bclexus

How do you keep your GS 350 clean during the colder, less favorable months?

Hand Wash - DIY
Hand Wash - Pay Detailer
Automatic - Touchless Type
Automatic Drive-Through - Brush and/or Cloth Mitter Curtain

faifai83

DIY - Coin Operated, Spray only (No Brush, except for the wheels)

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

DIY hand wash - usually fill up the bucket indoors for warm water.

dseag2

I baby my car, but after a few days of ice or snow (that's usually all we get in Dallas) I do take it to a car wash to get the sand off the undercarriage. Then I follow it up with a coat of Hard Body. LP doesn't really show scratches so it's pretty easy. I would freak out if I had Obsidian.

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

To be honest I use both in winter if its really cold outside I use the touchless wash but if I can handle the cold then I'll do the DIY wash gotta remember if its to cold you could get icing when you wash your car yourself in winter. I do not use a automatic wash I learned my lesson when I got my first car.

moose66

I voted DIY since that is what I do the most during the winter months. I have on occasion done a car wash when it was too cold to was on my own at home. Only touchless (water only) at the self service. The carwash is about a mile from my house. I carry a bucket of warm water and do as quick of a once over as I can. Before the car wash police (owners) can come out to enforce the no bucket rule most car washes employ.If we have a salting/sanding episode, I will run it through a touchless carwash to get to the undercarriage.

FastTags

I onow a guy he works at the car wash, he does hand wash Only. Always!

jtrue28

I have done DIY only. This will be the first winter where that may change. I'm leasing my GX now, so it's not that I don't care about my car, I just know that in 25 months, I'm getting something new. Plus it is silver, so like @dseag2 said, scratches don't really show up.

All that said, I still have not taken it through an automatic car wash.

I have a utility sink that allows for a hose connection just inside my garage door, so if it's too cold, I can hook the hose up to that and am able to wash/rinse with warm water. Which also helps to melt any ice on the driveway.

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

Scratches will def show on a silver car trust me I know I saw them when I owned my silver car, the paint is to thin.

GregCanada

Up north, we have to use automatic car washes that dry immediately. If not, your car turns into an ice block.

jtrue28

Scratches may show up on silver eventually...but again, I'm on a 27 month lease...so I don't care. That's the beauty of a lease (and why I went that direction)...it's not technically my car. I will still take care of it and keep it clean, but I'm not spending days of my life trying to perfect the paint like I was on my GS. I've literally lost probably 2 months of my life on trying to keep my paint pristine on a stupid car. I must be out of my mind.

My wife's RX is silver as well, and we've had it for over 4 years now. I can honestly say I don't see the micro-scratches caused from improper washing on her car. Now, on my previous dark blue and red cars...hahaha...it was infuriating.

But yeah, it depends on the weather. If it's continuously below freezing, it makes it hard to DIY. In those situations, you have to find somewhere that can do it for you, by hand, or bite the bullet and run it through the scratch machines.

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

Lol I agree with you that's not the main reason I went with a lease but I saw it as a better reason to save for a car while the value of my car was still up.

islandbeef

Sorry guys, I live in Southern California.

RX469

iTrader: (1)

Nice GTR!

1111GS

I always do hand wash. When I'm lazy, weather's cold or the car is not dirty, I follow mR Syd and use this.