How fussy about washing?

[commadorebob]

About once a quarter, I'll take it through the real car wash. Recently, I've just been driving it in the rain....

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[Tim d]

I'd like to keep my paint in good condition, given that I tend to retain vehicles for many years. What's the best way to wash? Microfiber, yes....dish soap no? What do you recommend?

I've been using dish soap for years and will continue to do so. I wash ( and wax with paste wax) ,my vehicles once or twice a year. The paint and body on my 15 year old ram still looks like new. I'm probably one extreme but it works for me

 

[sanpablo]

I'd like to keep my paint in good condition, given that I tend to retain vehicles for many years. What's the best way to wash? Microfiber, yes....dish soap no? What do you recommend?

I don't know what Ford did on my 23 Area51 Mav but the finish on it beads up great. I didn't apply my first Meguiars hybrid ceramic spray until about 4 months after purchase. Almost seems like a ceramic coat was put on it from factory or dealer. Paint is thin but it sure stays very clean. Dirt just seems to rinse off super easy.

 

[TKranbuhl]

Never touch my Maverick when washing or drying. Use a foam cannon with mild soap/wax solution. Always dry with a leaf blower. Ceramic coated. Garage kept. Looks brand new, cause it is.

 

[Exranger]

I like the leaf blower idea. I use it to dry my wheels after wash. This forum gets crazy on some topics and this is one! Try to avoid dish soap if possible. A good wash mit is fine. Most dry with microfiber now. Get a name brand car wash soap and use that.
Then get a good beverage and peruse threads on clay and ceramic/graphene/wax options.
Most of all, enjoy your MAV🛻

 

[Oscarcat]

I'd like to keep my paint in good condition, given that I tend to retain vehicles for many years. What's the best way to wash? Microfiber, yes....dish soap no? What do you recommend?

First, the Mav's paint is normal, with top clearcoat. It shines, it scratches etc.

Garaged or not garaged ? Trees with sap or not? You are in a mild climage, no salt, etc. sooo;

Don't make the wash process so complex that you dread it. A simple pail, non-scratch towel or mitt, hose with spray head works for me. I have tried using my garden blower for drying but don't find it to my liking.

I personally avoid carwashes because even the "touchless" create micrco scratches. I'd rather leave my Mave dirty until I have time to handwash than use a carwash.

If you need to use other than ordinary clear water in your bucket, consider wash products mentioned. We each seem to have our own brand loyalty.

I am able to get my vehicles clean with water and a microfiber towel used as a washrag. Buy practically a lifetime supply at Costco for under $20.

For road tar and grease, I go around with WD40 on a microfiber towel and gently remove it.

For sap etc. I will clay bar my vehicles a couple times a year.

After each wash in the shade, usually early in the A.M. while the paint is cool, I use Maguires spray-on instant shine as part of the drying process. It provides some protection while enhancing optical shine qualities. To me, the drying process is where the real magic happens. I dry my rims to avoid mineral stains, etc.

Surprisingly, Maguires spray shine also works well on windows, doesn't leave streaks or dazzle marks.

I use Graphene water-based low sheen rubber/plastic protector on tires and bumper parts. But if time is a factor, priority goes to paint.

I drive my vehicle after each wash, I don't let it sit overnight. I open my doors and tailgate and dry the sills and reachable areas by hand.

Interior: Many products for plastic surfaces. I vacuum seams in seats. Wash floor trays [I don't like carpeted floor mats in a truck]

I clean the inside of the glass, particuarly the windshield to remove the film that forms especially when A/C is used alot.

 

[Optimus]

Ceramic coated because I don’t like soft traditional wax anymore. I use the “two bucket” wash method. For me it is technically only one bucket (with sediment trap), since I use a foam cannon that came with my pressure washer. Lots of info online on the “two bucket” method, including YouTube videos. I use a leaf blower to dry the truck when done.

Ceramic lasts far longer than traditional waxes, and water beads up like crazy, which means it gets less dirty less often, and it cleans off and dries far easier. I barely need a 10x10 microfiber to dry it.

I have a mix of soaps, microfibers, spot remover, microfiber wash mits, etc…. typically from Gtechniq, Chemical Guys, Adams, and The Rag Store.

I wash as needed. Usually works out to once a month. In our Minnesota winters, I just go to the do-it-myself car washes and use the sprayer only. I do not touch brushes or anything to my paint. Great way to get scratches and swirl marks. I typically own black vehicles, and defects like these show up easily. Dish soap dissolves wax—do NOT use it! Use a proper car soap.

 

[24AtlasBlueLariat]

Walmart sells Suds Lab ceramic wash soap. Buy some of that, and but some of Suds Labs ceramic spray sealant (pink color) pour some of the soap into the bucket and then take the spray sealant and spray 3 to 4 sprays into the bucket and then fill with water. Wash the truck and then dry it with a microfiber drying towel. It will stay hydrophobic for over a month!

 

[EllenL]

Not very fussy. I don't know of any touchless automatic carwashes.

Never tried that

I agree .

Weekly....never. I do not get into town that often. If it gets somewhat bad I use the coin operated car wash. All depends on the time of day and if there's one close.
The wind blows over the desert and then a little sprinkle at night and this is what you get in the morning. And 110° plus it's going to stay like that till I can get into town.
Cover your eyes if you're easily offended.

View attachment 170880
To bob the builder
I try not to hit the door.
I wear size 14 sometimes it is unavoidable.

We've got a touchless carwash in town that works pretty well. Kirkland Premier, but likely other names in other places. It did a pretty good job on my filthy CRV and has a Cermacote option. I plan on twice a month, we'll see how that plays out....Indeed it is a truck, not a Faberge Egg, but I still hope to keep it nice since it is the first and only time I'm getting what I want instead of what I can find.

 

[B2000]

I got rid of my compressor so I bought a foamer that attaches to my garden hose and I use a dedicated car wash soap. The foamer is not quite as good as the compressor ones but I can get the whole truck soaped much faster. I use a brush with soft bristles because it makes it easier for me to get to the top and hood and low spots. I sometimes use the blower but I really like the microfiber drying towel from Chemical Guys. I can throw it up on the roof and hood and pull it off and then hit the lower spots. Sometimes when I get caught in the rain I carefully dry the truck or at least the parts like the hood and sides that I see.

The black wheels require nothing but washing- big improvement over my car that showed brake dust constantly.

I used Cerakote in the late fall and it still looks great- but it lives most of the time in a garage. I have some mobility issues now but this routine is pretty easy even when I am not feeling great and the Cerakote was much easier than the waxing I used to do.

 

[Fast Eddie]

It's a truck. Not a Faberge egg. Run it through the car wash.

I was very fussy about it the first few months then someone dinged the door in a parking lot. Now it's just a truck and I treat it that way. Just like the past three trucks I've owned. Mine is iconic silver. Doesn't show dirt much.

 

[North Coast Joe]

I use a car wash concentrate with wax ' I like Turtle Wax Ice and Meguiers Gold. I rinse well, then blow off the water with my garden 20v unit. Then I use clean cotton or microfiber towels to dry. I like the new spray wax/polymer hybrids. Easy to apply, and they last at least six weeks. I do a once a year paste wax using Turtle Wax Ice.
The rubber and black plastic get a coat of a moderate sheen vinyl/rubber preservative 2-3 times per year or as needed. When I traded in an eight year old Honda Civic, my salesman said it looked better than when it left the dealer in 2015 (it really did). In truth, I spend about 45-60 minutes on a car wash, interior wipe down and vacuuming, as I stay on top of it. I am proud my wife never drives a car that is very dirty.

 

[Stevezilla]

Two buckets, Jay Leno's Garage vehicle wash, chamois 'til dry.

 

[Kingfish]

I'd be interested to see how two 10-year-old Mavs look when one is hand washed and the other cleaned at a regular car wash.

I owned a Fusion for 12 years and regularly took it through the regular car wash. My neighbor couldn't believe how good it looked when I cleaned it up for sale (he's in the auto industry).

I honestly don't know if the Mavs paint will be that resilient. But I'm happy to be the tunnel car wash side if the experiment in a decade.

 

[boxster03]

first you buy imported water from the highest alps of Switzerland
next and this is important - the finest mink wash mitt you can import from Lapland
soap infused with the finest botanical oils found in Singapore
and finally the best carnauba wax hand crafted in the workshops of Newzeland

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