Until my wife is done with veterinary school, we're living in an apartment. Hence, no garage. Not even a covered parking spot at the moment, because all of those at our complex are currently spoken for. In this situation, I find it difficult to care for the car the way I want to. I can't even vacuum it without going to Mike's Express or something (unless someone has a recommendation for a car-outlet handheld vac that doesn't suck...er, DOES suck, as it should), and doing complicated polish/seal/wax routines is almost certainly out the question because the only free time I *might* have -- on weekends -- the car is out in the sun, or it's raining. I've gotten away with spending a couple hours in a self-wash stall before, but that's a gamble because if there's other people waiting you'd better move it -- plus having to pay $1.25 to wet my car and then another $1.25 to rinse it gets old.

I've got a ton of products -- Zymol cleaner wax, Meguiars Gold Class wax, Zaino Z2, Zaino Z6 quick detailer, all the necessary applicators, a PC polisher, tire cleaner, wheel cleaner, bug-and-tar remover, carpet cleaner, etc -- but I haven't used the PC and Zaino, for example, in a long time. What I don't have, as I said, is hours on end and a covered space. What I'm looking for is tips from those of you in similar situations -- what's the best product and method you've found that allows for quick applications with decent looking results, that does a good job of repelling dirt and water (my car's white)? Something I could do in the hour my car is in the shade at the end of the day on a weekend, but before it gets too dark to see what I'm doing. I'm not going to be super-picky, because I know I can't have the ultimate protection/shine without spending a lot of time, I just want a good balance. Thanks!

Try wet paint, you don't even have to wash your car before you apply it. It cleans and protects and leaves a great shine especially on a dark car also water beads right off. I did my 06 accord in thirty minutes, which I had washed four days prior.

Sounds like youd be a good candidate for wetpaint.... although, I've never used it - people on here swear by it.

Supposedly it is a waterless wash/wax system and by that I mean slap some on your dirty car and rub away... OUCH - I know, iot sounds nuts :nuts: but, the DA members results speak for themselves

RTexasF started the below thread about this product below is the link.

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3705&highlight=wetpaint

From what I've read RTexasF knows his detailing stuff, as a matter of fact I tried a polish (duragloss) this weekend as recomended by Tex and I am very pleased with it.

wet paint

Might also want to look into Optimum NR, which is a no rinse wash. I've been using this right in my garage for the past month and it works great. I just got one of those gallon spray bottles, put a gallon of water in it and about 2 capfulls of Optimum NR and just spray down the whole car and wipe off with a few MF towels. Quick and easy...

http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=46688&pd=277629&recview=11

I'd say a few good coats of any good sealant would be best (since a wax would probably burn off in the sun too quickly most of the year). Also get anything off (bird droppings, sap, etc) as quickly as possible, before it etches/sets on the paint.

I suggest a car cover as well. You can protect your car from sun damage, rain etc. It also keeps your car cool, and when you need to go just pull it off and shove it in the trunk. I used to do this at our condo while our house was being renovated.

Thanks guys, I've looked into the Wet Paint product and I definitely think I'll be ordering some of that. Seems to be just what I'm looking for.

Both Optimum No Rinse and Wet Paint will work very well. For ONR you will need microfiber towels, for WP you will need terrycloth towels. Both have their advantages: ONR can also be mixed into a spray bottle to act as a quick detailer but with little protection. WP works only one way but offers a sealant in the mix for much better protecion. I have and use both for different circumstances.

If the budget permits get both (along with the towels), you'll have almost all situations covered. if your car is a mud puppy go to the car wash and blast off the chunks first.

I use wet paint and duragloss aquawax as per rtftexas' suggestion. They are both very easy to use, especially the aquawax. Just make sure you thorougly buff the wet paint's haze off really well before you apply anything else. Wet paint is great, though I would definately get something to layer on top of it as wet paint seems to really attract finger prints when used alone. Also, if you use wet paint on your glass (front glass mainly), make sure that the glass is very, very clean so as not to lock in any little speckles like I have done in the past. I'm thinking about getting a car cover in addition, though I'm looking for an apt with a garage in august so maybe not.

I'd recommend a California Car Duster (or it's equivalent). Since your car is exposed all the time, 5 minutes with the duster can often make it look 30 - 75% better with little effort. I believe it works best on darker colored cars.

I'd recommend a California Car Duster (or it's equivalent)

What!?

Dusting your car is like asking for scratches and swirls left and right. Think about it, you're rubbing around dirt, which is like a bunch of little rocks scratching your car. Not a good idea! :thumbsdow Unless someone has a logical explenation of how the cali. duster works without damaging your paint I'm firmly against anyone using it to make their car look 'better'.

Yea, I'm not a CCD fan either. I'd rather just leave it dusty then wipe it dry over my paint...

I've used the California Car Duster for years on 3 -4 cars and never had any problems with scratching. It's for removing dust not dirt. It's remarkable how much better my cars look after a brief dusting. I rarely use it below the belt line and use very little pressure. Take a look at what a few others say.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B00008RW9U/ref=cm_cr_dp_all/103-1165238-8364648?ie=UTF8&n=15684181#customerReviews

I had the CCD in the mid 90's and it worked great. I used it almost daily. Keep in mind though that it's not designed to be used on real dirty cars. It's for getting that very very light layer of dust off (the type of dust that settles over night on a car that's been just washed) so you won't have to wash the car as often.

I never had problems with it scratching the paint. But after a lot of use, the dust would build up on the CCD and prevent it from working effectively. I eventually got tired of cleaning the CCD and just tossed it.

I wouldn't recommend it for a car that's kept outside since the dust will settle on the car and if there's morning dew that will just cause the dust to cake on the paint. In this situation, using the CCD will just scratch the paint as getting the caked on layer of dust will be more difficult.

It really needs to be used daily and IMO on a garaged car for it not to scratch the paint.

(Disclaimer: I've never used any, so I'm in no way claiming to have I have any special knowledge of these products.)

I have a concern about these one-step and waterless cleaners/sealants. If CCD's swirl dirt around and have the potential for scratching, then why don't these one-step cleaners have the same potential? Is the chemical solution supposed to suspend the dirt particles so that they don't contact the surface? Otherwise, it seems to me that you are rubbing your car with the same dirt you are trying to remove.

Not asserting anything...just asking. :dunno:

I stay away from 1 steps as well...just for those very reasons. I'm not knocking Wet Paint at all...but if I were ever to use it I'd want to clean my car first (as in, wash then not drive it at all), but thats just the way I am.

As for the CCD...Never ever on my paint. I bought one and used it on the interior for a while, but found that microfiber towels just work better. For anyone who says it can't swirl...what happens when something gets caught between the duster and the paint? Thats the same reason why I won't use a water blade on my car either.

Just my 2 cents...

(Disclaimer: I've never used any, so I'm in no way claiming to have I have any special knowledge of these products.)

I have a concern about these one-step and waterless cleaners/sealants. If CCD's swirl dirt around and have the potential for scratching, then why don't these one-step cleaners have the same potential? Is the chemical solution supposed to suspend the dirt particles so that they don't contact the surface? Otherwise, it seems to me that you are rubbing your car with the same dirt you are trying to remove.

Not asserting anything...just asking. :dunno:

I felt the same way until I tried WP with MUCH scrutiny. No marring at all and I was dying to disprove their claims. It does suspend the dirt as you suspected. As always I'll try it on my car first.

Optimum no rinse is another, although for a different use, that can be used on really dirty surfaces with nary a mark. Common sense is dictated.....with either product if you scrub like you're cleaning a floor then hello marks. Many of the pros are going 100% ONR for all car washing now. The detail forums are chock full of people scared to use it but once they do it's "you guys were right, it works great!". All I can say is both work for me and extremely well at that.

Since I have two buffers and all the crap to go with them I'm less afraid to try something new. I figure if it scratches then I'll break out the equipment & polish to clear it up. Next week I will receive Chemical Guys "ONE" a new entry to the no water washes. It's not quite on the market yet but I'm going to evaluate it. Might be great or it might be crap but I'm always looking for ways to cut time from a detail without cutting quality. I'll be using it on a midnight blue Caddy (regular customer) that will show any marks in a heartbeat.

Well I should have some Wet Paint arriving today, and I will be using it on both my white Accord and my black BMW that I am preparing to sell. I sure hope it works as advertised, because the Bimmer needs some shine. It has a light layer of dirt from sitting out in the rain for the last week; should I cough up $11 at Mike's to wash it first? Wet Paint says no, but every fiber of my being says otherwise.

If in doubt wash it first. There's a fine line as to what's "too dirty". Having used the stuff for several years now I can make the wash/no wash decision at a glance. If you're unsure spend the $11.00. Good luck with the sale.

Well I should have some Wet Paint arriving today, and I will be using it on both my white Accord and my black BMW that I am preparing to sell. I sure hope it works as advertised, because the Bimmer needs some shine. It has a light layer of dirt from sitting out in the rain for the last week; should I cough up $11 at Mike's to wash it first? Wet Paint says no, but every fiber of my being says otherwise.

Wash it first. It's only $11. The $11 spent now might pay off in getting the car sold easier, or in you being able to get a better price for it.

Got the Wet Paint today, did a coat on the Accord without washing it first and a coat on the BMW after it was washed.

WOW.

The Accord was mildly grimy from a few days on the road. I followed the instructions for the Wet Paint and it came out amazing -- most of the paint is as smooth as glass, and the glass itself...well, it's astonishing. I'm going to do another coat with my PC polisher this weekend for the spots that still aren't quite as smooth, mostly the hood and front quarter panels. I can't believe how much MORE shiny my white Accord looks. I'll try to get some pics soon.

It did an equally impressive job on my roughed-up black 1997 BMW. Man does that car shine now, with relatively little effort. The paint's not perfect, but the Wet Paint sure helped. It's in sellable condition now.