How often to wash car in Irish muddy conditions?

2011abc

We all know that mud can turn scratchy so whats the best advice for a general motorist with a newish veeeehicle?Is once every 5/6 weeks enough when its under a permanenent coat of mud and the newly cleaned buzz is likely to last under 24hours before back to square 1?I dont want a car to worship with wekekly washes but want to protect finish from swirls .Thanks

Stallingrad

If you wash your car every 5/6 weeks I think you may have stumbled into the wrong forum! :pac:

2011abc

In this weather and on the roads I drive (like most irish motorists) theyre just dirty again the day after ...

clubberlang12

Whats more important is "how you wash your car", as oppose to "how often you wash your car"

Dirt sitting on your car won't do harm to it. Washing/touching your car while some of the larger dirt and grit particles are on your car is what will generally lead to creating swirls on your paintwork. Implementing a safe wash process is key.

Peter T

In this weather its washed when you can no longer read the back number plate

CJhaughey

I think underbody washing is a good idea with these salty roads.
Paint is one thing but getting salty muck off the bottom is equally important

vectra

clubberlang12 wrote: »

Whats more important is "how you wash your car", as oppose to "how often you wash your car"

Dirt sitting on your car won't do harm to it. Washing/touching your car while some of the larger dirt and grit particles are on your car is what will generally lead to creating swirls on your paintwork. Implementing a safe wash process is key.

This ^^
Plus, if you can get time to get a decent protection on the paint while it is fresh, it will help.

IE
2 coats of Fusso or Sonax PNS, then mybe weekly or fortnightly, go to the local jetwash and give it a €2 blast down.

Sexual Chocolate

This was mine a few days ago. I managed to wash it yesterday with the nice bit of weather but don't expect it to stay clean for long. Either way I find it therapeutic cleaning it





* Must say the Bilt Hamber foam did a decent job at moving a lot of that sh1te.

2011abc

OP here ,car is under a year old ,looked like one above ,washed it carefully ,first powerhosed off heavy stuff and used sponge mitt with soft fleece noodle outer layer ,Autoglym shampoo and two bucket method ,chamois dry .No circular motions ...The day after I could see horizontal micro scratches in bright sunlight !!!How the heck are you meant to keep a car mint and use it in Ireland ?!

Sexual Chocolate

The idea is to have it protected from new or the paint corrected and then protect it.

Whatever coating it on it should take most of the ****e. I.e road and atmospheric (fallout) dirt or improper washing like poor mitts or sponges. Though sponges really are in a leauge of their own for damaging paintwork.


If you think about it, it's also why a lot of people who have ceramic or nano coatings etc see the best results from just using snow foam and pressure washer. The dirt just lifts with minimal drama.