We ARE these people that detail our cars because we love these "frigging" cars. If you are not an enthusiast, why are you on the board? Do you use 87 octane gas in your p car? Do you go to jiffy lube for oil change? You are not willing to spend time or money in upkeeping the car by giving it a handwash and wax. Yes, we are nuts about our cars. Appearantly, you just don't get it!

 

Its just an appliance. Some are more fun to drive than others. Some are safer. Some are a more comfortable ride.

I treat my 997 just like my Benz. Into the automatic car wash you go. it's just a friggin car for heaven's sake. Don't take it (or yourself) too seriously.

 

Speaking of washing a Porsche (by hand or not)...

Has anyone tried the Mr. Clean product (AutoDry) where you supposedly get no spotting without towel drying on their Porsche?

 

I don't get any water spotting, but I do use a leaf blower after I was the car to get most of the water off.

 

When I got my 996 the dealer tried to get me to sign up for all kinds of extras (Lo-Jack, Wheel Hazard ins, etc, etc) and I looked and said, hey it has insurance and it's just a car. I think she just about fell off her chair.

 

Get a few dozen terry cloth towels ("rags") at home depot (packs of ten). dampen six of them. Wipe a section of the car down, TURNING FREQUENTLY, then dry the area with the remaining dry towels. You can do the whole car easily in a few minutes if it's not really dirty. I guess you should be parked indoors for this to work. If you park the car outside I don't know how well this will work.

I think I wash my cars with a hose two or three times a year. All other times I use this damp rag method.

yeah, I know, be careful with a dark color car: scratches and swirls are possible if car is really dirty or turning isn't frequent.

 

never tried it. I refuse to try it. Sounds like an expensive gimmick. What happens to the water that gets stuck between the body panels and trim? I guess THAT must be dried by handor else it streaks everything up when you drive off.

Oh, probably another expensive "time saver" By MAYBE saving time, but spending more $$, you get a below-par job.

 

The 911 is a small car with smooth lines. Nothing else hand washes faster. Dry with an ordinary cotton towel. Don't use the Mr. Clean phony no dry, keep buying their filters and soap scam. Spend the money on a good wash mitt and some car wash soap from Costco. I use a dedicated wash mitt and dishwash liquid to thoroughly wash the tires and wheels.
It is very easy to tell a used car that is hand washed from one that is car washed. Part of the game is pride of ownership. Why not give a little TLC ?

 

I second that.... hand wash, hand dry, cotton towels, two buckets, zaino, ect ect..... it sure isn't a "friggin" car to me!

 

Some drive-in washes have a laser system where nothing touiches the car except H2O and soap. Takes about 2 minutes longer cause the laser has to do a trip around the car to calibrate before any water is squited. Works as well as most washs and nothing touches your car or wheels. Blow dry. It even has an undercarriage wash!

Other then that for quickies, I hand wash. Its easy, fast, and I actually enjoy it!

 

BTW, I rarely use soap. Car never gets that dirty. Soap strips the wax. No wheel cleaner, strips wax. Why make more work for yourself by imagining a greasy oily coating of dirt on the car's finish?

 

Wash the 997 .... Isn't that what kids or mother-in-laws are for??????

 

No,no,no, I'm sorry, they are for wet sanding the car! Only owners understand words like "rinse frequently" and "turn frequently."



BTW, carcareonline.com has (had?) a great essay on car washing. Also lots of no nonsense mythbusting essays on other car care subjects.

 

I tried Mr. Clean yesterday and it works fine. Also, here in Toronto only at Esso stations, we have real touchless car wash systems. There are no rails, so you drive it in yourself, nothing else than the water touches your car. My problem with that is my 997 S is a Cab, so it leaks under heavy water pressure, other than that, it's perfectly fine.

 

I hope the high pressure water is really well filtered, before being blasted on the car!

I had a girlfriend who lived in an apartment building that did not allow car washing. We filled jugs with warm water, and took a bucket, sponge, and soap with us. We rinsed the car off at the coin op car wash, making sure not blast the paint. We then washed her car by hand, putting the soap and warm water we brought with us into the bucket. Finally, we rinsed with the coin op car wash wand, and hand dryed. Her black car came out just as well as doing it at home.

Michael