Clean or Dirty...........
 

He's one to stir things up! - just for fun.
Clean car or Dirty car.......

All my life i have been advocate for immaculate, no chips, dinks, scratches and above all else, a weekly wash and detail lasting around 3-4 hours.

Wheels off every 8 weeks, wheel wells cleaned, door shuts - everything.
Thats how i roll.

My car has now entered the fouth week in the body shop just as a measure of how fussy i am!
But the other day a 991 passed me that was soooooo dirty it was hard to make out the lines and the tail light and rear number plate (license plate) were invisible. Something about that image has stuck with me. A car of that value, that exotic not being cleaned within an inch of it's life was a powerful image.

Which camp are you in..... detail or dirt

Use to be a clean fanatic, the older I get the less I worry about it. Possibly will ruffle some feathers here but I see some guys who spend countless hours detailing their cars as simply maniacal, the each his own though.

Like I've told my boys......"It's a thing, a piece of metal which will likely be a steel girder, a beer can or plastic bottle before you are dead. Enjoy it but don't worship it."

Crap, I gotta go out and lay another coat of Polar Silver touch up paint on my newly chipped hood. ;)

love it! ;):cheers:

LOL, I wasn't kidding....

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...psc1746449.jpg

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I am in the middle on this one. I wash my car regularly especially in winter here because of the salt/mud/slush. However I have not waxed my Box in the almost two years I have owned it. Will do that this summer. I hate an unwashed car however I am not anal re stone chips, some dirt allowed in car etc. An unwashed car does not look good......:(

Fark! - that would be under a cover tonight and back in the body shop tomorrow if it were mine!

I love the different strokes for different folks.

Thats was was got me about the 991i saw, if it were mine, i'd be out there licking it clean every night but this one was minging, i mean sooo filthy that in a perverse way it looked awsome.

Agreed. It's a disposition that has to be admired IMO.

BTW...my car will eventually go back for a hood respray, just looking to hide it a little between now and then. Had it done less than a year ago.....:mad:

I like it clean, but not maniacal, so I am middle of the road. A good wax goes a long way in keeping it clean.

I subscribe to the belief that cars are ment to be driven and enjoyed. I am retired, have 3 porsches and log upwards of 30K miles a year of porsche fun. Mine get a reasonably thorough washing when it needs it and a good clay bar, polish once a year. They get the best maintenance I can provide and lots of driving. I am sure there are lots of people who have them for a showpiece and drive them 2 hours on sunday afternoon and that's fine; it keeps a good supply of very low milage used ones in the market. I just can't believe they are getting the enjoyment that I am from their Porsches.http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/0011366816294.jpg

Problem is, it's just not practical to be a detail whore and use the damn thing regularly. I certainly think it's a shame if a detailing fetish means you use the car less. These things are at their best being driven.

I like to keep mine clean and use sealing waxes etc. But if you use it, it gets marked.

I had my front bumper cover resprayed about a year ago or so. It's already got a load of little stone chips. It's done around 15k fun filled miles, it's going to get chipped. I suppose next time I get it resprayed I could get one of those clear protection films fitted...

Mountainman - that is some garage! Jeez!

I have a garage full of every single detailing product that's ever been discussed.
In every category, leather, wheel cleaning, clay, canvas, tire dressing and that's before we get into the porter cable and that whole universe of products. Then I have my special mountain bike/road cleaning products which have its own cleaners and brushes. I have large bins of job-specific towels. I also recently starting using a foam gun as well.

All that being said... The best thing for your paint, is to touch it as little as possible.
That 991 that was dirty might look horrible but as long as the paint is waxed and sealed, is better off than being tinkered by someone who doesn't have the know how. The biggest culprit are using the wrong types of towels for buffing and drying. Those microfiber towels sold at auto stores are especially harmful. Those are basically re-labeled janitorial towels used to clean dirty floors. Using these on a well maintained car is like opting for a sledgehammer when rubber spatula will do the job.

This is the best thing to do: Use a foam gun (check autogeek.net ~$60) and spray in front of the chenille wash mitt so that anything you are touching is well lubricated and slick. Keep a few of those clean mitts, don't use one to clean the whole car because aferall those mitts are inexpensive. Dragging road sediments from a dirty mitt from one side of the car to the other is unecessarily harmful. Use a clean mitt for the left side, another clean one for the right side and a third for front and rear. For the lower portions use the least dirty mitt. Then for drying, spray down the car with a quick detailer to lubricate the drying process if you're using a waffle weave towel. One long pull of the towel across the surface. But the best thing is to simply drive the car to dry it or use a blower. If you're going to re-apply a spray wax booster use a long nap towel like the Griot's green or blue towels. NO PRICKLY microfiber for buffing. DON'T use a waterblade as it goes against the entire concept of increasing lubrication on touched surfaces. When applying waxes or polishing wax cleaners or sealants, spray the surface with a quick detailer spray (any brand will do) before the applicator sponge hits the surface and after the product hazes over spray the surface again. There should always be a thin film of lubricant when pressure is being applied to the paint. And limit these waxing sessions to as little as possible as it is very invasive to the paint, you're better off simply re-applying the spray wax booster of your choice more frequently. Right now after washing I'm using Griot's spray wax. A little while later after its dried I use Finish Kare #425 spray to seal it up, it has a very very slick teflon like finish which makes it easier to clean the next time around. I buy it by the gallon as it works on all metallic, glass and plastic surfaces.


As far interior and wheels, knock yourself out and clean as often as you like.

PL,
You are talking my language!:cheers:

If I saw a 911 covered in gunk, I would just :rolleyes:

I wash/wax my car when it looks even mildly dusty to me, but I hardly ever drive the thing. I've had it for over six months and I've put about 800 miles on it.

I got some kind of uber expensive paint guard on it when I bought it, because I hate to see faded paint and it does get very shiny when it's washed. It will be reapplied by the dealer once a year, and I'm looking forward to that. :cool:

I have a very understanding wife

I have a very understanding wife

I agree with Pothole, I would love to always have a spotless car, but in the summer I drive it several days a week. I just don't have the time to wash it every week, and I don't have to patience to spend hours polishing it. I have sort of a Monthly cycle, after washing it I'll only drive on dry days, but as it gets a bit dirty I'll drive it rain or shine. I'm very much a "drive it" type, not a "show car" type.

Middle of the road here. I keep my interior very clean, exterior gets washed down when I get the chance, but it isn't a high priority. The boxster just isn't that special of a car to me to get fanatical about it.

I try to keep her clean, not military inspection level clean. But she gets washed every two weeks and given a fresh coat of wax. Also with the occasional dusting in between. She lives in the garage and comes out at 1700 on Friday evenings for weekend duties.

Yep in the middle also. I like having a clean car but prefer driving around instead of washing/waxing. I am still looking to be able to give dept in my paint though. I don't know if it's because I don't wax it enought or do it wrong... Some guys here have some paint finish (probably due to great paint maintenance) that looks very deep and it looks great!

This is simular to my routine & pretty easy to maintain here in So.CA.

One of these days I will install a whole house water filter so I can just spray off the dust between washings to keep it looking good. :cool:

I actually spend very little time detailing. For starters my car is silver and it hides dirt incredibly well. Often times I can use just a waterless car wash spray (Optimum, Meguiars, Griot's, etc.) and get rid of most of the surface dust. Looks just washed. Secondly, I'm pretty good at detailing this point so I can do it quickly, usually 10 minutes or less once a week if it hasn't rained at all.
And thirdly, I avoid waxing more than once every couple of months, I use synthetics and not bio waxes like P21S or S100 pure caranuba. The bios have a nicer shine but you'll be waxing it every month and that's going to take its toll on the paint over the course of a year. And Frankly, the sprays with enough carnauba (like the Griot's carnauba spray wax) will produce a shine that only an expert eye can distinguish from a pure carnauba paste wax. Another trick is to simply dress the tires, wipe down the wheels and glean the glass. It sort of gives the look of a freshly washed car. Although this doesn't really work with dark colored cars.

Best part of an Oreo cookie is the middle.....I drive it daily during the spring, summer, and fall and wash it when needed (usually every few weeks). Then give it a good washing before I store it for the winter.

My car is now 14+ yrs old (yikes! when did that happen?) and worth 1/3 of what we paid for it, and I no longer see the benefit heavy detailing. That being said, it is black, with a light tan interior, both of which require frequent cleaning than I like, so as not to tarnish Porsche's respectability, despite my reluctance (or laziness). My standards as a gearhead also might be a bit more strict as compared to the average person (i.e. my wife), most of whom don't seem to mind driving around in a cesspool of filth and grease, with used napkins and empty water bottle littering the floor.
If you got a 4x4, a little mud can be ok, but anything else, is like going shopping in a dirty tshirt.

I used to be anal-retentive about washing the car every weekend, waxing often, etc. Nowadays I clean the cars when they look grungy, but do small touch-ups on certain parts in between. Interiors are never filthy or grimy, just usually sandy and dusty. I'll wash the wheels more often than the paint.

That said, I definitely need to give my cars a thorough detailing just to make sure they stay looking sharp.

I think this guy is in the "dirty, drive it" camp... ;)
http://s1.aecdn.com/images/news/gall...e-medium_1.jpg
http://cdn.celebritycarsblog.com/wp-...che-993-C4.jpg
(Keanu Reeves)

Most of the pictures I've seen of Keanu's 993 have been pretty bloody shiny.

http://www.carsvw.com/wp-content/upl...he-911-993.jpg

I rarely wash my car, but it always looks clean. I don't drive it on rainy/crappy days, and use a quick detailer from Zaino when it gets dusty (which takes all of 90 seconds). Plus I hit the wheels with cleaner about once a week. As someone else noted, silver is about the best color for not showing dirt, so that helps a lot.

Man oh man, it's all about time; or the lack of it.
The Boxster is a fair-weather machine, and it's Arctic Silver, so it usually looks good.
The DD on the other hand, I could care less if it's clean.
That, and it's 12 years old too.
Before kids, there was ample time to keep all the vehicles in the driveway washed, vacuumed & detailed weekly.
Now, fuggedaboudit!

In defense of Mr. Reeves, you can see by the Christmas tree strapped to the roof of the 911 and his lightweight coat, it is the usual frigid LA winter and therefore he is excused from washing his car in sub-70 degree temperature.

Haha. What I like about him and his 993 is that he uses it. Dirty, shiny, he seems to be spotted with the car quite often. :cheers:

Like so many here, I used to be anal about washing my cars, but they were all black and looked like they needed it more often.

Now, she gets wahsed every couple of weeks. Since she is grey I don't really notice how "dirty" the car is, but when I am done washing I always wonder why I don't do it more often. :confused:

I really enjoy cleaning my car so its always as clean as it can be, having said that when it goes on a driving holiday it stays as is until it gets home.
I saw a filthy Speed Yellow 968 up in Scotland a few years back in an area of great driving roads - I couldn't help but smile and give him the thumbs up as I knew he'd been enjoying his car as Stuttgart intended.

I think I'm in dirty side! Look at it after a the winter. It so dirty. I'm doing a little bit of maintenance, then clean it up a little. :-)http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1366906965.jpg

Layer all
Chris

Michiganstar,
You get it, I'm a total nut about my car but that pure disposition of high end exotic and filth was such a powerful image.

Anyways guys, I have loved this thread and i look forward to getting mine back. 4 weeks and counting!!!! Full bare metal respray. New splash trims (colour coded), de badged trunk, new nuts, bolts, rivets. Glass out, doors off , trunk and frunk off.

Cost??? Lets not talk about it eh!:)


Wawa, that's in a different class!

I went with Silver and Black on my new 981. I know myself well enough that this would be the best thing for my sanity and I would drive it more.

I want to enjoy more night driving too since it has PDLS and the lights are so good it really makes me more comfortable (I don't see well at night). Driving at night where I live means lots of bugs and I don't want to have to remove them immediately after each drive, it requires a good lubricant to soften them and not scratch the paint. I'm going to get a clear bra so they can be left on and washed off once a week. If the clear bra can be damaged by the bug juice then maybe it isn't worth it. From what I have seen from my friends 911 they easily come off later with warm water and the bra seems just fine.

I had some 997 Porsche black rubber mats and they fit the 981 so I just put them in and don't bother cleaning the dirt for weeks now.

I still really love detailing cars, keep my Guards Red 2000 'S' lookin good and do most of my friends Porsches, but now with a Silver car it is no longer about the bling but more about the beautiful lines. :)

When my commute was 15 minutes and I wasn't racing much, I was a detail fanatic. Now that my commute is over an hour and the car is raced 3times a month, there just aren't enough hours in the week to keep up.

Mr. Clean, checking in........

My next door neighbor used to (about 30 years ago), wash and wax his car every weekend. Me and my friends got a kick out of it because he washed and waxed the paint right off his car.

Concerning me, I guess I could spend more time cleaning, but when I go out to the car in the morning, if the car is not disgusting to look at, I just want to drive it. It gets a quick wash once every 7-10 days. A more thorough wash once a month or as needed. I don't drive in the rain or to my dusty work so that is all that is needed.

ETA: Arctic Silver is an awesome color for this regimen

Wash when it looks more gray than silver...

It truly is fun to watch some people (including myself) evolve on this topic, one way or another. One of my boys has a Corolla I bought for him since he made Eagle Scout, in the past 6 months his attention to keeping it clean has grown quite keen. He actually detailed the motor bay 3 times since Thanksgiving, today I came home and he asked to use the lift so he could polish / wax it before Prom tonight. For the first year he drove it i could count on one hand the number of time he washed it, and most of those were with my prodding.

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