How often do you wash your car?

[dorkdog]

Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Based on need?

Maybe this belongs in the detailing forum, but it's really not a detailing question so much as an ownership question.

I foam mine up almost every other morning before the sun crosses our barn (with the pressure washer foam attachment) and then a quick blast to rinse - wheels, wheelwells and body of the car. Open the hood and trunk to dry and then if time a quick run-over the flat surfaces with detail spray.

Is that excessive?

[KingOfJericho]

Seems excessive but only because, if the weather is nice, the car just doesn't get dirty very quickly. I could see touching up the wheels as our brakes throw quite a bit of dust but washing the rest of the car every day would likely do more damage than good as most wash mits and towels will swirl the hell out of the paint.

I currently live in an apartment and have to go to friends houses to wash so I average about every other weekend but I close on our house in exactly one month so I will be spending every Saturday morning from that point on washing my car. Thank goodness I have Space Gray that shows almost nothing. To be honest, I have never even waxed the car and I've had her for 33 months... oh the humanity...

[newnmpr0ved]

Originally Posted by dorkdog

Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Based on need?

Maybe this belongs in the detailing forum, but it's really not a detailing question so much as an ownership question.

I foam mine up almost every other morning before the sun crosses our barn (with the pressure washer foam attachment) and then a quick blast to rinse - wheels, wheelwells and body of the car. Open the hood and trunk to dry and then if time a quick run-over the flat surfaces with detail spray.

Is that excessive?

Do you dry the car after your wash every other day ?

I was mine every 5-7 days. I know its excessive but i love a clean car.

My usual process is to foam the car. Pressure wash it off, then i do the 2 bucket wash with grit guards in both buckets. Then i pressure wash that off, next i water dry the car using the sheeting method. Last, i use an electric leaf blower to blow off the remaining water.

[Qunadry]

I wash mine by hand at least twice a week, treating the wheels like the paint (i.e., no wheel cleaners, just the left over car wash solution after the rest of the car has been done). I learned the hard way about wheel cleaners with the anodized wheels on a 1988 Porsche 911. Took me three days to restore those wheels.

[ragingpanda]

Every 2 weeks or so (SGM doesn't get dirty very fast).

[GaryS]

Weekly, in a no touch gas station car wash. I'm not looking for beautiful, just presentable.

[Ash83]

with AW i have to wash it every week

[Dackelone]

Once a week for me. In a self service wash strasse.

[Greenkirby21]

Whenever it looks dirty!

[dorkdog]

I might add that in my 'daily' routine I do not really touch the car at all. I foam it up with car wash solution, let it sit while I have a cuppajoe, then pressure-wash it off. I do the wheels and wheelwells too. I'll let it air-dry (I do have a blower and use it when I do a thorough job) and then go over the flat spots with a cloth and a little detail spray. Makes it presentable.

I don't know how Montego Blue looks when it's dirty; it's never been. One thing I cannot stand is mud and dirt flung up around the fenders. That's gotta go right away. And any bird poop.

Unfortunately, the guy next door has a contract painting those big green garbage dumpsters (which he does in his backyard) and both of our cars are turning green. Hence the frequent washingts/polishings/clayings to both our cars.

[Trptguy]

Once a wekk at least, I do the wheels may e twice a week.

[doublevanosrc]

I hand wash mine on a weekly basis with the exception of some rain in the forecast.

[JasonCSU]

I'll wash it every couple of weeks as long as it needs it. It's not driven everyday to accumulate much dirt, plus sparkling graphite metallic doesn't show much dirt.

[kensington]

-Every 2-3 days I use a spray bottle to get the bugs off the front.
-Wash every 2 weeks. Dry with towels to prevent water spots. No pressure washer ever.
-Every 2-3 months I plan on waxing it.

My interior stays extremely clean since I dont use it in bad weather. I have only cleaned it once in 3 months. I drive it almost every single day, 15-20k miles a year is the plan.

[coda72]

I usually wash once a week or once every two weeks. It doesn't get too dirty because it's not my daily driver, and it's garage kept. But I love a spotlessly clean car, so I wash it often. Plus, I apply more wax than the average person I think. I put a coat of wax on a month. I'm already up to 3 coats after stripping the previous wax.

[1911A145]

If I had the time it would be washed every single day... at the moment with my shcedule its more like every two weeks...

Montego blue looks horrible when filthy and the summer is here in south florida and it rains nearly every single day so It wont be getting washed until the forcast reads at least a 3 days lapse in rain...

[ejm3]

When it gets dirty.
Mine doesn't usually go out in the rain because I have another car to drive.
So I can go about 2 weeks before it gets dirty. Brake dust and smashed bug on the front bumper are the biggest problems.

[JimD]

Mine gets washed about monthly now. I used to wash it more often but I have too many other things to do it seems now. I use a detailer spray to remove offensive bugs or droppings in-between. Top gets vacumned when I vacumn out the inside - usually when I wash the rest of the car. It gets clayed once a year and waxed 1 other time typically. I am gravitating towards a once a year clay and wax.

Jim

[Anvil]

I hand wash the One every other week and my wife's car on alternating weeks.

[135er]

One a week on average

[cjof2003]

every other week

[Fox128i]

Every week, though I am doing some sort of 'touch up' on a daily basis. Keeping it garaged tends to help a great deal too.