2005's Most Washable Car

T

thestingrayboys

New member
I was hoping to get some reactions to this award. IMO this just means boring and no style! I am sure you will all put me firmly in my place. "The annual award acknowledges the vehicle that car wash operators consider the most wash-friendly car of the year."

Winner: Chrysler 300C. Runners Up: Ford 500 and the Toyota Avalon.



"The ICA members considered the following criterion for choosing the Most Washable Car:



-- Smooth aerodynamic lines that do not catch and retain dirt

-- Moldings and ornamentation that do not protrude and are securely

attached

-- Bumpers, mirrors, wipers, etc. that are securely attached

-- Radio antennas that are securely attached or are hidden in the

windshield or back window glass

-- Retractable side view mirrors that are robust at the pivot or mirrors

that do not retract at all

-- Ground affects and desk lid spoilers that are aerodynamic and securely

attached or do not exist

-- Windshield wipers that are concealed under the rear edge of the hood

-- Rear window wipers on Sport-Utility vehicles that do not protrude

-- Front license plate attachments (when required) are secure and are not

susceptible to damage"



Anybody want to weigh in with comments on this year's winner or suggest a better choice?



ps here's a link to the article: http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/04/04/028492.html
 
The first car that popped into my head was the Volkswagon Beetle. It looks like the water and dirt would just run off all over the car. I dont think there is truly a horizontal surface on that car.:)
 
Intercooled said:
The first car that popped into my head was the Volkswagon Beetle. It looks like the water and dirt would just run off all over the car. I dont think there is truly a horizontal surface on that car.:)
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I did a total detail of my daughter's Bug...It took me around 30 hours! It had a great deal of curved crevices and the jambs in the rear liftback are not to believed to get clean. Next time, I will use my steamer for some of that stuff. For a quick QD of an already prepped and sealed finish, it is extremely quick.
 
its def. not the 300c, they just did that for more media attention. probably something small like a bettle or a or civic 2 dr or something.
 
Intercooled said:
The first car that popped into my head was the Volkswagon Beetle. It looks like the water and dirt would just run off all over the car. I dont think there is truly a horizontal surface on that car.:)
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I couldn't agree with you more :D Easy to wash and quick to detail.
 
It doesn't get much easier than an Audi A4 or S4. The ONLY tight part is the grill. Smooth round lines on the entire car.
 
I just did a 300C a few days ago. It's damn hard to reach the top of it without having to use a ladder. Also, buffing the hood is kind of scary because it wobbles in and out.
 
i help washed a family members mazda 3 5 door. much easier to wash than my parents Qx4 (too tall but) and MPV (tall and w/o bars for me to step on).
 
I think the Lincoln Towncar is a very easy car to wash. I agree with 2000firebird that it is definitely not the 300C as I've washed many of these.
 
I think every one has posted good candidates. I do wonder about the actual winner and runners up and don't agree. My picks are very truly boring to look at... Astro/Safari van - so square! although the roof is awfully tall, still so flat, and Civic - very small and really easy body panels to wipe.
 
Casebrius said:
It doesn't get much easier than an Audi A4 or S4. The ONLY tight part is the grill. Smooth round lines on the entire car.
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Or the VW Passat ( sister to the A4 ) ... very smooth and by far the easiest to wash/dry that I have owned or detailed ... mind you thats with stock wheels on.



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I don't know if the 300 is the easiest to wash but I can tell you the full sized GM trucks and SUVs suck to detail because of bad designs like the front door pockets. The two small sections are almost impossible to clean out. The rear pillars on the Tahoe, Yukon and Suburban are fluted and so you have all those holes to clean out. Not to mention poor quality carpeting-although not as bad as the previous generation.
 
There is something to be said about the Miata when it comes to handwashing. It's small size, convertible top, minimal protruding bodywork and very easy to wash wheel designs (except for BBS equiped models) make washing it very painless. And when you start running your hands on the bodywork, it's all Coke-bottle curves. There are not many more sensual things (detailing-wise) than having the scent and lubricity of Pinnacle's car wash on a wash mitt following the Miata's curves.
 
beastie said:
There are not many more sensual things (detailing-wise) than having the scent and lubricity of Pinnacle's car wash on a wash mitt following the Miata's curves.
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Whispering that to yourself makes it sound even better.
 
A 300 is a PITA to wash. Mainly because of the bottoms of the doors / rocker panels. There are little ledges right at the bottom of the doors, and all the water drips down and collects on them. I have tried everything short of compressed air to get the jambs dry so they don't drip onto the legdges to no avail.

And if you look at a 300 that hasn't been washed for a while, you'll see the huge amount of dirt that collects on those ledges-IMHO, almost a design flaw. And they're so wide, 300's are going to have tons of heel marks on them after a while-it's very hard to step over them.
 
I always thought my Infiniti G35 Coupe was really easy to detail. Vertical doors and front/rear panels with subtle bulges (like skin stretched over muscle) and a plain horizontal hood and a horizontal trunk lid, leading to a vertical rear bumper/fascia. The only tricky part was the front fascia with the curves around the headlights/grille openings.
 
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