Washing your Prius: how do you do it?

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's a seasonal thing. In Spring and Summer I hand wash my cars every 2 or 3 weeks. The cars stay clean for a while. But in winter, there's a lot of rain, so I hand wash the cars less frequently, once every 4-8 weeks. It's just going to rain again the next day, so it's mainly just to keep the car from getting too dirty in the winter.

 

I hand-wash myself frequently. I try to do the Prius and my wife's truck at the same time. The truck is such a PITA that the fun of washing the Prius balances it out

I took the "plunge" yesterday and ordered the full range of Zaino products for taking care of Shortie.

I hope it comes out as great as everyone on these forums seems to indicate. I'm most nervous about the claybarring, as I've never done that to my cars before <_<

 

Just got her less than a month ago. Haven't washed her yot but just received the zaino products, and hope to do it this weekend. I am afraid to take it to the automatic car wash, as I am sure that they do mot hopw to drive it, and I can see a big fight with the carwash and the insurance to get anticipated repairs done. Would rather hand wash than go through the hassle. Besides, I will do a better job than they will.

 

Don't sweat the claybar thing, there is nothing to it. Use plenty of lube and you will be amazed how easy it is.

 

My local autowash uses those huge revolving brushes
I had no worries putting my Merc through but I've heard that the Prius paint is pretty thin and am wondering maybe I should stay away....

 

I prefer to hand wash mine. There are little things people miss.. like the water build up/dirt build up in the rear spoiler.. the dirt and water left around the door seals, etc.

I don't like it when they spray their products on my dash and they try to clean my windows... hmm.. a huge haze on my windshield or have it streak free when i clean it? i think i'll clean it. I'm really happy they are selling Stoner products at my local car shop. Then i can clean my tires with the product and my glass wtih their products.

 

I wish I could wash mine, but I don't have access to a hose. Instead I look for those charity washes, but I haven't seen one since summer.

 

Please tello us more about the Mr Clean AutoDry System. I tried the link and it took me nowehere, I'd appreciate info.

Can someone tell me the proceedure for going through a car wash. I mean if I leave the do dad in the slot are they smart enough to be able to turn it on and off? anyone have experience there?

 

well this is another Pacific Northwest thing... in the summer, i wash my car once a week, almost always on saturday, and always at the car wash. local laws prohibit washing the car without proper disposal of waste water and recovery systems. (although a LOT of people do it anyway...not a very enforced law and most people dont know about it)

i do do the manual car wash, it uses recycled, ionized, conditioned stuff...looks like water i suppose.

in the winter, i wash it usually once a month. however, its been over a month, since i have been waiting for the rain to stop. it did stop for two days, but on my work days, so i didnt get a chance... so will have to wait for next chance...should be another week or so...clear skies predicted for early next week in time for the Seahawks victory parade

GO SEAHAWKS!@!

 

Every two weeks in the winter to keep salt and dirt at bay but in summertime whenever it looks like it needs it. Drive into the local touchless pressure wash, park,the machine runs around the vehicle doing it's thing and when finished I slowly drive through the blow-drier ($6CAD and about 5 minutes total).
Gary

 

Good Luck to Seahawk Fans... I was out there for 1989 NCAA Final Four.. It is such a beautiful area.. We had a great time visiting... With the coast of Maine, one of the places I'd actually move to if I could.

 

I hand wash and wax at least weekly. If dusty more often. Wouldn't consider taking to car wash because they squirt water on underside and since she doesn't go through puddles or on dirty roads I can just use an air gun to blow the dust off. down there.

I am NOT obsessive compulsive! I just haven't gotten over her being a virgin. B)

 

You can find out more at
http://www.roadandtravel.com/carcare/mrcleanautodry.htm and
http://www.autobarn.net/mrclaucasy.html

Basically it attaches to your hose. You start off with water, then soap, rinse and finally de-ionized water (really a filter). That's what does the trick. No need to use a towel.

 

Mostly my Prius stays parked in the garage, so dust is my biggest "issue" so far. But as with all my cars, they never see an automatic car wash. I do them all myself, and wax when needed with a power waxer. I do the stuff that gives me the most bank for my cleaning/polishing buck. I do NOT spend my live keeping the car looking perfect.... but most of the time it does anyway.

We have horribly hard water here, so I use water from my softener for washing, and I always dry after first spraying with a liquid wax or detailer. No waterspots that way, and it lubricates the paint to prevent the towel (I only use microfiber for ALL auto jobs now) from scratching even if you do catch a bit of crud during the dry cycle.

 

Hi All,

I am also firmly in the "wash it myself with my own widdle hands" camp. In the one year and one month that I have had her, I have taken my car to one of those do-it-yourself carwashes with the hose and the wash bay twice. Otherwise, I do it at home with a bucket and carwash brush kit that I bought at CostCo. I just noticed that they have the kits in again for $19.99. Great buy. I don't attach the brush directly to the hose even though you can, but I do take advantage of the telescoping feature.

Also, the tire and soft detail brushes work great on everything from the wheel spokes to the spaces between the grill. I also bought a package of the yellow microfiber towels that they sell there for $9.99 and keep a clean one in the glove box always for a quick dust off on the interior whenever it needs it. By the way, those towels actually do a better job of absorbing water after they are damp and wrung out. One will beautifully dry the entire car including the windows leaving a streak free finish.

I also purchase the Maguire's car wash liquid that they sell at... go ahead, guess where...CostCo! Great stuff. Makes a really nice lather and a little goes a really long way. I do use tire dressing after every "bath" and I think that this has helped keep my OEM tires, after 32,000 miles, looking brand new.

One thing I discovered, quite by accident is that you should pop off the trim rings every so often when washing the car to make sure that you get the wheel spokes really clean. Debris will accumulate behind the rings and over time could corrode the wheel if left unchecked.

I also bought the touchup paint right after I got the car so that whenever I happen to notice a nick I can catch it before it becomes a really big problem.

I have only used plain water on a damp cloth to wipe down the plastic on the interior per the Toyota maintenance recommendations. I have had to shampoo the floor mats twice but am seriously thinking about just replacing them after this rainy season concludes and starting fresh again.

I have never washed any car as thoroughly as I wash and detail my Prius unless I was selling it and I have never washed one as often under any circumstances. I even take debris and extraneous things out of her after just about every trip to keep her "showroom clean".

I have also threatened death and dismemberment to anyone who defiles her in any manner. My poor hubby and stepson were both treated to a virtual tirade after I found a french fry in the back seat and a sucker stick in my center console. I assure you that for me at least, this behaviour is not just unusual, but unprecedented. It is in the "who are you and what have you done with Tisza" catagory.

I find that I take great pride in keeping my car pretty and that I get almost offended when I encounter a Prius that has not been similarly maintained. I have also found that, unlike all the other cars I have owned in the past (and believe me there were a bunch) I have a lot more strangers examining my car than I ever have before. I still find that this car makes me a bit of a hybrid ambassador and therefore I behave accordingly.

Now, if I could only get myself to believe that my house was an extension of my Prius perhaps I could finally keep it clean too!

Take care all,

Tisza

 

Starting there and following a series of links eventually takes you to
http://www.homemadesimple.com/sites/en_US/...dry/index.shtml

I've used it for two years. It really does dry spotless by itself (it may not be perfect if you have very hard water). No swirls in the finish; I use one cotton mitt for the body and another for the wheels, and launder both after each use.