How I wash my F355. Touchless.

Main reason I don't take it out at night is bugs!

 

Well, tonight I have the chance of a 90min drive along some very nice roads - and my weekends are usually swallowed by other chores (or should that be other's chores more like) - and my car is already covered, so why not!

RedCar time is good time.
And Saturday is already allocated for washing anyway.. and if it takes me longer, then thats just more RedCar Time. Win!

 

How does the 355 handle the moisture through the engine vents. Any connection issues or is ok with a gentle rinse?

 

That's was a concern of mine. while I don't flood the engine, I do get it wet while washing and I'm not having any issues.

 

I lay a plastic tarp over my engine while washing it.

 

Good advice!

 

Cool that's what I did too, under the engine cover. How is it driving in the rain? I plan on driving cross country.

 

do you use a Electric leaf blower? (or one that runs on gas?)

 

I have been caught out in very heavy rain, very heavy. Living in England we are used to driving in rain.
I drove to Goodwood FOS last friday and i was caught in a rain storm, with roads full of rivers.
While at the hotel it was raining all night on the car ( i have done this many times over the years. The 355 has never missed a beat in its years of doing so, starts as usual and runns smooth.
Drive your car across country man. .Unless you have a spider because then YOU will get a wet lap due to that sodding leak on top of the door

 

I've found that a few old bath towels lain over the engine-bay works better to catch water than a tarp, which tends to create big rivers/puddles. Just don't forget to take them out before a drive!

 

I have a 1996 F355 Spider and have driven it in heavy rain several times. Not in intentionally but it started while I was out. I had no issues whatsoever. No leaks, not a drop. Car tracked fine, ran perfectly and re-started normally. So, although I don't plan to deliberately drive in rain, I am not worried about it if I ever have to do so. The only reason to avoid it is to avoid having to re-detail the car all over again.

 

Gave up on rags...I wash it with my bare hand. Roughly the same surface area of a rag, it just guarantees I won't drag any grit over the paint. I dry it with a water blade and get what's left over with a brand new towel.

 

I know exactly what you mean. I'll try the towels next time.

 

I found that vacuuming just didn't cut it. I used Duct Tape to complete the process.

I use Klasse to wax the wheels.
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I think you guys need to get out more often.

 

The F355 does great in the rain guys. If you live in Seattle it is bound to happen here and there. Wipers are best I have ever seen on a car and it has never given me an issue. Went thought a thunderstorm on a FCA trip to Canada and every Fcar got trounced and not an issue reported.

 

Is there a good guide to the paint correction process. I would like to do mine but am worried i will ruin it.

I need an idiots step by step guide, products, machine to use etc..

many thanks

 

By the time you've bought all the kit and fretted about it you might as well have paid someone like Topaz or Sports Car Protection to do the correction properly

 

It's very easy to do:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/408492-my-exterior-adventure.html

 

lol

 

Never seen rain or snow... During your ownership is how you should word that because you don't know how it was treated from Italy to when you bought it.

 

The only thing I dont like about paint correction is having a non painter sand and polishing my car. I mean they have no idea how much paint is on it and how far they can go
Seen many a nice car needing a paint job after so called paint corrections.
Even had customers try to claim it on insurance as damage

Yep I want a person that never painted wet sanding my car LOL Sure

 

??? Tim ????

Wet sanding is NOT required with a paint correction. My car was pretty scratched up. I did use 3M compound in a few places to remove deep scratches (without wet sanding) and followed that by 2-stage detail products which are pretty mild compared to the auto-body 3M. One can measure paint thickness if you have the tool. But, most only need detail level componds to remove minor swirls - these take off very little material and with a DA polisher, it's really hard to burn through the paint.

 

In general the paint is comparatively thick on Ferraris I have found. However, you never know how the exterior was treated over its life by former owners and detailers. While most of the body panels will probably have good paint depth years later, it's the transition areas that suffer. This is where the angle of one plane transitions to another - such as the buttreses or the top of the fenders. Look at the edges of the vanes on the engine cover. How much paint was on them to start with? Hit that with polisher for a few seconds and you are down to the undercoat. Same with any edge, like the strakes on the 348. This is why, when using a polisher you never cross the plane. Always polish level to the surface, lift and move to the next and avoid polishing across the transition.