoo like Meg's Shampoo Plus. Use a great wash mitt like the Dodo Supernatural. Use a great deep waffle weave MF towel to dry or a system like CR Spotless which requires no drying. ...if you clean the car like that you will dramatically reduce (or eliminate if the paint is hard enough) the amount of scratches you are putting into the clear. Good luck!
I don't really wash my car, unless I drive through mud and then I only wash the sides and wheel areas. This has happened once when the roads were really dirty. I do wash the wheels with soap and water to get the insides brake-dust free. I use detail sprays and dusters, wax often to keep mine looking up to snuff.
Agree. You need help. OCD is a real thing. I wash once a month maybe and I drive every week. After washing I also use the leaf blower to get the water out behind grills etc. Funny thing is a didn't even wash for a month before the last Concours and I still won first place! Ha.
Chamois?!? Noooooo!!! Use a good quality waffle weave microfiber that is dedicated for the exterior paint only. Even then, blot as much as possible rather than wiping.
full detail once a year. stays pretty clean since it's garaged and is only driven two to three thousand miles a year.
You are doing more harm than any good washing this much and using amateur technique. You are just guaranteeing a paint correction will be required in the near future. I used to wash my cars regularly until I learned that car washing is the main cause of dull, swirled finishes. Unless there is bird dropping or something like that which must be removed to protect the paint from etching, leave it alone until it really is visibly dirty and in need of a wash. For the cars I have now, I maintain a glossy smooth, corrected finish by very sparingly washing it and using as gentle of a wash and dry as I can. I have synthetic sealant applied instead of carnuba wax for the same reason, requires much less frequent application which means fewer opportunities to create swirls. If you want to be OCD about the car, then be OCD about your wash technique. There are plenty of methods to learn about on detailing forums.
If you are looking for something to do with the car while not driving it, you can either just go drive it instead or just get that time back and use it on a more useful chore. You probably had been convinced you were doing the best you could to maintain the car and keep it looking great. Just have to realize you were fooling yourself and expending unnecessary energy. The car is much better off just left in the garage when you aren't driving it. Keep the washing days for when it's actually dirty from a lot of driving.
I have owned my 360 2 1/2 years now, washed it 3 times...a few dozen times if you count driving in the rain as good as a wash. Polishes up real nice when I wash it.
Not wishing to turn this into a detailing thread but I'd add: Pressure washing with snow foam as an initial step to that list. If you eliminate most of the grit before you touch the car there's less chance of marring the paint. I haven't had to correct or polish the paint in 4 years using this regimen
Great additional step also - I agree! I may be adding one to the arsenal soon myself : ) What pressure do you use? Too high is dangerous right? I have really high water pressure from the tap which is nice.
First a couple of caveats... 1) I'm fortunate to have owned two 'forgiving' colors -- Grigio Silverstone and Giallo Modena 2) I had my cars detailed, paint corrected and coating applied as soon as I took possession; I get a follow up detail annually 3) Entire front and key areas have Xpel film 4) I don't drive in the rain, and almost never on wet roads 5) I live in Southern California where they are now really clamping down on water waste! One of my pet peeves is dirty windows. Therefore, I clean all exterior glass before each major drive. I also keep my interior vacuumed. Heck when I drive these are the parts I see! 1x per month and/or before an event, I either clean with Optimum No Rinse and the '2 bucket' method or use Eco Touch Waterless car wash directly from a spray bottle and microfiber cloths. ONR when the car is more dirty, and only consumes 4 gal of water which when done, I use to water plants. Eco Touch consumes 20 oz. of water for the whole car (it's a concentrate to which I add distilled water)! These methods keep my car beautiful year round and whenever I drive. Cheers, DL