How Do You Keep Your Car Clean?

For me -

If fairly dirty or after driving in rain storm -
> Option 1 - Run through ONLY a 100% touch-free Laserwash (there are several in the area but unfortunately the MORONS at Valero/Circle K are transitioning them to brushes - some have a "soft touch or no touch" option. Then hand-dry with microfiber towels and follow up with Mothers or Meguires Quick Detailer.
> Option 2 - Manual wand spray wash - Soap soak/soap spray/rinse/conditioner/rinse/spot-free - drive a ways to blow off the excess water - then follow up with microfiber towel hand dry and quick detailer.

If just dusty or after light rain with car stationary
> Either Mothers or Meguires waterless wash & wax

When my Ferraris or the Porsche are/is in for service I let the Dealer wash and vacuum the car knowing they do it only by hand.

Cheers

 

Waterless wash for touch up’s. Two bucket method for more thorough cleaning. Sometimes I even use Gtechniq products.

 

I prefer not driving the recently detailed cars. They are to clean and too much work. I like to look at them spotless for a while. I prefer to drive the not so clean cars, or the cars that weren't recently detailed.

 

Like Armen said....I just don't drive it.....

Actually, when I do drive my car (which isn't much due to a major garage and house remodel), I like to wash it within a couple days of driving it. Especially to get any bugs off as they can create havoc with the pant. Once I'm done washing, I use some Polish Angle or Kamikaze Over Coat to add some nice luster to the paint. It also helps on the next wash to remove the bugs with less effort.

 

I wash my car myself with a soap gun and dry it with a blower. It goes to the detailer once a year to polish up the ceramic and that makes it a breeze for me to do myself.

 

I've had my Azzurro California 360 Spider for nearly three years now and in all that time, I haven't washed my car once the traditional way with a bucket and water. My car has an amazing ceramic coating that allows me to spray it with Prist windshield cleaner and wipe it off with a microfiber cloth. The car comes out beautiful in just five minutes. I've never had a car that was so easy to clean before. Another cool thing about the 360. The wheels are almost never dirty. Other cars I've had, like an AMG and a 911 had wheels that got cruddy from a single mile driving. Not the 360. I can go weeks without cleaning the wheels.
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Is the ceramic a factory add on or something aftermarket? I've heard of a ceramic coating included in some waxes but don't know the details and have been worried about trying it.

Nice color BTW!!!

 

The previous owner spent $7500 to have the car color corrected, polished and ceramic coated. I think the brand is epel.

A friend of mine who in a previous life detailed cars carefully checked it when I first got and said it was perfect. No flaws. He might have been dazzled a bit by an Italian beauty, but I agree. Unfortunately, it's had a bunch of rock chips and such in the last three years. Costs of driving it.

 

I have all of my Ferraris covered in PPF, Xpel ( I think this is what @EastMemphis meant to say) and then covered with a ceramic coating. I have a cheap pressure washer that I use with a foam spray from Chemical guys, rinse and dry off with a large Griot's microfiber towel. Each car will take me about 15 min and then I 'll spend 15 min inside dusting, cleaning the windows and vacuuming for the spiders or less for the coupes.

Once ceramic coated which typically costs about $1500 for entire car with wheels, calipers etc.. then it's very fast to wash since nothing sticks to it. If you include doing PPF for the entire car with coating can run between $7-9K. It's well worth the price in my opinion considering how much we all spend on our toys.

 

Takes me over 10 min to do just one wheel. That includes about three spray/scrub/rinse cycles of the sidewalls with bleach product followed by car soap on the rims with hand wash to also include horse hair brushing the wheel bolts and calipers.

Then you have to do the fender wells that have that carpet coating which takes a while to get showroom clean with no room to get your hands in there. At least and hour to do the four corners and the rims and calipers are ceramic coated.

Boggles the mind trying to compute doing the entire vehicle in 15 minutes. Takes longer than that to get setup before even starting.

 

It all boils down to your personal definition of clean.

 

Only use AMMONYC products, best ive ever used. The car being PPF'ed and Ceramic coated makes it literally an extremely fast process. I just got a new S580 which isnt PPF'ed but is Ceramic coated and its a soak, rinse job and done. This ceramic coating is truly a god send

 

Firstly car has Xpel all over even going under the car on the painted parts. Then has ceramic CQuartz Finest Reserve.

Hose down with filtered water

The T2045TDSR TDS water filter system is a twin Big Blue system housing on a stainless steel bracket using two 20″ x 4.5″ replacement filters containing high grade mixed blends of special Demineralizing Resins.

An AIC-K inline carbon pre-filter containing KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion) and GAC (Granular Activated Carbon) featuring quick change fittings is included. This 5 micron pre-filter reduces chlorine and chemicals that can shorten the life of the demineralizing resin.

Then I use a Karcher K7 and dispense a neutral snow. Hose down . Then blow dry. In the past 4 years only once did I have to use a microfibre cloth to was with the snow.

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I haven't found cleaning the wheels an issue at all. Its easy given there is no brake dust because of the ceramic disc's

 

I never use bucket/water. I keep it pretty clean almost always and only have to spray some windex and wipe with microfiber cloth to clean it. Then polish with F11. I recently moved my side mirrors in a bit to point at the car more and I love looking at the F430 rear quarter panel inlet scoops all shined up!

 

Obviously you have never had Borrani wire wheels to deal with. Once a year the rims come off. I set the tire in an armchair and sit opposite using never dull and my fingers to get between the spokes. Best time I have achieved is 50 minutes per wheel. It's why I run the Campy's on the 330 most the time and look at the clean Borranis sitting in the garage.

But....I am an oldtimer.....just like my fav car.
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Dedication ! Looks great !

 

here on a trip in italy
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