silly question- is it okay to "just" wash my car most of the time?

S

slinkygirl78

New member
hehe, obviously this is a detailing forum... so this may not be the best time/place to ask this question.



but after reading all this info about polishing/wax/clay/this abrasiveness/that abrasiveness, i had to ask-



is this what i'm "supposed" to do to my car each and every time i clean it? or, is this just for a once a month (or however often you like) routine?



just asking because i have the meguiars gold class car wash, and after spending some time on this forum i had to wonder- is it okay for me to just give it a quick wash with that and be done?



the reason i ask is because i am getting the impression that just washing it and being done seems harmful or something... leaves marks? strips off wax? am i supposed to wax and/or polish every time?



thanks :p
 
No, you don't go through all the steps each time after the

wash. Paint cleaning, paint polishing, and waxing are

procedures that are recommended to be done at varying

intervals, more or less. Do some more research, and as

you read, you'll get a better understanding of the

steps, as well as how and when they are implemented.
 
My car gets washed 2-3 times per week.

Waxed every 3 weeks.

Full detail (clay/polish/AIO/sealant/wax) about every 3 months.



No it won't hurt your car to just wash it. Just as long as there is still some protection left on the car. Just don't wash the car with dish soap.
 
Well it's certainly the most knowledgeable place to ask, but I can understand that the enthusiasm here might be intimidating to a newcomer.



It's not like there are laws about how you're "supposed" to care for cars (although some of us might think there should be :) ). Some people go to extremes every time. Much of the public does absolutely nothing. Finding that balance of effort vs. results that makes you happy is what it's all about.



How often you do what will depend heavily on the environment and your own "need" for a given level of result. Simple washing is the best way to preserve your finish. It should be done often and it's ok to do it by itself.



Gold Glass Wash is an excellent product (I use it myself). Used with good tools and techniques it's absolutely safe (won't leave marks or strip wax), highly effective and quite inexpensive.



The need for claying, polishing and on other "restoration" processes is highly variable and they're commonly applied "as needed" or "occasionally". (Mind you, in some areas "as needed" can be very often.)



In theory you only need to wax when the last coat is nearly gone but in practice that can be difficult to determine. Many will choose to wax on a schedule or choose some indicator such as "when water stops beading" or "when is doesn't appear as glossy as it used to".



In my neighborhood washing every week or couple of weeks, waxing every few months and claying and polishing as needed will result in a well preserved finish that looks good almost all the time. To look "stellar" all the time requires you to do everything more often.





PC.
 
slinkygirl78 said:
silly question- is it okay to "just" wash my car most of the time?
Click to expand...



Nothing silly about this question, and yes, it's OK to just wash your car most of the time. I lurk around to learn about products and proper techniques. Since I don't have the time to engage in some of the multi-step processes discussed, I simply wash my cars most of the time. But I wash ithem using the techniques and the products discussed here. (i.e. two bucket method, sheepskin mitt, car shampoo, etc.)



So, are my cars clean and protected? They look very clean and protected to me, and that's what really matters. Find your own comfort level and stick to it (easier said than done once you start visiting these boards and seen the gorgeous results some of these folks achieve!) Good luck and happy detailing.
 
Welcome to what I like to call Autopianlite. I consider myself the founding member :) I like my car to look good and I use the best techniques as possible, but there is no way I whip out the clay, polishes, and PC like most on here. I just "waxed" my wife's car two weeks ago without claying or polishing. I got done with a very thorough wash and decided the protection was showing signs of lacking but I didn't have the time or stomach for a full detail. I got the Glanz and "waxed" it in about 30 minutes (which was the first "wax" job since last June).



Wash away and enjoy.
 
Yeah, sometimes it sounds like we're always polishing and waxing our cars, but some of us want to have a life too ;)



Once I get my LSP on there, you *bet* I just wash it! I will spot-clay as needed, but if the vehicles don't need anything else I don't *do* anything else. And with the durability of today's products, I go with just washes for a good long time.



The spot-claying while you wash is easy. Just hang a spray bottle with some wash solution on your wash bucket. Press a blob of clay on the top of the spray bottle. After you wash and rinse a panel, if there's any tar or other contamination still stuck on it, spray the wash solution on there and clay the stuff off *as gently as you can*. Then a quick wipe with your mitt and a rinse and the panel is *truly* clean. Just clay gently enough to clay the stuff *off* your LSP, not so hard that you clay the LSP off the panel.
 
Completely agree with everyone else. Life is to short to polish every week or so. In fact I say something is going very wrong if a car needed frequent polishing.
 
What is the difference between a conventional wash using Meguiars Gold Class vs. QEW Protect All Quick & Easy Wash? When would you do one vs. the other and why?
 
Trying not to hijack this thread so put simplistically- water- quick easy wash (QEW) doesnâ€â„¢t require much whereas Meguiars Gold Class would require something in the order of 5-gallons

JonM
 
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