Iceter

Hand wash only. My wife knows I would flip out if she took any of the vehicles to a car wash—even a hand wash car wash.

As I get older I find myself tolerating a dirtier car (washing my car was a weekly job when I was in my twenties). But my idea of a “dirty” car is still pretty clean by other people’s standards. Passengers often comment on how clean my car is, just as I’m about to apologize for how filthy it is.

Petza914

I've probably tried 20 wheel brushes and this is THE ONE


Microfiber cover over a high density foam pad that's not glued together (those come apart) and the foam isn't crappy like a sponge, it very tough closed cell foam. It squishes into the tightest spaces but has enough rigidity to be used with some force on the barrels and if the cover gets nasty, you can pull it off and wash it with your garage rags.

voiceprint1

I wish I had a bucket option, but I do spray and wash, it's been fine overall, I tried the wheel woolies after recommendations on here, they work well for deep rims, but you have to be careful as they can splash brake dust and grime if you are not careful, but they do need extra cleaning afterwards.

I have learned to not be as heavy handed with toweling or detailing when the car is semi wet, and let the towel do the work.

bliq00

How timely!!! I almost asked this same question yesterday.

F308gt4

I've used both. Currently using the wash and wax. I usually top off with Optimum or Mother's spray wax, so probably doesn't matter which one I use.

I make the optimum no rinse up in QD dilution (I forget off hand how much water/optimum ratio- but you can google it), and keep it in a 1/2 gallon sprayer. I don't even use a bucket anymore, unless the car is extremely dirty. Just spray it on heavy, and wipe off with a microfiber, replacing the microfiber often. My car is a daily driver (California), so I usually do this a couple times a week. Only takes about 10 minutes to do the whole car, and keeps it looking great.

Since it's a daily driver, I don't worry to much about going crazy on the swirls. They're there, and I'll do the occasional polish to get rid of them, but since its a daily driver, I don't obsess.

cgaites

Plenty of answers here already, so apologies for beating the dead horse. I'm a new Porsche owner, but I've owned numerous, less expensive fun cars and have always done my best to take care of them. My perspective is that I either wash my cars myself, or if I'm going to outsource the job, I pay for a real professional detail. During the summer months and warmer parts of the shoulder seasons, I'll hand wash in my driveway. Two bucket method, microfiber towels, etc. When the weather gets cold I'll generally stick to self serve, power washer type car washes. The car doesn't get super clean, but I'll do a good job of hitting up the underbody, wheel arches, and what not to keeps any corrosives off the car (fortunately no road salt in my city, but some of the neighboring municipalities use it). The other plus of this type of wash is that, because their are no brushes, your'e not adding swirls to the paint. I'll live with a semi-dirty car all winter as long as I'm maintaining the condition long term. Then each spring I'll spring for a once a year professional detail from a guy I trust to bring everything back to like new for the prime driving season.

SoCal RJ

Saved you the tough love I'm getting on the car wash idea.

SoCal RJ

I like the sprayer idea. RJ

okbarnett

I always put my car in the automatic wash, get out , let the conveyor belt haul it thru ,and go inside and read magazines. When it spits it out I go get back in. No body else does that? ?

Hula

Live in the city so no driveway for a bucket wash. It's usually just a gas station touch-less car wash then a quick wipe with a microfiber. Coming back from skiing I'll hit it with the self-wash pressure washer wand to knock off the sand, magnesium chloride, and salt. I've run it though regular automatic car washes on occasion. No big deal.

SoCal RJ

"What I like about the 911 is that it is all things to all people. Race car and Boulevard cruiser. A commuter and grand tourer. A trophy. A toy. A piece of art. It's both flashy and discrete. You can haul kids, haul skis, or haul ***."

Nice tag line. RJ

jdgamble

I use Wash and Shine, but I hear the wax is good too. I use really good sealant though, so the wax version is unnecessary.

jdgamble

I don't have that many spokes, but something that bends would make life much easier. That way you can do every few spokes rather than each one.

I hear wheel woolies are really good, but maybe not for tightly spaced spokes.

One thing to remember when using a bristled wheel brush... Wear clothes that mean nothing to you. I have ruined some clothing when removing a brush from between spokes.

WhipE350

Don't learn the hard way. It doesn't hurt to rinse off some of the grit but don't wipe the car until you have a lubricant (soap), it is better to just leave it alone and wait until you can wash it correctly. Of course any grit left when it dries 'should' be removed with a lite power washing but we all know that isn't always possible. A good hosing down helps otherwise. Here in Charlotte some times of year have more grit on the road than other times. Winter and spring are the worst. With my Cayenne for the last three years I used the power wash before hand wash method with fantastic results, but then like I said it isn't always needed. I have not had to polish it once, well now I do because the dealer touched it . Both my Porsches are black so it is much more important to have clean towels and a good pre-rinsing. Well at least any imperfection is more noticeable than say gray. If you ever do want to learn to compound and/or polish it is best to get a random orbital and not attempt to do by hand, your hand simply can't generate the same results. Once you get good the results can be very rewarding. Seeing a black car in a fall sun or under a detail-er's light and seeing no holograms or micro swirls is nice. If you get good enough you can also remove some orange-peel to have a paint finish of your liking.

ADias

Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine + Optimum Car Wax when drying.