i have 5 coats of zaino on, but now the winter is coming and in ny i cant stand out there with a hose washing my car every week. How bad would it be to take it to a car wash? friend of mine did it, and his car lost all the smoothness of the zaino but it still looked shiny. what do you guys do if you dont take it to a car wash?? any suggestions? thanks

 

i've been thinking about this, car wash to seems to be an alternative but I would hate to take my baby into autowash.

 

I go to those do it yourself washes. I spend three bucks in quarters, drive it home, let it ice up, then pull in the garage and thaw out the ice........its a pain in the ass, but its what i do.

 

YUP i do the same....

 

Go for the do-it-yourself wand washes.
Automatic car washes, even the "soft cloth" washes can leave scratches on your finish. And some of the older ones that pull your car through -- they can scratch your wheels bigtime!

 

I would use caution with car washes, especially if your car is a dark color. Lot of them leave swirl marks and the towels they use to dry your car aren't too clean or soft. The self car washes may be a pain in the a$$ but if you care for your paint it may well be worth it. I live in NY too and I'm going to try not to drive the CL too often. The snow, sand, & salt make me cringe.

 

I have a black car so it is the hardest. I clean it up well in the fall - probably this weekend and then leave it alone. When it gets dirty, I take it to a touch-less laser wash that you drive into, the sprayers circle around the car and get most of the dirt off. It doesn't get the last bit of dirt film off but I would rather live with that than deal with the swirls I had to remove last winter. ugh.

Then if we hit a somewhat warm day during the winter, I get the hose out and a bucket of hot water and wash her properly.

 

Dont do the AutoCarWash they scratched one of my rims. Im on the look out for a new rim now.

 

exactly what I do as well. sometimes drying in the do it yourself bays will numb your fingers up bad - or the water will start to freeze on you.

sometimes i get adventurous and bring it into the warehouse at work and spend many hours with my baby in the warmth . .
thats when i get to do everything to her . . . we both enjoy that.

 

I have four stock rims with stock tires mounted on them, two are unscratched. if you're interested?

 

I'm pretty lucky, I guess. There's a place on Rte. where I pull into a building (looks like it's ready to be condemned), get out and some guys from Poland hand wash/dry the car for 14 bucks. Kinda $$$ but,heh, @ least I'm not cold & wet (which be preferable over going through a autowash).

 

eighteight - I have been convinced (by a knowledgeable detail dude) that the detergent at the touchless car wash is too aggressive, and will strip the Zaino. This appears to have happened to my newly applied Blackfire! The soaps used are just not friendly to protective coatings.

I am going to try this:
take a bucket and MY OWN car wash detergent to the self-serve,
rinse (soap and fill the bucket with the heated water),
wash by hand,
rinse,
do as Nicky Pass suggested -- go thaw out the car and my hands.

This worked out well for me today, but it was above freezing. I got my car looking good again with a fresh coat of Blackfire, and this time I am hoping it makes it through the winter!