sybaek3

My first black car. Wow. Black is hard to maintain!

I've always ran my car through the drive through car wash station and there is this location that does a real good job. I am planning to get my car washed once a day or any time it gets dirty because I purchased the unlimited wash for $125.00 for 3 months (1 wash is 12.95) (http://www.washtub.net) I am not a wax/clay do it yourself person because I am too busy. But I would like to keep my black car clean and I have some questions I want to ask everyone.

1) Would going through the car wash station everyday be bad for my car? I would like to get my money's worth.

2) I plan to get a detailing done through a co-worker's shop where they will do a full detail of clay/wax/polish. How often should I do this?

3) After I get my car detailed, can I not go through washes? If I go through washes daily, the clay and wax will wear out faster by how much?

Thanks so much in advance!!!

SweetJazz

It's not worth it period! Do not ever take a car through those swirl maker car washes. You are better off leaving it dirty until you can properly wash it. Washing your car everyday will definitely get you a swirled up finish. Having a black car and no time to take proper care of it is not ideal. It's like getting a super high energy dog and placing it with a super low energy family. Problems are going to pop up. During the summer I may go 2-3 months without actually washing my car. Since it does not rain much out here in CA I just use a car duster, detail spray, and plenty of microfiber towels. No swirls!

If you maintain your car properly, 1 - 2 times per year is sufficient.

Again...see response to 1).

Hawhyen51

I know I've said it many times - NBP is a beautiful color especially when clean but when it gets dirty, it's just hell. Dark colors, moreso black require devoted time to upkeep and maintain than any other exterior.
1. You didn't say how the vehicle is washed and the website you provided didn't offer that info. It did say soft towel drying. Will it bad for the finish? I think overall, you'll do more harm than good. Eventually your car will end up with swirls (most cars do) and harder to prevent that when using a car wash. Just to give you and idea, most of the folks here hand wash on the average of 7-10 days. I understand you're very busy so an option would be to keep a product like this in your trunk along with some MF towels.
2. Every 6 months. Each of these steps (clay, polish, seal) are done for a specific reason and culminating to ultimately protect your vehicle's paint. Once the process is understood, you'll better appreciate the need for detailing.
3. You shouldn't need to wash daily. Determining the durability of a product is difficult to say. There are a number of factors to consider such as the environment, is the car garaged/covered, and mother nature. This can also be applied to #2.

sybaek3

Thanks guys for the reply.

Now, my problem is, I already signed up for the 3 month unlimited drive through wash.

Couple more questions:

1) There are times where I know in my previous cars, the rain and the dirt left unwashed sinked through the clear coat and I couldn't get the dirt/rain drop spots off until I got the car detailed. So will it really be still better to leave it dirty than to wash it daily or when its dirty through the drive throughs?

2) What are swirls? I've heard a lot about it. Can I see some pictures?

3) I checked out that poorboysworld.com and saw it's products. I am planning to get that "Spray & Wipe Waterless Wash". What other products should I get to keep the body clean, shiny, and protected?


Thanks again!

Hawhyen51

1. If the surface is properly protected (sealed,waxed) you shouldn't have any problems with the clearcoat. In your case, after a heavy rain, I would take it to one of those DIY washes and spray off the the car. Wipe it down, use a QD/ID and you're done in about 20-30 min tops. I'm sure you can allocate that time during the week/weekend.

2.

3. I would recommend the QW+. Another product you might look into is OCW. Easy to use and lasts about 4-5 weeks. You might also check these sites for prices of the same products. You may run into a special offer or a sale.
Autogeek, PAC, Danase Detailing, Pak Shak as well several other online sites.

BTW, about the 3 month carwash, you could sell it to someone. Just a thought.

aaronng

Even if you had more than 1 car, I wouldn't wish a fate of swirlyness on your other cars. Drive through car washes are bad for dark paints. period. You can get away with a silver colored car though.

Hand wash your car once a week. It is often enough to prevent dirt getting embedded into the paint and also prevent watermarks (unless you parked somewhere where they were spraying bore water with a high mineral content). Remember to wax your car once a month. In addition to looking pretty, waxing lets your car withstand bird droppings for maybe a day without significant damage to your paint.

If you don't want to wash your car yourself, look for those car wash places where they hand wash it for you (while you wait and have a complimentary cup of coffee). It is better than the mop beater machine that they use at the drive through.

ddocta

Unrelated question ... but ... This washtub place only has locations in Texas, but ur profile says Chantilly ...