How often should one clean a car?
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 820
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From: SF Bay Area
How often should one clean a car?
I've never owned a car for the long haul (i.e. 5-10 years) but assuming I did, what's a reasonable washing cycle for a daily driver?
Background: S2000 is my 20k miles/year daily driver, through rain, snow, salt, mud, sunny summer days, etc. It has covered parking (carport).
Usually the car will pick up a significant amount of grime within a week. Sometimes (snow + salt on the ground) it only takes a mile or two of driving.
My practice so far, when weather allows, is to wash the car every Saturday morning or afternoon. This includes washing with a soft mitt and car soap, rinsing, and either a hand-coat of wax or a spray-on wax if it's too cold or I'm lazy. Over the course of a year, this would be 26 washings and, sadly, 26 opportunities to add swirl marks, etc., to the car.
On the other hand, if I only washed it once a month, there is the potential risk of grime digging in somehow, plus washes become more difficult and, individually, more likely to result in harm to the clearcoat somehow.
So what's the right balance? Once a week? Once every two weeks? Once a month?
I know all about the asthetic answer (i.e. every morning before breakfast, every night before bed!) but what's the safe answer with regard to long term maintenance of the clearcoat?
Background: S2000 is my 20k miles/year daily driver, through rain, snow, salt, mud, sunny summer days, etc. It has covered parking (carport).
Usually the car will pick up a significant amount of grime within a week. Sometimes (snow + salt on the ground) it only takes a mile or two of driving.
My practice so far, when weather allows, is to wash the car every Saturday morning or afternoon. This includes washing with a soft mitt and car soap, rinsing, and either a hand-coat of wax or a spray-on wax if it's too cold or I'm lazy. Over the course of a year, this would be 26 washings and, sadly, 26 opportunities to add swirl marks, etc., to the car.
On the other hand, if I only washed it once a month, there is the potential risk of grime digging in somehow, plus washes become more difficult and, individually, more likely to result in harm to the clearcoat somehow.
So what's the right balance? Once a week? Once every two weeks? Once a month?
I know all about the asthetic answer (i.e. every morning before breakfast, every night before bed!) but what's the safe answer with regard to long term maintenance of the clearcoat?
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,303
Likes: 23
From: Calgary
I suppose the answer to this question is very subjective, and is affected by factors you mention such as climate and temperature, not withstanding how much time you have to spend on your vehicle.
Here's my response in regards to my daily driver ('01 Tundra) since I don't use the S as a daily driver. The Tundra gets washed *every* time it gets dirty. This means, that every time it gets driven on wet roads (rain or melting snow), it will get, at the very least a rinse when I reach my destination. On a typical winter day, I drive to work, and rinse the Tundra with a buck or two, at a car wash close to where I work. (i'll leave 10 minutes early to accomodate this) It's then parked in the parkade, wet, albeit with clean, fresh water. When I drive home at the end of shift, if the roads are still wet, it will get another rinse with my garden hose before I park it. Very rarely does it get parked for an extended period of time with dirt dried onto it.
As soon as the roads dry up, or are relatively clean, the truck will recieve a thorough wash at the wand wash, using two buckets and a mitt, followed by a complete dry, and a coat of Zaino if the time and temperature permits.
Calgary is, by nature very dusty. Even a 5KM trip on a dry highway will coat your vehicle in a layer of dust. In the winter, once the roads dry up, dusty salt deposits are very common. As such, in the winter, if the roads are dry, the Tundra will recieve a wash once every week-10 days. In the summer, if the roads are dry, this might be extended to once every 14-21 days. (Yes, we do get dry rainless periods for that length of time up here.) Again, if I'm caught in a snow storm or rain storm during that time, then what I discussed earlier applies. A simple rinse to wash off the sloppy, wet grime, and then a more thorough wash once road conditions are conducive to such.
Hope that helps!
Asif
Here's my response in regards to my daily driver ('01 Tundra) since I don't use the S as a daily driver. The Tundra gets washed *every* time it gets dirty. This means, that every time it gets driven on wet roads (rain or melting snow), it will get, at the very least a rinse when I reach my destination. On a typical winter day, I drive to work, and rinse the Tundra with a buck or two, at a car wash close to where I work. (i'll leave 10 minutes early to accomodate this) It's then parked in the parkade, wet, albeit with clean, fresh water. When I drive home at the end of shift, if the roads are still wet, it will get another rinse with my garden hose before I park it. Very rarely does it get parked for an extended period of time with dirt dried onto it.
As soon as the roads dry up, or are relatively clean, the truck will recieve a thorough wash at the wand wash, using two buckets and a mitt, followed by a complete dry, and a coat of Zaino if the time and temperature permits.
Calgary is, by nature very dusty. Even a 5KM trip on a dry highway will coat your vehicle in a layer of dust. In the winter, once the roads dry up, dusty salt deposits are very common. As such, in the winter, if the roads are dry, the Tundra will recieve a wash once every week-10 days. In the summer, if the roads are dry, this might be extended to once every 14-21 days. (Yes, we do get dry rainless periods for that length of time up here.) Again, if I'm caught in a snow storm or rain storm during that time, then what I discussed earlier applies. A simple rinse to wash off the sloppy, wet grime, and then a more thorough wash once road conditions are conducive to such.
Hope that helps!
Asif
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,303
Likes: 23
From: Calgary
PS-It seems I digressed upon reading my response more closely. To answer your question, I don't have a "schedule" per se that I adhere to. Road conditions coupled with my shift rotation usually dictates the frequency of my wash routine.
Asif
Asif
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,113
Likes: 4
From: manhattan beach, calif
phoenix... you are on the right track-
wash it as often as is reasonably possible.
whenever you have salts or grime on the car, they can damage your finish if left too long. best to clean them off as quickly as possible (for the long term finish of your car, and to keep it looking as good as possible).
by waxing when you can and using a fast shine type wax when you cant wax you are keeping a good base on the car.
yes, you might add a few swirls, but those are better than the damage you would otherwise have. swirls are easy to remove or cover, as you probably know- and they can wait until the weather warms up enough to remove them.
wash it as often as is reasonably possible.
whenever you have salts or grime on the car, they can damage your finish if left too long. best to clean them off as quickly as possible (for the long term finish of your car, and to keep it looking as good as possible).
by waxing when you can and using a fast shine type wax when you cant wax you are keeping a good base on the car.
yes, you might add a few swirls, but those are better than the damage you would otherwise have. swirls are easy to remove or cover, as you probably know- and they can wait until the weather warms up enough to remove them.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 820
Likes: 0
From: SF Bay Area
Thanks for the advice. I guess I'm trying to find a suitable balance.
Just before this I had an '01 Prelude for about 30k-plus miles. Unlike previous cars the Prelude only got "spray the dirt off" washes plus regular runs through touchless washes (the kind that spray soap on, wash it off with water, and don't use "softcloth"). What I found was that, in spite of the fact that grime would sit on the car for months, the finish remained *perfect*. I really do mean perfect. I washed it only once after six months of winter, and the paint was in showroom condition, far more so than my previous 5th gen Prelude (an auto, yuck!) that got washed and detailed every weekend but eventually ended up with quite a few swirl marks and other imperfections after six months of regular weekend detailing.
Earlier I posted a thread about detailing shops. I posted it because a friend of mine has a '911 4S around the 100k mark (with over five years on the clock) that's only seen hose-downs once every two or three weeks & a professional detailing inside-and-out twice a year at most, and it leaves the detailing shop in perfect condition - no swirl marks after that many years.
I think it's because the surface doesn't see much rubbing, period.
After years of being a fanatical detailer with my cars, I'm starting to appreciate his "less is more" approach and I wonder whether it's more sensible (and better for the car) if it only really gets a thorough hand-wash once a month or less.
Another consideration, less important but still a consideration, is cost. Detailing sessions do add up if they're frequent enough. I'm aware of the importance of putting money into the interior (vinyl and leather protectant, regular vacuuming, greasing or protecting interior and exterior trim pieces) but do modern auto finishes really get damaged if dirt sits on it for too long?
Just before this I had an '01 Prelude for about 30k-plus miles. Unlike previous cars the Prelude only got "spray the dirt off" washes plus regular runs through touchless washes (the kind that spray soap on, wash it off with water, and don't use "softcloth"). What I found was that, in spite of the fact that grime would sit on the car for months, the finish remained *perfect*. I really do mean perfect. I washed it only once after six months of winter, and the paint was in showroom condition, far more so than my previous 5th gen Prelude (an auto, yuck!) that got washed and detailed every weekend but eventually ended up with quite a few swirl marks and other imperfections after six months of regular weekend detailing.
Earlier I posted a thread about detailing shops. I posted it because a friend of mine has a '911 4S around the 100k mark (with over five years on the clock) that's only seen hose-downs once every two or three weeks & a professional detailing inside-and-out twice a year at most, and it leaves the detailing shop in perfect condition - no swirl marks after that many years.
I think it's because the surface doesn't see much rubbing, period.
After years of being a fanatical detailer with my cars, I'm starting to appreciate his "less is more" approach and I wonder whether it's more sensible (and better for the car) if it only really gets a thorough hand-wash once a month or less.
Another consideration, less important but still a consideration, is cost. Detailing sessions do add up if they're frequent enough. I'm aware of the importance of putting money into the interior (vinyl and leather protectant, regular vacuuming, greasing or protecting interior and exterior trim pieces) but do modern auto finishes really get damaged if dirt sits on it for too long?
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