How OCD are you about car washing and detailing?

[El_K]

In Texas, there are car washes on every corner, like a Starbucks. They offer monthly unlimited memberships. Free vacuums and window cleaner along with compressed air to blow out any water. I go about once a month. Wash the wheels at home as some car washes suck at wheels. And I get the front bumper done at home to get the dead bugs.

 

[dannarc]

Im in Bumfuck Idaho. I moved here and cleaned my truck to show n shine levels then was immediately shit on by the gravel roads with oil. The dust, grit, and grim are on another level, and don't even get me started on the size 6 caddis that destroy the front grill. I don't give a shit anymore, I'll go through the scratch n wax drive through once a year...meh

 

[PurpleThrobber]

Im in Bumfuck Idaho. I moved here and cleaned my truck to show n shine levels then was immediately shit on by the gravel roads with oil. The dust, grit, and grim are on another level, and don't even get me started on the size 6 caddis that destroy the front grill. I don't give a shit anymore, I'll go through the scratch n wax drive through once a year...meh

Yeah, you ain’t keeping your rig clean in Idaho between about September and July.

August is usually good clean rig time.

 

[dannarc]

Im in Bumfuck Idaho. I moved here and cleaned my truck to show n shine levels then was immediately shit on by the gravel roads with oil. The dust, grit, and grim are on another level, and don't even get me started on the size 6 caddis that destroy the front grill. I don't give a shit anymore, I'll go through the scratch n wax drive through once a year...meh

Yeah, you ain’t keeping your rig clean in Idaho between about September and July.

August is usually good clean rig time.

August is dust and forest fire season, which does equate to a cleaner rig. I love my gravel, keystone can covered roads, keeps the city folk away

 

[huskyhooligan]

In Texas, there are car washes on every corner, like a Starbucks. They offer monthly unlimited memberships. Free vacuums and window cleaner along with compressed air to blow out any water. I go about once a month. Wash the wheels at home as some car washes suck at wheels. And I get the front bumper done at home to get the dead bugs.

Brown Bear has the same thing and I subscribe and I get my car washed even when it rains.

 

[CFetters_Nacho_Lover]

I have all the tools, lotions, potions, etc. Several shelves full of shit and have my own profile on Autogeek because I'm a loser. Have done some insane level of detailing on several cars (full wet sanding and all that), used to detail on the side for money, yada yada yada.

Do you use a pressure washer on your cars?

 

[CFetters_Nacho_Lover]

I've never parked a car indoors in my life. Cars are waterproof. Expensive tools and machinery and motorcycles aren't. I roll my cars in to work on them and then roll them back out when I'm done.
Ideally, I'd have both a 2-car attached garage AND a detached shop, but they didn't build many attached garages in my town in the 1920s.

 

[YellowSnow]

I've never parked a car indoors in my life. Cars are waterproof. Expensive tools and machinery and motorcycles aren't. I roll my cars in to work on them and then roll them back out when I'm done.
Ideally, I'd have both a 2-car attached garage AND a detached shop, but they didn't build many attached garages in my town in the 1920s.

Cars aren't really waterproof, per se, over 20 years outside. They last much longer in doors.
But it's a use case thing. If I had a shitty 1992 Aerostar or Astro Van (you're true dream cars) and a bunch of nice tools, I too would park outside. Instead, I have a decent fleet of 1 to 2 year old vehicles and a shitty tool box.

 

[BleachedAnusDawg]

I have all the tools, lotions, potions, etc. Several shelves full of shit and have my own profile on Autogeek because I'm a loser. Have done some insane level of detailing on several cars (full wet sanding and all that), used to detail on the side for money, yada yada yada.

Do you use a pressure washer on your cars?

Not really. Never directly. I have a foam cannon setup and quit bothering with it since, in reality, all that method really does is pre-soak the panels on the car. It doesn't actually make it so you can spray foam and, blast foam off, and the car is clean. Looks cool in the YouTube videos, but the hassle getting all that stuff set up isn't worth it. If you want dirt to release/blast off of the paint really easily you need to have a ceramic coating on the paint.
I used to do the two-bucket method for washing which is one bucket of soapy water, one bucket of clean water. You use the clean water bucket to rinse the wash mitt after cleaning a section of the car at a time. The problem I found with that method is that by rinsing the mitt in a bucket of clean water you introduce a bunch of 100% water back in to the soap bucket and end up diluting the soap bucket with too much water which can impact the lubricity that the soapy water is supposed to have at a proper dilution.
So now I just use a grit guard in the bottom of my soap bucket and scrub the mitt against it after each panel. Does a good job of keeping the actual dirt at the bottom of the bucket rather than it getting back on the mitt and then rubbing against the paint.
Typing this out, I realize how nerdy this all sounds. This is the tip of the spear with how wonky some of this car detailing stuff can get.

 

[YellowSnow]

I have all the tools, lotions, potions, etc. Several shelves full of shit and have my own profile on Autogeek because I'm a loser. Have done some insane level of detailing on several cars (full wet sanding and all that), used to detail on the side for money, yada yada yada.

Do you use a pressure washer on your cars?

Not really. Never directly. I have a foam cannon setup and quit bothering with it since, in reality, all that method really does is pre-soak the panels on the car. It doesn't actually make it so you can spray foam and, blast foam off, and the car is clean. Looks cool in the YouTube videos, but the hassle getting all that stuff set up isn't worth it. If you want dirt to release/blast off of the paint really easily you need to have a ceramic coating on the paint.
I used to do the two-bucket method for washing which is one bucket of soapy water, one bucket of clean water. You use the clean water bucket to rinse the wash mitt after cleaning a section of the car at a time. The problem I found with that method is that by rinsing the mitt in a bucket of clean water you introduce a bunch of 100% water back in to the soap bucket and end up diluting the soap bucket with too much water which can impact the lubricity that the soapy water is supposed to have at a proper dilution.
So now I just use a grit guard in the bottom of my soap bucket and scrub the mitt against it after each panel. Does a good job of keeping the actual dirt at the bottom of the bucket rather than it getting back on the mitt and then rubbing against the paint.
Typing this out, I realize how nerdy this all sounds. This is the tip of the spear with how wonky some of this car detailing stuff can get.

See this what I'm talking about. I have a micro fiber mitt which is light years better than the scratchy foaming brush at the Brown Bear, but even with this you still get some swirl marks in the clear coat.

 

[BleachedAnusDawg]

I have all the tools, lotions, potions, etc. Several shelves full of shit and have my own profile on Autogeek because I'm a loser. Have done some insane level of detailing on several cars (full wet sanding and all that), used to detail on the side for money, yada yada yada.

Do you use a pressure washer on your cars?

Not really. Never directly. I have a foam cannon setup and quit bothering with it since, in reality, all that method really does is pre-soak the panels on the car. It doesn't actually make it so you can spray foam and, blast foam off, and the car is clean. Looks cool in the YouTube videos, but the hassle getting all that stuff set up isn't worth it. If you want dirt to release/blast off of the paint really easily you need to have a ceramic coating on the paint.
I used to do the two-bucket method for washing which is one bucket of soapy water, one bucket of clean water. You use the clean water bucket to rinse the wash mitt after cleaning a section of the car at a time. The problem I found with that method is that by rinsing the mitt in a bucket of clean water you introduce a bunch of 100% water back in to the soap bucket and end up diluting the soap bucket with too much water which can impact the lubricity that the soapy water is supposed to have at a proper dilution.
So now I just use a grit guard in the bottom of my soap bucket and scrub the mitt against it after each panel. Does a good job of keeping the actual dirt at the bottom of the bucket rather than it getting back on the mitt and then rubbing against the paint.
Typing this out, I realize how nerdy this all sounds. This is the tip of the spear with how wonky some of this car detailing stuff can get.

See this what I'm talking about. I have a micro fiber mitt which is light years better than the scratchy foaming brush at the Brown Bear, but even with this you still get some swirl marks in the clear coat.

And not all clear coats are alike. Some manufacturers are softer than others. I've found that to be the case with Japanese cars. I remember detailing a new-ish Caddy many years back and the clear coat very hard and the paint correction took twice as long as normal.
I've heard great things about this wash mitt.

Microfiber Madness IncrediMitt

 

[YellowSnow]

I think Toyota does great with paint and clear coat. My old 4 Runner was outside most of its 17 life span (before I sold) and the paint had zero fading, peeling, etc. Most GM, Fords and Dodges I've seen of the same age didn't hold up as well. Their undercarriages are great too. Zero corrosion whatsoever. Not even minor cosmetic rust.

 

[BleachedAnusDawg]

Also, for my guysms who keep up on the car washing (which it sounds like is just myself and Yella), I highly recommend having a good waterless / rinseless car wash option. Very handy in summer if the car only sees dust for weeks at a time and a full hose and bucket wash is overkill. So long as you have a nice set of 6 microfiber towels (I think the size is 12" x 12") you can get away with spray on, wipe off car washing and not scratch the paint.
This has been my go-to for waterless washing for years.

Ultima Waterless Wash Concentrate 16 oz. Bundle

 

[BleachedAnusDawg]

And when washing / drying your microfiber, get a microfiber detergent, wash them separate of all other laundry, dry on low heat, and do not use dryer sheets.

 

[BleachedAnusDawg]

Triple shit post incoming. Yella got me started up here. I need to take a long walk for perspective.

 

[PurpleBaze]

Depends on the car for me. The Highlander (aka Kluger) doesn't get washed that often. It's predawn gray and actually hides dirt well. Yes, I take that through Brown Bear every now and then.
The Mercedes is obsidian black and, obviously, is very challenging to keep clean. I hand-wash regularly with a microfiber mitt and also hand-dry with microfiber towels. I have not waxed it since got it in January. I'll probably treat it with ceramic spray going forward.
I have two foam cannons, which makes car-washing easier. One is for the pressure washer and the other one just attaches to the garden hose. The latter is very convenient and is also fantastic for washing motorcycles.
There you go Yella, you asshole. I was trying to stay away from this shitpit for a while, but you dragged me back in. Happy now?

 

[CFetters_Nacho_Lover]

Depends on the car for me. The Highlander (aka Kluger) doesn't get washed that often. It's predawn gray and actually hides dirt well. Yes, I take that through Brown Bear every now and then.
The Mercedes is obsidian black and, obviously, is very challenging to keep clean. I hand-wash regularly with a microfiber mitt and also hand-dry with microfiber towels. I have not waxed it since got it in January. I'll probably treat it with ceramic spray going forward.
I have two foam cannons, which makes car-washing easier. One is for the pressure washer and the other one just attaches to the garden hose. The latter is very convenient and is also fantastic for washing motorcycles.
There you go Yella, you asshole. I was trying to stay away from this shitpit for a while, but you dragged me back in. Happy now?

It was the Taylor Swift thread that pulled you back in.

 

[1to392831weretaken]

I think Toyota does great with paint and clear coat. My old 4 Runner was outside most of its 17 life span (before I sold) and the paint had zero fading, peeling, etc. Most GM, Fords and Dodges I've seen of the same age didn't hold up as well. Their undercarriages are great too. Zero corrosion whatsoever. Not even minor cosmetic rust.

So 17 years outside and the 4Runner was fine? Sounds like cars are pretty waterproof. I've never owned one for 17 years. Closest I've come is the 325i I bought new and put 275K on over 15 years. Lived outside its whole life and probably would have given me another two or three years.
Besides, nobody cares what I do with or where I park my cars because my little compound is tucked away. Correction: the water district cares in that they care if I wash my car at home. I'm in the watershed, so I'm fined if I'm caught washing my car. It's drive through carwash for me.

 

[PurpleBaze]

The most time-consuming thing about washing this car are the wheels. They get dirty very quickly and are hard to wash and keep clean.

 

[YellowSnow]

I think Toyota does great with paint and clear coat. My old 4 Runner was outside most of its 17 life span (before I sold) and the paint had zero fading, peeling, etc. Most GM, Fords and Dodges I've seen of the same age didn't hold up as well. Their undercarriages are great too. Zero corrosion whatsoever. Not even minor cosmetic rust.

So 17 years outside and the 4Runner was fine? Sounds like cars are pretty waterproof. I've never owned one for 17 years. Closest I've come is the 325i I bought new and put 275K on over 15 years. Lived outside its whole life and probably would have given me another two or three years.
Besides, nobody cares what I do with or where I park my cars because my little compound is tucked away. Correction: the water district cares in that they care if I wash my car at home. I'm in the watershed, so I'm fined if I'm caught washing my car. It's drive through carwash for me.

Never leaked on me, just didn't look as pretty after 17 years vs being garaged the entire time.
Apparently those 4 Runner sunroofs were prone to leaks but mine never had an issue. My theory is that I never used it and staying closed the entire time might have helped with the seals?