Tips for someone who hates detailing

[OM605]

I maintain my cars very well (too much...) but for some reason i hate detailing the exterior. Im pretty sure i have OCD and trying to keep a car clean used to drive me nuts as it was just impossible when you live in a very humid climate with lots of rain and mud. Years ago, i decided to free myself from this burden and not give a c*** anymore. Nowadays i just pressure wash my cars every now and then just to keep the mud from accumulating and cause rust, especially behind the wheel arches but that's about it. The paint is full of microscratches and various debris. Keeping it very clean would probably take me a few hours every week but what would you do to "save" this paint and maintain it once in a while to keep it in a better shape behind all the mud?

My cars are always like that a few days after cleaning them:

And like that during winter:

 

[OM605]

PS: I quite like cleaning and vacuuming the interior and i do it at least every other week, i am not too much of a slob!

 

[redhat]

What about an unlimited wash plan by some place near you? We've got two chains here in WNY. Delta Sonic and Royal Car Wash.

I know some people cringe at using automatic wash places, but at then end of the day it beats the vehicle being dirty.

 

[PF52]

Just be happy your "winter" photos don't look like this:

I suppose you could get your vehicle ceramic coated.... Or even do it yourself. A lot of that dirt will just roll right off when you wash it. Be aware though that it isn't a permanent coating and aggressive cleaning will wear it away.

 

[atikovi]

Buy a cheap beater to drive in bad weather and only take the clean ones out when its nice.

Years ago, i decided to free myself from this burden and not give a c*** anymore.

What's a c***?

 

[Pew]

I'm the same way. Doing a full detail twice a year, before and after winter, touchless gas station car washes, and buying a white car have worked for me.

 

[OM605]

Buy a cheap beater to drive in bad weather and only take the clean ones out when its nice.

It's rarely nice...

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I detail twice a year but it has been every other year since I hardly drive my car (4k miles last year) Otherwise it's an occasional wash just to keep the mud and bugs off. Fortunately I don't have to contend with dust/mud like you.

TIPS: Use easy to apply/remove products which don't require a random orbital buffer. It'll get you 85-90 percent of what a professional can do. I just don't know what products are available in France.

 

[FT92]

my daily driver looks ok for being on the road daily. i do try to wash it weekly and vacuum the interion, car hasn't seen a detail in many years

 

[Silver]

I'd imagine cars that frequent the robo washes have lots of scratches from the brushes, etc. But if I were you it would be pressure washer or robo wash. Most likely pressure washer because it would actually get cleaner and cost less after the first 10 or so washes.

 

[reemoeMO]

Buy a cheap beater to drive in bad weather and only take the clean ones out when its nice.

What's a c***?

Something done in the restroom.

 

[simple_gifts]

What about an unlimited wash plan by some place near you? We've got two chains here in WNY. Delta Sonic and Royal Car Wash.

I know some people cringe at using automatic wash places, but at then end of the day it beats the vehicle being dirty.

Is the salt removed from the recycled water?

 

[Vercingetorix]

That’s not dirt, its a protective layer.

 

[DGXR]

When I had the Corvette I would cover it nearly every time it was parked and did touch-ups every couple weeks, but did a full wash only once or twice a year. Now that the Corvette is gone and I have just the Tacoma... meh. I use it as a pickup and don't care if it has a little dirt on it. Also attracts a little less attention being less shiny. I wash it when it gets significantly dirty and vacuum/wipe down the interior as needed. I clean windows and headlamps in between washings for good visibility.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I run all mine through the automatic car washes all the time. I pay by the month and you can wash them every day if you want to. The washes do such a nice job I seldom wax my vehicles. The Corvette doesn't go through the auto washes and it gets detailed regularly. I don't like dirty vehicles.

 

[Hyundai Respecter]

During the winter I subscribe to an “unlimited” car wash that includes an underbody wash. If it’s over 40°F or so, I’ll sometimes spray some Turdle Wax Ice Spray Wax as I dry the car off. It leaves the car nice and shiny and doesn’t take more than 10 mins.

When it warms up I don’t do much more. I use Meguiars cleaner wax to help with the swirl marks the car washes left behind, and top it with TW seal and shine. Then after regular washes, I’ll use the ice spray wax.

Works for me.

If you have light scratches and swirls, try the cleaner wax first, it doesn’t take much effort and it’s cheap. It works pretty good in my experience with it.

 

[ryster]

I have friends and co-workers who literally never wash their cars. They simply let Mother Nature do it for them. A rainy day is a free car wash. Believe it or not, it works [for them]. Their cars always appear clean and shiny even after years of ownership. I recently asked a co-worker where and how often they get their car washed because it was so clean and shiny. They responded "Seriously? I haven't washed it in the year I have owned it, but thanks for the compliment!"

On the other end of the spectrum, I have friends that go to car washes once or twice per week, take their cars for semi-annual full details, and even have mobile detailers come to their house a couple times a year to do hand waxes and interior details. They claim it increases the trade-in value of their cars...uh, ok, sure, whatever you want to believe. They will spend over $1,000 annually keeping their car clean, but then balk when they go in for service and the dealer tells them they need new brake pads.

I waterless wash and wax my car a couple of times per month. I do a full polish and wax a couple of times per year. That's good enough. When I was a lot younger, I bucket washed and hand waxed/buffed my cars once a week. Looking back on it, that was total overkill.

 

[chrlsful]

many of these practices scratch the outter coat (esp pressure wash, car washes. & 'the bucket' also).
The more often the more degraded.

 

[Kurtatron]

Something done in the restroom.

He meant to say caca?

 

[OM605]

He meant to say caca?

Dead on.