Walnuts

I was wondering if washing your car 2 x week qualifies as OCD? I feel like I am fairly normal but my new neighbours are starting to look at me wierd I hope you guys are with me on this one....

RLx02

I think if its not dirty and only dusty and you wash it 2x a week...maybe. When its nice around here, its just dusty and I break out the california duster and its fine

emericr

You are nuts and have too much time on your hands, but anyone buying a 450hp saloon is a little nuts anyway and we all belong to that club.
If you are happy doing it and it brings you pleasure, then who cares what others think.

ZephyrAMG

People don't understand that it's not JUST "washing the car". Its having quality time with your honey. I wash mine just as much and I am getting the cookoo looks from neighbors. But I don't give a SH*T. That time I set aside to rub my hands and fingers over the lines and seams of my beauty is considered as us being on a date. To know your car, to feel every little scar from the rocks and debris that hit it as you floored it and it kicked you back in the seat. To understand every corner of where the air breezes by the aerodynamic lines, to try and recreate the moment it was being fabricated in Affalterbach. I try and imagine being in the minds of the engineers that built it. The day the released it to the public. How proud they were. Me and the panther go on a date twice a week as well. I use the time to put headphones on, release stress, and escape as I enjoy the beauty and craftsmanship of my fine machine. Washing is a form of relaxation, the end result a nice finish and taking care of something you appreciate. When you roll the streets people think, damn that guy/gal takes care of thier stuff. What a nice job.

KNOW YOUR BEAST. Keep up the good work and make her shine.

PatSC23

i washed mine yesterday knowing that rain was coming - but I still did it

now its dirty again since I had to drive it home from my in laws (My car wash)

badblackbenz550

i have you beat dude 3-4 hand washes a week, and a nice 3 step polish every 6 months.
i like my car clean and perfect i don't trust anyone but myself with the washing.

_AMG_

I haven't driven my car in 2 weeks, its sitting in my garage and ive been waxing it with P21S every other day. does that qualify as nuts???

badblackbenz550

i would call it stupid please don't get offended, what you doing is putting excessive amount of wax on your car. wax should be really be applied once every few months after you did a nice detail and nice wax job.

Even Money

more than once a week is excessive..every time you wash, you'll introduce swirl marks, especially noticeable on the non metallic colors.

One thing I've learned lately is to stop using microfiber for the finishing detail. Use diaper cloths instead, they'll generate much less static than the microfiber, hence less dust attracted.

superlubricity

EM, which diaper cloths are you using?

cek

+1 on washing too frequently causing pre-mature wear of the finish. As Depeche Mode said: Get The Balance Right.

I struggle with this on my 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera given it's pristine condition and relatively soft '80s vintage German paint. One of the ways I've kept it so great looking is by MINIMIZING the number of times I wash it. Of course it helps that is NOT my daily driver and I can avoid driving it in the rain.

I learned this lesson with my first car (an '83 Honda Civic that I bought used). After about 3 years of ownership I was frustrated with how the finish had become dull. I couldn't get it to shine anymore even though I waxed it religiously. Turns out I waxed it TOO much and it had a very thick layer.

Another OCD aspect is _HOW_ clean you go. Over the last 3 weeks I have been "going deep" the 911. At 23 years old a bumper removal project gave me the opportunity to REALLY clean the front wheel wells:

Before:





Here's a few after pictures.







The final product:

Even Money

Target...if I remember right, they come in a 6 pack. They're in the auto detail section, not actually diaper cloths...but I'm going to try that next as Target sells them too. They also have what are basically t shirt cloths, but the "diaper" cloths are much thicker and do a better job. I now use these "diaper" cloths for the glass and all interior surfaces as well.

Even Money

Nice! You use a degreaser for that? If so, which brand? I need to clean my mufflers and underside.

cek

I generally followed the instructions in the first recipe in this thread from a 911 forum:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...w-get-off.html

But

- I did not have Wurth Engine Cleaner and Degreaser (could not find it locally) so I used NAPA Engine Cleaner & Degreaser. Not how much better Wurth would have worked.

- I found a set of nylon scrapers at Harbor Freight that worked GREAT for scraping the cosmoline off (especially my suspension parts).

It took me 20+ hours just removing cosmoline from the two front wheel wells.

If I were to start over I would have spent MORE time letting the degreaser sit and work. I was pretty impatient and thus ended up needing to use far more elbow grease than was probably necessary.

I found that the Purple Power cleaner I have in my parts cleaner works very well if parts are left soaking for 4+ hours. It just wipes off.

Of course cosmoline that is 23 years old is FAR harder to take off than fresh.

AMG_G

Can't stand a couple of my neighbors who say "You're going to wash the paint off that thing".

_AMG_

No i wouldn't call it stupid. Ive been doing this for a while so i think it wouldnt hurt to put on more then one coat of wax on the car. I used to put on 4-5 coats of liquid glass on my other cars and i noticed the more i put on, the better the paint looked, felt and protected against outdoor hazards.

Peter_02AMG

You think twice is OCD?? I wash my Porsche everytime I driven back home when it rain, sometime 3-4 time a week. I even wash it while it raining outside, my neighbor think I'm crazy I even wash it when temperture is 40F degree outside, I can't stand a dirty car. I wash my E63 once a week sometime twice if it get really dirty from rain storm.

SGTzAMG

oh maaan!! i am the king of OCDness when it comes to my cars cleanliness....its sad i drive around with meguires ultimate quick detailer and micro fiber towel in my trunk for both cars. i cant stand bugs, bird ****, all other **** on my paint and dust X_x

seriously each time i pull over the freeway to get gas, expect me to bust out my quick detailer and be wiping off the front end of the car and cleaning off bugs on the windshield EVEN after doing sessions out in the tracks, im detailing and wiping down the car its sadd...

....although, i USED to wash my car twice a week as well....especially during the summers but not until the afternoon...but then i found out that its not really good to wash your car that many times, because you can over wash your car as well as over waxing.

the more you wash your car, especially for dark colors, the more your car is prone to have swirl marks due to the wash mit or what not

so now i just do a FULL detail once a month consist of full car wash and a light coat of wax..once a month. and in between i just touch it up with the quick detailer

CSIXTY3

Zephyr the way you describe your relationship with your car, it reminded me of this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thqRd...eature=related

yooker

Through proper washing techniques with the usage of grit guards and a rinse bucket, you will not introduce any swirl marks into the paint.

Also switch from a microfiber wash mitt to a lambs wool washmitt, you'll notice the difference immediately. My lambswool washmitt literally glides over the surface of the car leaving no swirls at all.

This guide will help you guys get into proper car washing etiquette.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...and-dry-a-car/

I wash my car around twice a week and have not had a single swirl on it since with this technique.

Walnuts

Its good to hear i am not alone.

I owned a car detailing business for 9 years so i am not concerned about over washing my car. If you use quality products you will do your paint more good than damage.

Washing your car is akin to foreplay, its that quite moment together before everything gets a little rough when you are on the road

Azn_C300

+1 As long as you practice good washing techniques, you won't screw up your car. Two bucket or one bucket with pressure washer/foam cannon are the only ways to wash. Grit guard and lambs wool mitt. High quality washes, sealants, and waxes properly applied. 3 spray bottles always follow me in my car for quick emergency on the road detailing repairs....FK425 for getting rid of dust, OPT ONR mix for rinseless cleaning, and de-ionized water.

And as to the comment about waxing every other day...I seriously hope you were joking. One of the biggest myths is layering wax. Maximum two layers is all that you need and it's more for coverage than depth of wax. Laws of diminishing returns. As you add more wax to it, the actual process of adding subsequent layers of wax actually removed the layer below it. This has been scientifically proven on one of the threads on one of the detailing forum where a member had access to nm depth measuring machine and performed a series of tests adding multiple coats of waxes from different brands and different types of waxes. After 2, you're not getting any more depth and just wasting product.

wuyichao

wow, you are really obsessed with your car.

FastDonzi

haha.my buddy and his wife came over yesterday for a little grilling and cocktails. he has an ML.we were out there washing in the rain. my neighbors think I'm .

Infamouz