Which is more harmful?

[koklead]

Hi guys,

Really appreciate all the help rendered by members of this forum.

MEG ONLINE ROCKS!!!!

Anyway, just a question for everyday workers who really, really have limited detailing time like me: Is is more harmful if --

A) I leave a car for 3 weeks without washing then use the best products to do the washing

OR

B) I clear the dust accumulated everday and hose down with water, dry with chamois?


Thanks.

[Jeff Smith]

I have 2 vehicles I "really" keep up on.

In answer to your query, I guess alot of it would depend on the environment the vehicle is subjected to. For example: Parked in a garrage, under a tree. Drive on dusty roads, Alot of raod construction. All sorts of factors could have an impact. Are you going to subject it to things that will adhere to the finish?

Mine, I tend to fiddle with just about everyday. And my Mother's which I will not touch for a couple of weeks then do a thorough wash up and detail.

I do alot of playing around and wiping. I do it for the learning experience of applying various products to learn how to apply and see what I can get. There for a while I was QDing just about everyday. Over time I realized I was causing myself a few self inflicted swirls so I cut back. I think if you went with option B, you would likely do the same.

Now on the other end of the scale. For my mothers car. I only tend to mess with about every 2 weeks. Then I give a thorough washjob. I try to do this right after a rain and when I think the roads are about dry and if there is no more rain forecasted, I go for it. I do keep an eye on it to look for anything that might cause issues like watermarks, bird droppings, bugs tar etc. These I try to take care of as soon as I can.

All in all, both vehicles look great. She has a few watermarks that I could not get to before the sun had it's way with them and I'll knock those out when I can. For mine. I have a few self inflicted swirls to contend with. Both of these are ungaraged daily drivers so I do the best I can.

Looking at your situation and keeping to the 2 options presented. If it were me and I had to pick one or the other, I would go for the wash every 3 week thing. But, I would at least keep a bottle of QD around with a couple MFs and try to hit the sticky stuff when I caught it. I usually go with the the approach of, If you can't do it the way you think it should be done, wait till you can. This is what I do with Mom's car it it looks great.

This is just my opinion.

[BJClarke001]

Re: Which is more harmful?

Originally posted by koklead

A) I leave a car for 3 weeks without washing then use the best products to do the washing

OR

B) I clear the dust accumulated everday and hose down with water, dry with chamois?

I agree with Jeff above and would pick to just to wash every 3 weeks betwwen the choices you presented. It would seem to me that trying to keep a car clean any other way then using the wash mitt, car wash soap, hose and a bucket would induce more then normal fine scratches onto your finish. The only downside thing I could think of when leaving it un-washed for 3 weeks is the fact that contaminents (particals of dirt and so on) may have a better chance to bond (embed) into your paint more. And with that situation, you may end up Claying more often (which is not a big deal at all).

[Murr1525]

As was mentioned, you will just find yourself causing swirls if not washing properly. Also, if you keep up with wax, and even use a spray wax after washing, you'll find pretty much everything will wash off ok anyway.

[05PhillyStang]

Given the options, I would definitely choose A. Option B would instill water spots and since no soap is involved, you'll have unremoved dirt, which the chaimois would drag across the finish. Make sure to QD when needed. But be careful. If the car gets too dirty, it needs to be washed, QDing at this point will do more harm than good. Like mentioned earlier, infrequent washes will allow dirt to settle, resulting in the need of clay more often.

[RamAirV1]

I would modify option B, maybe we would call it Option C. As long as the car doesn't get rained on or mud on the sides, I would remove the dust every day with a body duster, then I would QD using the NXT Speed Detailer and a Supreme Shine MF. This method has [b]never[b] caused any scratches for me. If you get rain or dew on the dust, then I would favor option A. Of course you need to have dry weather and park your car in the garage at night to use Option C.

As long as you are removing light dust and possibly fresh tree sap, the NXT QD has enough lubricity that it will not scratch the paint. I even tried it on a small section of paint that had dust that was rained on, and still it did not scratch. But it will get to a point that if there is a lot of dust you will have streaks.

Last Touch and Final Detail also work well using this method, but I prefer the NXT Speed Detailer.

I even used this method on my black WS6 TA which scratches very easily, and I still did not have any problem. If you live in an area with a drought and water restrictions, this may be your only option, unless you want to use an automatic car wash.

I believe that scratches and swirls are more likely to result from washing infrequently than using a QD every day with the right technique. Usually when I am washing a car, more dust and dirt has built up on the paint than if I had been using a QD on a regular basis, hence a higher chance of scratching the paint. Even if you use a good car wash soap and mitt, there is always a possibility of scratching the paint if there is a high level of contaminants on the paint. And a strong spray from a hose is not always enough to dislodge it. But if you have rain or mud, or a lot of dust that got rained on, then you have to use Option A

If you remove the accumulated dust every day, you will not need to rinse with water and dry with a chamois. If it rains you have to use a regualr soap and water wash IMHO.

RamAirV1

[sneek]

this may sound un believable but its true
my friend uses a turtle wax detaler every 4 weeks on a fairly dirty car and there are no swirls and its a dark blue honda... some people are just lucky

[Accumulator]

I'd pick option A. Unless I can do a proper wash I don't do anything. Actually, I let the minivan go for three weeks at a time quite often, no biggie- I just take my time and wash it very carefully. Not a good idea to wait that long in the winter though.