Kaius88

At the Glendale dealership, I get free carwashes whenever I stop by. I dont know if they'll wax it for free, but I'll ask next week. Anyway, this car has such a nice finish I'd hate for it to fade prematurely. How often do you all wash the car? I'm thinking maybe once every month, or is that too often?

crkstr

I run mine through a touch free car wash every 3-4 days. I can't imagine going a month between washes, and mine is white which doesn't show dirt as much as most colors...

dshahs420

You can just drop the car off anytime and get free carwashes or if you go in for service they give you a complimentary car wash? Man, I would love it if i can drop it off just for a car wash!

cocopops

iTrader: (1)

usually i wash my car every 2 weeks.s Just regular wash. Then once a month (usually 6 weeks), will wash and wax. I was told that even though waxing is good, too much of it can damage the paint of the car.

Kaius88

I just drop it off at dealership service bay, and wait 15 minutes and the car is washed. They use the same wash facility as for the car delivery, so it's really careful washing. I tried it the second day i got the car cus there was muddy rain yuck!

Macklin

Kaius, that is a nice advantage....to have that much free time as to be able to drop by the dealership whenever your car needs a bath.

I wash mine once a week religiously. It's a must living at the ocean front. Now it's even more a must with the SGM. I forgot how hard it is to keep a really dark color car looking good. It could stand to be done twice a week and sometimes is.

PaJaHa1

I do it myself 2x's a week. I wouldnt take it to an automatic carwash or even the dealer because do you think they give a crap about your car? I don't mind doing it and love having a clean car. I've had black cars for 6 years prior so I am a well-trained washing machine.

CaBlonde

Even though I have only had my car 2 weeks, 19 hours and 27 minutes, I have only washed mine once since I received delivery... and that was only because I wanted it extra sparkly for pics. (Well, also the window tinters had their hands all over it.)

After what Macklin just said about keeping a dark color car looking good, I am so glad I decided to go with white. Even though those dark colors look soooo good.

PaJaHa1

You guys out west are lucky because of your weather. The weather in the Northeast changes on an hourly basis. It's a miracle if you go 48 hours without a rain shower. That combined with the construction and the potholes and rocks in the road is terrible for clean car lovers like myself. But it is a labor of love..

twister

Well, I hope my bizarro-bro Kaius88 is not reading this, cause....

I had my Tungsten Pearl for a month now and haven't washed it yet. But, I did get a set of micro-fiber clothe from Target and have been wiping the car from bug splatters and other road splatters (gotta love Jersey!!!) quite often. But overall, car still looks like brand new and shining!!! I had enough of dark color myself, owning my previous black Altima for 8 years Silver is one of the easiest way out

Ingram4868

Silver does not show the dirt as easily as other colors. I use to wash my cars weekly but I've gotten lazy these days so I might get to it every 2-3 weeks. Even less during the snow season.

PaJaHa1

I will not sit back tolerate this Lexus abuse!!! You have to wash it. If you wipe it with a cloth when it's dirty you will scratch the clearcoat with the dirt!!!! Please don't tell me you are one of those people that rides around with the black brake dust rims!!!

mattvds

I have had my ES 350 for 3 months, I have washed it twice... It's really dirty now.. but I'm going in for my 5k service so they will wash it for me =). I need to get it washed more often, but I live in an apt complex, so I can't wash it myself =(

twister

Ouch!!! OK, I will have to call my dealer to verify the exact terms of the promised free-for-life car wash

I actually use California Duster to wipe my rims, does a good job and I careful enough not to pick up any stones from the ground. Oh, and I don't use a regular cloth, its a special micro-fiber "bug-off" kind (it has like a litte pockets to trap the dirt, cost about $5 a pair at Target). You just wet it and it does the magic. I know what you mean when it gets dirty, I try to rinse it so no dirt gets smudged around. I have been doing this every weekend, and examined my car finish very close - no scratches. How about window washing, what would you recommend? I also got "special" window wipes, but they are crappy...

PS did you see my "wishful ES thinking" post?

PaJaHa1

I'm a firm believer in washing with water and soap and a sponge. On the windows I just use Windex and with a paper towel. I've tried some products on the car and was unhappy with the results. A warning to everyone, DO NOT use any type of wheel cleaners (the sprays or waxes). They completely took the finish off the alloys on my grand cherokee a few years back. Soap and water works the best. I use Black Magic on the tires and I use the California Duster on the car- but only when it is not dirty and there is dust or pollen on the surface. I have a mini cali duster for the interior which works GREAT. I haven't armor-all'd the interior yet but I will be doing that soon. And in the winter I will be putting in the all-season floormats. Also, I love the fact that our engine is covered- makes cleaning it much easier. A dirty engine on a car always bothered me.

As you can see Im a bit of a clean car enthusiast. And I am a leaser! But I do beat on the cars a few months before they are due back, so the next owner is getting a sparkling clean, but abused car!