Black Gallardo, to wash or not wash?

[efnfast]

The most important thing to remember (Aside from what's been said above, hehe) is that whenever you touch the car, you risk swirling/marring/etc... it.



Given that fact, do you really want to QD or wash it every single time you drive it? Hopefully not, unless you like testing your luck.



DRive it, enjoy it, and just clean it regularly so it doesn't get too filthy.

 

[Accumulator]

I have a black Gallardo that only gets driven occasionally. No matter how perfect the weather is, after a only few miles it's covered in bugs along with a light road film. Am I better off waiting until it gets really bad, and washing it properly with water (foam gun, grit guard buckets, leaf blower), or do you recommend using a spray detailer after each drive?



My fear is trying to clean it without water will only cause more swirls...

I have a number of cars that are used infrequently, their use sounds similar to what you're describing. I wait until they really need washing and then I do it right. Gotta steel yourself to accepting the dust/etc. though, and not get all bent out of shape about the car not looking 100% every time it leaves the garage. "Life is not a car show", even with a cool ride like yours

So when is a QD called for? Most people here say they don't use them but they must serve some purpose. Some can be used to clean up during polishing, or mixed as a clay lube but there are other uses too right?

I use QDs between polishing/etc. steps and to add a little lubricity and gloss when I dry after a wash. The only time I use QDs for their "usual" application is when I get a nasty bird-bomb and cannot wash the car for some reason. And then I'm *VERY* careful about how I clean the bird-bomb off...still sometimes get a bit of marring but it's better than the deep etching that can result if it's left on there for a long time.

 

[spumoni]

OK - so now that I've had the car for a few months, and have driven it a dozen or so times, I've had the opportunity to experience another problem.



My instincts are telling me to wash the car as little as I can possibly stand it. The problem I'm noticing is that when I let the bugs stay on the car for a few weeks, it appears as though they etch the paint (or at least the new clear bra on the nose).



Is this possible? If this is the case, I don't know how I'm supposed to NOT wash the car after each drive...

 

[alowe]

If you can afford that car, have a pro do it for you. Or pay to receive instruction from a pro.

 

[Kean]

....IMO extending wash intervals is one thing, but you're still going to need to address potentially harmful foreign material (asap). The degree of damage from bird bombs, bug splatter, sap, etc. can increase the longer is it allowed to dwell on the paint. .....Accumulator touched on this in his remarks. Everyone's situation is different but if I were in your shoes, I would invest the time, money and effort into learning how to wash the car properly to reduce the chances of marring. ....or hire someone as suggested. I guess you need to weigh the risks of a proper wash (or other cleaning alternatives) vs. the damage that can be done by leaving contaminants on the car too long.

 

[dmw2692004]

....IMO extending wash intervals is one thing, but you're still going to need to address potentially harmful foreign material (asap). The degree of damage from bird bombs, bug splatter, sap, etc. can increase the longer is it allowed to dwell on the paint. .....Accumulator touched on this in his remarks. Everyone's situation is different but if I were in your shoes, I would invest the time, money and effort into learning how to wash the car properly to reduce the chances of marring. ....or hire someone as suggested. I guess you need to weigh the risks of a proper wash (or other cleaning alternatives) vs. the damage that can be done by leaving contaminants on the car too long.

+1



I have a feeling that the OP does not encounter many bird bombs, since he is not driving it very much, and seeing as hes very careful with when/how he drives it(I would be too!), so I guess it really comes down to how often the OP drives it, and how much dirt accumulates on the surface. I guess the best way to determine that would be for the OP to walk around the car after he drives it every day to check the accumulation of dirt/tar/brake dust/general dust etc..

 

[Kean]

....bugs are his main problem it seems. Heck, minor dirt/dust from the road that simply settles on the surface is another story. My personal car (nothing fancy like the OP ) only gets used occassionally on the weekend and once during the week (for a 120 mile round-trip commute). I usually will just dust it off with a blower the next weekend and then wipe down the wheels, windows and other bits besides the paint (which is enough to make it look relatively clean). ...I wash it traditionally every 2-3 weeks. However, now that I have deionized water, my process is going to change a bit. I've alredy done it once but I'm going to continue experimenting with rinsing to remove light dirt/dust. I figure as long a the car isn't too dirty, the result should be pretty decent. .....I really like the system so far.

 

[DM101]

Use ONR to clean your car. You can also mix up a spray bottle of ONR at detailers strenght to get bugs and bird bombs off..

 

[Deep Gloss Auto Salon]

OK - so now that I've had the car for a few months, and have driven it a dozen or so times, I've had the opportunity to experience another problem.



My instincts are telling me to wash the car as little as I can possibly stand it. The problem I'm noticing is that when I let the bugs stay on the car for a few weeks, it appears as though they etch the paint (or at least the new clear bra on the nose).



Is this possible? If this is the case, I don't know how I'm supposed to NOT wash the car after each drive...

Bug guts and bird bombs will etch the paint... Like I suggested in my 1st post I would not let it get as you said "too bad". leaving bug guts and bird bombs "too bad"



If I were you and I was having bug guts problem when I noticed bugs on the front end (or anywhere for that matter) I would get a bucket of ONR and drench a towel in the bucket. Then let the ONR drenched towel sit on the areas that have the bug guts. The ONR will soften the bug guts. I would then VERY gently and VERY carefully do an ONR wash to the front of the car (or any other effected areas).



Without seeing the car after one of your normal drives I would suspect I wouldn't want to drive it more than 9 times without doing some sort of wash whether it be ONR or a proper wash... After all, keeping it 100% is what a garage queen is all about... doing so without cuasing swirls is the hard part

 

[brwill2005]

OK - so now that I've had the car for a few months, and have driven it a dozen or so times, I've had the opportunity to experience another problem.



My instincts are telling me to wash the car as little as I can possibly stand it. The problem I'm noticing is that when I let the bugs stay on the car for a few weeks, it appears as though they etch the paint (or at least the new clear bra on the nose).



Is this possible? If this is the case, I don't know how I'm supposed to NOT wash the car after each drive...

Yes, bugs can damage paint rather quickly. Sometimes even the impact causes damage to the paint. Obviously, the only way to prevent that is with clear-bra or something similar. I think you are making the whole thing complicated. If you wash the car properly with the correct materials you should not have any problems. I would suggest ONR since it will be relatively clean. If you are not comfortable washing it correctly, hire a professional to come do a maintenance cleaning bi-weekly or monthly.

 

[9935annivgt]

Go ONR. Works great and fast too

 

[ALAN81]

Can we see pictures of your Gallardo?

 

[The Big Kahuna]

My 2 cents....



In the past I never used QD, but recently have used it every day between washes. I have a dark graphite mercedes and enjoy driving a clean car much more than worying about the swirls.



Depends on your preference.







by the way I use the meguires ultimate QD.

 

[spumoni]

Thanks for the comments everyone. This is very helpful. I have tried all three options - using a QD on the big bug splatters (my least favorite option), the ONR (using DP Rinseless instead), and regular washing of just the front end (rinse, foam gun, two bucket method, leaf blower, etc).



I am trying to determine what the difference is between the regular ONR/towel method, and regular washing. Being it's just the hood and nose, it's using little water in both instances. When washing the car using the two bucket method, I add the ONR to both buckets, so wouldn't this be even safer than the standard ONR wash?



Please don't assume that because I own this car I'm wealthy enough to hire someone to detail every time I take it out. I'm just a regular Joe who's stupid enough to spend more than I should on a dream that I really can't afford... I'm going to do it now while I'm young enough to enjoy it.



Thanks again for the help everyone!

 

[Deep Gloss Auto Salon]

Thanks for the comments everyone. This is very helpful. I have tried all three options - using a QD on the big bug splatters (my least favorite option), the ONR (using DP Rinseless instead), and regular washing of just the front end (rinse, foam gun, two bucket method, leaf blower, etc).



I am trying to determine what the difference is between the regular ONR/towel method, and regular washing. Being it's just the hood and nose, it's using little water in both instances. When washing the car using the two bucket method, I add the ONR to both buckets, so wouldn't this be even safer than the standard ONR wash?



Please don't assume that because I own this car I'm wealthy enough to hire someone to detail every time I take it out. I'm just a regular Joe who's stupid enough to spend more than I should on a dream that I really can't afford... I'm going to do it now while I'm young enough to enjoy it.



Thanks again for the help everyone!

From your previous posts it seemed to me you were adverse to doing a proper traditional 2BM wash. Considering you are working with black I would do traditional 2BM wash... do it right or don't do it...







best of luck!

 

[ALAN81]

Can we see pictures of the Gallardo? I love that car

 

[Accumulator]

spumoni- FWIW, I often have to use (Sonus green Ultra-fine) clay to remove bug residue when I wash. Done properly, washing (conventional or ONR)doesn't always get all the bugs off 100% IME. Better IMO to use the clay *VERY GENTLY* than to scrub with regular wash media.



Also, there's a pre-wash product from 1Z called something like Inzekt that supposedly helps get the bug guts off without stripping the LSP (eh..I'm skeptical). I have it on the shelf, but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet.



Of course, any cleaning that's aggressive enough to get the bug splatters off might necessitate rewaxing (and any bug splatters might etch and necessitate polishing), you just have to see how it goes.

 

[spumoni]

I will look into that product, and get some Sonus green clay to have on hand. I ended up getting the Pinnacle version, but it seems the Sonus is really recommended.



Here's some more pics.

 

[ALAN81]

spumoni The car is just BEAUTIFUL it ***** on my BMW and BENZ.

Is that a NY plate I see?

 

[imported_themightytimmah]

I would suggest picking up a DI water system (CRspotless, etc), pressure washer, and foam cannon and just blasting it down after every drive. This will leave it almost perfect and minimize induced marring, at the expense of 5 minutes or so and about a grand up front.



See SuperBee's posts for more detail.