Cleaning The Box (I am Lazy!)
 

Hi all,

Sorry for this post, as I will assume it is partially redundant. However, I couldn't find what I was looking for with the search. Here is some background about my box (probably very different from many of you):

-I drive it about 4 times per week in rural NY
-The car gets lots of miles and loves to :( attract bugs :(
-I have no bra
-I keep the car :barf: outside 100% :barf: of the time (no garage)
-I somewhat lazy and would prefer not to have to clean my car ;)
-I cannot wash my car in my apt. complex :mad:

Advice/Q's I have:

1) Is sending the box through an auto-car wash a poor idea?
2) What about bringing the box to a DIY station (powerwash + whatever soap/crap wax they have)
3) If I pay a place to do it for me, what should I be looking for?
4) To wax or not to wax, that is the question!
5) Any suggestions for products (both exterior and interior)?
6) What is the best way to clean crud off from under the car after a nasty winter+ road salting? (I may winter garage the car)

Thanks for the advice! :D

damn youre really not cleaning it if you have dirt and stuff from winter. do you know how long ago winter was here? heheh.

I too, cannot wash my car where it is kept. I live in NYC, and my car is parked underground in a parking garage. It cannot be washed on the garage premises, so I bring it to a hand wash car wash place that charges $10 bucks for the wash. Prob. take it for a wash maybe once a month, as I am also pretty lazy, and not anal about keeping it clean.

Luckily, because the car is silver, it doesn't show much dirt anyway, so I can get away with it. I do wax the car once a year, however, and also treat the soft top with Raggtop protectant prior to each winter. After a harsh winter of road grime/salt, take the car to one of those DIY coin operated car wash places and use the pressure spray nozzle to hose down the underbody of all the salt.

I've done this routine for the past 5+ years with my car here in NY, and the car still looks great.

Most forum members would tell you not to do this. I ignored them and used a nice touchless wash 1 blk from my house for 1.5 yrs. Worked great in the winter and those times I was lazy in the summer.

Back in Mar my Box started making a nasty groaning noise over bumps or turning. Took it in and it was diagnosed as a faulty bushing in the lower control arm - not covered by CPO warranty. I ********************ed to the dealer and to the forum members about low quality components. When I got the car back and looked at the service report, it said "Found lower control arm had a torn boot on ball joint letting water get in and rust causing groaning noise". Torn boot, hmmm I wonder if it got that way going through the car wash? I think I'm guilty of a self inflicted wound.

Long story, but you get the point. If you have to use a car wash, make sure there is enough clearance for your Box. Otherwise use the DIY one.

djomlas - the car has never seen a winter. I picked it up from the south. This was more of a future/what if question

Boxtaboy - I like the idea of a hand wash place but I am not sure where I can find one! All the car washes in my area are DIY crudholes. I will engage advice from the locals and broaden my search range.

husker boxster - in a DIY place, they have crappy soap and a "wax" setting from the power-wash nozzle. Do you advise skipping this "wax" step? Also - can I wax in my car in broad daylight/hot hot sun or is this bad?

Lastly, if I power-spray the undercoat, should I soap it or merely water it?

Thanks!

Also - can I wax in my car in broad daylight/hot hot sun or is this bad?


Thanks![/QUOTE]

NEVER WAX YOUR CAR IN DIRECT SUN!!!!

QUOTE:
1) Is sending the box through an auto-car wash a poor idea?
6) What is the best way to clean crud off from under the car after a nasty winter+ road salting? (I may winter garage the car)

Answers:
1) Most boxster owners recommend against this.
6) A lot of the DIY places have a bar with holes you drive over slowly and it shoots water up into the undercarrage. Or you could slide one of those lawn sprinkers that moves left to right under the car.

I actually have a question of my own:
With a hardtop is a drive-through car wash okay? :)

Don't do the auto wash. For one thing, you don't want to soap up your soft top. For another, they do a lousy job.

Try the self-wash places. I keep two synthetic shammies in my trunk. You can use one to wash (if needed) and the other to dry.

When I go to a car wash facility I always I get the hand wash. This ensures my top stays nice and, we'll, they really do a great job compared to running it through. At least once a year have the car wash place do a hand wax.

Use just the water spray when you rinse off the undercoat. You're just trying to wash off the salt. After you're done washing the car at the DIY place, it's ok to use a light spray of the wax, and then dry off the entire car.

Buy a house, move to the suburbs and WASH YOUR CAR!!!!!!!! :p :D :matchup:

If you can't wash your own car with a hose use Optimum No Rinse available at detailcity.com
Fill A bucket with warm water and drop in two ounces of No Rinse, mix it up. Dunk a sea songe or chenille sponge and wring out the sponge over the car for some pre-soak.
Dunk the sponge again and wipe down one panel at a time. While the car is still wet Spray the panel with a quick detailer (Try Chemical Guys or FK1, both sell by the gallon and cheap) and buff dry with a waffle weave towel (Pack Shack or Poorboysworld.com). Use the left over water to clean your wheels with a Meguiar's Gold Class wheel face brush.
If you can't get a bucket to wash use a 2 gallon pesticide sprayer from Lowe's or Home Depot. Same procedure, fill with warm water, drop in two ounces, close the lid on the sprayer, shake up and pump the sprayer. No Rinse leaves a very nice slick surface. If the surface isn't slick after cleaning the a panel you are using too much water or not enough No Rinse. I can do the whole car in under 15 minutes.


as for the bugs, If you use a good acrylic wax like Fk1 1000P, FK1 Pink Wax, Werkstatt Acrylic Jett Trigger, Rejex, Mezerna FMJ it should make the bug removal much easier.
1Z makes a great bug remover sold at openroadmotoring.com

i wash my car as soon as it gets dirty, so maybe 2 times a week.
im realllly anal about keeping my car clean. but hey, if you want a clean car you have to clean it, and the funny thing is i actually enjoy cleaning and washing my car, not just this one, but every one i owned. people always ask me how come my car is always clean...i just clean it haha, simple as that.

but yeah, No Rinse system is great.

people say the same about my car except I rarely wash it. Silver just always looks clean. Even when its dirty it shines! :cheers: I can't tell you the last time I did a real car wash. Probably back in early April just when I did full polish/seal for the season.
I picked up a couple of nifty 36 ounce spray bottles from autogeek.net
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...k_1952_6015277
One has FK 425 and the other a detail strength dilution of No Rinse.
Instead of dry dusting with a california swirl your paint duster, I remove dust with the No Rinse. I do the whole car with 425, paint, glass, wheels, dash.

i'm w/dj on this thread. i can't drive a dirty box!...either mine or my wife's. if anything, i'd like to start a thread discussing if waxing your box twice a month is too much! we've had my wife's box three weeks and i've already waxed it twice!

you cant really over-wax it.

but PL, did yo have problems with california duster? i love mine, i get no swirlmarks at all

Using a new california duster is not bad. But unless you are really diligent about shaking it out and only use it when its a very fine film of dust its trouble. The problem is that when you drive on the road the cars in front and around you kick up sediments (sand) from the road and onto the car. Without wet lubrication often times you are dragging these micro sediments across your paint. And who knows if the sand is still embedded in the duster. I don't think I've ever heard of someone washing a California duster either. I think for a garage queen that only picks up dust from indoor parking its ok. for daily drivers no good.


Yes you can wax your car too often. The more you dry touch the paint the more trouble you are making for your self. I know one guy who does the whole 3 step (polish/seal/wax) EVERY MONTH! That 12 times a year when you should only be doing it 2 or 3. A good acrylic wax that is left untouched outside should last 4-6 weeks. Longer if its garaged. Obviously the Wax will degrade and you won't get the 10/10's shine you got on day one later on day 15. But that's easy to cure. Just boost the wax with a good acrylic spray (Aqua Wax $8 NAPA, Zaino Z8, Carnauba Jett) after your wash and make sure you use an absolutely pristine clean towel. If you follow up with an anti-static spray like FK1 425 or Chemical Guys you can go three months without having to reapply the wax and even longer for the sealant.
Non-Acrylic waxes with high concentrations of pure carnauba like S100, Souveran,P21s absolutely require an anti-static spray or sealing glaze (FX100) if you want to see it last for a month or longer.

All of you seem to use real wax (too fancy for me :D )

Is the "wax" from one of those DIY places actual wax and will it do a decent job?

Just get yourself and assistant and have her wash it.

I thought car washes added an acid to the water to "help" remove the dirt and grime?? Especially so with the "touchless" car washes that rely just on the water spray. For this reason I'd avoid the car wash if possible. Not sure about the DIY washes. But they do have to recycle their water too so maybe they add something also. I guess if you're not planning to keep the car for long this is all moot. LOL

Query: what the acid additive does to paint finishes and tops?

Recycling water? Wouldn't the cost of putting in a system like that far exceed the benefit? At all the DIY places I have seen, all the water goes into a grate with tons of random chemicals/cleaners. I can't see how a recycling system can pull out that crud for rinse water. Can any expert elaborate here?

Also - is there any problem with spraying water into the air intake and cooling ports on the side of the boxster?