Maintaining new car cleanliness

ireadtermsofuse on 05/06/2020 - 11:06

So I just got a brand spanking new Subaru XV and the exterior colour is like a light blue.

I’ve made mistakes in the past by taking my precious owned black car to one of those 24/7 car washing places with the high pressure hose and scrub brush and it gave my paint these faint swirl marks.

I’m not gonna make that same mistake again so I’m going to avoid it.

Besides doing it in your driveway, what’s the next best thing to washing your car?

I spoke to a salesperson at the Subaru dealership and he said the OTR ones with the brushes (not the touch free ones) he would recommend because Subaru deals with the suppliers who they use the same brushes as well.

I just want a second opinion on this or if somebody has a better idea?

I would want to try and avoid doing in the driveway due to space constraints.

Thanks

Automotive

Comments

  • apsilon on 05/06/2020 - 11:13
    +13

    Anything that physically touches the car will cause anything from micro marring to swirls and scratches. The best method is DIY at home using a snow foam prewash followed by a 2 bucket method hand wash in straight passes rather than circular and even then you'll eventually end up with swirls and marks but by then the car park damage will be far worse anyway.

    • Zachary on 06/06/2020 - 11:37

      Anything that physically touches the car will cause anything from micro marring to swirls and scratches.

      That's what microfibic cloth/cham is for…. They're meant to prevent these swirls and scratches….

      • apsilon on 06/06/2020 - 12:09

        They don't, especially if not kept clean. They're great at picking up dirt but you need to flush that out. At some point you won't get everything out or it'll pick up something early in a wipe and continue dragging that across the paint for the rest of that wipe. No matter how careful you are, you will end up with marks. All you can do is minimise that through best practices.

        • Zachary on 06/06/2020 - 12:14

          HMmm, so basically buy a new cham/cloth every car wash then? Or everytime it gets a black spot somewherer from the dirt and grime?

          • apsilon on 06/06/2020 - 15:34

            @Zachary: If you can afford that. I use about a dozen clothes to go around the car, basically one cloth per panel, two for large ones, and wash them afterwards. It's a realistic option to minimise damage and as I mentioned above the damage from public car parks etc is going to greatly outweigh it anyway before long.

            • Zachary on 07/06/2020 - 10:35

              @apsilon: Would paint correction help with those swirl, scratches and scuff marks? Or not really and need a full respray which may very well cost an arm and a leg to do? I know if you got paint cracking, chips, dents or rust spots, that definitely needs to be re-sprayed and fixed up at a panel and paint shop or you can do it yourself if you trust yourself enough to do a professional looking job….

              • apsilon on 07/06/2020 - 10:47

                @Zachary: Absolutely but there's only so many times you can do a paint correction before you wear through the paint. Modern cars are getting thinner and thinner paint. I took a reading on a friends new XV (same car as OP) as they had some scuffs on the drivers door and was very surprised to see how thin it was (only around 40 microns IIRC). I removed about 95% of the scuffs but didn't want to go further and risk breaking through the clear coat.

                IMO for a daily driver, don't bother with a paint correction unless you think it's going to help when the time comes to sell.

  • Davo1111 on 05/06/2020 - 11:32
    +4

    Pressure washer, foam cannon. no touch

    • ireadtermsofuse on 05/06/2020 - 16:53

      I do have a karcher pressure hose. I’ll try that method. Thanks

    • Melb69 on 06/06/2020 - 04:32

      It never cleans it properly with just a pressure washer. 2 bucket. Start with wheels. Then body from top. Get a blow dryer. The less you touch it the better. Get a ceramic coating done on it. Keep it in a garage or under cover if you can.

  • RockyRaccoon on 05/06/2020 - 11:34
    +1

    Don't let kids anywhere near it…..

    Likewise install bird netting above your driveway

  • PVA on 05/06/2020 - 11:35

    Wash the car yourself, don’t use a car wash.

  • dcep on 05/06/2020 - 11:40
    +2

    clear wrap whole car

  • Hybroid on 05/06/2020 - 11:41
    +2

    How new is it? After a couple of months you won't bother as car will pick up scratches and knicks from pebbles and other environment material anyway. It's not a rare collector's car or show car. Don't fret it.

    • Zachary on 06/06/2020 - 11:48

      After a couple of months you won't bother as car will pick up scratches and knicks from pebbles and other environment material anyway. It's not a rare collector's car or show car. Don't fret it.

      If you want to keep it looking in pristine condition everywhere, regardless if the car is a rare collectors or built/modded specifically to show off, you would…

  • Tech5 on 05/06/2020 - 11:51

    The best is always a three bucket wash with foam gun, pressure washer and leaf blower in your driveway

    Second best is a self wash at the carwash, then dry using some sort of protectant. When too lazy to wash it in my drive way, I use Bowdens Afterglow or Kamikaze Overcoat + Bowdens big green sucker to dry

    Third best is an auto touchless carwash

    Never use a auto carwash with spinning brushes. Also never use the black brush in the self car wash area. No idea what OTR is but never use a brush to clean your car…

    • John Kimble on 05/06/2020 - 12:54

      Only 3 buckets?! Insanity.

      • Tech5 on 05/06/2020 - 12:55

        I assume if you own the latter 3, you would have 3 buckets lol

    • OZBargainer in SA on 06/06/2020 - 09:48

      OTR= On The Run
      SA petrol station chain owned by Peregrine corporation, who started out with Smokemart chain, selling ciggies.
      Currently being sued in a class action for short paying employees. I've never heard of them being nice people to deal with.
      I avoid buying from them.

  • wannagrababargain on 05/06/2020 - 12:03

    There are a some options for washing in tight spaces.

    Is your car garaged? You can use a "low water wash" using something like Optimum No rinse in a single bucket inside a garage as a maintenance wash. The caveat being that the car can't be TOO dirty..only light dust and not too long between washes. Application of some kind of sealant or wax, with re-application as often as necessary, will not only make those maintenance washes easier but I would say is a pre-requisite.

  • kahn on 05/06/2020 - 12:13

    If you're not going to wash it at home, then read the forum post about using a DIY car wash.

  • cille745 on 05/06/2020 - 12:35
    +1

    Foam gun, Pressure washer, leaf blower in that order every week and you'll never need to touch your car

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 05/06/2020 - 13:03
    +1

    As above, foam gun wash and then 2 bucket method. You can find videos on youtube. That said, after a few months you will give up. Sooner or later you will get scratches that you can 100% be certain was not caused by you.

  • slow on 05/06/2020 - 13:22

    It is going to get dirty and scratched at some stage anyway, may as well be now and save yourself some stress

    • MontyMacaw on 06/06/2020 - 10:25
      +1

      Just grab your keys and drag them along the sides and get it over with.

  • brendanm on 05/06/2020 - 13:51
    +4

    Are you meant to wash cars?

  • bloom on 05/06/2020 - 16:59
    +2

    Ceramic nano platinum ultra snake skin oil

  • ThatKiwiFella on 05/06/2020 - 18:40
    +2

    A good way to protect your car would be to get it ceramic coated.

    As far as on a regular basis:

    Get a snow foam cannon attachment for a pressure washer and some pre-wash snow foam. This helps loosen up surface dirt.
    Wash the car with a lambswool mitt (Meguiars have a nice one), using two buckets and grit guards.
    Purchase a dedicated plush microfibre towel for drying. Use a spray wax as a drying aid, which helps with protection too. You can use air to blow water off too, but it helps if you buff over with spray wax to avoid water spots

    As far as tips go:

    Clean wheels and tires completely separatly to the car's body.
    Wash from top to bottom, taking extra care on dirtier areas.
    If you happen to go over a bit of bird poo or decent bit of dirt, rinse your wash mitt prior to continuing, to avoid inflicting scratches.

    It's almost impossible to avoid inflicting minor scratches when contact washing, but with the tips above and advice from others, you'll keep these to an absolute minimum.

    If you'd like some video pointers, here's a few of my favourite Youtubers

    Ammo NYC
    The Detail Geek
    Car Cleaning Guru

  • Euphemistic on 06/06/2020 - 06:59
    +2

    Trade it for a used car. Problem gone.

    • Rosace on 06/06/2020 - 08:46
      +1

      Gone to someone who will create another post.

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