Absolute Minimum Paint Care

[spesler]

My car lives outside under a tree in the city and gets >20k highway miles a year. I wash my cars occasionally, but my daily driver gets dirty again so quickly that I don’t stress too much about it.

PPF is out of the question as the high mileage depreciates cars so quickly that the cost is not justifiable.

With all of the people here who seem to be meticulous with washing procedures, I wonder what is the consensus “absolute minimum” that should be done to keep a car’s paint in reasonably good condition?

 

[timk225]

Teslas don't depreciate, at least not like any other car. Just look at the insane prices Tesla wants for CPO Model S's, you could buy a new AWD 3 for that!

 

[cab]

Wash as often as you can (even a touchless drive thru is better than nothing), and wax or seal twice a year. In your case (and most really) it is really about protecting the paint as much as anything.

If you want a wax or sealant recommendation, there are a milion out there (and you will get a lot of recommendations). I have always had good luck with the Meguiars line. Doesn't sound like you would be interested in one of the semi-permanent "coatings" that are all the rage.

 

[ngogas]

Right they don’t depreciate but do so when they give our things like performance upgrade of 5k for free. Haha

 

[spesler]

Wash as often as you can (even a touchless drive thru is better than nothing), and wax or seal twice a year. In your case (and most really) it is really about protecting the paint as much as anything.

If you want a wax or sealant recommendation, there are a milion out there (and you will get a lot of recommendations). I have always had good luck with the Meguiars line. Doesn't sound like you would be interested in one of the semi-permanent "coatings" that are all the rage.

Thanks. So on the trend of “minimum effort,” is there a wax or sealant type that is particularly easy to apply?

 

[roblab]

Thanks. So on the trend of “minimum effort,” is there a wax or sealant type that is particularly easy to apply?

I have never washed either of my cars with detergent or soap. Going into fourth year. Just plain water. I don't want to remove the wax, just the road dust, which sprays off easily with water mostly. Then I dry with a soft cotton dish towel (microfiber really doesn't absorb that well for me) and the wax is still there, the dirt is on the towel. If the towel seems to drag, I use 3M spray wax, which leaves no residue. Works well, works easy. Oh, and Milli does all the hard parts.

 

[outie]

How about putting a cover on? I suppose the dirt you get from commute won’t do much to the paint, but whatever falling from the tree might. Also sunlight is known to hurt paint.

 

[MMBTUS]

I bought the Aero Cosmetics WashWax All product. Spray on wet or dry, wipe off in sections. Works great. Beautiful and protective. Very easy to use.

You can wash first or just rinse to dislodge granular stuff. Good gentle scrub every so often with quality cleanser from Mequiars won’t hurt. In between just spray and wipe. Lots of positive reviews on line.

 

[pandam3]

Meguiars fast finish which is pretty much a synthetic wax that will last 6 mos. Goes on like quick detailer and it’s hydrophobic. Then you can just rinseless wash it once a week.

 

[Shizzrock]

My car lives outside under a tree in the city and gets >20k highway miles a year. I wash my cars occasionally, but my daily driver gets dirty again so quickly that I don’t stress too much about it.

PPF is out of the question as the high mileage depreciates cars so quickly that the cost is not justifiable.

With all of the people here who seem to be meticulous with washing procedures, I wonder what is the consensus “absolute minimum” that should be done to keep a car’s paint in reasonably good condition?

Just get it detailed every season, you don't really have to wash it in between as long as you do that.

 

[Dr. J]

My car lives outside under a tree in the city

I'm using this Evannex car cover while my garage is being built. Saved my car's paint, for sure. The paint is very soft, and wind-blown debris gets impaled in it (from personal experience). The cover is kind of a pain to put on and take off. It's worthwhile for me because it's temporary. And the trees (pecans and hackberrys) here do bad things to cars, especially in the fall.

I've decided on a Gyeon Mohs coating, but haven't applied it yet. It should make washing easier.

 

[voip-ninja]

I have never washed either of my cars with detergent or soap. Going into fourth year. Just plain water. I don't want to remove the wax, just the road dust, which sprays off easily with water mostly. Then I dry with a soft cotton dish towel (microfiber really doesn't absorb that well for me) and the wax is still there, the dirt is on the towel. If the towel seems to drag, I use 3M spray wax, which leaves no residue. Works well, works easy. Oh, and Milli does all the hard parts.

So your car still beads really well after a year or two of washing without soap? Because I kind of doubt that.

UV and road grime also break the wax down. The absolute best waxes are good for maybe 4-6 months.

 

[voip-ninja]

How about putting a cover on? I suppose the dirt you get from commute won’t do much to the paint, but whatever falling from the tree might. Also sunlight is known to hurt paint.

A cover will just scratch it up like crazy if it’s stored outside.

 

[voip-ninja]

Thanks. So on the trend of “minimum effort,” is there a wax or sealant type that is particularly easy to apply?

You are exactly the kind of owner that ceramic coating was designed for.

If you don’t want to spend that much then I would recommend a high quality spray wax from Maguiers or Chemical Guys.

Wash the car with two bucket method, only use microfiber wash mitt and drying clothes. Before drying about five or six misting squirts of the spray wax.

Make sure to use a dry clean microfiber cloth to buff out any excess wax.

If you do this once every 3-4 months it’s still more than most owners do.

 

[Dr. J]

A cover will just scratch it up like crazy if it’s stored outside.

Why would a car cover scratch the paint if it's stored outside? I'm curious about whether the difference is inside/outside.

 

[insaneoctane]

I would agree ceramic would be ideal, but more expensive. If I was in your shoes, at the very least, wash as often as possible and have it waxed/sealed every quarter is probably your best minimum side compliance if you want the paint to stay nice as long as possible.

 

[spesler]

Hmm.. Ceramic is certainly appealing. It looks like the going rate is in the $1200 range? I think that purchase might get me into trouble. I’ve got a $600 tint job ahead of me, too.

The local “good” wash place does a $60 hand wash with a synthetic sealant. Maybe I will start with that (since the car is currently spotless) and refresh it every 3-4 months with a true detail being subbed in if needed. Any reason not to hit it with my pressure washer once in a while?

 

[voip-ninja]

Hmm.. Ceramic is certainly appealing. It looks like the going rate is in the $1200 range? I think that purchase might get me into trouble. I’ve got a $600 tint job ahead of me, too.

The local “good” wash place does a $60 hand wash with a synthetic sealant. Maybe I will start with that (since the car is currently spotless) and refresh it every 3-4 months with a true detail being subbed in if needed. Any reason not to hit it with my pressure washer once in a while?

How long do you plan to keep the car?

4 $60 hand washes (plus tip?) per year = $960 over 4 years. If you get one detail in that period of time you are at about $1200, or the cost of ceramic that would last you about 4 years.

 

[alloverx]

Get a car cover for outside storage more than a few hours. i.e. overnight
Go thru a car wash every month or so depending on condition. If something is really nasty tackle it with water and cloth ASAP.
If you sell it,
-folks are not expecting perfect paint on a 4+ year old vehicle.
-get it detailed if it will better than what you can do.

If you want your paint perfect, never drive it out of a garage.

 

[mike123abc]

I went with the ceramic coat. I drive 800 miles or so a week. I had it professionally done for $1200... Essentially you just wash it with soap and water, no need to wax. The coating booklet says use touchless car washes.