Yummybud924

To keep my car looking decent I have to like wash it every 2 days or so or else it looks like it is covered in dust and crap and I don't live in the desert or a construction zone.

my car is a dark charcoal grey color, almost black so it looks like crap pretty fast.

now i wash the car with a little bit of dishwashing liquid in a bucket and this gets it really clean and yes i know this strips wax. I don't wax the car and I just used that nufinish once a year car polish a few months ago and teh water still beads on the paint when i wash it.


now I see other people with black cars that are parked outside and they seem to stay clean and dust / dirt free and I don't see other people washing their cars every single day to keep them looking clean.

is it because other people wax their cars and does wax keep the car cleaner for longer?

what else can I use to keep the car clean and shiny for longer.

El Commandante

Well, i never use them because i'm always paranoid of anything scratching my paint, but you could try a car duster, my friend uses them and they work wonders.... but like i said, just because they say they won't scratch your paint doesn't mean they wont.

Van

I know my digital camera has a feature built into the sensor that "shakes" it to knock the dust off... Maybe that's something you need - a way to shake the car periodically.

Seriously, though. Dust is hard to deal with - but I imagine it comes from some place where the car is parked. Try parking in different locations.

Also, compressed air is very good at blowing off dust cleanly.

Yummybud924

lol. my car was repainted 2 years ago but I backed up and put a nice dent in my rear quarter panel and so I haven't really bothered waxing or polishing the car properly until I have the money to get that dent fixed.

I guess i got to just wash it every 2 days or so. I'm going to go out and buy some proper car wash soap. I'm scared using the dish soap so often to clean it will be bad for the paint.

my mintex brake pads also cover my wheels in dust after like 2 days of driving and I have fuchs on my car so they also look like crap and I constantly have to clean them.

today I drove home from university and there was some contruction going on or whatever and it looks like I was driving through the desert.

Yummybud924

about those dusters they sell the "california" dusters here. but I think if you're going to spend time dusting it might as well wash it as it doesn't take much longer to wash the car.

I was just wondering if I can apply something to the paint to make it more slippery I guess so the dust doesn't stick to it as easily. from what I heard wax actually attracts more dust and dirt.

useth4z

You should use Optimum No Rinse if you are going to wash. Info here: http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html

You can save water and time. Most everyone on Autopia.org who uses it swears by it. I've been using it for about a year and it's great to use when I don't have time for a full wash.

useth4z

You can also use Finish Kare 425 to help with minimizing dusting.
http://www.fk1usa.com/products-consumer.htm

MichelleJD

Useth4z:

I now have a new favorite color - that is gorgeous!

Spidey944

Michelle, there are more things of interest in that statement, than in the OP's topic.

Yummy, your posts are getting increasingly silly. If you dont want dust, just park it in a car bubble thing and never drive it.

Andy1212

Clay bar and wax your car!!!!! I promise you it will keep your car cleaner for much much longer.

b5audia4

Dark colours car will always be dirtier than light colour cars

I understand your pain.

vro944om

There's this thing that some auto dealers do know, i cant quiet remember the name.. xylon maybe? anyways.. military grade stuff, it acts like a reverse magnet... pretty cool huh?.. yeah didnt work at all :P

kandyinmyvan

You need to wax your car to protect your fairly new paint and make it easier to dust/wash.

KuHL 951

I have a black car and use nothing but a polymer top finish. I only use a water wash about 4-5 times a years and it sits outside under a good cover. All it takes is a 90 second walk around with my California Duster and it looks almost like new. If there are finger prints or bird crap I hit the spot with a shot of quick detailer after dusting. The dusters don't work as well on cars with a wax finish if you live in a hot climate. Wax just embeds the dust, polymers let the dust just sit on top and it comes off without scratches every time.

Yummybud924

lol. I'll try to be less silly. Thing is today I went to university and parked my car in the parking lot and all the other cars looked all shiny and my 944 looked like it was driven offroad and I just washed it 2 days ago.