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Very true, the hot sun will ruin paint just as fast as acid rain or bird poop. It always amazes me when I see people that have garages but leave their vehicle sitting out in the hot sun day after day. Not only does it ruin the paint, but also any plastic trim.
My neighbor. REFUSES to use his condo carport in FLORIDA and has a brand new $40K car. He parks in front of the building in the unshaded sun in a guest spot.
I wash my cars weekly here in Florida. I use a generic car wash liquid soap. I spend a lot of time on the wheels and tires and do use a couple of different products on those.
A friend in the auto detailing business once said he can basically tell if a car is garaged or not. I run my cars through a car wash when needed which is about every two weeks. I may hose them down as needed such as in the pine pollen season. I get them detailed and waxed once a year. They sleep in the garage. My cars look great.
My neighbor. REFUSES to use his condo carport in FLORIDA and has a brand new $40K car. He parks in front of the building in the unshaded sun in a guest spot.
It all depends on how long these people are going to keep that car so it doesn't matter.
I went through a brand new car wash today. As much as they say newer car washes are more gentle, this one was really banging. Why be so rough just to wash off road salt?
When i was into sports cars id get obsessive with detailing the things but for my Toyota Yaris daily drive i put a coat of wax on it once a year and take it through a car wash once a month.
I'm buying a new car in a couple of weeks and I was thinking how I'm going to keep the paint clean and in good shape. My plan is to do a double layer of a synthetic polymer wax once a year and then use a wax & wash product for regular monthly washes. That's it. Nice and simple. Under 1 hr.
As I was looking into this, I was shocked to learn that folks are doing a pre-treatment, a wash, a paste wax, a liquid wax, adding a paint moisturizer, using a drying agent, and then topping it all off with a final detailer product. Even if they only do the paste wax once a quarter, they are still using all of the other products on a regular basis for every single wash. It's taking some people 3+ hours and multiple products to wash their cars.
Is this overkill? Do any of you use 3+ products to wash your car every time?
Or... you could just pay a "detailing" company to wash it. (I kid of course)
These extra layers aren't really necessary at every wash. Typically if you want a solid and durable finish that lasts months you would want to look at taking steps similar to the following:
Once per year:
1.) Wash the car with a paint safe product that doesn't have wax in it and use a soft hand mitt and 2 bucket system.
2.) Claybar the paint. This removes impurities and with less impurities there is less for dirt to stick to.
3.) Dry the car thoroughly.
4.) Apply a paint sealant.
5.) Apply a coat of carnauba wax.
Every 6 months apply a new coat (or two) of liquid wax of your choosing during the wash process.
For weekly washes, just hand wash with the two bucket system and you can use a wax-as-you-dry spray while drying the car. That's about all it normally takes in most situations.
Pre-treatments are used to remove road grime without scrubbing and risking scratched paint so you may need one if you have road tar on the car.
Or... you could just pay a "detailing" company to wash it. (I kid of course)
These extra layers aren't really necessary at every wash. Typically if you want a solid and durable finish that lasts months you would want to look at taking steps similar to the following:
Once per year:
1.) Wash the car with a paint safe product that doesn't have wax in it and use a soft hand mitt and 2 bucket system.
2.) Claybar the paint. This removes impurities and with less impurities there is less for dirt to stick to.
3.) Dry the car thoroughly.
4.) Apply a paint sealant.
5.) Apply a coat of carnauba wax.
Every 6 months apply a new coat (or two) of liquid wax of your choosing during the wash process.
For weekly washes, just hand wash with the two bucket system and you can use a wax-as-you-dry spray while drying the car. That's about all it normally takes in most situations.
Pre-treatments are used to remove road grime without scrubbing and risking scratched paint so you may need one if you have road tar on the car.
You know, I'm not a big believer in clay bar. The best detailers admit that using a clay bar causes scratches, even with a lubricant. Plus, unless these "impurities" cause rust or oxidation, I don't care that the paint isn't smooth. Who is washing weekly? This sounds like overkill.
I'm buying a new car in a couple of weeks and I was thinking how I'm going to keep the paint clean and in good shape. My plan is to do a double layer of a synthetic polymer wax once a year and then use a wax & wash product for regular monthly washes. That's it. Nice and simple. Under 1 hr.
As I was looking into this, I was shocked to learn that folks are doing a pre-treatment, a wash, a paste wax, a liquid wax, adding a paint moisturizer, using a drying agent, and then topping it all off with a final detailer product. Even if they only do the paste wax once a quarter, they are still using all of the other products on a regular basis for every single wash. It's taking some people 3+ hours and multiple products to wash their cars.
Is this overkill? Do any of you use 3+ products to wash your car every time?
It's not overkill. Many will use a synth wax and then go over t with carnuba for a good finish. You should be waking it twice a year, and use something like a quick detailer spray every once in a while between washes. First thing you should do is clay bar it, before you do all that. Wash it, clay bar it, then do all that other stuff...and leave tire dressings alone.
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(I kid of course)
