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How often do you all find yourself washing your RDX? I have the Apex Blue, and I find it constantly dusty (doing construction by me), so I usually wash it every few days. I do it both by hand, and the local car wash.
Every 2-3 weeks. I park outside and it's relatively dusty in my area but I have it ceramic coated and I use a top coat that has some incredible self cleaning properties (Kamikaze Overcoat v3.1). If I had the time I'd probably do a rinse every 2nd week and an actual maintenance wash every 2nd week. I use Gtechniq Gwash as my shampoo with a foam cannon and then hand wash with it - single bucket, 4 mitts (use a mitt, put it aside, use next mitt) then I use Overcoat as my top coat as needed.
As I have a ceramic coating it's a breeze to wash - I'd say it cuts my wash time in half (along with the pressure washer and foam cannon) and the outcome is always great.
Red ASpec here. Wash her about 2-3 weeks. It had the dealership CeramiShield which is useless. Just applied Cquartz UK 3.0 and topped off with Gliss. Will make washes about 40 minutes from start to finish - foam cannon and the 2 bucket method.
Red ASpec here. Wash her about 2-3 weeks. It had the dealership CeramiShield which is useless. Just applied Cquartz UK 3.0 and topped off with Gliss. Will make washes about 40 minutes from start to finish - foam cannon and the 2 bucket method.
How do you like the CQuartz ceramic shield? I'm still debating what to use. How many years does that protect the paint?
How do you like the CQuartz ceramic shield? I'm still debating what to use. How many years does that protect the paint?
i absolutely love it. I’ve had it on my black Audi A4 for the past 2 years and it still works great, although I am ready to reapply it. I used Reload to top it off every few months or so, but went with Gliss this time on top of Cquartz as it should provide better water spot resistance.
ive thought about going with a different brand, but their durability claims were lower than CQuartz UK. The manufacturer says it should last about 2 years.
i absolutely love it. I’ve had it on my black Audi A4 for the past 2 years and it still works great, although I am ready to reapply it. I used Reload to top it off every few months or so, but went with Gliss this time on top of Cquartz as it should provide better water spot resistance.
ive thought about going with a different brand, but their durability claims were lower than CQuartz UK. The manufacturer says it should last about 2 years.
I'm going to have to give this a try! Does this help prevent swirls in the paint?
I'm going to have to give this a try! Does this help prevent swirls in the paint?
I'm not vkamnyev but I can answer this and provide more context. Ceramic coats are a sacrificial layer that goes on top of your paint that is much harder than your paint so it will make swirls harder to come by - it's not impervious to swirls but if you use the right techniques it'll keep your paint in MUCH better condition over a 2-5 year period than it otherwise would. There are other benefits of it though that I consider even more valuable than it's resistance to swirls - b/c the coating is very hydrophobic it makes washing much easier and b/c of the nature of the coating it make stuff like bird droppings less of a concern. With most coatings your car will also get a nice warm glow to it.
Below is a shot of my car which has Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra on it. It was professionally applied and I'm expecting to get about 4-5 years of solid value out of it before I have it redone. It cost $2400CAD for all exterior surfaces including the wheels.
I'm not vkamnyev but I can answer this and provide more context. Ceramic coats are a sacrificial layer that goes on top of your paint that is much harder than your paint so it will make swirls harder to come by - it's not impervious to swirls but if you use the right techniques it'll keep your paint in MUCH better condition over a 2-5 year period than it otherwise would. There are other benefits of it though that I consider even more valuable than it's resistance to swirls - b/c the coating is very hydrophobic it makes washing much easier and b/c of the nature of the coating it make stuff like bird droppings less of a concern. With most coatings your car will also get a nice warm glow to it.
Below is a shot of my car which has Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra on it. It was professionally applied and I'm expecting to get about 4-5 years of solid value out of it before I have it redone. It cost $2400CAD for all exterior surfaces including the wheels.
love your ride! Especially the wheels!
in terms of scratch and swirl protection - yes it will help, but don’t fall for the myth that it will help from rock chips, etc. our clear coat is extremely extremely soft and ceramic coating is almost a must in my opinion if you remotely care about your paint holding up nicely long term and not be beat to crap after a few years.
I'm going to give this a try. I would do PPF, but I am on a 3 year lease, and I don't think it's worth the money at this point.
Thanks for all of your responses!
Since it's a lease and if you don't plan on keeping it after I'd suggest you consider someone on the cheaper end to do the ceramic coat for you - you can probably find someone (even on FB Marketplace) who can apply something that will last 2 years (maybe 3) for less than $1000 (probably around $600-800 depending on where you live). It won't be as well done as my coating but I'm keeping my car for a long time so different needs here. You're basically paying for ease of maintenance with better looks as a bonus outcome.
I’m currently in a temp living situation so I can’t wash at home, which would be normally like 2x a month. But I got a car wash pass to a touchfree car was place for $40 a month, and I get it washed about 3-5x a week I would say, I park outside so it gets dirt very fast with the trees I park by. The pass is definitely paying for itself, at 12-20x washes a month at $12 a wash, it’s a pretty good deal. I wouldn’t dare wash this often with a touch car wash as that would leave swirls on the paint hardcore
I have a pass for $34.95 to the local soft touch car wash. I know that they tend to be swirlomatics, but I haven't had too much of an issue with previous vehicles. Although, now that I have Apex Blue, I will probably notice them. Now that it's getting warmer out, I will cancel my membership (use it in winter primarily) and hand wash the vehicle.
I’m currently in a temp living situation so I can’t wash at home, which would be normally like 2x a month. But I got a car wash pass to a touchfree car was place for $40 a month, and I get it washed about 3-5x a week I would say, I park outside so it gets dirt very fast with the trees I park by. The pass is definitely paying for itself, at 12-20x washes a month at $12 a wash, it’s a pretty good deal. I wouldn’t dare wash this often with a touch car wash as that would leave swirls on the paint hardcore
That sounds like a pretty good deal. Keep in mind that the detergents/chemicals they use in most of the touchfree car washes are pretty strong, and will strip or degrade any form of spray protectant/sealer you might have on your vehicle. But a good ceramic coating should hold up for the most part.
I am in SoCal and does not rain too much now until later this year.
What I do is after washing the RDX, I apply chemicalguys slick quick detail spray and then I use their duster to dust off the entire vehicle daily.
This can last at least a month and you would just use the quick detail spray again. I am sure you can use any detail spray that do not collect dust easily.
I can tell you that I was using Prolong "waterless wash and shine" and that thing attracted dust easily, the duster had a hard time getting the dust off the vehicle.
That sounds like a pretty good deal. Keep in mind that the detergents/chemicals they use in most of the touchfree car washes are pretty strong, and will strip or degrade any form of spray protectant/sealer you might have on your vehicle. But a good ceramic coating should hold up for the most part.
yea for now it works, but once I get into a more permanent situation I’ll go back to my own washes
My 2022 RDX has a Modesta Nano-Titanium coating and PPF, both of which possess great hydrophobic qualities. Here is my weekly procedure / advice:
Never wash your vehicle in direct sunlight (wash your vehicle either early morning or late afternoon)
Rinse entire vehicle using a pressure washer with broad swath spray,
Use a TriNova snow foam cannon with Chemical Guys snow foam soap and cover entire vehicle (let it soak on the car for 5 minutes),
Rinse vehicle with pressure washer,
Using a two bucket system (one for wash and one for rinse) with grid guards, wash vehicle with a high quality microfiber wash mitt and the same soap used for the snow foam cannon step,
Start at the top of the vehicle and using a wash mitt, wash the vehicle panel by panel, rinsing after each section to remove any soap residue / dirt,
Rinse the wash mitt after every panel in your “Rinse” bucket, and rub the mitt along the grit guard to remove embedded dirt,
Refill the “Rinse” bucket frequently to keep the rinse water fresh,
After the entire has been washed, rinse the vehicle beginning at the top moving toward the bottom,
Using an air cannon, dry your vehicle starting at the top and work out to the sides of the vehicle then to the bottom. WARNING: do not use a leaf blower. Leaf blowers do not have filters between the blower fan and the outflow tube, and random dirt particles / other materials can be blown onto the vehicle and damage the paint.
If done properly with an air cannon, there should never be a need for a drying towel or chamois, except for on the windows. Your goal should never allow any cloth-like material to come in contact with your paint during the drying process (i.e., water is not a lubricant so using a cloth-like material introduces the risk of scratching / etching the clear coat.)
Because I have a ceramic coating, I apply the Modesta Maintenance Spray to the dry surface using a microfiber cloth with a weight of at least 400 g/m2. My previous car was a 2018 Accord Touring and it did not have a ceramic coating, but I used Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax spray which creates a nice hydrophobic layer on your paint.
Weekly touch free car wash drive through. Every few months a hand wash and then I finish with Turtle Wax Shine n Seal. This works great. A friend got their car dont with Graphene 44%, and I have seen ceramic. They are a waste of money IMO, as the Turtlewax products perform almost the same, IME. They just need to be reapplied every 3 to 6mo. But at $15/bottle...whatever. Also noted some litht sworls in my friends paint after 1 handwash with microfiber and proper soap. No way Id waste money on these products. XPEL PPF, windshield PPF, ceramic tint, and a quality product like Turtlewax is the path I prefer.
I'm not vkamnyev but I can answer this and provide more context. Ceramic coats are a sacrificial layer that goes on top of your paint that is much harder than your paint so it will make swirls harder to come by - it's not impervious to swirls but if you use the right techniques it'll keep your paint in MUCH better condition over a 2-5 year period than it otherwise would. There are other benefits of it though that I consider even more valuable than it's resistance to swirls - b/c the coating is very hydrophobic it makes washing much easier and b/c of the nature of the coating it make stuff like bird droppings less of a concern. With most coatings your car will also get a nice warm glow to it.
Below is a shot of my car which has Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra on it. It was professionally applied and I'm expecting to get about 4-5 years of solid value out of it before I have it redone. It cost $2400CAD for all exterior surfaces including the wheels.
I don't know if that is a a particularly fortuitous picture/lighting/etc you took, or it just looks that good, but that color (and those wheels) is terrific.
Weekly touch free car wash drive through. Every few months a hand wash and then I finish with Turtle Wax Shine n Seal. This works great. A friend got their car dont with Graphene 44%, and I have seen ceramic. They are a waste of money IMO, as the Turtlewax products perform almost the same, IME. They just need to be reapplied every 3 to 6mo. But at $15/bottle...whatever. Also noted some litht sworls in my friends paint after 1 handwash with microfiber and proper soap. No way Id waste money on these products. XPEL PPF, windshield PPF, ceramic tint, and a quality product like Turtlewax is the path I prefer.
I am glad you caveated your comments with “IMO”. Chemically, it’s not possible that Turtlewax spray-on products will perform and produce the same results as a ceramic tint. Also, PPF is designed to protect the paint from paint etchings from bird droppings, rock chips, etc. There is not a single spray-on or paste application that can match the resilience of PPF. And if your friend is seeing swirls after hand washing his car, then he is doing something wrong. Like you said, you’re expressing your opinion but I thought it was important to share actual facts. I can never see myself running a $50k+ vehicle through any kind of automated car wash, IMHO.
I am glad you caveated your comments with “IMO”. Chemically, it’s not possible that Turtlewax spray-on products will perform and produce the same results as a ceramic tint. Also, PPF is designed to protect the paint from paint etchings from bird droppings, rock chips, etc. There is not a single spray-on or paste application that can match the resilience of PPF. And if your friend is seeing swirls after hand washing his car, then he is doing something wrong. Like you said, you’re expressing your opinion but I thought it was important to share actual facts. I can never see myself running a $50k+ vehicle through any kind of automated car wash, IMHO.
So, I've been quoted the following prices for ceramic paint coating on my 21' Aspec (Apex Blue)
$140 to buff/wax (paint correction)
$900 - 6yr coating
$1,100 - 9yr coating
Both are Carfax reported.
What do you all think?
That sounds on the low end of what I'd expect to pay especially for the paint correction - I'd expect to pay a minimum of $400-500CAD for a quality paint correction. I'm guessing this is CeramicPro that's being applied which is a solid product but their warranties are pretty disingenious. The warranties don't cover normal wear and tear which means light swirls that build up over time aren't covered and over the span of 4-5 years you'll likely want to get the coating redone if you want to retain the gloss - my coating (Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra) also comes with a warranty (https://www.gtechniq.com.au/pdfs/Gte...0Guarantee.pdf) but I have no expectation that the coating will last 9 years.
I'd ask if the work includes all exterior surfaces - exhaust, glass, trim etc. At that price I'd guess it doesn't. I'd also recommend getting the wheels coated - it'll make cleaning them a breeze.
I don't know if that is a a particularly fortuitous picture/lighting/etc you took, or it just looks that good, but that color (and those wheels) is terrific.
Combination of lighting, lowered suspension, and how the ceramic coating is a particularly warm coating. I've had both Gtechniq and Opticoat on my car and the Gtechniq is a very warm and glossy coating that matches really well with the red when it's a nice spring day. That shot was also taken right after my spring decontamination wash so it was pretty much as clean as it was gonna get.
I’m in a condo so i go to self wash stalls with a bucket (that you arent really supposed to do) off peak so i sit and have my alone dad time lol
costs me $6 and comes out looking great
i had paint correction done professionally and COULD do a yearly wax but i just being it to my detailer and have his team do it every spring on whatever car i own just for time savings
i have carpal tunnel now and cant sit n detail like i could in my 20’s
I’m in a condo so i go to self wash stalls with a bucket (that you arent really supposed to do) off peak so i sit and have my alone dad time lol
costs me $6 and comes out looking great
i had paint correction done professionally and COULD do a yearly wax but i just being it to my detailer and have his team do it every spring on whatever car i own just for time savings
I have carpal tunnel now and cant sit n detail like i could in my 20’s
Do you have garage parking at your condo? I do at mine, but using the hose isn't the easiest task since the "community" sprocket is on the other end of the condo. So, even though we do have garage parking, it never fails that a neighbor parks outside. This makes it almost impossible to really wash the car with a hose. So, I've been using the gas station touches washes, and they've been doing a great job. I then clean-up any remaining dirt with a quick detailer when I get home from the car wash.
Lastly, for those of you that park outside year-round, HOW do you keep your vehicles looking good? I parked mine outside the other night after washing it because I was too lazy to move it into the garage. The next morning, I came out to bird poop and a layer of dust all over the car. Nonetheless, I had to re-wash it!
Do you have garage parking at your condo? I do at mine, but using the hose isn't the easiest task since the "community" sprocket is on the other end of the condo. So, even though we do have garage parking, it never fails that a neighbor parks outside. This makes it almost impossible to really wash the car with a hose. So, I've been using the gas station touches washes, and they've been doing a great job. I then clean-up any remaining dirt with a quick detailer when I get home from the car wash.
Might be worthwhile in your situation to use a no rinse product like Optimum No-Rinse along with a Big Red Sponge. As long as your car doesn't get super dirty this combo will make it so you can wash it near anywhere in your condo parking lot, just fill a 5 gallon bucket up and it should last you for several washes. I do this during the winter now and can bang out a wash in 15-20 mins inside my garage with minimal water.
Originally Posted by swttsx007
Lastly, for those of you that park outside year-round, HOW do you keep your vehicles looking good? I parked mine outside the other night after washing it because I was too lazy to move it into the garage. The next morning, I came out to bird poop and a layer of dust all over the car. Nonetheless, I had to re-wash it!
It's basically an impossible task. I have a ceramic coating so bird droppings were easy to rinse off with just a hose while there's really no avoiding dust but a ceramic coating (the right ones) have a lot of self cleaning properties and will basically "repel" dirt to some extent so its not as bad. Alternatively the surface is slick enough that rain will wash away a lot of the dust.
Do you have garage parking at your condo? I do at mine, but using the hose isn't the easiest task since the "community" sprocket is on the other end of the condo. So, even though we do have garage parking, it never fails that a neighbor parks outside. This makes it almost impossible to really wash the car with a hose. So, I've been using the gas station touches washes, and they've been doing a great job. I then clean-up any remaining dirt with a quick detailer when I get home from the car wash.
Lastly, for those of you that park outside year-round, HOW do you keep your vehicles looking good? I parked mine outside the other night after washing it because I was too lazy to move it into the garage. The next morning, I came out to bird poop and a layer of dust all over the car. Nonetheless, I had to re-wash it!
nah we have an open lot so it sits out in the sun
the self stall gives me some shade
onn the front of our unit street is tree lined BUT i park my wifes car so if aBranch falls it smashes that lol and the sap!!!
for pollen i use california duster and u can grab an ammonyc aerator ,u dont need water and can do a quick wash in about 15 min
We bought ours in October last year. Only about 2200 mi on it so far and garaged at night.
We have yet to wash it...maybe this week...
WHAT?! 9 Months and not one wash or wipe down? Mine is in the garage all the time, even was in a climate controlled car storage facility for a few months and was dusty (even know they have filtered air and very expensive vehicles stored their).
Dang - I'd be getting the hose out to rinse out the wheel wells, inside of the wheels and brakes, do a light wash and then add some paint protection and RainX to the windows. Even the exhaust tips get all nasty from the turbo.
05-04-2021, 08:46 PM
