reminder to wash your car(s)

my dad has a reputation of not washing any of his cars and wears it very proudly so now i have taken the responsibility of keeping the miata's paint looking good and i think (knowing grassroots) alot of us are behind on washing cars so heres your reminder that card get very very dirty

and if your not washing your car regularly you'll end up with dirt that does not just wash off like this

and in that case you will need a claybar, which i have not gotten to because i am to tired and lazy. so make sure to not only maintane the mechanical stuff but also the looks of your cars.

Single stage paint if its factory, just hit it with a buffer and a very light polish and all that will come out. It will look fanastic. 

I like white cars for this reason. You would think they would show dirt but they actually hide it pretty well unless you're talking about mud or burnt rubber. 

I don't understand the I don't wash my car deal. My wife doesn't really care how the car looks but she will occasionally take it through a drive through car wash. My father in law has a 4 year old civic. He has literally never ever washed it. I used to take it and wash it or have the kids do it. I finally gave up. There is mold growing in the sills and leaf particles are blocking the drains. 
That being said you can start to learn about cars by washing and detailing them. Enjoy learning the basics on that car, it can only go up from never washed. 

In reply to NY Nick :

Same, I don't get it. My vehicles are typically among the more valuable objects I own, and they're also the ones people see the most. You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat the things they spend money on and (IMO) cars are no different.

I'm not outside rubbing my car with a diaper every day (it's not a Corvette) but I at least run it through the wash once every couple weeks and might hit it with some spray detailer once a month.

I have had friends and coworkers that basically destroyed brand new cars with smoking and cigarette burns in everything, food garbage and spills over the interior, literally one wash a year in spring, etc...I just don't understand it.

In reply to Lil_Stampie :

This is why I had a kid.  Free car washes.

Cleaned three cars yesterday so, yeah, I do like a clean car. 

It doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming, either: quick-detail spray and some microfiber towels can work wonders. I don't break out the hose unless something's muddy and gritty. (So, basically, I maybe use the hose once a year or so.)

Also, Stampie, check out Griot's synthetic clay pad. It works wonders–you can feel (and hear!) the difference. 

If you're looking for some DIY tips, here are some from the Garage Rescue Miata: 

Cleaning up That Garage Find

A quick, easy guide to detailing your car

Here's that Griot's clay pad in action:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Just so that you are aware.  He took off my bumper today and replaced it.  The bumper had a Grassroots sticker on it.  He didn't replace it.  I'm thinking that maybe I raised a heathen.

In reply to Stampie :

Sounds like it.

LMK if you need some fresh GRM stickers. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Also compare this picture with his first picture. 

He also didn't show my tag. 

What would you prefer?  A kid that likes clean cars but apparently doesn't like GRM or an adult that wears his GRM all over a dirty car?  Just saying. 

We like both? 

Nice plate. Nothing but net. 

Looking again I'll give him half credit for plate showing.

In reply to Stampie :

compare what all i see is a cleaner hardtop?

In reply to Lil_Stampie :

You didn't include the GRM banner. Love you.  One day you'll be a good E36 M3 talker.  You're decent right now.  Bet you could get Frenchy going.

Time to learn how to polish out the rear window.

In reply to NOT A TA :

Yeah that's a thing.  I want tinted and since you can't tint lexan I'll probably just buy a tinted window.

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Well some good came out of this thread.  I realized he wasn't a GRM+ member.  Now he is.

2013 FRS. Bought new. Really like this car. Last washed before I bough it. 

I will build or restore it from a  rusty grease spot on the driveway, but after that, don't really care to spend time on it. The next project is what it is all about.

Car washes in Canada last hours at best, so its really a  spendy Sisyphean effort at best. The $$$ saved over 10 years adds up to a sizable donation to the next car budget and it is one less thing I have to care about in a life that does not need more stuff to take time or care about.

If you wash your daily you are removing the protective dirt layer and you're just asking for scratches.

Try using Fantastik on nasty white cars (and boats). You'll end up hating the smell but it will come out very white. Follow up with wax. 
 

In reply to Lil_Stampie :

I live in Minnesota.  We have snow and ice at least 6 months of the year. Failure to regularly wash your car leads to brown spots in fender wells, the bottom of the doors and other spots. It's called the tin worm up here. 
They eventually enough turns reddish brown enough that the scrap yard gets them. 

In reply to frenchyd :

I live in souther ontario. About as rust- belty as you can get.

Previous set of cars we bought were identical 2002 proteges.  Mrs NOHOME cared for her car with wash wax and undercoat while I did the usual and just drove it with nothing but mechanical maintenance. Both cars were worth the same after 10 years with $300 allowances at the dealers when we shopped for new cars. We gave them away and I saved a few thousand towards the purchase of the FRS. 

Don't tell me how to live my life.

SWMBO has historically been terrible about washing cars.  In all the years she's had her Prius, I think she's washed it twice (by hand, because I strongly encouraged it).  The paint on it looks surprisingly good considering the lack of attention. 

Generally I'm lazy about washing cars over the winter, but I'll regularly give them a thorough rinse and underbody spray to get salt off, knock the grime out of the wheel wells, etc.  Then save the real washing for spring.