How much does a dirty Prius bug you?

Mine is black, so it really bugs me, a pride thing.
But I also have several collectorcars, and wish I was rich so I could hire someone to keep them clean for me.
This morning I have to wash one before heading to a car show.........

 

As much as a dirty car bugs me, washing a car wastes a lot of water. It seems inconsistent to drive a Prius and to wash it often. Presumably one buys a Prius at least in part to conserve fuel (and reduce emissions), I'd think the buyer would be mindful of conserving water as well. Even though I grew up washing cars every weekend with my Dad, I now wash my cars every 2-4 weeks. YMMV

 

Soon as I get time...Trick the kids into doing it.
is what i clicked on

but because i done not have kids
Guess I have to eventually just to keep the neighbours from pointing.

 

None, since there's nothing you can do to keep the car clean here in the north...

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It used to drive me nuts but now that I am in the field once or twice a week I just can't seem to keep the car clean.

 

Exactly why I didn't even look at that cute little black Prius! After 3 black cars in a row, all turning motley gray in the winter salt, I am thrilled that Fiona's Silver Pine always looks nice & clean (unless you get really close). As a result, she doesn't get a bath as much as she might like, but when she does it's a full spa treatment.

 

PHriuS is an SPM too. Unfortunately, he's parked in a truck yard five days a week, and it only takes one day of that to accumulate a massive amount of dust. My only hope for three days of clean car is a wash on a three-day weekend. And the pollen around here has ruined that hope.

 

My spectra blue is beautiful, especially when it's clean. Unfortunately, it shows every speck of dust, dirt & smooshed insect and never keeps that "just washed" shine for very long.

My dirty Prius bothers me now, because it is new. I'll get over it soon. After all, it will be even more difficult to maintain come winter, when my beautiful blue baby will turn salt gray like every other car up here in the icy/snowy northeast.

 

What is this "wash car" concept people keep talking about?

 

This thread motivated me to go to the car wash this morning and vacuum out the interior. I've been meaning to do so for a few months.

Luckily my car hasn't really had to deal with winter. I bought it last summer when I was living in the Boston area, but then I moved away before the snow came. My car only experienced about a week of it when I was back home for Christmas. Now living down in the southeast it just doesn't get very dirty.

Tim

 

I wash mine once a week---at a place that recycles the water.
regards
Froley

 

I wash my car every couple weeks...hand wash if I have time...touchless automated wash if I'm in a hurry. I clean, vacuum and armorall the interior about once a week or as time allows.

In the winter I tend to wash the car touch less automated about once a week to keep the salt off it and I do the interior on any "mild" days I can find so I don't freeze my tail off in the process.

 

Hey Paul,

Good to finally run into you on here...since I got my Prius a couple months ago and have been tracking my mpg on myhybridcar.com you've been the rabbit I've been trying to catch on the Prius Top mpg list over there! I'm also from PA (lived in Buffalo and now Boston for the past 15+ years...originally from Towanda, PA).

By the numbers it looks like we are getting similar mpg results with a similar Prius set up (I also have SGII, max psi and a blocked grill). Wondering if you have any pics of your shaved rear windshield wiper cover and if you saw any measureable results in mpg from the mod? I was actually thinking of deleting the rear wiper and holder all-together (at least until the winter months). I'm also planning to do something with the antenna (contemplated shark fin but the cost vs. possible mpg gain didn't seem to be worth it).

If you don't want to give me any advice, I understand, I AM #2 on the top mpg list at myhybridcar.com and looking to get to #1! Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition! :eyebrows:

 

Here in the Denver Metro, it is required by law that car wash places recycle. Some do a better job cleaning the water for re-use than others. We who utilize the services of wash shops tend to find the ones we like.

Today it was boiling up some thunderstorms as the Front Range started to slip into the Summer Monsoon pattern. It was all I could do to NOT go to the car wash even with rain a real possibility. Not that the car is THAT dirty, but I like to keep my cars SPOTLESS. It goes back to when we were teenagers and got to drive the family cars on Saturday morning to take them to the do-it-yourself wash and get them all cleaned up. The reward was use of the car for much of the day and gas paid for.

Once we had our own cars it was a caravan and drive-one-in-take-it-home-drive-the-next-one-in. Amazing fun! Somewhat like the whitewash scene in Tom Sawyer - the parents got cheap labor and we thought we were getting a treat in being able to do it! Heck, we would have PAID for the privilege! I probably still think like that on a nice Saturday morning. Amazing what stays with us for 40 years!

 

At least here, going to the touchless is better on the environment since the water is captured, filtered, and re-used. Water at home is used once and wasted. Just a conservation thought! For me, it's my justification for not doing my own thing and spending the money to either do the touchless thing when I fill up or having the guys at the wash shop do it up right. Not only that, at the wash shop they often run specials and I can get a full wash, interior clean, vacuum, wheel clean, tires armor-alled, AND a hand wax for under $50 (heck, the wash alone is $21.95). I won't risk my back these days for $28 - I'm glad to pay them to wax it! And they do a great job. I get both our cars waxed about 4 times a year (beginning of each season, basically).

 

I wash our Prius every other week using less than a liter of water each time.

 

I try to wash mine every 500 miles or so depending how dirty is gets. I just got done doing a dawn bath, claybar, zaino Z-5, Z-2, and Z-CS Thursday. The paint looks better than new now.

My car will get another Zaino treatment before Hybredfest.

 

I generally let the rain do the washing unless birds really assault my car. Otherwise, I wash/wax once a season.

 

Do the same thing except 2-3 times a year and keep the love bugs off the front.
How many waxed their car when it was new?
I have done that to all of mine since 1892. LOL