bad idea?

nat3d

Wait, I don't drive a civic anymore....
3,335
1,566
Adams MA
Vehicle Model
Ford Focus ST
Body Style
Hatch
i use mothers cleaner wax and im looking to just kinda keep up on having my car nice and clean but i dont wanna do a full wash for 2 reasons. 1 its too time consuming to knock out before work or whatever. and 2 its too cold out lately and i dont have a garage. so my question is would it be a bad idea to just do my car in the wax (by hand) on a regular basis to keep it looking great?
 
You'd be dragging debris on the paint while applying/removing the wax. That can hurt your paint and you'll end up scratching it.
 
:( you know of any like quick washes dar?
 
@Nix can help you with water-less washes. I haven't done one myself.
 
thanks dar i just wanna cut my wash times for like "maintenance washes" so i can do them on a day like today where i only have a couple hours before class or work so i dont have to wake up early to do a full wash.
 
Ya, what Dar-Dar said. Clean car then wax. No short cuts or you will have micro marring of paint.
 
I only wax twice a year; April and October, before and after winter. During the cold months I just go to a touchless car wash to get a majority of the salt off.
 
It should take you about 60-90 minutes to wash and dry a car. You can cut that down considerably using a rinse-less wash like the ONR Webby listed above. Keep in mind there is a fine line when a car is too dirty for ONR and a pre-rinse at the coin opp wash or running it through a touch-less should be done first.

Some articles from the blog I'm on as well as YouTube videos on proper washing and car care.

Hand washing article
Proper washing and drying (traditional wash)
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/how-to-properly-wash-and-dry-a-car/

Rinse-less washing with ONR
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/winter-washing-with-optimum-no-rinse-onr/

There are lots of ONR videos on YouTube but I clearly need to make my own. ;) The one below does a pretty good job though. With salty and sand crusted cars a pre-rinse at the coin opp or touch-less wash is a must first.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk2nt38Zjx4


Optional Winter washing article/video. My good friends Marc and Jacob wrote this article and the video at the end was shot with the help of a talented photographer, Steven Pham. It's a nice mix of education in winter washing with a bit of humor. :)
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/how-to-safely-wash-your-car-in-the-winter/
 
Tell me you didn't cringe when he took the first couple swipes. Then he takes it all the way down to the bottom...then back up! Where is all the dirt? Mostly at the bottom.
 
Tell me you didn't cringe when he took the first couple swipes. Then he takes it all the way down to the bottom...then back up! Where is all the dirt? Mostly at the bottom.

lol....like I said, I need to make my own video. :)
 
thanks guys. i wish i had a garage to do this in
 
Tell me you didn't cringe when he took the first couple swipes. Then he takes it all the way down to the bottom...then back up! Where is all the dirt? Mostly at the bottom.
Ya, I don't really trust this technique. Maybe I don't understand it clearly enough, but logic says dirt/sand etc. will scratch if wiped on the paint.
 
Ya, I don't really trust this technique. Maybe I don't understand it clearly enough, but logic says dirt/sand etc. will scratch if wiped on the paint.

Have you tried ONR yet? I was skeptical as hell when I first saw it but it does work really well. That being said, it has its limitations.
 
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Yea, the ONR really works well. I held off forever but, after one use I was a convert. You also don't need a garage to use it or a hose. It's perfect for quick outside apartment parking lot washes. They almost never say anything to me about it. I have gotten questioned once but it's like, "oh im just giving it a quick wipe off." No one really knows.

I do recommend getting a grout sponge to use with it. Dip the sponge and get it pretty wet, then as you move it across the paint I like to squeeze the liquid out of it. I generally use an entire 5 gal bucket up this way. Sometimes doing the wheels requires a refill but I think its pretty safe if you're really using the solution to lift and rinse the dirt off.
 
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