How often do you wash your car? (1 Viewer)

[Leroy Hoard]

I buy cars that hide dirt well where you cannot tell if they are dirty or not. I also park in my garage so it doesn't sit outside to get worse. Based on that I wash it probably about once every couple of months so I went with the closest option of 4 times a year.

I hate washing cars as it seems like a never ending battle.

What colors have you found hide dirt (and scratches) best?

White for me.

White or light grey is good for salt areas. Mud means brown

 

[Tick]

I have an unlimited pass... probably go 3-4 times per week on average.

How long does it typically take to run through there? Seems like a lot of time to spend at the car wash

5 minutes maybe? Right on my daily "commute".

Sounds about right. I assume you have Tommy's Express. They've got a billion locations over on the west side. The automatic license plate reader just bloops you through with no wait for a window/speaker interaction, and the wash itself takes less than a song, so 2-3 minutes? This article says less than 3 at one specific location, so about what I was thinking. So 3 minutes plus whatever the wait is, usually 0-2 minutes.

 

[Tin Cup]

Those who have monthly memberships, do you use them regularly? Feel you get your money's worth?

Those who don't, what would make you try a monthly membership program?

Mine also has 4 tiers.

The top tier has all the bells and whistles, and costs $25 for a single use or $39 for the month. So if I use it twice a month, I figure I got my money’s worth.

 

[nirad3]

Now my wife on the other hand.... very rarely. And she has a black SUV that shows dirt more. I usually take hers in for the $50 in/out deal once a year.

 

[Dezbelief]

This country's obsession with washing their car is something I'll never understand. I get wanting to wash off the salt for those that live in cold states but in the southern states, people are washing cars that go in to the washer looking brand new. It's kind of sad because at the same time the local government is putting out restrictions on lawn irrigation.

My city requires car washes to recycle their water, something like 75% or 80%. Tiny grains of sand and grit are hard to filter out.

 

[dkp993]

Before covid: 4-6 times per week at the membership auto wash

After covid: 3-4 times per month at the membership auto wash

My driving time has gone down dramatically and as my SUV gets older I just don't care as much. I have had a full detail/paint correction/ceramic coating/whatever on my to do list for a year now and will probably get around to it once the winter weather has passed.


For the experts out there, I have heard the automatic washes are bad for new vehicles, is there any truth to that?

Also, what is the best brand for doing it yourself at home? @dkp993 you probably have some good advice on this based on the 993.

I recently discovered the AMMO NYC youtube channel and feel like I need to step up my car care game.

Yeah, automatic washes are a no no if you care about your car’s paint. If it’s just a daily driver, don’t give an F car that’s one thing, but if it’s a car you care about and want to look good stay away from those. And the reason why is due to the scratching, the big automatic spinning heads, collect all kinds of dirt, and can fill your car with micro scratches.

AMMO is the man. Top of the game. I’m still a bit old-school with the finishes and waxing of my cars and haven’t yet stepped up to the ceramic game. Just not comfortable doing it yet but I need to/want to learn. My 993 was black so the finish is crazy important. I usually buy the professional grade 3M products with the multiple stages. Usually in the gray bottles.

 

[Mister CIA]

About every few years.

Once every two years, whether needed or not.

 

[Mister CIA]

I have an unlimited pass... probably go 3-4 times per week on average.

How long does it typically take to run through there? Seems like a lot of time to spend at the car wash

5 minutes maybe? Right on my daily "commute".

Oh, I thought you said "corn mute." Mmm, nachos.

 

[Keerock]

I have an unlimited pass... probably go 3-4 times per week on average.

How long does it typically take to run through there? Seems like a lot of time to spend at the car wash

5 minutes maybe? Right on my daily "commute".

Sounds about right. I assume you have Tommy's Express. They've got a billion locations over on the west side. The automatic license plate reader just bloops you through with no wait for a window/speaker interaction, and the wash itself takes less than a song, so 2-3 minutes? This article says less than 3 at one specific location, so about what I was thinking. So 3 minutes plus whatever the wait is, usually 0-2 minutes.

Mine is a "Squeaky Shine"... 3 miles from my house. Just like you said... reads my license plate.. rarely more than a car or two in front of me.

Side note... I went through this morning and the lady in front of me couldn't grasp the concept that she needed to take her foot off the break

 

[beer 30]

Side note... I went through this morning and the lady in front of me couldn't grasp the concept that she needed to take her foot off the break

Funny side note...both of my daughters are afraid of the car wash, one has an actual phobia and can't go through it without somebody else driving her car. The other is just terrified of lining up her car on the device that takes you through so she either makes me drive it or she washes it at home. Very odd quirk, especially since I can't ever remember taking them through a car wash when they were little.

 

[Juxtatarot]

Very odd quirk, especially since I can't ever remember taking them through a car wash when they were little.

Maybe that’s the problem. I loved it as a kid.

 

[wlwiles]

My car wash has gotten lazy over the years. They opened ~4 years ago, and they'd have a team of 3 people at the entrance of the tunnel, they'd wave you forward into the wheel track, then they'd all grab rags/sponges/brushes and give you a triple-team hand wash before you ever got into the tunnel. Now they've sold memberships to half the town, they put one guy out front on a folding chair, and he only looks up from his phone long enough to wave you forward and then give you the "put it in neutral" signal, and he never leaves his chair.

 

[Tick]

I timed mine just now (kid’s in taekwondo) and the time on the belt was 99 seconds.