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Washing these cars, if, how often, w.r.t. windshield channel rust
Thought I would poll experienced 964 and 993 owners... its winter time, cars being driven get dirty fast.
How often and how do you wash your cars?
I am a clean freak, OCD, like my cars clean clean clean. But I also know the gaskets and seals on these old cars tend to trap water, like crazy-- in and around the glass especially.
Would be good hear about the different cleaning/washing regimens being used. There are obviously 'spray and wipe' type cleaners out there (e.g. quick detailers) but they don't work well when the car is really dirty; they can harm the paint if you push the dirt around and across the paint finish.
I know what I do, and the process I follow to wash these cars... but I am wondering is there a better way.
Showtime Griots quick detailer spray and a brand new microfiber towel. Every time I return from a drive. Then the car cover goes back on.
That way its clean for the next drive.
Showtime Griots quick detailer spray and a brand new microfiber towel. Every time I return from a drive. Then the car cover goes back on.
That way its clean for the next drive.
Quick detail spray are only intended for very light dust and fingerprints. Most professional detailers only use QD after a thorough wash to remove watermarks and light dust. It’s VERY easy to introduce scratches and swirls into your paint if you’re constantly wiping down a car with QD.
You should look at a waterless wash product. I know some really high end car detailers that amazing work and they always say that once a car is dirty, you should properly wash it before touching it with microfiber towels. You think you’re removing dirt but you’re actually rubbing it into the paint.
I’ve had many black cars which is obviously the hardest to maintain and even with proper washing techniques (foam, two bucket method, etc), you’re going to get swirls and scratches. Even with meticulous care, most cars will require a paint correction after time.
You should check out ceramic coatings like CeramicPro or CQuartz, they’re amazing and provide a layer of protection.
I always cringe when I see guys wiping down their dirty cars with microfibers or worse, California car dusters. They love their cars and think they’re doing the right thing but they’re trashing their paint. I’ve looked at a lot of cars that owners think the paint is great and it’s actually a nightmare.
If I can’t do a full wash on my cars, I just rinse them to hold me over until I can do a proper wash/ detail. Sites like AutoGeek have excellent forums that are a wealth of knowledge.
Shout to to Unique Car Care, if you’re in the Boston area there isn’t anyone better... uniquecarcare on IG
I always use blower to clear stubborn water hiding sports and go for a fast drive before back in garage.
Yes, good call on the blower and I do the same thing. It’s the best way to get a lot of sitting water off the car, especially in tough spots. They sell blowers specifically for this like a Metro Master but a handheld leaf blower does the job. My neighbors are now used to the sight me blowing off my car with a leaf blower... haha.
Unfortunately a blower won’t get into all of the cracks and crevices. Porsche did a crappy job with proper drainage right up until the 996 was introduced. This wasn’t limited to 911’s, all of their cars had issues with rust around windows, even cars that didn’t get driven in the rain/winter. Washing the cars is the primary culprit and personally I make every effort not to use soap/water.
I had sent my wash procedure to another member not too long ago, I’ll dig it up and post it here. For reference I use Quick Detail Spray, even after the cars been driven in rain but it takes a specific approach to prevent swirls.
I'm in the northeast. Black car. Daily driver in all weather for the last ten years.
In the winter- i don't wash it much. But when the car is covered in salt, and it's not going to rain or snow for a bit, I'll first take a large spray pump with "salt away" and soak the car top and underneath as best i can. Then while that's doing its thing, i take a another large pump spray and after a bit I'll spray down the car with a no rinse car wash mixture that has a little salt away mixed in and then lightly take off the outer grime, then with a spray bottle of norinse cash wash, do a proper cleaning.
I have swirls. I don't care. Car gets shiney enough.
After ten years of daily use, i have my first rust bubble forming under the front window. Which is impressive i think, given that it's been through hell and almost 100k miles like this.
So this spring or summer I'll pull the front windshield and deal w that spot. And then continue.
I'm thinking I'll find a grease that i can shoot under the window seals that won't hurt the paint and do that w a syringe a couple times a year to keep water from getting in. Not sure yet, but my head tells me that will seal better than the current seal.
Fwiw, most the water that gets in to the bottom of the window, gets in from the top corners, and travels down the sides of the window settling in the bottom. That's why the bottom corners are where these cars rust most often. The seal fit isn't usually very good, replacement windows are basically terrible at this point, and then on top of that, the seal rubber get hard and doesn't seal well after a short time. Some sort of gummy goop would be very helpful.
Ok it’s a bit wordy but it should provide a good explanation of how I’ve cleaned the fun cars.
The proper cleaning procedure will depend on how dirty the car is. I'll offer what my approach has been:
Driven on a Dry Day and Puddled Water
- Start with a gentle wipe with a california duster or blow down the paint with compressed air to remove majority of the surface dust.
- Starting at the roof and working your way down, spray a panel with Pinnacle Crystal Mist, and wipe down with a Cobra 530 Microfiber. Use the fine side of the microfiber for the cleaner areas of the car and the coarser side for the areas behind the tires, rocker panels etc. Use more detail spray on the front bumper and door mirrors to help dilute the bugs. No need to wipe in any special direction, a good MF will not scratch the paint. Pay attention to any tar and try to avoid using the microfiber to wipe any tar that appears to have dirt on it. Use isopropyl or citrus based cleaner to dilute the tar and then use a separate microfiber to wipe these areas. Put the tar MF in your dirty pile and don't use it for anything else until washed.
Rainy Day or Wet Roads Drive
- Using a very plush high quality microfiber I would start by dousing one panel at a time with quick detailer (again here I use Crystal Mist) and very slow and gently wipe off the heavily soiled areas. You should be able to do three panels with one microfiber before switching to a new one. You don't want to clean the surface, just gently remove the heavy soil
- once you have removed the heavy soil go back and spray/wipe the lower panels again with a fresh plush MF to remove any remaining heavy soil.
- after that second wipe you can use the cleaning procedure for a dry day to get the paint perfectly clean
I've used the above approach on my Spyder for the past 8 years and it still looks amazing. I have only washed the car with soap two times in 8 years but it's only seen rain maybe three/four times in its life. I also use this approach for the Targa. In fact I did my standard dry cleaning approach after the 1500 mile drive to Rennsport earlier this year, paint still looks fantastic.
A 911 owner showed me a trick using a piece of plastic like a credit card or a bondo spreader. He takes the corner of the plastic covering it with a cut piece of microfiber, and gently works it under the seal in the windshield corners (typical rust spot areas). He lets it sit for a short period of time and the microfiber absorbs the water sitting in the seal. It’s a bit tedious but his car is immaculate with no signs of rust. The seal wasn’t warped at all from doing this.
I use a high flow air blower after washing with automobile detergent solution using a microfiber cloth. In blowing around and into rubber window seals, am I driving water further inwards, potentially setting up for future rust?
I don't have access to water (NYC parking garage) so I go waterless and use Ammo Frothe with microfiber towels and follow up with Ammo Hydrate as my maintenance wash. Works for me in my situation. I only really do it before a cars and coffee event, after heavy rainfall or driven through salty conditions. Car is only driven on weekends in any conditions. Twice a year I do a proper wash and wax.
the issue is how to get to the water that sits in the channels under the seals, esp at the windshield
credit card idea is interesting... as is the goop idea
Totally agree. The seal issue is the topic that I’m most interested in. Some scratches and swirls can always be corrected without any paintwork but rust is obviously another story. Curious to see if there are some other ideas and tips for the windshield areas.
the issue is how to get to the water that sits in the channels under the seals, esp at the windshield
credit card idea is interesting... as is the goop idea
Originally Posted by Dtronics
Totally agree. The seal issue is the topic that I’m most interested in. Some scratches and swirls can always be corrected without any paintwork but rust is obviously another story. Curious to see if there are some other ideas and tips for the windshield areas.
02-22-2019, 07:18 PM
Washing these cars, if, how often, w.r.t. windshield channel rust
