Garage queens,washing frequency

S

slippy

New member
I would like to hear from anyone who has a garage queen/s about how often you wash your car/s.Do you perform a traditional wash,or do you use ONR.Are you concerned about rust issues on an older car by performing a traditional wash using lots of water.



Do you believe in driving the car after washing and drying,to remove water from hidden places,to discourage rust.TIA.
 
i have two garage "queens". first one is a 2007 corvette convertible. ordered in nov. 06 and was built on jan. 3, 2007 (i was lucky to be there to watch the build for two days). 30 hours later the car was delivered to the dealer in north florida and then was brought to me in an enclosed trailer. it currently has 2,509 miles on it and has been "washed" 3 times since i got it (14 months). only because i applied protection to the top/body first time and to apply 845 and nxt the second and third times. it never is driven in weather so the dust and/or salt spray will get wiped off with a damp towel/bucket method.



the second "queen" is a 2003 avalanche purchased new now with 14,500 miles. again never driven in weather and gets washed maybe twice a year. other than that its the wipe down method. i see no need to pour water on a vehicle if it's only dusty.



i am VERY careful when wiping down and have had this method perfected for years.



my DD CTS gets washed once a week or as needed. when washed ALL parts get blown dry and then lightly wiped, even all door jams and trunk/hood interior/jams get dried EVERY TIME.



that's my story. :tumblewee
 
2007 Lexus ES350. I only drive 7 miles to work and average about 10k/year. I have several layers of UPGP on with some others thrown in. The paint is slick and well protected. I ONR 3-4 times a week, depending on weather, in the garage and it is always just light dust. I'm careful and like spending 10-15 minutes in the morning doing an ONR versus driving a dusty car and washing once every week or two.
 
I have a Honda that only gets driven 5,000 miles a year (at most), and stays garaged. I do an ONR or QEW wash after each time it is driven. I did a full detail on it right after I bought it, and now only have to do a clay, light polish and wax or sealant once a year.
 
mine gets washed about once a year unless i get caught in the rain. normally only driven on nice days. put 2k - 3k on it year. always do spray detailer after park and letting it cool off. use a car cover when it not being used. put a sealant on once a year.
 
I have what some would call three garage queens.



1. A 1958 Corvette that gets driven about 1500 miles a year and gets washed probably 15 to20 times a year with good old water.



2. A 1935 Ford street rod that is all steel and gets drive around 2000 miles per year and yep gets good old water washes about 20 to 25 a year.



3. A 1939 Ford Coast to Coast street rod (In my avitar) gets driven very little ( I hate driving it ) but gets washed when ever it gets dirty with good old water.



4. Some would call my 2008 Corvette a garage queen but I picked it up on 10 Mar 08 and driven it 3000+ miles and plan to have 10,000 by the end of year. I can’t believe that some will let a deprecating asset set in the garage and depreciate without driving and enjoying the car. Mine gets driven in all kinds of weather except snow, drives great in the rain!



My 2008 Ford MKX is seldom washed since I spend most the time washing the above cars.:grinno:
 
I have a 1986 Mustang GT with 32K miles. I bought it about 3 years ago and washed it when I first got it. I have not washed it since. I use a QD when I take it out and when it returns to the garage before I cover it. I think I put 2K miles on it since I have owned it. My daily driver is a 2003 bimmer with 26K miles. I have washed it since new at least once a week. The bimmer never sees snow but does go out in the rain. My wifes 2008 Moutaineer gets washed weekly.
 
I hardly ever wash my garage queen. It rarely gets that dirty. I use UQD and MF's to remove dust and give it another coat of NXT2 every couple months. I keep it covered with a flannel car cover so there is not even much dust . I put maybe 500 miles on it a year. It never sees inclement weather. If it does get dirty on one of the rare times it gets driven I use a NXT wash and my air compressor to blow dry all the crevices. It gets a regular hand wash once a year in the spring prior to a full detail but that's about it.
 
Thanks for the feedback guy's.It is nice to hear that owners of older car's are not affraid to give their car's a proper,full wash.I know the popularity of ONR,and i have no real experience using it for washing,but i just do not think i could bring myself to use it to wash the car.
 
One more vote for just washing them conventionally. My '85 Jag (18K) and '84 RX-7 (24K) don't rust from it (both being pretty notorious for corroding away from water in unusual places). But I take precautions too- I don't use excessive amounts of water around trouble-prone areas, I blow water out of nooks and crannies, and I've treated areas that the factories left unprotected. And I keep the humidity down in the garage/shop.



Gee... wonder if my '01 S8 is a "garage queen" :think: It only has about 14K on it...
 
Wise 85 said:
Thanks for the feedback guy's.It is nice to hear that owners of older car's are not affraid to give their car's a proper,full wash.I know the popularity of ONR,and i have no real experience using it for washing,but i just do not think i could bring myself to use it to wash the car.
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There is no problem using ONR on a garage queen, assuming the car is not extremely dirty.
 
Nice thread topic Wise85.

I used to two bucket wash my garage "king":cooleek: until I found out about ONR last year. ONR is the "lick" cause I never liked to QD after a drive around town thinking that even tho QDw/MF wipe down is all the rage, I felt that micro-marring would be induced. That was the case sometimes dependent upon the amount of "fallout" on that particular day. Also, since I cover it, I want to make sure the paint is clean of surface contamination.

ONR has been my particular savior! QD strength ONR while wiping down with reg stregth ONR is the best! Lubricity is awesome! Takes 10 to 15 mins, and the cover goes back on, ready for the next cruise.

JMO.....regards
 
Qd mainly with an occasional rinse and QD.



Alittle off topic but a friend of mine paid $8000 for a new paint job on his Acura Integra. About a month after it was painted and garaged I happened to be driving by a local car wash and I seen him going to town on his car with the brush. I stopped in and said what the %*#$ are you doing! There was mud in the bay and probably in the brush when he started, minor damage but polished out nice.
 
My parent's '82 Jag seen 7 kilometers last year, 1 2 bucket method wash prior to detailing.



Now I would probably just do an ONR / DP 4 in 1 wash to it, as it just has light dust.
 
I put on average 4.5k Miles on my car a year. Driven twice a week or a distance of 2 miles and driven back. Some has been harsh as winter where I have let it sit in the garage for 2 weeks covered in dirt since too cold to do an ONR rinse and didn't want to push salt into body panels.



For summer I do a QD every 2nd week. Every other week I pull it out and dull a full wash and apply another layer of wax/sealant. Still ends up getting dusty or I have to take it out when it rains...
 
I might try ONR,but you know old habits die hard.What is the general concensus with regard to car covers.When the car is not in use,do you keep your's covered all the time.Are you concerned about marring from continuous uncovering/covering.
 
Wise 85 said:
I might try ONR,but you know old habits die hard.What is the general concensus with regard to car covers.When the car is not in use,do you keep your's covered all the time.Are you concerned about marring from continuous uncovering/covering.
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No way I'm using ONR on *my* pampered cars, I simply won't risk the marring(especially on old ss original paint that's no longer available). ONRing 100% marring-free is something I can't seem to do every time, whereas my foamgun-centric washes make any marring a *VERY* infrequent occurrence.



I haven't been covering them for the last few years. Yeah, I sometimes got marring from covering/uncovering them (even though the cars and cover were both clean :nixweiss ) and, well, to be honest I like seeing the cars all the time. They do get a little dusty after a while though (even with the air filters), so I can certainly understand somebody going the other route.
 
I purchased a California Car Cover several years ago. Can't remember the exact one, although it was the "Dust" cover which I found to be super soft, almost fleece like. Wasn't cheap tho, at around $300. Every two weeks I shake it off (wife or son helps), and twice a year I wash in the front loader, dry w/ NO fabric softener and good to go. Works great!
 
Thanks Accumulator. The only drawback to the cover are two plastic grommets on either side just below the side view mirror enclaves, for tie downs. Nothing a pair of wool socks can't remedy:idea
 
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