HAHA, got your attention to read this silly post and i want to thank u. It's not that i don't know how but i am just plain lazy,i only washed my other car once in the whole yr and my new 07' E was purchased in July this yr ( 2007 ), again, PLEASE flame me or DISS me for being such lazy person and make me wash it, i just know my E will look fabulous after the wash and dry, thanks.

Okay-- I'll start.
WASH YOUR D*MN E!
Awwww crap, just pull it in behind mine this weekend and I'll wash yours too.
How may coats of wax do you want?

The fcz1 method of car washing and drying:

Step 1- wait for it to rain

Step 2 - wait for the sun to come out

Okay-- I'll start.
WASH YOUR D*MN E!
Awwww crap, just pull it in behind mine this weekend and I'll wash yours too.
How may coats of wax do you want?

WTH? You'll wash a newbies E but won't install Fog Lights on mine.......

If you don't take care of it, we will just come and take from you and give it to a more deserving person..... :evil:

NOT acceptable to keep as bEautiful color as TRP under dirt.... :sad::mad:

I'm almost in the same boat. Mine is so dirty it is driving me nuts. We're in the worst drought here and I worry about the well.

My favorite way to wash the E:

Pull up to automated machine
Pick "The Works"
Insert $10
Drive up
Wait for guy to push your side mirrors in and tell you to put it in neutral
enjoy the tye dye soap as you go through the car wash
Milk the dryers for all they're worth
Pull up to free vacuum
Wipe E with microfiber towels to prevent water spots
throw away all trash in the E
use free vacuum

Drive off, smile on face

That's my favorite way to do it. :)

Okay-- I'll start.
WASH YOUR D*MN E!
Awwww crap, just pull it in behind mine this weekend and I'll wash yours too.
How may coats of wax do you want?

Suhweet...I'm soooooo there.

Rained on mine on the way back from buying it a week ago saturday, then drove 1200 mi thru the bug capital of the world (S. Louisiana) last weekend. now apparently some pigeons are roosting above my driveway :mad: Hehehe...took my 3.5 y.o. to school this a.m. She looks up at the sunroof as we backed out and says "Daddy that bad birdie went poopie on this window too" :-o :razz:

She looks up at the sunroof as we backed out and says "Daddy that bad birdie went poopie on this window too"

My E also parks under a tree with dove nests.
My husband got a large box from UPS with his golf cart tires in it. I left it in the front yard, then we left to go somewhere and I passed his box and said "he he...the birds pooped on your box". He replies, "The birds pooped on YOUR box too!" It would have been funny if I wasn't so mad:mad:
I found if I stand on the tailgate with the hatch down, I can clean the poopy mess pretty easily off the skylight.

He replies, "The birds pooped on YOUR box too!" :lol: good one!

Supposed to rain over the weekend but the poop has to go. Gonna have to start using a headlight and my long paint roller extension to persuade the birds to go elsewhere...don't want to ramp up to the pellet gun just yet :evil:

HAHA, got your attention to read this silly post and i want to thank u. It's not that i don't know how but i am just plain lazy,i only washed my other car once in the whole yr and my new 07' E was purchased in July this yr ( 2007 ), again, PLEASE flame me or DISS me for being such lazy person and make me wash it, i just know my E will look fabulous after the wash and dry, thanks.

Come on, this is really Gisele right?? You're trying to pull the wool over our eyes, right??:lol:

HAHA, got your attention to read this silly post and i want to thank u. It's not that i don't know how but i am just plain lazy,i only washed my other car once in the whole yr and my new 07' E was purchased in July this yr ( 2007 ), again, PLEASE flame me or DISS me for being such lazy person and make me wash it, i just know my E will look fabulous after the wash and dry, thanks.



I will send you a couple pics of my wifes Civic.....after that you will be washing and waxing your E 3 times a week.

:lol: good one!

Supposed to rain over the weekend but the poop has to go. Gonna have to start using a headlight and my long paint roller extension to persuade the birds to go elsewhere...don't want to ramp up to the pellet gun just yet :evil:

If you have a roof rack just attached one of those huge plastic owls to it :D

might scare 'em away

Come on, this is really Gisele right?? You're trying to pull the wool over our eyes, right??:lol:

I am serious guys, the weather is about 49F with the sun out and it's not very encouraging,besides, i have no closed garage to keep warm and i have to save the money from going to car wash in order to pay for gas, isn't that a shame?

I am serious guys, the weather is about 49F with the sun out and it's not very encouraging,besides, i have no closed garage to keep warm and i have to save the money from going to car wash in order to pay for gas, isn't that a shame?

49 F??!! It's about 20 F here (WITH the sun shining). It would be great to have 49 F to wash the car in (that's shorts weather here)..... :D:D:lol:

Stop the whining and wash the dirty thing, you can always drink a hot cup of coffee before, during, and/or after, if you must. :rolleyes:;-)

And, yes, that is a shame...... :-(:-(

I washed and waxed mine on Sunday, and the temps were in the low 30's with some brutal north winds, so the wind chill had to be down in the upper teens or around 20.

I hosed it off outside, then pulled it in the garage. I used warm water from the kitchen for the wash (plus the car wash soap of course). Pulled it back outside for the rinse, then back inside for drying and the wax job.

It worked surprisingly well. I kept the kitchen door open to the garage so the garage stayed relatively warm...I even worked up a bit of a sweat when I was drying it!

I used a bucket of hot water with Somonize 2000 body wash. Lathered her up with a sheepskin mitt. Then drove to a do it yourself car wash, dropped 6 quarters, soaped again, rinsed, spot free rinsed, drove home.

My Kiwi E sparkles.

The entire thing took less than 1/2 hour.

i washed mine yesterday with temp's in the 20's so go wash it'' :D

I am all about the Mr Clean

It filters the water so that it doesn't leave spots. You turn the dial to soap and spray the soap on, leather up with a mitt (use a bucket and hose to clean the mitt often), then rinse off with the spotless setting. And you're done! No drying necessary.


http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/aid-auto_1976_3894983

I used a bucket of hot water with Somonize 2000 body wash. Lathered her up with a sheepskin mitt. Then drove to a do it yourself car wash, dropped 6 quarters, soaped again, rinsed, spot free rinsed, drove home.

My Kiwi E sparkles.

The entire thing took less than 1/2 hour.


if i had to manually wash my E, i wold take me 1-2 hours
why? i like getting down to the smallests of details that doesn't even show up :D:D
and i know how to wash my engine too
I MUST CLEAN MY ENGINE BAY

I am all about the Mr Clean

It filters the water so that it doesn't leave spots. You turn the dial to soap and spray the soap on, leather up with a mitt (use a bucket and hose to clean the mitt often), then rinse off with the spotless setting. And you're done! No drying necessary.


http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/aid-auto_1976_3894983

lol

When did MacGyver sign an endorsement deal with Mr Clean?

King,watch out! he can build a weapon outta that stuff...:lol:

Step 1: Drive like mad through the rain.

Step 2: Drive like mad through the wind.

Step 3: Drink a beer (when you get home).


Commercial car washes get all my business, I don't have time/patience/space to do my own. I get really really good results now from the newest spinning rag style washes. They're a lot more gentle than the old spinning noodle kind and they get a lot more dirt/salt off than even the pressure washer kind. Best of luck!

I have become absolutely ANAL about washing my E lately. The roads get salted here, and I cannot STAND the idea of salt getting in all the nooks & crannies around my E.

I'm to the point where I will do something that I hate doing...going to those foaming brush do-it-yourself places. There's one here in town that has brushes in good shape, and I clean the brush before it touches the car.

I've had to wash it twice this week because of salt. I did it Monday afternoon when there was a break in the weather and the roads were briefly dry, and I did it again this afternoon on my way home from work. Both times I drove it home wet and dried it in the garage. I had to do something...I could see the salt crystals all over the paint and the plastic! And I'd rather not talk about the garbage I saw in my wheel wells...:shock::sad:

So even though we're supposed to get 4-6 inches of snow between tonight and Saturday, my E is clean and dry in my garage. I'm NOT going out again until the roads are clear and dry!

i unfortunately live in a part of san francisco where the fog makes my car a perpetual dirt magnet. also, tons of power lines running through this neighborhood so my car is crapped on daily. the rain is my touchless car wash.

i'm going to ask santa for a garage this xmas.

Soldierguy,

Don't use the self-serve car wash foam brush on your E. You will be sorry. It will damage your paint.

Lather up at home with a good quality car wash product and sheepskin mitt to get the grime off, then drive to self-serve car wash, use soap, use rinse, use spot free rinse.

The salt is why I love the automatic car washes with a high pressure underbody spray. The underside comes out lookin like new :D

Anyone have any idea how much it costs to have your underbody rhino-lined or something similar for us up north...?

Soldierguy,

Don't use the self-serve car wash foam brush on your E. You will be sorry. It will damage your paint.

Lather up at home with a good quality car wash product and sheepskin mitt to get the grime off, then drive to self-serve car wash, use soap, use rinse, use spot free rinse.

I know that most of the foam brush places are lousy and I wouldn't go anywhere near most of them. The place I went to is actually good...good brushes, and the owner very obviously spends money on upkeep and upgrades. It came down to a choice of leaving salt all over (and under) the E, or using this place. It was a desperate measure until the weather gets good enough to do a proper home wash.

Oh and Twilight...rhono lining on the underside would probably be GREAT for protection from road salt, and it'd probably help with sound insulation too. Application of the stuff could be a problem...I think the driveshaft, wheels, and all the suspension bits would have to be removed, or at least VERY carefully masked off!

i was bored today so i decided to wash all 3 family cars. here's what my green machine looks like when it's not covered in bird poop. the second pic is the area directly above where we live. my E will be completely covered in a few days time. *sigh*

Oh and Twilight...rhono lining on the underside would probably be GREAT for protection from road salt, and it'd probably help with sound insulation too. Application of the stuff could be a problem...I think the driveshaft, wheels, and all the suspension bits would have to be removed, or at least VERY carefully masked off!

That's why you take it to a good, reputable shop :D

Long time no see yall..something got into me,i changed oil and filter yesterday and washed and dried my E today.Dang!!! that E look soooo NICE.Thank You for all the mental support and encouragement.

Before
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u306/smile_at_u90012/165_6502.jpg

After
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u306/smile_at_u90012/165_6534-1.jpg


Happy New Year to everyone.

You've made us all proud.....
Wow it looks sweet.

looked good before. looks gooder after!

I have this posted on various detailing forums:

I thought i would start a thread entitled Proper Washing Methods. I’ve been reading some threads on other forums, its amazing how people wash there cars! So let’s get started:
The first thing you would like to do is pick a shaded area, this will help in permitting water spotting later. Items you will need for this venture are : 2 buckets, car wash, sheepskin mitt or microfiber mitt/towels, waffle weave drying towel, wheel brush, hose nozzle, a safe wheel cleaner, maybe some tire cleaner. Some folks like to clean wheels first, so I won’t get into the particulars of that, its fairly easy, and basic. Apply a safe wheel cleaner, to one wheel at a time, clean with brush or suitable cleaning tool, rinse, and continue to the next.
While your car is cool, and hopefully in the shade, start hosing the surface off with a high stream of water, start at the top so dirt and contaminants fall over non rinsed areas. Make sure to use a good stream to any side moldings and emblems, you will be amazed at the quantity of dirt hiding in there.
Continue to do this until the entire surface has been rinsed. Remember, top to bottom.....Next add a couple oz of car wash soap to bucket #1, and fill with water, add water to bucket #2. With the sheepskin in hand, or whatever you’ve selected to wash with, gently wipe the surface with suds from a front to back motion, again, your starting at the roof area, then trunk, then hood, then sides. Depending on your speed, and if it is warm and dry out, you may need to rinse each panel after washing, until you have completed the car. Keep your cars surface wet until you’re completely finished. When you find the need to redip your sheepskin in the suds, rinse it out in bucket #2, this will remove dirt and contaminants from possibly further scratching the surface. (Your going to want to make sure you have plenty of soap (lubricant) on your sheepskin all the while washing, this will help to suspend the dirt, and let it be carried off during the rinse.) Use that method throughout your washing. After the vehicle is completely finished, remove the nozzle from the hose end, and let the water exit the hose without any added pressure. Hold the hose a couple inches from the roof surface, and start at the high end of the vehicle. Chase the water across the surface with the flow exiting the hose. Run/sheet the water across the surface, and continue with the hood, and rear deck, and sides.
When all is said and done, open the hood and trunk, and let the remaining water sheet itself off while you dry the sides with a Waffle Weave drying towel. (At this point, some like to use quick detailers or a product like Duragloss Aqua Wax.) Start at the top, and work your way down to lower panels, refold the waffle weave as it absorbs water, a 24x30 towel is generally all that is needed. You may want to follow in your other hand with a clean and dry microfiber 16x16 associate towel.
You may find this technique of benefit to you, and if so, you may be able to tweak it a little to meet your specific needs. Good luck and I hope to have helped at least a few of you!

There are starving children in Africa who would love to have a clean car. :mad:

There are starving children in Africa who would love to have a clean car. :mad:

I just spent 3 hours washing my E on Sunday--I'm sure there are alot of people who could have used all that water too!:oops:

I just spent 3 hours washing my E on Sunday--I'm sure there are alot of people who could have used all that water too!:oops:

How the hell can you afford 3 hours of time ANY day to do that? If you have spare time on your hands, c'mon over cuz I have a TON of stuff I could use an extra set of hands with! :razz:

How the hell can you afford 3 hours of time ANY day to do that? If you have spare time on your hands, c'mon over cuz I have a TON of stuff I could use an extra set of hands with! :razz:

After your husband accidently sprays white house paint all over it --YOU FIND THE TIME!:mad:

After your husband accidently sprays white house paint all over it --YOU FIND THE TIME!:mad:

LMFAO omg that's good! But tell me...why did YOU find the time and not HIM? :???:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

There are starving children in Africa who would love to have a clean car. :mad:

Are you being Serious? You act like you have never flushed a toilet before?

"Each flush of the toilet uses the same amount of water that one person in the Third World uses all day for washing, cleaning, cooking and drinking"

This is totally off topic but don’t harp on us for cleaning cars.

All of this was said in response to you only if what you said was serious.
Which I hope you where just kidding.:D

LMFAO omg that's good! But tell me...why did YOU find the time and not HIM? :???:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Yeah right.....He would probably just hose it down and say "It looks good to me- now excuse me while go scrub all this crap off MY golf cart":mad:

Ive been hearing from people that if your going to use a car wash place to wash your car make sure it doesnt use brushes as these will take off your clear coat and youll have a rust bucket in no time. Though right now in cleveland its about 30 degrees and snowing so going outside to hand wash my car just isnt an option. In the same basket with all the nasty salt they throw down in the street to remove ice itll kill my element if I dont wash it! Is the horror story about the clear coat being removed by a car wash true!?

I have this posted on various detailing forums:

I thought i would start a thread entitled Proper Washing Methods. I’ve been reading some threads on other forums, its amazing how people wash there cars! So let’s get started:
The first thing you would like to do is pick a shaded area, this will help in permitting water spotting later. Items you will need for this venture are : 2 buckets, car wash, sheepskin mitt or microfiber mitt/towels, waffle weave drying towel, wheel brush, hose nozzle, a safe wheel cleaner, maybe some tire cleaner. Some folks like to clean wheels first, so I won’t get into the particulars of that, its fairly easy, and basic. Apply a safe wheel cleaner, to one wheel at a time, clean with brush or suitable cleaning tool, rinse, and continue to the next.
While your car is cool, and hopefully in the shade, start hosing the surface off with a high stream of water, start at the top so dirt and contaminants fall over non rinsed areas. Make sure to use a good stream to any side moldings and emblems, you will be amazed at the quantity of dirt hiding in there.
Continue to do this until the entire surface has been rinsed. Remember, top to bottom.....Next add a couple oz of car wash soap to bucket #1, and fill with water, add water to bucket #2. With the sheepskin in hand, or whatever you’ve selected to wash with, gently wipe the surface with suds from a front to back motion, again, your starting at the roof area, then trunk, then hood, then sides. Depending on your speed, and if it is warm and dry out, you may need to rinse each panel after washing, until you have completed the car. Keep your cars surface wet until you’re completely finished. When you find the need to redip your sheepskin in the suds, rinse it out in bucket #2, this will remove dirt and contaminants from possibly further scratching the surface. (Your going to want to make sure you have plenty of soap (lubricant) on your sheepskin all the while washing, this will help to suspend the dirt, and let it be carried off during the rinse.) Use that method throughout your washing. After the vehicle is completely finished, remove the nozzle from the hose end, and let the water exit the hose without any added pressure. Hold the hose a couple inches from the roof surface, and start at the high end of the vehicle. Chase the water across the surface with the flow exiting the hose. Run/sheet the water across the surface, and continue with the hood, and rear deck, and sides.
When all is said and done, open the hood and trunk, and let the remaining water sheet itself off while you dry the sides with a Waffle Weave drying towel. (At this point, some like to use quick detailers or a product like Duragloss Aqua Wax.) Start at the top, and work your way down to lower panels, refold the waffle weave as it absorbs water, a 24x30 towel is generally all that is needed. You may want to follow in your other hand with a clean and dry microfiber 16x16 associate towel.
You may find this technique of benefit to you, and if so, you may be able to tweak it a little to meet your specific needs. Good luck and I hope to have helped at least a few of you!

Thanks....I found that very helpful. I always just used a towel but perhaps I'll invest in some of those fancy mitts and microfiber towels you mentioned. I have a black E which shows everything.

BTW...does anyone use one of those "California silicone squeegees to remove water prior to your final dry? A used car dealer I once knew used one all the time and swore by it.

Miguel