how often do you wash your car/truck?

danger boy

I think i've become obsessive compulsive these days. I wash my car like every week. Can't stand to have my car dirty. I actully have to cars.. so between them both, it keeps me busy.

Just finishing washing one of the cars and the bugger is, that it's suppose to rain tomorrow anyway. But i can't stand to see it dirty any longer.

How often do you all wash your ride? Please don't say "when it's dirty". that doesn't tell us anything.

HBombToo

Never!

Thats the wifes job plus the daughter like riding through the car wash.

HBomb

nadams

I try to wash my truck about once a week on the weekends. Unfortunately, weather and time have not been good to me lately, so sometimes it goes two weeks or more before getting washed. It's always hand-done, none of that carwash crap, and it looks extremely sharp with the chrome accents and alloy wheels polished, though that adds about 1.5 more hours to the job.

The truck is black, so it's VERY hard to keep clean. I kick myself for buying black, but I also LOVE the way it looks shined up!

www.king-nerd.com/dood/truckpicpages/index.htm

VR3

I detail cars on the weekend...

I detail my Dad's Car and Truck every weekend.

Infact, today I detailed his car - wax, armor-all - full detail. The truck, just a check up/wash.

But I have washed cars bout every weekend for the past 2-3 years now.


Dude -- you can cut down the wheel shine time considerably...

My Dad found this wheel shine, called Da Bomb or w/e -- simple to put on, easy to take off -- the wheels shine like CRAZY.

The black paint, very easy to keep clean actually - my Dad's car is black --- and we use Black wax. Keeps the paint looking good.

I normally don't detail motorocycles - I believe my Dad did this job, but he used the metal shine I mentioned above on it.

http://www.eandr.biz/HDANGLEVIEW.jpg

wlrandall

Sid, do you Armor All the car speakers as well?? J/K

I wash mine when it's dirty. Being in Texas with the weather we have it could be twice a week or every two weeks.

VR3

Nope --

I armor-all the interrior and exterrior plastics/leather. Since we do this weekly - I dont think we are going to have to worry about cracking and deterriorating

My Dad's truck is 20 years old and still looks brand new on the insde and out, and it is his work truck!

warviper

Once a week it only cost 5 bucks, saves me at least an hour thats a great deal in my book.

faster100

Once a week everyweek, except during Florida's rain season, wax about every month or so, detail inside and out.... hand wash and hand wax... buffers do a number on the paint, and drive through car washes swirl the paint. We had a 95 mustang that looked like new after 5 years of use from new, until the heads popped...

danger boy

faster100,

what kind of car wax do you use? i don't know which is a good high gloss one.

danger boy

here's a pic of my 2000 Neon. i got the windows tinted on Fri. and it needed a wash.

danger boy

another one. i thought this was a good artsy fartsy pic ha ha ha

faster100

I use Mequiares gold class, it works great!! a little tip.. if you get tree sap or stains on the finish.... don't use cleaners for these things as it contains kerosene, use the car wax and use a back and forth motion, not circles when you apply the wax... the stains will come right off... and wont swirl the paint when ya go side to side, and you didnt just use a petrolium based solvent on your finish..

faster100

This from last year when i first got the Xterra, I will post a recent pic soon as its cleaned and not raining, when ever that is :rolleyes: Florida for ya,

danger boy

i saw that Mequiares gold at the auto parts store. not sure why, but it caught my eye.. i didn't buy it though. i may go back this weekend and check it out.

when you apply the wax do you use a circular motion? and same when you remove it?

What about small nicks and dings, scratches in the paint? what is gentle, yet gets the job done?

Jstas

As often as I can. Usually about once a month is when I can or if I have a special event. It sucks though 'cause as you can see:




It's black.


Very black.


and big!


I just got back from a car show and all day long people were marvelling at the depth of the black in the sunlight and looking at thier reflections.

I was pretty stoked! Then I won the burnout contest.

George Grand

"Then I won the burnout contest!"

Not quite yet there Fireball, but I'd wager for sure before the age of 30.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

faster100

never apply in circles, back and forth, not sure about knicks and dings, Thankfully dont have any yet that i see.... Stay away from color waxes also.... they stain and build up on the finish..

Nice Truck BTW

VR3

Err...

Gotta disagree with the color wax thing. As long as you spend the extra time getting it *ALL* off - they work wonders. They cover up scratches, as they come with like a lip stick thing to put on the scratches - and they give a darker shade of color to your paint.

It is easy to get off, just not as easy as other wax.

To get out dings, use that pops-a-dent thing that is on TV...with the suction cup, etc. That works real well.

faster100

we had a 92 corrolla from new, used color wax for a few years... it stained the paint, and caused buildup... you "can't' get it all off as that is the idea of wax, to get it on... now if you strip it of wax build up somehow everyother time you use it i guess, but who does that... Ive been detailing my cars since i was a late teenager, it may be ok for problem spots... but thats all. IMO,
don't wax the whole care with it.. waxxing to often gets a buildup anyways... in our harsh rain and sunshine here in fla... you gotta keep ity waxed but not excessive..

brettw22

Armour All is bad for the interior, period. It dries out the stuff that it's put on, regardless of how often you apply it. It WILL CAUSE DAMAGE LONG TERM. Use McGuires as it has moisturizers in it that will condition the material it's being installed on.

As for waxes (the VERY few times that I've ever felt the desire to spend my time doing this) I've used Zymol's. Pretty good stuff from any that I've used in the past.

I take my car to those washes a few times a month and let all the workers clean it for me. I'm SOOO not about manual labor type tasks.....:cool:

Steve@3dai

About the waxing in circles and such.

If you've got some swirls, be prepared for a number of coats. I just did a C4 Corvette that was black, and he had some swirl problems. So we did two coats of wax in a circular motion to fill in and make the light bounce off differently in the swirls, and it took them out. Then did a coat in the direction of the wind travel while driving. It looked sharp when it was done, nice deep, clear, and engaging black.

Jstas

Originally posted by George Grand
"Then I won the burnout contest!"

Not quite yet there Fireball, but I'd wager for sure before the age of 30.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

Wrong kinda burnout, George. I'd give you a personal demo but your neighbors may not enjoy it so much.

danger boy

Originally posted by brettw22
I'm SOOO not about manual labor type tasks.....:cool:

Brett, i'm surprised. A big strapping young man as yourself. My image of you has been changed forever now.

Drewsmith

zaino car products are the best period, time consuming but the results are brilliant.

www.zainostore.com

Jstas

Originally posted by Drewsmith
zaino car products are the best period, time consuming but the results are brilliant.

www.zainostore.com

No they aren't. They aren't a wax. They are a polymer than is supposed to bond to your paint. Personally, I'd rather have a wax that doesn't bother the paint at all but protects it. I'll stick with my caranuba waxes, thanks.

George Grand

My neighbor Bud'll shoot your tires out John. Not a good idea around here.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

Jstas

If your neightbor Bud shot my tires out, he'd be taking a ride in an ambulance, gun or no gun.

Steve@3dai

Originally posted by Jstas
No they aren't. They aren't a wax. They are a polymer than is supposed to bond to your paint. Personally, I'd rather have a wax that doesn't bother the paint at all but protects it. I'll stick with my caranuba waxes, thanks.

I use Zaino exclusively on teh wagon. I like it, gives an awesome shine, protects well, and lasts a while in the TX heat. Here's an example, this is a quick application of zaino, not the usual 3-4 coat one

Jstas

I never said it didn't do what they say it does. I just said that it wasn't "The Best" and it isn't.

Drewsmith

zaino out shines pretty much everything and when tested against 46th other Polishes came 1st. I have used mequires, nu finish, Zymol, and so on. They don't even come close to 4-5 applications of Zaino.

Theres a reason on any high end car manufacture Forum or Car Detailing forum everyone is talking about it.

I think it's the best and have been using it for a couple of yr's

faster100

i wouldnt like the idea that it takes 3-5 coats on my finish to work. anything in quanities on your paint isnt the best for the long run, I would think its alittle different for show cars, how long do they keep those paint jobs? how often are they in bad weather and sun and rain? For real world car and trucks for everyday use a plain ol wax is fine.. not overdone so you don't get a build up..

and on the armorall, strictly IMHO and personal experiance over a 10 year testing period It works great and has never dried or cracked my dashes, cars from 1973 - 2003 , ive used it everyweek on new cars and every few months on my older cars to every 6 months just to freshen things up and it never showed signs of dryness, cracks, cracking and i live in fla where the heat is pretty extreme.... so use it with faith it works....