I have found lots of posts on washing but couldn’t find how often folk are washing their car. Appreciate there will be variable factors of weather mileage time vanity etc, but how frequently are you washing your car? Thought I’d get away with once a month but find I’m washing it every couple of weeks. I have the multi coat white.
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M3 washing by hand (2 bucket method)
- Thread starter freekie
- Start date
i3m3Andrew
Member
Same here, roughly once a fortnight. Occasionally I’ll do it quicker if I’ve had a long trip and it’s filthy.
I also tend to be a fair-weather washer, so it gets done slightly more often during the summer months, when it actually gets less dirty!
I also tend to be a fair-weather washer, so it gets done slightly more often during the summer months, when it actually gets less dirty!
MrBadger
Badger out
I have washed our more times in the 4 months we had it than we ever did in the 12+ years we had our previous family car.
I'm a 2 or 3 stage snow foam convert - Autoglym Polar products - takes about an hour. I'm probably on 5 washes and it could do with another but I think tomorrow will be too wet when I will get the opportunity.
I'm a 2 or 3 stage snow foam convert - Autoglym Polar products - takes about an hour. I'm probably on 5 washes and it could do with another but I think tomorrow will be too wet when I will get the opportunity.
Glan gluaisne
Active Member
For some reason I've found the need to wash the M3 far more often than any other car I've owned. Being black means it looks great when clean, but pretty grim when dirty. Giving the car a foam and pressure wash is quick and easy, it's preventing water spots that takes the time. I've got a big bundle of microfibre cloths (good value from Screwfix - currently £25 for pack of 50: https://www.screwfix.com/p/microfibre-cloth-blue-50-pack/62624 - no connection, other than as a happy customer) and they are very good for drying the car off, but it's still a bit of work.
I've found myself looking into getting a DI unit, just to rinse the car off. I made up a car wash trolley a few years ago, as my ancient Clarke power washer doesn't have an wheels or stowage for the cable, hose, etc, and there's room on it for a small DI vessel. The plan is to plumb it in so that there is a bypass around the DI vessel for foaming and pressure washing, that can be turned off to run deionised water through a low pressure hose for a trickle rinse.
I'm hoping that a gentle DI rinse will allow me to give the car a quick wash, without the need to dry it, in order to prevent water spots. Our water here is fairly hard, and the outside tap is fed directly from our borehole, before the water is treated and softened, so has a total dissolved solids (TDS) reading of around 235ppm.
The DI vessel and resin is a bit of an investment, roughly £50 for the vessel and fittings, plus another £75 for enough resin for two refills, but that set up should give over 2,000 litres of deionised water, so enough for quite a few car rinses, plus it may be handy for cleaning the house windows (I've been thinking of getting a water fed pole for a while for that).
Has anyone here experience of using deionised water for spot-free rinsing?
I've found myself looking into getting a DI unit, just to rinse the car off. I made up a car wash trolley a few years ago, as my ancient Clarke power washer doesn't have an wheels or stowage for the cable, hose, etc, and there's room on it for a small DI vessel. The plan is to plumb it in so that there is a bypass around the DI vessel for foaming and pressure washing, that can be turned off to run deionised water through a low pressure hose for a trickle rinse.
I'm hoping that a gentle DI rinse will allow me to give the car a quick wash, without the need to dry it, in order to prevent water spots. Our water here is fairly hard, and the outside tap is fed directly from our borehole, before the water is treated and softened, so has a total dissolved solids (TDS) reading of around 235ppm.
The DI vessel and resin is a bit of an investment, roughly £50 for the vessel and fittings, plus another £75 for enough resin for two refills, but that set up should give over 2,000 litres of deionised water, so enough for quite a few car rinses, plus it may be handy for cleaning the house windows (I've been thinking of getting a water fed pole for a while for that).
Has anyone here experience of using deionised water for spot-free rinsing?
That would be nice.
I'm also white and it needs a wash once a week, about 500miles per week at the moment. Washed it today and before I did I had a brown M3....
Ive also thought about this, I assume what the window cleaners use, but haven’t looked into it, so any comments would be interesting.
I have never had a car that can have such a variation of dirt coverage! I washed the car ... 1 moderate journey later the front and top half areas were still immaculate whereas the lower sides and rear vertical surfaces were spectacularly filthy .. numberplate obscuring dirty. It does come off easily enough but I sometimes wonder why I bother. I do find that the sipes on my winter tyres are very effective at lifting the wet mud and salt from the surface of the road and flinging it everywhere!
A bit complex but I think you get the prize for going the extra mile. I was thinking of getting a box to put the different potions, cloths, sponges brushes etc in!
Glan gluaisne
Active Member
Yes, it's exactly the same system. The research I've done so far seems to show that deionised water leaves no marks at all when it dries, so for a quick wash, when you don't want to bother drying the car off by hand, it might be ideal. I've pinned down a seller of refurbished pressure vessels at a good price, and a couple of resin suppliers that seem to be well-regarded in the water fed pole window cleaning business, plus knocked up a spreadsheet to calculate the volume of deionised water I'd get for a given volume of resin, for the known TDS of our raw water supply.
One thing I have found is that some of the car wash type filter/deioniser products are very expensive for what they are. Also, given that, for us, deionised water is going to cost around 3p/litre, it's best only to use it for the final rinse. Hard water seems fine for the initial wash and pressure rinse.
it was getting dark when I washed mine today so I hope I don’t have brown patches showing in the morning
I'll open by saying that I have ceramic coating on my MS.
During the winter (dirty) months, I've taken to pressure washing as much dirt and debris off as possible, then washing thoroughly using shampoo (given to me by the ceramic applier) and a microfiber mitten. Then I pressure wash thoroughly leaving just clean water. I'm lucky as the M42 is less than a mile away, so I then take a trip as close to 70 mph as traffic will allow up to the next junction and back. By the time I get home 99% of the water has gone and all I have to do is clean inside the frunk, trunk and door sills, dry what remains at the rear end of the car and give the windows a once over. From start to finish about 50-55 minutes.
During the winter (dirty) months, I've taken to pressure washing as much dirt and debris off as possible, then washing thoroughly using shampoo (given to me by the ceramic applier) and a microfiber mitten. Then I pressure wash thoroughly leaving just clean water. I'm lucky as the M42 is less than a mile away, so I then take a trip as close to 70 mph as traffic will allow up to the next junction and back. By the time I get home 99% of the water has gone and all I have to do is clean inside the frunk, trunk and door sills, dry what remains at the rear end of the car and give the windows a once over. From start to finish about 50-55 minutes.
I have a DI water, pressure washer and ceramic coat.
I’m quiet happy to collect dirt until the worst of the season is over. My car like most doesn’t have mud flaps and there is a known issue with micro scratches with salt in the winter months. In the winter the dirt is truly adding extra layer of protection.
Other seasons I’ll wash every 3-4 weeks depending on condition. I use wax safe products so I’m not continually reapplying wax.
Most of the work is done by a good quality foam (I’m using Maguires) and pressure washer. I can usually detail and apply a wet sealant in 30-45m. Some of this is helped by the DI water and ceramic.
I’m worried about washing frequently in the winter as I honestly think that you end up with more clear coat damage.
I’m quiet happy to collect dirt until the worst of the season is over. My car like most doesn’t have mud flaps and there is a known issue with micro scratches with salt in the winter months. In the winter the dirt is truly adding extra layer of protection.
Other seasons I’ll wash every 3-4 weeks depending on condition. I use wax safe products so I’m not continually reapplying wax.
Most of the work is done by a good quality foam (I’m using Maguires) and pressure washer. I can usually detail and apply a wet sealant in 30-45m. Some of this is helped by the DI water and ceramic.
I’m worried about washing frequently in the winter as I honestly think that you end up with more clear coat damage.
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I got a box..... but now my OCD kicks in and that needs to be clean and organised to military precision
If you dry the car off thoroughly then I’m not sure of the value of a DI unit myself.
As far as washing, I’m a fair weather car washer too so have cleaned my car once in the two months I’ve had it. Looking forward to warmer weather - I might even get my DA polisher out then to clean up the micro scratches which I’ve noticed already.
As far as washing, I’m a fair weather car washer too so have cleaned my car once in the two months I’ve had it. Looking forward to warmer weather - I might even get my DA polisher out then to clean up the micro scratches which I’ve noticed already.
I’d agree with that.
After washing the car and rinsing with the hose I remove the beaded water from the roof and windows using an aqua blade. Then I dry the car with a big fluffy drying towel, at the same time applying Autoglym Aquawax. This dries the car to a very shiny finish. It generally takes me just over an hour.
bitmanEV
Member
i wash my vehicles when it's raining only need one bucket with soap
Glan gluaisne
Active Member
I agree, I'm really just being lazy, and trying to avoid the need to dry the car off after giving it a quick wash.
TBH, this was prompted by the recent cold spell and all the salt that the car was covered with. I don't much like the idea of leaving the car covered in salt, but giving it a quick wash to get the salt off left it covered with water spots instead. I quite like the idea of being able to give the car a quick (5 to 20 minute) wash and rinse, leaving it looking reasonably clean, if not with a showroom sparkle.
I wash with 2 buckets and use a DI. The less you touch the car the less chance of creating micro scratches / swirls. Drying the car you run a high risk of creating swirls as there is a lack of lubricant across the paint. There are, of course, plenty of other opportunities to add micro scratches at other points, my own preference is to do it this way.
Here’s a pic demonstrating the value of the 2 bucket wash.
Here’s a pic demonstrating the value of the 2 bucket wash.
