rbrylaw

Me: Hello, my name is Rod and I am utterly, totally, OCD
Room: Hi Rod

I have to admit that when I get a new car, I'm a bit obsessive. But this car has my Obsessiveness in hyper-drive. Simply said, my E450 has quickly become my favorite of ALL the Mercedes cars I've owned. And I've owned a lot of Mercedes cars. So it got me wondering if anyone else is quite as OCD as I am?

If I get home after driving my car in the rain, I wipe it down completely
I clean the outside windows everyday
I wipe the brake dust every couple days (though I must admit the brake dust on these brakes is not nearly as bad as other MB cars I've owned)
I wipe interior dust several times a week
I have a small micro fiber cloth to wipe finger prints off the shiny buttons around the command dial (Why does MB use such finger print magnet gloss plastic for these buttons anyway? Huh? Why?)
I remove the all weather floor mats and shake any dirt out, then wipe them down for extra cleanliness
I wash the car once a week, whether it needs it
And I use a between wash detail spray from Maguires that maintains that just waxed look
I fill the gas tank when its half full
I have a little bin in my trunk with glass cleaner and a clean cloth in case a window gets dirty (bird droppings, bug splat) when not at home

OK, you get the idea. Yes, I freely admit I love this car and I freely admit I'm OCD. I can't be alone in my OCDism?

JTK44

Happy to report a big fat NO to all of the above!

I am off skiing which will cause:

1) Driving in the rain, snow and sleet and I will leave the car outside to "drip dry"
2) Windows will stay dirty - that is why there are windshield wipers and windshield washer fluid!
3) I let the car wash clean the brake dust
4) Interior dust is also taken care of by the car wash
5) The only micro fiber cloth I use is the one to clean my eyeglasses!
6) Floor mats are cleaned by the car wash
7) In the winter once every couple of weeks is more than enough to have the car washed. I plan to return to Vermont and skiing the week after, so cleaning the car is an act of frustration!
8) I have Maguires on my shelf. As the car is leased, I think the Maguires will stay there!
9) My tank, like yours, is 21 gallons and there are ample reserves of gas at the filling station. No reason to be constantly topping off the tank - especially with gas prices dropping each week!
10) If God did not want us to have bird droppings on our cars, he would not have created birds!

Rod: Love you but I think you need a few extra interests to occupy your mind.

Remember a Mercedes is still only a car!

PS: Alert the Board when you want to sell your car. Can't imagine one in better condition!

rbrylaw

LOL.........Sorry you're not a member of the OCD, but what works for one, won't necessarily work for another. But I do have many other interests, which take my OCD attention to other things!

mobster600

I always enjoy cleaning my cars and seeing the results. I watch youtube videos of detailing, its quite satisfying lol. Its chilly in the chicago land area right now. So its simply not possible to clean a car when its got ice on it, interior yes. But during the summer/warmer days I use every excuse to clean my car. I get out product to clean a dirty spots. I like cleaning my engine, just have to be careful to avoid electricals. I too wipe down my windows everyday.....this is what i do.....spray de-icer and scrape ice off until they are clear to see through! hahah.

At least your doing your own cleaning, its nearly free. If you were paying $100 a month for car washes Id say thats a bit excessive.

ua549

I keep my cars clean, but I rarely go out in dusty or wet weather. The exteriors are washed about once a month even if it isn't needed. I'm in a car about 10 minutes a day so the interior stays very clean. The inside and outside glass is cleaned weekly or more frequently as needed. In the E300 I use voice commands so the only touch surfaces are the steering wheel, start button and door handles. They are easy to keep clean with a microfiber I keep in the door pocket.

rbrylaw

THANK YOU for the fun cartoon! It's great and I do find birds target shiny newly cleaned cars. Yes, I do!!

rbrylaw

I've made the decision to not let my car go through car washes. They create too many swirl marks and being utterly OCD and having a dark color, swirl marks are a NO-NO. It has to be harder to keep a car clean in the cold, snowy and icy Chicago-Land area! My OCD would be challenged a plenty if I lived in your climate for sure!! Though I must admit I had the car ceramic coated at the dealer and I have a great detail buy who did wax it immediately when I got the car in my driveway at home. I'll have it waxed again in the spring, then do the cleaning myself for the next six months till it's wax time again.

And yes, it is so satisfying to clean your car yourself and see how shiny and clean it can be!!

ua549

+1

I always wash by hand with plain water and wax by hand without polishers.

superangrypenguin

Only half full?! I have to go to the station once it gets to 8/10 full.

If only I was kidding.

Lanzz

Rod, I aspire to keep mine as nice as yours, but I am sadly not even close. It's dirty now inside and out, with an inch of brake dust on the wheels and the gas light is on.

rbrylaw

Polishing Wax is BAAAAAD. Especially if you have a ceramic coat. It will strip that coat and your investment right off the car. And contrary to what many do, dish washing soap is also bad. Use a very mild car wash soap that won't strip the wax.

You: I am also a member of Rod's OCD Club
Me: Nice to meet you superangrypenguin (someday you'll have to tell us where your screen name came from?)

You my friend, are not in the OCD club. But there's room for new members, so just get out there and clean that car properly. You can do it!

Cao Black

Maybe I could be an Associate Member. A black car with chrome wheels needs more attention than I can give it on a daily basis; or to be completely honest, choose to give it. Having said that, I do have some OCDish quirks. No smoking, no food, no barn boots (we have horses). Never been through a commercial wash, pressure washer and foam cannon only (dried via leaf blower and waffle microfibre towel), but not as often as it probably should be. It is, after all, a tool...a device to get from one place to another.

rbrylaw

Qualifies as far as I'm concerned. Welcome to the OCD Club!

ua549

I don't use real wax, I use Maguiar's Ultimate Quick Wax each time I wash the car. I do not use electric polishing devices.

West_Coaster

Well, the fact you drive the car in the rain makes me believe you're not really that bad. But at least you don't have CDO, which is OCD in alphabetical order.

rbrylaw

Welp, there are times when it's simply not possible to avoid driving in the rain. It may be sunny when I get to work, then raining when I get off work. Though I must admit I have actually toyed with just ubering home if it's raining. My car is garaged at work, so it would be pretty safe. Hmmmmmm...CDO to the max, eh? LOL

petee1997

Keep in mind a car was meant to be used. This not a museum piece. Enjoy it.

rbrylaw

And enjoy mine I do. Just really shiny and super clean!

Cao Black

Heard that about Florida. If you don't like the weather now...wait 10 minutes.

I use Meguair's Ultimate Quik Detailer after washing, and also leave the power buffers to the experts.

rbrylaw

That's what I use as well. It's great stuff. And can be used in-between washes as well.

Courthaven

Are you actually using Ultimate Quik Detail to wipe of dirt at the end of the day? That's what I would like to do, but I always heard it would rub dirt into the paint and should only be used for a light dusting or after washes? I'm looking for an "okay" to wipe off some daily grime really

rbrylaw

I don't use the Quik Detail if the car is truly dirty. But between washes and just to get dust etc., off it's magic.

S550e

Rod also does not drive the car until a new key battery has been replaced daily and all four 360 degree cameras have been cleaned and wiped off.

I am only kidding. Happy driving

rbrylaw

Darn you........Now I have to add to my growing list of daily OCD tasks! Darn you, I say! LOL

xrayted

Rod,

Does your E450 have black plastic front center console? If so, how do you keep it clean and unscratched.
Mine is a magnet for dust, tiny droplets (from soda spray, etc), fingerprints, scratches, etc.

From one OCDer to the next...thank you!