# How do you wash your car?



## Kgolf31 (Sep 25, 2008)

OnlySkills said:


> How often?
> Do you wax the CAR ?
> What products? How much?
> How Long does it take you ? hmmm
> ...


1. Every 1-2 Weeks
2. Yes - Dodo Juice Hard Candy. Every 2 Weeks
3. Average Wash - 1 Hour
4. Detailedimage.com, Autogeek.net


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## Boile (Jul 5, 2005)

Dave 330i said:


> Ask yourself what you are trying to do when you wash your car. Nothing takes off environmental contaminates better than detergent, unless you are sold on all the commercials about "car wash shampoos". What else does detergent takes off, wax and polish, of course. That's why you wax your car once in a while. Independent guys at Consumer Reports rated Turtle Carnauba wax as one of their top performers. I believe them more than the product advertisements.


But did CR wash their cars with dish detergent in their wax test?
You acknowledged that dish detergent gets rid of wax. That means, common sense would say that you should rewax after every wash, not just once in a while.

Still, I don't have a problem with waxing as much as I have a problem with you resting the sponge on the floor.
It violates the first principle of car washing. :rofl:


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## Boile (Jul 5, 2005)

rdkind62 said:


> I never put my car in the garage for the evening without ensuring that it is perfectly clean. If it gets real dirty during the day I will take it to a car wash and just use the spray wash and then come home and dry it completely and use a Zaino gloss enhancer (Z6) after I have it clean. On days when it is just dusty or has pollen on it I just go with the Z6. I also cover it with a car cover even in my garage. A little bit anal? Yep. But it looks brand new and probably will for years. I always wax it at least once a month with all Zaino products.





wyb said:


> you will make someone very happy when you sell it on to another person!


I beg to differ.
It's the other way around.
The more you wash, the more you subject your paint to scratches, and the less it will look like it's brand new.
A coat of dirt may not look good, but it protects the paint and when you do wash it off your car actually looks good.


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## rdkind62 (Jan 11, 2008)

Boile said:


> I beg to differ.
> It's the other way around.
> The more you wash, the more you subject your paint to scratches, and the less it will look like it's brand new.
> A coat of dirt may not look good, but it protects the paint and when you do wash it off your car actually looks good.


And I beg to differ with you. If your car has enough wax and polish you are not going to scratch the paint at all. The only thing you are touching is the polish you have on the car.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

Boile said:


> But did CR wash their cars with dish detergent in their wax test?
> You acknowledged that dish detergent gets rid of wax. That means, common sense would say that you should rewax after every wash, not just once in a while.
> 
> Still, I don't have a problem with waxing as much as I have a problem with you resting the sponge on the floor.
> It violates the first principle of car washing. :rofl:


Common sense tells me that I will not wash all the wax off. So you believe there is a product that is able to get distinguish the difference between grime and wax? You are problably using a product that does absolutely nothing. I like the sand that I'm picking up off the concrete. It really does a good job getting the bugs off.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

Not a bad shine for a 9 year old car in October. :rofl:


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## Grentz (May 16, 2009)

-How often?
When it needs it, usually every few weeks.

-Do you wax the CAR ?
Sort of, plan on using a sealant product

-What products? How much?
Ultima Paint Prep Plus and Paint Guard Plus. ~$45 for both on sale.

-How Long does it take you ? hmmm
Thinking around an hour or 2 when doing the Ultima products as well

-Where do you get your products?
www.Autogeek.net

-Do you get any feelings when washing your car? Lmao.
Love, attraction, enjoyment, rage when things dont turn out right :rofl:

I have the ultima products on the way for my new car and to redo my M3. I have heard great things about them and they look well worth the price...but we shall see.



Dave 330i said:


> Common sense tells me that I will not wash all the wax off. So you believe there is a product that is able to get distinguish the difference between grime and wax? You are problably using a product that does absolutely nothing. I like the sand that I'm picking up off the concrete. It really does a good job getting the bugs off.


The difference is the degreaser. Harsh soaps like Dawn have very strong degreasers that will strip wax/sealants/etc. off VERY easily. They also can be hard on trim pieces and such as they tend to dry them out (they remove any protective coatings because of the degreaser). Proper car wash soap does not have the strong degreasers and thus does not strip the wax/sealants as much. They also tend to have things in them to help prevent water spotting more than just normal dish soap.

I really see no reason not to use proper car wash stuff. I use Mothers Cali. Gold Wash and it is like $4.99 for a big bottle of it. Smells nice, suds up great, and leaves a spotless finish.

Its not a myth, all soaps are not the same, even for use around your house, and a lot of design goes into many of these car wash products. Some work, some are just marketing mojo, but read around on a detailing forum and look at the results and you will see there IS a difference.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

Grentz said:


> -How often?
> When it needs it, usually every few weeks.
> 
> -Do you wax the CAR ?
> ...


Then use less. Drive a car makes it dirty, so don't drive. Wash a car will scatch the paint. Don't wash your car. Get the point?  It's been said for many years, don't wash your car with Dawn. Crap, I've been washing my cars, Porsches to Hondas with Dawn for years, and the paints and the clearcoats survived the hash detergent. So, you can offer your same opinion as many have, but in reality, I have not noticed any issues with using Dawn that I would consider changing my ways of washing cars. Do what you like, but I am more than happy with how I wash my cars. I think some are too sensitive and dogmatic in deciding what is good and bad. It's really not what you use, but how you use it.


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## Grentz (May 16, 2009)

Dave 330i said:


> Then use less. Drive a car makes it dirty, so don't drive. Wash a car will scatch the paint. Don't wash your car. Get the point?  It's been said for many years, don't wash your car with Dawn. Crap, I've been washing my cars, Porsches to Hondas with Dawn for years, and the paints and the clearcoats survived the hash detergent. So, you can offer your same opinion as many have, but in reality, I have not noticed any issues with using Dawn that I would consider changing my ways of washing cars. Do what you like, but I am more than happy with how I wash my cars. I think some are too sensitive and dogmatic in deciding what is good and bad. It's really not what you use, but how you use it.


I dont think Dawn is bad for the car, I think it is bad for the wax/sealant as it is very harsh on it compared to a mild car wash soap. Using less makes no difference, it is the composition of the soap. This just means you are going to be applying wax/sealant more often.

But, the great thing about it is we can all use whatever we like. Everyone knows there are enough products out there!


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## Gig103 (Sep 10, 2007)

Wash - weekly to bi-weekly, time permitting
Wax - monthly with a paste wax, sealant every couple months (planned, only put the first application a month ago)
Claybar - annual


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## mik_jack (Aug 10, 2008)

i wash my car with whatever soap smells good


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## 335i Driver (Nov 29, 2006)

Using Dawn, or any other dish soap, is potentially damaging to your paint and here is why. It will leave a soapy film on your paint, thus, making it much more difficult for a good sealant to bond to the paint. It the sealant doesn't bond then you have no protection and acid rain, pollution, bird droppings, uv rays, etc. will degrade your paint much quicker. 

If you clay bar your car, it will strip everything off your car so there's no need to use a powerful stripper soap. Plus, if you use dawn after you clay you will have this film when it's most important to get a good sealant barrier on the paint. So, there's really no good reason to use dawn, but a number of bad ones. A good car soap won't strip sealant between normal washings and it won't leave a film keeping the sealant from bonding after clay baring. 

Also, I have to laugh when people say CR tested X and rated it best. They also do that with cars. We tested a Maza, Kia, Huyndai, Ford and a Scion and the Mazda was rated best so that's what everyone should buy. How many of us would buy a Mazda? If you want a Mazda protecting your paint then go for it.:dunno:


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## djfitter (Sep 12, 2007)

I don't wash very often but do use the California Duster and Zaino products (Z6, Z8) almost daily. When I do wash, I use the 2 bucket system and a final rinse with the de-ionized water from the filter. Then it is a 'touchless' dry with the leaf blower, but you could let it drip dry with the de-ionized water rinse with no water spotting. The leaf blower speeds up the process and gets the water out of the cracks and from behind the moldings/license plate...

I like/use all the Zaino products. :thumbup:

http://www.zainostore.com/


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