We washed ours the second day we had it. It takes us (my husband and me) about 1.5 hours to wash, dry, and vacuum. I think we have washed our Fit (purchased a month ago) more than we ever washed our Impala which we had for 3 years. It makes a difference when you enjoy your car!! I think the Fit is so much fun!

 

I made sure the dealer didn't wash it after they got it, because on previous cars , the stuff the dealerships used put swirls in the paint. My paint is as pure as can be as a result. Since I didn't have them wash it, I took it home and washed it first thing. Then I put on a lot of wax and sealant
tre

 

That is a great point ! Thank you very much for this !

I am very lucky as the dealer didn't leave any swirl marks after he washed it. I am planning on doing my first wax soon before fall weather sets in.

 

I searched the forum before posting but didn't see anything. I've had my car for a little over two months and have washed it every weekend since, with the exception of two weekends where I didn't have time. Several people have told me that excessive washing of a car can remove its clear coat. Is this true? How often do you wash your car? I have a long commute through open areas where the bugs are crazy thick. Isn't it also bad to leave them on the car?

Thanks in advance,
Chris

 

I wash my car once every week. Now, if it's crazy dirty, I use a bit more soap, but if its just to remove dust, I use a very weak solution. Now, be sure to use a cotton-chenille which can be purchased at walmart for under $3.00. Also, when you wash, use a two-bucket-solution. One bucket filled with your normal soap+water solution, and other bucket with water.. After you scrub, put it in the water bucket and squeeze out all the dirt. Return to soap+water bucket for new soap. No contamination. And when you're scrubbing, use little to no pressure. I usually just go over it very lightly, and when theres a spot that won't come off, I usually work on the small area independently so it wont affect the surrounding area.

I personally wax once a month with Black Magic Liquid Shine (5.99 at walmart). I typically use Maguire NXT but I found that it doesn't last very long. As long as the abrasiveness is kept to a minimum, your car will in fact look better than those who DONT wash regularly.

My friend picked up a Scion Tc last week and the dealer did a wash for him. I looked at the detail and saw swirl marks allllllll over the car. Now he's trying to get it fixed. What a shame.

 

I was my car 2-3 times a week. I hand wash it at my job and run it through our car wash to use the dryer.
Car washes scare me but havent had problems yet.

 

y do u wash it so often.....ive only washed mine about a couple times a month if that........sometimes every other month

 

Cause its dirty? *shrugs*
It actually doesnt get dirty that fast. Its just when I leave for work I always have the opportunity to was it. So why not?

As for the bug question in the first post, remove them ASAP!! They will destroy the paint. And our bumper paint is so horrible!

 

Just dont wash your car with dish soap that WILL destroy the clear coat

 

The clear coat is part of the two step base coat/clear coat paint. It's paint. It will not be removed by washing unless you're washing with abrasives, solvent or paint stripper. Wax on the other hand can be removed more quickly with more frequent washing, and a strong detergent will strip wax right off of there.

 

my first Fit (owned for 3 months) i washed every weekend with Meguiars wash nothing looked out of the ordinary paint wise.....look brand spanking new every time.

2nd fit (owned about 2 1/2 months) ive washed every other week....looks great after wash but the weekends i dont wash it looks horrible...i have a duster but imma start washing it every weekend like the first fit. about once a month i apply the Meguiars NXT spray wax on (i drive 80 miles daily...need to make sure its clean ahhaa) and it helps keep the shine and protect

 

i was and waxed my fit EVERY weekend since i got it in the last october, with the first few weeks a few layers of wax, now just one coat after washing every week no problems... this past weekend I used Meguires #26 yellow polish then a coat of wax on top....

 

hand washing won't be a problem. if you take it to a car wash, regardless of what they say about how it won't scratch the paint, it will. make a mental note of how pristine the paint was the first day you bought it, and realize that the tiniest little scratches, the ones that look like tiny spider webs are caused by washing, or rather rubbing the dirt on your car when washing. a car wash really just bats at your car to clean it.

follow the previous washing methods and you could wash your car everyday if you want. and bugs, tree sap, and bird crap come off day of--those things have acids that will eat at the clear coat. waiting too long to wash your car also allows brake/road dust and "environmental" contaminants, which all are acidic and will eat away at the car's surface.

try to clay bar maybe once a month. feel the surface of the car when wet, if it doesn't feel like silk, clay bar it.

periodically waxing will keep the car cleaner longer, and help in the cleaning process.

washing the car with dish soap is used to strip the car of pretty much everything. maybe once a year AT MOST it is advised solely to rid the car of wax buildup. there may actually be a car wash concentrate ("clear-coat" safe car wash) that may do this, but it seems to be a concensus that doing this is a dual-natured process.

i dust the outside everyday, wash every weekend, claybar and wax once a month (zaino wax)

 

To answer the original post question: I have not yet washed my car in about 1.4 weeks.

To that being said, what cleaning materials does everyone use? I'm doing some more shopping for my car (I got it in Jan 07) and am trying to figure out how to put my own personal touch on it.

 

I've had my Fit for less than 2 months and I've already driven it through a Laserwash 5 times due to the icemelt/sand that they put down on the streets here in Kansas. I'm just waiting until the weather climbs to 40 this weekend to wash off the freshest crud. I figure it's at least better than letting the chemicals sit on the car.

The moment that we have warmer weather, I'll drag out the buckets.

 

Ive had my fit since end of October had has washed 10-12 times... Every weekend NO EXCEPTION:
1. Wash
2. Wax with either NXT, Zymol or Meguirs yellow wax #26, polisher before wax every 4 weeks
3. Vacuum
4. Detail inside with vinylex
5. Detail plastic trim around windows and door seals with meguirs trim detailer
6. Detail head and tailights with plastix
7. tires with meguirs tire gel


i used to have a 98 taurus it was still washed every 1-2 weeks and waxed every 1-2 weeks

 

What type of vacuum do you use? I'm shopping for that as well...

 

Black & Decker Power Tools

18v..... the most powerful other than the dyson cordless which costs $100 more than the above

 

18v seems very powerful... and for a handheld too. I purchased a vac' last night @ k-mart... it's a minivac, and reminded me of the Gas station vac' hoses I used with my previous car. However, with those vac's power was what picked up my crud...

I may return the one I bought and buy this one instead.

Dyson is nice, but expensive. (For now...)

 

Once a week normally, however it has started to snow here so thats getting put on the back burner so it doesn't freeze when wet. I'm waiting for nice weekends with no snow so I can get it washed early in the day. I *have* a garage that is currently being blocked by a monster truck thanks to my upstairs neighbor abusing my kindness (I'll post pics soon).

My weekly wash when I don't have time to do it by hand is a no touch power wash. I've tried four of them in the area, and the only one that actually does a decent job is 16 miles away.