Washing the 2010 Prius

You washed it? Using water? Well that's it then, you ruined it. Didn't you see the "Dry Clean Only" tag?

Hey, unless you washed it in a "Niagara Falls" sort of way. Or 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and there is now a giant squid attached, I think your probably good to go after using any one of the numerous drying options presented.

Most modern cars are designed to get wet. I live in Oregon, they can get very wet, and go very fast, and still be okay.

 

Not sure consider that as fun, but personally, I found manual washing is a pretty relaxing and self meditating task.

The added bonus is when drying by hand, you will more likely to find areas that need further cleanup, waxing or detailing.

Weird me, huh?

 

I washed mine for the first time last week and was surprised the rear window wiper doesn't flip up like I thought all cars did by now. Is there a lever or button hidden somewhere on the wiper to release it to make drying/washing the rear window easier?

 

Yes, it can be lifted. There is a previous thread on this topic; check search.

 

You have to release the cover at the base of the wiper, then you can raise the wiper up.

Just gently pull each side of the cover away from the arm, then flip it up to expose the nut and bolt holding the arm.

See John's Stuff - Toyota Prius and more for an idea of what I'm talking about. The '10 Prius cover is hinged to flip up, rather than completely removeable like shown in the picture.

 

With all due respect, the search function on this and most boards isn't the best.

 

You must not be at all related to the guy who started this thread:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii.../62952-washing-prius-iii-not-my-idea-fun.html

 

You mean like this?

 

All Joking aside, I can see where using a leaf blower may not be a good idea. And the exhause does expell through the nozzle on to the car finish.

 

I use a Toro Electric blower

 

I recently learned a trick about drying the car you probably won't believe until you try it...

After a good wash and rinse, take the pressure nozzle off the hose, then, for instance on the hood, start where the windshield and hood meet, let the water flow out from the hose across the hood (keeping the water flow as close to parallel as possible) and "draw" the water towards the front and off the car! Sounds crazy, but I promise it works and the only water left on the car will be small splatter spots which will get less and less as you develop a technique.

Update: Here's a video link that shows the "water sheeting" technique.

PC