How often do you wash your car?

In my present location I wash the exterior of my car once to twice a year. I just don't see the point of trying to keep the exterior clean when I drive in rain several times per month. When I do wash the car I do it in my yard so the water at least is used by the grass. I clean and vacuum the interior every 3 months or so.

I wipe down the engine compartment every other service (20K miles) and clean the underside of the engine every 50K or so. (I spray it with a mild solution of simple green and then wipe off with rags.)

The reason I clean the engine compartment and engine is:
A: I do the work on my car and a clean engine is much nicer to work on than a grimy one.
B: So I can easily see any leaks

When I lived in Michigan, I pressure washed the undercarriage at a self car wash after every snowstorm to wash the salt off. I do the same today after a ski trip if the roads were salted.

 

Mine is a Silver Prius. It's great for not showing the dirt. I wash mine about 4 times a year.

 

I apologize for taking this a bit off track, but what do you use to clean your engine compartment? Do you just wipe it down, or do you use something (such as the simple green)? I have 19k on my Prius and noticed the engine bay is getting a bit grimy the last time I was under there changing the oil but I'm a bit hesitant about using any types of cleaners/water due to the hybrid system.

On edit... almost forgot. I wash the exterior of mine approximately every 2 weeks. I go to a hand wash car wash where they wash the car over a grate and filter/reuse the water. Yea, still not as good as not washing the car at all but figured it would be a bit better than washing my car at home. Okay, the biggest reason is I'm really lazy and hate washing the car myself.

 

I've had my car for almost 2 months and I'll be washing it for the 3rd time here pretty soon. To be fair I've had to trips to Tucson and one to Vegas (from Phoenix) in that amount of time. I've waxed it on the second wash and hope that now that my driving habits are back to work commute and around town on the weekends I'll be able to wash it a bit less. Although I love seeing it pretty and clean I don't know if I'll be able to help myself.

 

Once a year, whether it needs it or not.

Actually, since our Prius is black and I'm fond of the little beast, I probably wash it two or three times a year. That's almost excessive for me.

It's not a matter of cost. Water is essentially free where we live. I'm just lazy.

Tom

 

You realize someone is going to jump down your throat for that comment, don't you?

 

Absolutely. It's one of the few advantages we get. The water we don't use goes over Niagara Falls. If you guys out west want any, you can take it after it's over the falls.

Tom

 

No thanks, I've seen all those outflow pipes on the escarpment. Anything downstream of Love Canal can't be healthy.

 

More often than you flush your toilet

 

The dirt on my car is effective protection against UV rays so I never wash it. Of course, I can't really tell if the paint color is fading or not because of all the dirt.

 

When it gets pretty dirty, I wash it. I wash it by hand and don't use more than 4-5 gallons of water. All the water runs off into my yard, which I rarely water (lawn? pfft let it die).

Frequency ends up being maybe 3-4 times/year. Partly it's vanity, but it's also one of many things I do to keep my expensive piece of machinery in prime condition.

 

I probably wash one car per week, sometimes two. That works out to a monthly bath for each one. When I built my garage many years ago the two bay area was designed for indoor washes and detailing so I could "keep up with it" year round. I never wash anything outside. I may not get better mpg with a clean car, but I feel better about driving it.

 

I am so OCD! I wash my car at least once every 2 weeks, in Arizona, especiallly in the summer it is dusty, and we have summer scattered thunderstorms, so my black Prius gets dirty! Is this excessive? My wife really would like to have an answer to this question. I take my car to a hands free wash.:der:

 

Correction to last statement. I take my car to a car wash that washes it by hand!:frusty:

 

I can't stand driving a dirty car. I get mine washed on average every two weeks. Tried a "duster" to keep it cleaner looking between washes, but found that that didn't really work.

 

Once a week at least at home unless it raining and wax every 2 months. Vacuum at least 2 times a month.

 

I'd glad to see you mentioned vacuuming. Many car owners wash and wax but don't vacuum often enough. They vacuum their homes once a week but will let their car go for months. Vacuuming at least the driver's floor area will greatly extend the life of the mats. Every time you get in you bring small rocklike debris and grit that gets ground into the mats/rugs, damaging and cutting into them, for however many hours you drive between vacuuming. A car can go longer bewteen washing, as long as no one sits or leans up against the car to grind in the dirt; and between waxings, depending on how harsh the weather, road salts, etc., and not hurt the car, just look dirty. An occasional washing will restoree it to it's original luster and sheen. Not vacuuming the mats/rugs regularly causes unnecessary wear that can not be restored by a occasional vacuuming.

 

Once a week, but mine is still new. Since I wash it often, I can get by using just one bucket of water. When I get over the "newness" of the car, I'll probably wash it about once a month or so.

 

Probably twice a month. In the winter I try to wash it a day or two after snow storms to get the salt off. Many of the touch free washes here have an under carriage spray which is nice. I used to live in the south west and probably only washed my cars twice a year, but up here you have to do it more.