Hey guys....

..just wondering, how often do you wash your TL? Mine is about 3 weeks old, and i already washed it last week, but i want to wash it again this weekend, cuz there's already too much dirt on it. ON the drivers side of the car, there's like mud stains on it, and im worried it might get stuck on there, but then again,i dont want to be washing my car every week.

I was gonna wait til next weeek but i dunno.

What do you think?

P.S. i ALWAYS clean the inside though every week..hahaha vacumming the floor mats and dusting. gotta keep my ride clean you know.

 

My car is garaged, but after a round trip to LA/Irvine on Interstate 5 over the weekends, I find presents left over by bugs and birds. I usually wipe those clean with a wet microfiber.

This week alone I've cleaned my windows 3 times.

I can't stand a dirty car. I'll wash as often as it takes to keep it clean. Which happens to coincide with as often as I cut my hair, 2-3 weeks.

Looking forward to meeting you at our local meets once summer hits.

 

Since I can't park in the garage, I use my TL cover. It's the next best thing to the garage. As for washing, I wash it every two weeks and I always apply wax after I wash it. To maintain the clean look.... I use the California Car Duster (works wonders!) I would dust off my car, and wipe it down with quick detailer products. I also clean the wheels too. IMHO, if you use the California car duster and quick detail products.. this saves you time and WATER. Sometimes, I can go a month.. yes a month without washing my car, and everyone tells me.. "you wash your car every week?" I say nope, I just keep it maintained!

 

Liviing in New England only a portion of the year ( like now ) I wash my car as often as twice a week ( my hobbie is detailing ... ) but during the Winter months I wait for the warm day that the temp is above freezing so sometimes I go a month without washing it....

 

Mine is garaged every night. Only one car fits in our garage. It's mine at night and her's during the day.

I wash mine once a week, usually Thursdays.

Quick spray wax and full interior detail once a month

Clay and full wax every six months.

I use Meguiar's Gold Class products.

 

^^^ Same as him .. if not more .. Had my car 6 weeks now and it has been polished out , 9 layers of sealant on it and 1 layers of #16 carnuba.

Winter months .. Dec to Mar .. only washed it 6 times.

Thing you really need to watch with long spans between washings is brake dust imbedding in the wheels. The dust once exposed to moisture becomes acidic and eats through the clear on the wheel .. then your in a downward spiral using harsh cleaners which only compound the problem.

Idetail by hobby and proffession.

 

I picked up my 06 AT 6 May. I had to drive it 1 hour to get it home and washed it the same day after getting it home. I washed and polished it the next day. I either wiped it down or washed it everyday since. I polished it a total of 3 times since buying it. The car only comes out of the garage for washing or driving. I polish it in the garage. I want to keep that showroom look as long as possible.

 

Weekly, usually on Fridays... then it sits in the garage all weekend because we drive my wifes car, and I get it dirty again on Monday. (yea, I know it doesn't make sense).

 

I Invested into a car cover and it gave me more options to look at when cleaning my car. Everytime I park at work I put my Acura TL cover on, garage the car at home and the cover goes on as well in the garage. I do have 2 layers of paint sealant on it and just re-applied the second coat yesterday after I clayed it.

The car is only 9 months old......... Every 6-9 months is my frequency of applying car sealant. I apply the sealant myself with ease and Wax it at least 4-6 weeks.

Tell you like this I don't have to wash my car often, but I choose to do a light wash weekly just to keep her gleeming and make those higher end drivers look at the shine with envy.

I do the interior monthly to 6 weeks, complete detail to keep that new car feel. I choose a day to do the interior only when it wants some love not when it needs love....... Just bi-weekly touch ups if needed for the interior in between full interior detail.

Just sharing with you how easy it is for me.

 

Usually once in 7-10 depending on how dirty it is. Sometimes I'll use a waterless wash like PB S&W or Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine followed by S&G.

 

Usually once per week on the wash. The brake-dust sucks..... I'll alternate weeks tackling the larger projects of waxing and leather.

 

Hey Macruz,

what exactly is this California CAr duster? is it like some sort of wax or something?

thanks.

 

the first time i washed it, i just used regular car soap and water...what do you guys suggest i use the next time i was my car?, without hurting or damaging the paint?

thanks!

 

The Cali duster is nothing more than a mop head that has non abrassive strands and seem to be coated or treated to prevent them from scratching the car, but it only appears to work great on cars that are not red, black or blue because in reality the surface does get scratched using this "duster"...believe me I have tried it and now I have it sitting in my basement and use ot to dust my work bench...

 

NY- @ least twice per week . the cleaner it stays, the easier it is to keep clean.

My tl will never see a drive through car wash. i only use 100% biodegradeable degreasers & Murphy's oil soap. dry w/ leather chammois & air compressor. no solvents or detergents. my NBP still gleams like the 1 in the catalouge when it's clean. - i had mine since 1/17/06- ready for 2nd waxing.

 

I have only used water to wash my car so far. When it gets dirty enough to use soap I will use dish soap. I have a friend who paints cars and that is what he says is the least harmfull.

 

I try for every other day.......

 

Dusting every day morning,
wash every weekend in summer and
wash whenever it is not raining in winter

 

Dish soap will strip all the wax off of the car. I'm into detailing and everything I've read say don't use dish soap, use car wash stuff.

Check out www.autopia.org

Dave

 

every 5 goddamn mins man I hate washing this car it attracts dirt like no other car especially in the rear where the trunk meets the bumper

 

It cost around $20 at Wal mart if I remembered. Mine is like 2 yrs old. I only washed it like 3 times and it still gets most of the dust/sand.

 

That's right. Never use dish wash soap, unless you're going to put a fresh new layer of wax.

 

I got a question. How do you clean you California duster? Mine is so dirty....

 

I just wash it with hot water. Afterwards I let it air dry for like 2 days. I noticed... if you try to dust your car after you washed it.. it leaves some streaks. I hate that, and I end up wiping it down with a quick detailer. The best thing is to let it air dry in the sun for 2 days or more.

 

Question - How you guys wash it in the winter? We turn the outside water in my house off for the winter so it doesn't freeze and crack the pipes.

 

Went to there site. Here is what they say "Because of a special permanently baked in paraffin treatment, The Original California Dusters are made to provide years of effective service without the need for cleaning. Simply shake them out before and after each use. The "dirtier" they get the better they work.

If you find it necessary to clean your Duster because it is too dirty or if the Duster stops lifting dust, it can be washed. You may hand wash your Duster in cold water with a mild detergent such as Woolite, then air dry. Do not use hot water to wash or hot air to dry, as heat or harsh detergent may remove the special paraffin "

 

I keep mine in the garage, but I drive a lot for work. I think since I have owned it i have washed it every Saturday, I guess a bit anal. But it just looks sooo much better clean, especially the wheels...

 

I think your friend should have taken up fence painting .. not car painting .. Dish soap is aklaline and dries the oils in the paint and is extreemly hard on the rubber / vinyl .

Always use a car formulated wash soap as it will not cause harm and the lubricants in it help prevent the dirt from scratching the car and the suds suspend the particals away from the paint.


here are some suggestions for at least close to proper washing protocols;

Car washing
1. Hose the car down really well first and rinse it of before you wash

2. Washing: Wash your car when it is cool and in the shade. Air drying is the main cause of water spots, and the heat from the sun and the paint surface only amplifies the effect. Invest in a sheepskin mitt and car wash soap. Others will say different but as long as its not an el’cheapo bargain brand most car wash soaps are ok. Wash a panel .. rinse a panel.

3. Final Rinsing: For rinsing, remove whatever nozzle you usually use from your hose, and rinse the car with the open end of the hose, with a low water pressure. You don't need a jet of water pummeling your car now that it's clean. Just let the water "fall" onto the surface, and you'll see the difference! Definitely helps with the drying process as it will pull the water off.


4. Drying: The Absorber and the MF towel are both popular for drying. I use just the Waffle Weave MF. Before you dry take the nozzle off the hose and with a gentle stream of water run it over the car, it will sheet 90% of the water off for you. I hold the first towel by the corners and pull it over the flat surfaces and it pulls most the water off then I use the MF towel to finish off the body. NEVER use the same Towel to dry the wheels/door edges as you will possibly fill them with crud and scratch the car in the next drying. Same reason to use a seperate wash mitt to wash the wheels. Get a cheapie mitt from WalMart for that.

Couple of tips you might find handy
a) I use the kitchen sponges that are yellow with the green scouring pad back to apply tire dressing. Spray the dressing on the foam side and apply to the tire .. no more overspray on your clean wheels or up on your paint. These are like $1 for 12 at your local dollar discount and at this price disposable when they get dirty.
b) Use Westleys Bleche Wite to clean your tires before applying your favorite dressing. Once you spray this on your tire you will crap when you see the brown crud run down. As with car waxing a well prepared black tire will look better when dressed up. If you have non-cleared alloy wheels protect them from the spray. This step is done immediately prior to the car washing step.
c) To apply your black trim dressing like Back To Black etc try using a foam paint applicator ( Foam wedge shaped brush on a plastic or wooden handle) to put the dressing on. This allows you to get in those hard to reach places and also great for doing straight edges on the rubber around the windows. Just make sure you wipe off the excess so the coat is uniform.

 

do you guys think i should jus wash my car with water the next time? I used a car soap the first time. what doyou think?

 

I hardly ever wash my car because I keep it garaged 24/7 unless I'm driving the car. I still haven't driven in the rain after 2 years, and I use a California Duster each time I drive the car so it never gets dirty. I clean the wheels almost every time I drive the car, so that's not an issue either. When the car is going to sit for a few weeks in the garage, I use a cover. I've got over 5 coats of Zaino, use the quick detail spray often, so the daily dust from driving just wipes right off without causing any swirl marks. I don't drive the TL to work, it's just my fun car.

 

Just move to Southern California and not worry about winter!

 

that part pisses me off after it rains & makes me wash the car more often. & dont get me started on all the drips it gets from the plate area after the wash.


Buckets of warm water from indoors- duhh

 

Summer - I about once a week. If it doesn't rain during the week I will use a Cali duster on it. The car is pretty clean after a week but the rims need cleaning. Since I clayed and Zainoed the car stays really nice.

Winter - Whenever weather permits but probably not more than once a month. I am not a big fan of washing the car a lot when there is all that grime on it. It seems like you are just mashing it in more frequently. Sometimes I will only spray it to get the loose dirt off.

 

Garage-kept. I wash it when it's really dirty, but not in cold weather; just once this year so far, but it's due.

 

Im thinking of washing my car tomorrow, just with water though> You think thats okay, or shouldli do the whole saop thingy again?

My Car is 3 weeks old btw.

 

almost every weekend as long as the wifie will let me wash it before she takes off shopping and doing the weekend errands

 

Where can I got a good quality cover for my TL?

 

at least once a week, god damn black car

 

I don't drive my 04 TL everyday, so I may wash and wax it once maybe twice a week.

 

Oh really! Haha. Oh well, it still works like a charm. I don't like the wax stuff (paraffin) on the brush anyways. It leaves hazy streaks, and I always have to wipe it down.