I garage my car, but what should I do during the rainy season in terms of car/paint care?

A good example is when I drive home from work and its raining then park the car in my garage.

Would it be okay to just let the rain dry on my car and wash it when I have the time like a weekend?

Whats the longest I should allow dry rain/water spots to be on my car before I wash it?

Btw my car is protected with NXT.

Thanks.

 

Can anyone help?

 

i dunno but i usually wait till the weekend, who has time to wash their car everytime it rains?

sorry if that doesn't help...haha

 

You didn't mention the color of your car. I've had 3 black Acura's, and the last one was NBP. I got acid rain damage during the summer months by having rain sit on the car, then the sun came out and literally burned the paint where the water beaded up on the wax. Try not to allow water to stand if the car will be in the sun..either drive it to remove the water beads, or let it dry in the shade. Personally, I try and get the water off, but don't wipe it with towels because the dust will scratch the paint. I try and wash and dry my car weekly, but if that's not possible at least try and get as much of the crud off with clean water. Don't let bird droppings stay for more than a few minutes..I've seen bird crap burn paint in a few hours. You're lucky to have a garage. I think the sun does more damage to paint than the so-called acid rain...you should be fine washing weekly.

 

Thanks Jet. I have an anthracite TL. Yeah, I plan to wash once a week, hopefully that will help prevent water spots and paint damage.

 

Kindred,

Just make sure you have a good coat of wax or sealant on your car for the rainy season and if you can get to wash you car once a week, you should be ok since your car is garaged. As JetJock mentioned, the sun is what causes the chemicals in the water to accelerate the damage to your clearcoat so you should try to prevent that scenario.

See our October Tip on Washing Your Car which shows you the how to, what to use and techniques to safely and effectively wash your car.

http://www.detailingdynamics.com/tipoct04.html

Call or email if you have questions.
mike@detailingdynamics.com
408-249-1017

 

Thanks Mike, I'm sure you can understand since you're from CA as well. Even during the winter the sun can be out but it's just not as hot. My concern is while at work my car is NOT garaged.

 

Rainy season, what is that?

 

I agree Kindred.
The car is sitting in the elements while you are at work. Just keep it waxed and you'll have a layer of protection until you get the chance to wash it. It's the never-ending battle but we all love our cars which makes it worth it.

 

a quick detailer product is also very handy in terms of doing little cleanings in between washings

 

The answer is here

 

Instant detailers should be used on a clean car since any dirt or particles on your paint between washings can cause scratches.

 

Dont tell me youve never washed your car in the rain....
Im serious, my wife thought i was nuts, but i do it occasionally. I will go out with a sudsy bucket of water and wash it. Wallah. Rain rinses it, when the sun comes out, i dry it!
Mind you, its not filthy when i do this, but i hate driving a dirty car, even in the rain.

 

That sounds familiar... lol... even though my front bumper and rear bumper's paint isn't very good due to minor "accidents" i still don't want a dirty car... So i do the same exact thing as exceldetail... and everyone is like "are you crazy???(in spanish)" Instead of waiting for the sun to come out or for it to stop raining... i just park it in the garage and dry it off...

Remember don't let water sit on your car's paint and dry leaving spots... its bad for the paint...

i live where it rains all the time regardless if its summer... also gets foggy every morning...

 

lik i said in another forum, what i do is dry the car with a chamois or a california waterblade thingie after it ranis in our garage. But if there was mud or rocks u ran in the rain, the drying might scratch the car, watch it