Alternatives to washing an vintage car

[64irvine]

I read somewhere on the forums here (forgot where) that people with older vintage cars do not want to wash their cars because they don't want water to get into the cracks and between body panels because it will cause rust. I have a 1964 VW Beetle with single-stage paint and I feel the same uneasiness about washing the car. My car is always garaged and never sees rainy days or any harsh weather conditions. The most dirt the car ever really experiences is dust front driving. What are some alternatives to traditional water/bucket/mitten washing of the body?

-I read somwhere here also that some people just use Quick Detailer to wash their car instead of soap and water.

[Brian Hann]

Re: Alternatives to washing an vintage car

If you truly cannot wash your car the Quik Detailer and a Supreme Shine Micro Fiber will do the trick. We generally do not recommend you use Quik Detailer as a replacement for washing, but if the car is garaged all the time and only gets light layers of dust you should be fine.

[the other pc]

Re: Alternatives to washing an vintage car

If I had a car that was built before they figured out how to make water drain off of them I’d probably avoid hose and bucket washing (and go to a bucket only, no-rinse wash). Mind you, I’m talking about pre-WWII cars. I’d be pretty comfortable washing almost anything from the fifties forward.

Hose and bucket washing is more gentle to your paint than just QDing off dirt. The point to avoiding the hose is to prevent water from getting into weird nooks and crannies where it might not drain out.

My own personal experience is that my cars only get dust when they’re sitting in the garage under a cover. When they’re driving they get covered with dirt, gunk and crud. My wife’s MINI is always garaged at night. Even when the weather is warm and sunny it only takes a couple days of short distance commuting to get beyond where I feel comfortable QDing and I feel it needs a bucket wash. If I drive by a dusty construction site, through any puddles or past unavoidable sprinklers it only takes a few seconds.


PC.

[Detaillab]

Re: Alternatives to washing an vintage car

an vintage?

[64irvine]

Re: Alternatives to washing an vintage car

typo- should read "a vintage" ... does that clear things up for you?