Does Summer mean your car is happier or neglected?

I try to keep the car happy at all times. Unhappy car = unhappy wife.
Washing & waxing car in wintertime isn't all that fun though. That's why when we build our house, the garage will be insulated and have a drain in the middle of one of the bays.

Some people might say that my cars get more showers than I do! :D

-A garage is a neccessity for the winter cleaning!! My problem is I don't have a way to connect a hose to a water supply except outside and sometimes it freezes... Then neither myself nor my car are happy!! :bawling:

i wash her by hand all summer, but once it gets cold out, its off to the car wash.

Benjamming, I like your way of thinking!! Not just the happy wife part.....I like the drain idea in the garage. I think when we build a house later, I'll have remember that! It snows a bit up in Redding where we want to retire! AND it's HOT in the Summer (110-115)

anysia, I get teased by my neighbors about how often they see me washing her too! I usually pull her on the lawn for the rinse, wash & rinse....then into the garage for drying. I've actually washed her in the rain several times!

Dave, so they keep the pipes thawed at the car washes there? I've never used a car wash with the last 3 Hondas. We have one very close that's a touchless auto-wash & another that others will do a hand wash for you. Our daughter uses both....not on the same visit!;)

So drains in garages aren't just the norm for you guys?? Around here they are, so I never even give it a thought! I just wish my dad would get over and help out with the plumbing issue so I could hook the hose up in the garage!!

My husband keeps saying the neighbors have to think I'm insane by now.... (and to top it off, they've witnessed me putting numerous coats of my polisher/cleaner and glaze on my cars! I did the Civic about a month and a half ago, then again right before I took it to get valued as a trade in, then I did the Accord last weekend!) My husband just wants to know why I won't wash his car. It's silver and a Sentra and just doesn't produce any sort of result!

I never have luck with the touchless car washes. My Civics' dried and tended to look dirtier than before they got "washed"! I haven't taken the Accord to one to try it out though.

And people said the urge to constantly clean my car would leave afer a couple of months... That was back in June of 2000. It's still here!

Ahhh I love San Francisco. In winter, I car wash her with no problem at all. Then today I went outside to wash it and it started raining...oh joy! Oh well lol my point is not to get the water off, but the dirt, and I got that done at least.

With so much more time (no school for me :)), I find a lot more stuff to do with the car. For instance, parts of the trim surrounding my window is metal so I wax it, but it's bordered by plastics that I have to use protectant on. The rails along the side of my roof I found are plastic, so I masked it all off and put protectant all over it!

http://www.reaction-image.net/albums/album105/mini_IMG_6132.sized.jpg
http://www.reaction-image.net/albums/album105/mini_IMG_6133.sized.jpg

And then today I went out to put protectant on the plastic trim piece where the hood and windshield meet and found out it warped :bawling: I also found out that putting wax on the wiper arms makes they all shiny :D

So that's where you were yesterday....:D

Don't some of your treatments need it warmer than that nasty cold stuff you live in, Benj?:confused:

anysia, no, here drains in the garage aren't normal. Most are 1, 2 or 3 cars wide, but just a slab floor. Our driveway is short & steep plus often there's a drought or something going on....so washing on the lawn is not just easier, it's a way to "kill 2 birds". :D

I've never thought about the temperature needed for treatments to work. I always assumed they always worked, in all temperatures hehe.

I seen some say for best results use at 70 degrees & stuff like that. That was one selling point for the zaino....the hot temps make no difference & they do with wax most of the time!

Originally posted by princess
Dave, so they keep the pipes thawed at the car washes there? I've never used a car wash with the last 3 Hondas. We have one very close that's a touchless auto-wash & another that others will do a hand wash for you. Our daughter uses both....not on the same visit!;)

yeah they do. a lot of times, i'll just go to the self-serve spots and blast it quick with hot soapy water to get the salt off. i will bring it to automated ones, but i try not to. we dont have any brushless car washes near me.

I never lived in the snow, & here salting the roads is illegal now. They use sand in the Mts. When we went to play in the snow we carefully rinsed off the Pilot, underneath especially. We figured all the years of salting has been enough to kill the trees, there must be residue.

I mostly keep washing in the Winter to get off the road grime from rain & stuff that gets thrown up from other cars. Spring we get into the detailing, probably mostly just to be outside. Summer, we do what the weather permits. If it's 105, we won't wash them! Our lawn is in the sun. If we feel the need for a washing & detailing it's done as early as possible.

Some people don't like the touchless washes, they say it doesn't look clean after. It looks like it still sprays hard & the blow dries. I'm not "allowed" to use it.;) I like washing by hand anyway.

i dont think they use actual salt anymore. i think it is sand and chemicals. either way, i go to the drive thru car wash about 3 or 4 times during the winter to get the undercarriage washed. thats where most of the rot starts, especially in the wheel wells.

I used to us car washes until I really started paying attention to the finish on my car!
The high pressure water basically blast all waxes and protectant from you car. I recently found a product called Quick and Easy wash..QEW. You use it to wash a panel at a time and dry the panel... It is just like car wash soap that you mix with water and apply with a wash mitt and then immediately dry w/microfiber towel.. less water on the floor than bringing in a slush or rain soaked car.. You also use a second bucket for rinsing mitt between panels..
As far as detailing in the summer... I applied Klasse All-in-One to both vehicles about eight weeks ago.. topped that with a sealant glaze and then with Meguiars #16.. I wash the Van about every 1-2 weeks depending on frequency of rain and the Accord 2-4 times a week..
The Van has been pretty much self cleaning with rain showers and still beads like crazy..
The Accord still beads really well and went threw a rough Cicada season for about 6 weeks..
I have yet to polish the vertical panels on the Accord... Hopefully the Humidity will hold off this weekend and I can do it then....

As far a temps. for products.. the main thing is to apply at lower humidity and surface temp... But I have read of several high end detailer's that can work in the Texas or California sun and use certain products for certain conditions.... The key is to know how the product reacts to your current condition....

I1:)
Nothing Like a Happy Car:thmsup:

Originally posted by princess
Summer mean your car is happier or neglected?

With winter on its way, I got thinking about this thread. Winter. Summer. It's about the same for me.

after every carwash, my car seems to run smoother and faster, thanking me for the wash... :)

Originally posted by princess
I seen some say for best results use at 70 degrees & stuff like that. That was one selling point for the zaino....the hot temps make no difference & they do with wax most of the time!

Hey I just went out to wax the car and it was freakin hell. I applied the wax and it dried - and then the weather got cold and water condensed and the wax turned wet again. I spent a helluva time getting it off and it's still not even cleanly off....grrrr