College Car Preservation

[NewlyCarCrazy]

Well, it finally happened. I got the red Mazda3 of my dreams. This car is wonderful and I enjoyed the ceremonial "First detail" when it came home. My only problem is: how can I preserve this finish when I will be going to college next year? I really won't have a dedicated place to wash it all the time, and it would have to be kept outside. To make things worse, the college is located in Prescott AZ, and would be driven through the desert to get home (I live in So. Cal).

I am really considering a good cover for the car, but what about the long and dusty drives in the desert? Would a full bra be sensible? I would most likely keep the ugly thing on only when on roadtrips. I would really like your comments on this issue or any other tips you might have.

Thanks

[travisdecpn]

I'm going to mention a couple of things that aren't meg's products, but should suit your needs. You should always carry some Meg's QD with you, I really like final inspection, but the consumer qd is fine too. For a dirtier surface you may want to grab some poorboy's spray and wipe. As far as a car bra, you may want to look into some 3m clear paint protection film. It really does a good job at protecting the finish, and you can't even see it. hope this helps and congrats on the new car.

[Rick]

The desert drives will only be dusty if it's windy. Your best bet would be to find a friend in Prescott that will let you use their facilities to wash your car from time to time. The best protection for our hot desert climate (Prescott doesn't really apply so much) is probably NXT.

[wblynch]

Where I park my car at work it gets extremely dusty.

I found a California Car Duster at Costco and it works great to take the fine layer of dust off.

Then I follow up with Meguiar's Quick Detail spray or Last Touch detail spray and microfiber wipe.

I have been able to keep my clean and avoid more frequent car washes by spending only 10 minutes a day doing this when I get home.

Also, the bra is nice to prevent rock chips but sometimes they flap around and scratch the paint.

[the other pc]

Some random thoughts,

I think your biggest concern will be the sun. Keep the wax fresh and use a UV inhibiting treatment like Quik Interior Detailer to protect the interior panels. Get to know the parking areas and learn the spots that get shade. A dash shade is mandatory, the metalized types reflect sunlight and keep the interior cooler. If there's no external shade parking spaces that face directly into the sun maximize the effectiveness of the dashboard shade.

Always carry some sport-top water bottles in the car. Besides keeping you hydrated in the desert you can squeeze them hard enough to provide a reasonable jet of water. Works great for removing the bulk of a bird bomb. You won't need as much Quik Detailer to finish cleaning it up.

I also find car bras really ugly. We had a clear film mask put on our MINI to help protect it on trips across the desert. It's not exactly pretty but it's fairly unobtrusive, even up close. Standing back a few feet you don't see it.



PC.

[MattN03]

I have a Colgan bra that I use on my Mach 1 for road trips. As long as the area under the bra is completely clean & waxed, it shouldn't cause any scuffing. At least it hasn't on my Azure Blue Mach 1. I would not buy a cheap bra if you decide you want one!

Lots of wax and keeping it clean is your best way to protect it on campus. As far as a car cover goes- I could see it being a problem at college. I just graduated in 2002 and had my customized Ranger parked in the student parking area all the time I lived in the dorms. Once or twice I had someone monkey around with the truck, and I honestly believe it was because the truck was customized & spotless. I believe if I'd had a car cover on the truck, it would have been screaming vandalize me. Not trying to scare you, but there are some mischievous people in this world... Good luck at whatever you choose!!

[NewlyCarCrazy]

Thanks for the replies.

I had not thought of those water bottles. Gread idea! The sun part is what my main concern would be. The car would be parked in the open maybe a few days at a time because I would live on campus and bicycle a lot.

The vandalism does freak me out, but the school I am going to is about 2000 students TOTAL. It is a small aviation/engineering school, so campus crime is very low. I may even be able to store the car at a friend of a friend's house in Prescott. I suspect that that would be the best option.

[Rockpick]

Originally posted by MattN03
I believe if I'd had a car cover on the truck, it would have been screaming vandalize me. Not trying to scare you, but there are some mischievous people in this world... Good luck at whatever you choose!!

While it's a great item to have if you have your own apartment or similar 'semi-secure' area to park within, on a campus or around a dorm, it SCREAMS look at me.

I personally saw two car covers shredded in one night while attending college. One of them was mine.

It was an 'el-cheapo' dust cover but, it was serving my purpose (even on my old 1990 Geo Prizm). Some twit decided that a pocket knife and that thin nylon would be a good match for each other and thus, they ripped it to Guam and back. In turn for my efforts, I not only got a shredded car cover but also a few knife knicks on my paint that weren't able to be removed.

I wish there was a happy end to the story but, the twits in question were never caught. (mind you, few 'vandalism' cases of this stature on a college campus even get investigated... they just accept it as part of the culture and environment on the campus...).

My advice to you....

1. KEEP IT CLEAN: I carried a bucket and a bottle of car wash shampoo with me at all times in the trunk. I'd break away about once per week and get to the wand wash and utilize their water and spot-free rinse. I never once utilized their soap. Watch out, in college towns, you'll often have wand-washes that will frown upon hand washing. I got tossed from one one night at 3 am for doing it. Yes, 3 am.

2. QUIK DETAIL WHEN YOU CAN: As has already been mentioned, carry a bottle of QD and several high quality MF towels to compliment the product. Use it and use it often when it's safe to do so.

3. DON'T ATTRACT ATTENTION: Let's face it, some people are twits. If they see you out there pampering your vehicle they are apt to go out of their way to come by with a key later on in the day. To curtail this, I detailed early in the morning. I was awake anyway (typically not studying...). A clean/shiny/well maintained vehicle is obtainable when on campus but, be prepared for the occasional door ding. It's going to happen no matter where you park. It's unavoidable.

4. PROTECT OFTEN: After you get a good wash in, don't hesitate to utilize a good last step product (LSP) like NEW NXT Generation Tech Wax Paste or a product like Quik Wax or NXT Generation Spray Wax. As has been demonstrated by several folks on this board, it goes on and comes off very easy and very quickly.

In short, you might not have the luxury of taking care of all of your surficial problems like swirls or some of the stuck on stuff that clay would lift but, the protection is in place. You're not going to be able to check on your vehicle on the hour, every hour while you're there and thus, the more protection, the better!

5. STUDY!!!!!!!! Enough said. Remember, you're there to have fun, party, and establish a social life that will last you a lifetime... urr..... I mean you're there to learn, establish a basis for a career, and develop in a more mature adult member of our society. Yeah, I meant the second part. Really though, the key is to balance both of those. It took me two semesters to figure out how to do it. It's tough but, it CAN be done!

Best of luck! I'm only about 5 years out myself... I miss it each and every day. Make the best of it and apply the heck out of yourself. It will pay off. Trust me.

RP

[MattN03]

Is that your new King Ranch Rockpick? NICE!!!

[Rockpick]

Originally posted by MattN03
Is that your new King Ranch Rockpick? NICE!!!

Thanks Matt! Yep, that's her.



Also, click on my gallery link at the bottom for a few more pics as well as a boatload of pictures of my old 2001 King Ranch.

RP

[MattN03]

What kind of MPG do you get with the new truck? Does it have the 5.4? 4x4?

[Lt1Corvette]

I am most likely going to be in the same place you are next year. From what I have been told by many people who have been there and done it, a car cover is your best bet. Forget about getting the 4 hundred dollar super protection one. Get a fifty dollar no attention gray cover. They to have told me stories of comming out and it has been pulled off the car and one guy had his cut off and taken. At the end of the day however, after four years all of them say they were much better off with the cover than without it. The sick reality of it is there are always idiots out there who are attracted to nice looking cars. Though the car cover does make your car stand out a bit, in my opinion though you are less likely to be van. with one on than you are with a bright shinny car.

[benhui86]

too bad it aint like singapore where vandals get their butt whiped to hell..... that would be awesome if there was such a law in america

[Rick]

Rockpick makes a good point with the door dings. While I went to ASU I parked in the vast sea of cars known as lot 59. A car cover can at the least help lessen the severity of a door ding. The only consideration is to get the car clean and free of dust before putting the cover on. I did this by carrying a california car duster with me which I ran over the car every time before the cover went on.

[travisdecpn]

I haven't had to worry too much about vandals at Cal Poly, but then again I have my toyota beater. I agree with everyone else, just don't attract too much attention and you should be fine.