pdxjim

If you take it through car wash where they hand pre-wash, have them hold off on the pre-wash. Run it through one time, then come back for hand pre-wash. This comes from friend who owns car washes.

Frank A.

Take it to a local coin operated care wash to hose off the major stuff. Then go back to your garage and do a rinse-less wash with Optimum No Rinse car wash. You should use the 2 bucket method with a grit guard at the bottom of your rinse bucket. You will need a couple of good, thick microfiber towels to dry the car. These towels should be used only to dry the car and for nothing else.

After that, put a coat of sealant on in 10 minutes with Ultima Paint Guard Plus, a wipe-on-walk-away product that gives great shine and durability. I use it on the the paint, trim and windows. Go to youtube for simple instructional videos on both the ONR and the Ultima. Good luck!

Regards,
Frank A.

StanThePorscheFan

There is a detail shop in my area that for $35 hand washes my car during the winter. That includes interior vac, windows, wipe the salt stains off the carpet with a wet towel, under side pressure wash. Twice during the winter, they add a coat of polymer and shampoo the carpets if necessary. Before the winter (September) I get them to strip the old wax and oxidation and apply two new layers of wax. Then, at the end of November, I add another coat of wax and I am ready for the salt. After all the salt is washed off the roads in the spring, the same shop strips the car again and applies fresh wax for the summer. During the summer I wash And wax the car myself. The solvents used at the car washes strip all the wax off in two washes, leaving your paint "naked".
Call that obsessive, but you should have seen the original paint on my 20 year old white 964.

Chris from Cali

Given that I don't have a hot water spigot, plus the shortage of ANY hand-wash places nearby, I always take my to the local automated car wash. It's fine - no scratches, etc. I have 305-series rear tires and they fit without rubbing. It's a modern car - the paint is very hard. FWIW, my wax hasn't stripped in a long time and I wash my car 2x month at a minimum.

JW911

Seems like there are a lot of different types of carwashes out there. I wash mine by hand 90% of the time. But a few times during the winter, I take it to a touchless. You pull into a bay and put the car in neutral. Then high speed spray and soap showers your car and moves back and forth. Your car stays in one place. Then a high speed blower dries it off. Nothing to mess up your wheels. No kids with cheap microfiber towels. No stripping of wax. Granted, not perfectly clean either. But close enough and great to get all the crap off from top to bottom, it is really great and no risks to the finish. Then I wash it by hand the next time the temp breaks 40.

997_rich

I just wash my car by hand all the time.. usually every friday after work with a beer to decompress from the work week. I have thick lined rubber gloves that come down to my elbow and I wash with regular water down to about 20 degrees F. If it's snowing or really windy I wait til sat or sunday. I wash it by hand in the driveway with the hose running and then pull it in the garage to dry it off. It makes the driveway a bit slick but I throw a bit of salt down.

agree- make sure to hit the bottom of the car and the wheel wells. the salt buildup is unbelieveable. The mufflers look like they have cement on them from constantly drying out the salty water spray (the salt accumulates). It's a bummer but I'll get a new set someday rather than worrying about it. .

Skibum

Amen.

Spectro28

Nice job getting the car cleaned up on Saturday at Pro-Clean of Tyson's Corner. Hand wash and vacuum was a very affordable $30, and the treat was visiting Intersport right next door to see a bunch of cool PCars.

Thanks to Frino for the recommendation.



Ok, so -- the Satellite Radio antenna is a place where water collects, then drains as the car gets going -- I've noticed this before when washing the car myself. Anybody do any mods to put a gasket in or anything?

Cheers,
Marc

Minok

My vote for car wash is to say: get some sort of washdown .. be it touch free or you hosing it off. I'd avoid the brush car-washes that could scratch things up, especially on a dark color.

The paranoia about the salt is a bit overblown these days.. the cars are very well plated and protected these days... the iron/steel is zinced, etc. Just get some fresh water washdown, and hose off the wheel wells and wheels and undercarriage, and the engine bottom ... and you are fine...

Skibum

http://jalopnik.com/5737742/2012-por...ck-in-the-snow

cbzzoom

True. Most of the suspension is Aluminum. The cars have that undertray covering the bottom anyway.

The only thing I've seen that does rust is some exhaust bits.

It's really not anything to worry too much about.

Quadcammer

take it to a carwash if you want.

If you are even a halfway decent detailer, swirl marks are not a big deal to remove.

I bet 90% of the people out there swirl the hell out of their car when they hand wash it anyway. I know that even using a grit guard, two buckets, etc I still swirl my car while washing. Thats just the way it is.

if you don't want any swirls, don't ever touch it.

Take it to a car wash, get the crap off, and then detail when the weather gets warm.

sheesh.