[cbs21]

Just moved to the city and I have no driveway or hose. I can't afford expensive washes all the time, so how do I keep the car clean without doing $5 washes at the gas station? I would like to get the car clayed and waxed maybe once a year but it costs close to $200 last time I checked. Any advice?

[m@rco]

I've been in a similar situation. Bring it to a do-it-yourself car wash place, those with the high pressure hoses. See if you can bring your own bucket with water and soap, that works better than those rotating brushes they usually have there. If not, drive back home and use your sponge there and drive back to the place to rinse it off. Then head back home and put the wax on yourself. It's a pain in the butt to do but ok for a Sunday afternoon. Always nice to tell yourself afterwards that you saved $200...

[BTM]

$200? For a wax and clay? I did mine myself for maybe $60 in materials (this includes other random car wash crap like microfiber sponges and car wash soap and whatever) and a few hours

[mikeokimster]

Use ONR + 2 buckets with water + MF towels

[chromisdesigns]

You could try one of the waterless car wash products the detail product companies sell.

Or just carry a couple buckets of water out to the curb.

[BTM]

Do you have a friends house you can borrow theirs? That's what I did in school when I lived in an apt

[EastCoast335i]

Wait til its pouring outside....
Then drive REALLY REALLY fast while spraying your window washing fluid til its empty...

[pruettfan]

I turned a buddy who has a similar challange on the Optimum No Rinse car wash otherwise known as ONR. All you need is a 2 gallon bucket of water a sponge and some micro fiber towels. It works very well and if done correctly will not hurt the surface of the car. Check out the detailing section of this site for questions like this and you can get pro detailers advice.

[eisenb11]

Originally Posted by BTM

$200? For a wax and clay? I did mine myself for maybe $60 in materials (this includes other random car wash crap like microfiber sponges and car wash soap and whatever) and a few hours

That would be a bargain! $200 gets you a wash and a wax around here. I'd hate to imagine what a claying costs.

Needless to say, I do it myself too. Had a bunch of lights installed in my garage to make waxing easier.

[BTM]

Originally Posted by eisenb11

That would be a bargain! $200 gets you a wash and a wax around here. I'd hate to imagine what a claying costs.

Needless to say, I do it myself too. Had a bunch of lights installed in my garage to make waxing easier.

I don't know what prices are around here, I've never gotten a quote or anything, but I would never pay that much for something I can do myself

[Catfish454]

I use a product called Wet Paint Glaze and swear by it. Here's the link:

http://www.wetpaintglaze.com/index.html

Unless your car is really dirty and muddy, this stuff works beautifully. Simply spray it on, lightly rub it in, and buff. I read about it on this very forum, and there a lot of members who use it. Available through mail order only. In fact, I just did mine this morning, and it took all of 35 minutes.

[blacknbean]

i would do the detail with a seal once a yr then touchless gas station car washes to hold you over. i dont have a garage either but I goto a friends house to wash my car

[eisenb11]

Originally Posted by Catfish454

I use a product called Wet Paint Glaze and swear by it. Here's the link:

http://www.wetpaintglaze.com/index.html

Unless your car is really dirty and muddy, this stuff works beautifully. Simply spray it on, lightly rub it in, and buff. I read about it on this very forum, and there a lot of members who use it. Available through mail order only. In fact, I just did mine this morning, and it took all of 35 minutes.

That looks like some pretty good stuff. I use Mequires Quick Detail which I believe is a similar kind of product?

Ofcourse, that only buys me a week or so because eventually the wheels get so covered in brake dust that a wash needs to happen.

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by m@rco

I've been in a similar situation. Bring it to a do-it-yourself car wash place, those with the high pressure hoses. See if you can bring your own bucket with water and soap, that works better than those rotating brushes they usually have there. If not, drive back home and use your sponge there and drive back to the place to rinse it off. Then head back home and put the wax on yourself. It's a pain in the butt to do but ok for a Sunday afternoon. Always nice to tell yourself afterwards that you saved $200...

This guy knows whats up. Before I moved into my house, I used to go to this place on the shitty part of town, and you got 20 minutes of pressure washing for three dollars. I would spray down with water, then spray with the car wash soap from the pressure washer, use my sponge to get the grime off (straight lines only, folks) then blast the soap off with the pressure washer. It really did a good job getting the bugs off, and my paint still looks awesome. I'd pull the car out of the stall to dry it with a microfiber cloth and then wax it right there. I'd do that maybe once a month, and in between, use a quick detailer to keep the finish shiny.

[Tom K.]

Unfortunately, do-it-yourself washes are somewhat rare in the DC area. I found only 2 inside the beltway:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um...ed=0CDcQtgMwAw

But I'd agree - the best solution seems to be the do-it-yourself wash.

Tom

[Bill-SD]

Originally Posted by mikeokimster

Use ONR + 2 buckets with water + MF towels

This is the correct answer...

[RoundelM3]

Here in Texas we have hand car washes ($15 for basic wash), touchless high-pressure drive-throughs, and a newer kind of automated wash that uses lambswool/chamois to wash and rinse the car. It's like doing it by hand (same type of material contacting the finish) and then high-pressure air to blow away whatever doesn't run off. Basic price for this is $8 - $11, depending on whether you want bug remover, etc.

I talked at length with the owner of one of these newer washes about how they're designed for higher-end cars with allowances for low-profile tires and expensive wheels. They spray or soft-bristle brush off the heavy dirt to keep the automated equipment from accumulating dirt, plus they have a "rinse" cycle for the lambswool/chamois wash components. I also noted several Audis, BMWs, Mercedes, Jaguars, etc. going through the wash and observed that they had no scratches or other evidence of finish damage. The owners seemed satisfied with the results.

Not every automated wash is like these newer ones, but when it's 90 degrees at 9AM or too cold to use the hose at home, they're a safe bet.

[driverman]

I live in the country and our water is terrible, so I don't wash my car at home.

I go to a good "wash it yourself" car wash and use their "spot free rinse". I wet the car down, wash it with a lambswool mitt and rinse. I drive about a mile to get most of the water off and they dry it with a MFT. Once I get it home, I finish it off with Zaino Z-10.

This process works great. It's fast and I don't have any swirls on my black sapphire E90.

[bavarianboar]

Originally Posted by EastCoast335i

Wait til its pouring outside....
Then drive REALLY REALLY fast while spraying your window washing fluid til its empty...

Not sure how much that helps.

The water and the car both are at roughly the same speed and the water should not really hit the windscreen X times faster if you drive fast, unless u do it while accelerating M3 style!

[khaye1]

can you get ONR in local stores?

[CollinsE90]

where is jopa, he is the man with detailing etc....ive heard ONR is the best though

[Thud]

That's why I got a gray car. I can go a month without washing before it starts to look dirty!

My last car was black. It would start looking dirty 5 minutes after washing.