Who washes their car.........

[Nor Cal ZL1]

Originally Posted by waldo1967

I live in a neighborhood that doesn't allow car washing.
So I have no choice than to take it to the car wash.
The swirl marks are accumulating.
Next Spring, I will be either be self detailing or have it done professionally.

You can perform a waterless wash once a week and avoid the majority of swirls. Or if it is a little dirtier you can do a rinseless in the garage with two buckets and a total of 5 gallons of water. Either is just as safe or even safer than the traditional two bucket, unless you have alot of dirt built up and adhered to the surface.

http://www.autogeek.net/waterless-car-wash-kit1.html

This kit you will want to add an additional bucket and grit guard to.

http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-rinseless-kit.html

A real super easy and very quick wipe on and walk away sealant. Looks fantastic, and provides a very very slick surface. Can be applied to a clean surface in about 15 minutes. A quick way to add a slick surface which is very easy to keep clean. As an added bonus the polymers in their waterless or rinseless washes boost the sealant and keep it fresh.

http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-crystal-seal.html

This last product link can be used to top off any wax or sealnt. It works very well with the crystal seal. A spray per panel every wash or two will keep.the sealant going for about a year before needing to be done again.

http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-spray-sealant.html

Using the above products is an easy wash to keep your car clean without a traditional wash, and will provide a slick protected surface that is very easy to maintain. If you wanted to go a step above that a coating like their crystal coat can be used as the base under the crystal seal. Of course your best results will be with the paint polished before using any of the above.

This is just one of the great product lines that will allow you to keep.swirls to a minimum without using a traditional wash.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by drew peacock

i enjoy polishing mine...what's the harm if you enjoy it

None, really. At worst, there is some "opportunity cost" in terms of money and time.

Originally Posted by pickwithaustin

Again, I disagree. Many do car shows for their own satisfaction - not for the pleasure of others. That said, you'd have to spend time cleaning and buffing for the very purpose of doing a car show.

I think the point is, if you're really a "car guy," then you enjoy spending time with your car. Doing things to it. Keeping it nice. Protecting it.

Like I said before, car guys come in more than just one flavor. The best times I spend with my cars are the times when I'm driving them. In the case of my '08, that specifically means driving it as hard as I can - that's a big part of why I bought it in the first place. Currently, that means HPDE track days. At my home track, I run with the advanced guys and the instructors . . .

There's a little more maintenance involved, which I really don't mind doing despite dipping into "shop vocabulary" from time to time. And there's the time spent picking mods in support of the hard driving - done carefully and with quite a bit of time spent up-front in thought rather than after the fact in regret. That falls under the heading of 'quality time', too.

To date, most of my cars have "cleaned up" pretty well with minimal effort, and the car in my sig still looks pretty good for a not-quite-8-y/o dual-purpose DD/track day car that has never been garaged or covered. It's nowhere near perfect, and wouldn't be the least bit competitive in a judged car show class (where having a professional detail done on it would make sense).

I'm guilty too of not taking the nice cars out in the rain. That is what I have regular ones too for. I suppose if one is all you have, then there isn't any choices..?

If it has to live its life out in the rain anyway, I might as well drive it in the rain, no?

I do have a garage - that isn't of usable size for anything much bigger than a Vega or a Mini unless it's for long-term out-of-sight storage where I don't need to get in and out of whatever I can manage to push in there and still shut the door.


Norm

[oneheadlite]

Sittin' in the Camaro at the local Wally World this evening watching all of the dirty cars and trucks come in the parking lot. Some looked like they hadn't had a wash since they were new. Just sad...........
Anyway, here comes a Yellow convertible 10 thru 13 Camaro, CLEAN as a pin.
That's a person after my own heart.
I like folks who keep a clean car or vehicle..................
I enjoy washing and waxing mine, along with my 3 Harley's.
I can't see paying someone to detail any of my vehicles.
I traded a '99 Stepside Ranger for this Camaro. All the salesman could say was; "I've never seen an older vehicle this clean before".

[mth35115]

I always here about how careful everyone is with their wash process, but nobody talks about what they wear. I wear my gym cloths, nothing to scratch the paint.

[drew peacock]

i do mine in cowboy boots cowboy hat and a leather thong...

[Ace0751]

Originally Posted by oneheadlite

Sittin' in the Camaro at the local Wally World this evening watching all of the dirty cars and trucks come in the parking lot. Some looked like they hadn't had a wash since they were new. Just sad...........
Anyway, here comes a Yellow convertible 10 thru 13 Camaro, CLEAN as a pin.
That's a person after my own heart.
I like folks who keep a clean car or vehicle..................
I enjoy washing and waxing mine, along with my 3 Harley's.
I can't see paying someone to detail any of my vehicles.
I traded a '99 Stepside Ranger for this Camaro. All the salesman could say was; "I've never seen an older vehicle this clean before".

My dealer said the same thing when I traded in my Grand-AM. He never saw a 10 year old car look so nice and clean lol.

[FitterMike]

Originally Posted by drew peacock

mine never sees water
only ever driven on sunny days..after a drive out it gets dusted down and waxed...

ugh this statement scares me. You should never touch paint with a dry cloth or anything dry really. Lubrication is key to preventing scratches and swirls. I am a professional detailer and did a 14 Camaro this summer and his philosophy was the same as your statement. The paint was horrible. One of the worst scratched cars I have ever done and it was a year old. He did however drive the car a lot.

[Steve1LE]

Originally Posted by FitterMike

ugh this statement scares me. You should never touch paint with a dry cloth or anything dry really. Lubrication is key to preventing scratches and swirls. I am a professional detailer and did a 14 Camaro this summer and his philosophy was the same as your statement. The paint was horrible. One of the worst scratched cars I have ever done and it was a year old. He did however drive the car a lot.

Glad I'm not the only one. I've read several times of people dusting their cars.

[oneheadlite]

Originally Posted by mth35115

I always here about how careful everyone is with their wash process, but nobody talks about what they wear. I wear my gym cloths, nothing to scratch the paint.

Do you remember the promo for "Desperate Housewives" with Terri Hatcher and the girls wearing their skimpy outfits and Terri rubbing the sponge down in her shirt, all soapy and hot looking, washing the car?
Well, I saw some promo for "According to Jim" with those guys, Andy and Jim doing a 'takeoff' on that "Housewives" scene, except "Fat" Andy was the one in the skimpy shorts and the low cut shirt, trying to look all 'hot and bothered'.
Talk about bizarre and funny!!!!!!!!

[trashmanssd]

Originally Posted by drew peacock

i enjoy polishing mine...what's the harm if you enjoy it

your talking about your car right?

[trashmanssd]

Originally Posted by oneheadlite

Do you remember the promo for "Desperate Housewives" with Terri Hatcher and the girls wearing their skimpy outfits and Terri rubbing the sponge down in her shirt, all soapy and hot looking, washing the car?
Well, I saw some promo for "According to Jim" with those guys, Andy and Jim doing a 'takeoff' on that "Housewives" scene, except "Fat" Andy was the one in the skimpy shorts and the low cut shirt, trying to look all 'hot and bothered'.
Talk about bizarre and funny!!!!!!!!

[drew peacock]

piccy of my mustang hood.
i am mega fussy and ofc never scratch the paint...i use a feather duster after each drive out...then polish it...

[lbls1]

My signature cars (except Malibu) have never seen a car wash. I do all washes and detailing to them. I use excellent quality cotton and microfiber cloths for washing and drying. I also use a good quality quick detailer spray for in between sprucing up, and I polish and wax the cars during the warm months of the year.

[Alex Benavitz]

I wash it myself. Two Bucket method, hand dry with microfiber towels. Meguiars Soap. Meguiars clay bar and wax...