OCBen

Wolfgang, if you use a dust cover while your car's in the garage, your kitty cats won't leave paw prints or, worse yet, scratches. And you may not need to wash it but every 2 or 3 weeks. I haven't washed mine this year yet! But then again, it's not a daily driver.

It's really easy to maintain yourself. All it takes to convince you of that is one screw up like what happened to woodranch when he paid others to wash it for him by hand. Hopefully the damage done is not beyond repair.

Leader

This is not an either/or proposition. All "car washes" are not equal. Most will put some scratches on your car's finish, but there are a few that will not. Most major cities have a "hand wash" carwash that caters to high-end vehicles - and they do a pretty good job of cleaning your car without doing damage to the shiny paint.
My car is Black so, I'm at a disadvantage right away. Black is going to show EVERYTHING. However, I'm sometimes too busy to wash it myself. But, there is a "hand wash" in my neck of The Valley that does a good job (Handy J's)...and so far has not added significantly to the tiny-little-scratch collection my car is starting to accumulate.
I do wash it myself - at which time I work on those blemishes, trying to stay ahead of the inevitable. But, you know what? It's much more fun to drive and enjoy my 997 than it is to obsess over its day-to-day appearance. I keep it clean. I keep it shiny. Maybe not to the standards of a councours judge, but, that's okay. I drive it. It gets dirty. It's not sculpture.

JS

Self hand wash or have a guy come to the house for a hand wash.

OCBen

You mean the guy from 'Brokeback Mountain'?

930man

before or after it on the track in the rain!

Putt-Putt

I take my daughters to the car wash with me (hand wash, not machine) and I buy them beanie babies while we wait.

woodranch

Hey Leader is there still nice Trim at Handy J's.In the old days you would see the most beautiful women there.I think that is when the 2 brothers owned it.

blk on blk

I am pretty mucn in agreement with this 100%. I sometimes use a hand wash place, and sometimes do it myself. I drive it every day and keep it clean and shiny, but I am not going to worry about it being showroom quality every single day of the car's life. I was it weekly and polish it when it needs it, wax, etc.

Soulteacher

Ben, you are right on the money there. That's when I started thinking. Plus, I read your car wash and detailing threads and got a better idea of what I should be doing to make this a success. I will definitely give it a try and keep you updated.

As far as cats on cars are concerned, leaving the cover off is actually a better idea. Cats are pretty smart and don't use their claws on the car because using claws would actually put them at a disadvantage. Their little rubbery paws are much superior in holding on to those stable, relatively flat, hard surfaces. Once you add the cover, the surface becomes unstable and soft, and their claws come out because it's harder for them to hold on; and, honestly, a cover would be no match for my fat Murphy's huge claws. But I dust out the garage a lot so that the cats don't carry tiny little stones in their paws. THAT would be really bad.

SrfCity

I drive around looking for the kids doing the weekend fundraiser car washes

OCBen

That's funny.

Holli82

Wait till about noon on a real hot day to do it....helps the paint "cure" a little better

zumaron

It's especially fun when they play "snake" by cranking up the water pressure and the nozzle does a tap dance on your car.

i wash @ home.

Cogito

I may have the best solution.
Very careful younger woman comes to my home and washes mine using my Adam's car care products.
The bad news is she charges.

I even had her Rejex the P-car when it was brand new.

MMD

Would you get into a hot tub that contained a lawnmower to churn up the water?

HAND WASH ONLY! GEEZ!!!