outside black prius.. car washing & paint damage.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Christina @ Aug 30 2007, 02:17 AM) [snapback]504189[/snapback]</div>

Now this is where a BOYFRIEND (or just a good friend) comes into play..... particularly one that knows (and wants) to give your Prius a good "detailing" with a quality wash, wax, sealant.... like ZAINO products. In return, make him a nice meal with a good (but inexpensive) bottle of wine. Seriously, Zaino products are NOT inexpensive, but last a long time and you don't need a lot, so in the long run they will "protect" the Prius as good as you can get without a garage !!

By the way, the bird droppings can do some SERIOUS damage to paint and tree sap isn't that good for paint either. We have been fortunate to always have a home with a two car garage and we have always used them faithfully.... now during the day in the parking lot at work is another "worry" !!

 

Hand wash and hand wax. Girls do a better job of hand waxing than men so just make sure any man in your life has a cold beer in one hand and a remote control in the other hand before you head out with a bucket and cleaning and polishing cloths.
Use a car cover but never put a cover on a dirty car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Aug 30 2007, 06:22 AM) [snapback]504216[/snapback]</div>

Unfortunately.... chances are it will be STOLEN off the vehicle in Los Angeles if parked on the street !! :angry:

 

I have had white and silver cars all my life, until 2 years ago I bought a black one. I was out there every other day washing it, and then I had to hand dry it - the water stains looked worse. The worse was during spring, with all the tree pollen on it. It was a black Mercedes - could not drive it if it wasn't clean looking. It's very time consuming, yet...the work was well worth it. So, when it was time to buy a Prius a few months ago...I bought a silver one. Now, I only wash it once a week

 

Good car covers can be locked on. Pity about nasty thieving people!

 

I don't wash cars in general.
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Give me a break...it only cost three dollars at a do it yourself car wash. Two times a year isn't really enough anyway. Wash it in the rain, then its free.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hoop @ Aug 30 2007, 07:17 AM) [snapback]504227[/snapback]</div>

That's my husbands way of thinking....let the rain do all the work.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 30 2007, 08:51 PM) [snapback]504228[/snapback]</div>

I do that sometimes. We have water restrictions here at the moment due to drought. If it rains I like to race out and wash the car in the rain then chamois it off in the garage.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Aug 30 2007, 07:57 AM) [snapback]504238[/snapback]</div>

I guess you take it a step further than he would....he would let the sun/air do the rest of the work.

 

Then you have to deal with water spots.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Aug 30 2007, 08:18 AM) [snapback]504242[/snapback]</div>

They will wash away with the next rainfall

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 30 2007, 08:20 AM) [snapback]504243[/snapback]</div>

Take a closer look at your paint. The waterspots get etched in with the sun glaring down on it.

 

And after 3 black cars in a row, I just could NOT get a black Prius. Nothing is as beautiful as a clean & shiny black car - for about 5 minutes!
Sorry about those birds - I feel your pain!

 

Rain, ha!

Clearly those who suggest letting the rain clean the car have never lived in California. It doesn't rain nine months of the year, and during the other three months, the rain turns all the dust into mud.

There's no way around it, you will need to clean your car at least every two weeks. The water here is so full of minerals that you must dry it off immediately or risk permanent damage from the water spots. Clay or aggressive polish may help, but it's best to avoid the problem in the first place.

Keep it waxed. That protects from sun and birds. Even if you wash the car at a car wash, do the waxing yourself. It doesn't take long, and you can use much better products than the car wash uses.

 

Wax is a great idea, but if it comes before groceries, that's a problem. Hand washing should be cheap and easy, with or without a boyfriend involved. Is there someone nearby who wouldn't mind you using their driveway for an hour? Bird poop should be removed asap, before it etches through the paint, and rinsed rather than wiped, so the paint doesn't get scratched.

 

I have seen tree sap totally ruin a paint job.
Bird poo is also bad.
I'd be a bit concerned about airborne salt, though.
Wash at least every other week.
Use a spray bottle of very diluted car wash and a towel to spot clean off sap and poo, as you see them.

 

I know that many women HATE waxing, let alone washing, their own vehicles. It does make your arms sore if not in good shape, but during my 27 years of marriage to my first Wife, I was always the one to wash and wax all three (one winter "beater" Olds station wagon) of our vehicles. Divorced in 1998 I washed and waxed many a "girlfriends" vehicle.... one of which who turned out to be my second Wife in 2002. Ever since I have been washing and waxing (first using Klasse and now Zaino) her (and mine) vehicles.
This is what "boyfriends" and Husbands are for...........

 

My recommendation is to pick a day, and prepare to spend a good portion of the day making your Prius shiny.

1. Wash the car. Apply copious amounts of elbow grease in getting all the noticeable dirt off.

2. Dry the car with a couple terry cloth towels

3. Claybar. Remove all the crap you can't see.

4. Polish. This'll remove any swirl marks or scratches.

5. Wax. Seal in all that goodness.

Now just keep a good wax coat on the car. My friend waxes once a month and he's got a nice layer of shiny wax on the car that also protects from further paint swirls. Black is a hard color to maintain. You can either let it go to crap or be ever vigilant at keeping it clean. I try to wash my car at least twice a month. It's long over due for a polish/wax.

Auto-washes suck, especially if you're only into washing the car twice a year. It never gets the sideskirts properly, and stuff stuck to the bumper is sometimes immune to the auto-wash. If you want your car to look nice, you should make every effort to give it a wash on a regular basis. If you can get into a routine, it becomes very easy to keep your car clean. Washing a car that gets washed regularly is a cinch.