Macster

Not a good idea to hose off the car then put it away. The brake hardware is likely wet and rust will form on the rotors, which is not too serious, but more serious is the rust that will form where the pads cover/contact the rotors. The pads can rust to the rotors or even the parking brake pads/shoes can rust to the drums inside the rear wheel hubs.

If after driving in the rain before you park the car use the brakes enough to get the brakes hot enough to dry the water from the brake hardware then park the car in the garage.

(I drive down the street a few blocks applying the brakes hard enough to feel them bite and leaving the brake pedal depressed a few hundred feet or so. Now the car's engine may lose power when the brakes are applied but that's ok. Just speed up to the limit and apply the brakes to slow the car down say to half the limit and repeat a few times. Avoid any deep puddles on the way back to the garage.)

The rest of the car will be ok. It won't rust, dissolve, or melt.

Next day when the weather's nice and dry then you can wash the car dry it off take the car out to dry the brakes and if you're smart drive the car some more.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Nugget

I'm to cheap to buy a clear bra, so instead I like to protect my car from scratches and deterioration by keeping a nice protective patina of dust, pollen, insects, and tire chunks in between my paint and the elements. It's a great system.

Romulus90

Are you serious...?


You actually did more "damage" to the paint by not washing it before you wiped it off than if you would have just let it be.

It's just a car.

winkingchef

This thread makes me /facepalm
......................................__................................ ................
.............................,-~*`¯lllllll`*~,..........................................
.......................,-~*`lllllllllllllllllllllllllll¯`*-,....................................
..................,-~*llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll*-,..................................
...............,-*llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.\............... ........... .......
.............;*`lllllllllllllllllllllllllll,-~*~-,llllllllllllllllllll\................................
..............\lllllllllllllllllllllllllll/.........\;;;;llllllllllll,-`~-,......................... ..
...............\lllllllllllllllllllll,-*...........`~-~-,...(.(¯`*,`,..........................
................\llllllllllll,-~*.....................)_-\..*`*;..)..........................
.................\,-*`¯,*`)............,-~*`~................/.....................
..................|/.../.../~,......-~*,-~*`;................/.\..................
................./.../.../.../..,-,..*~,.`*~*................*...\.................
................|.../.../.../.*`...\...........................)....)¯`~,..................
................|./.../..../.......)......,.)`*~-,............/....|..)...`~-,.............
..............././.../...,*`-,.....`-,...*`....,---......\..../...../..|.........¯```*~-,,,,
...............(..........)`*~-,....`*`.,-~*.,-*......|.../..../.../............\........
................*-,.......`*-,...`~,..``.,,,-*..........|.,*...,*...|..............\........
...................*,.........`-,...)-,..............,-*`...,-*....(`-,............\.......
......................f`-,.........`-,/...*-,___,,-~*....,-*......|...`-,..........\........

neuneleven

Don't sweat it! Get back in the rain and drive even more. The car will be washed at a later point. It's a german car. Rain and snow are the norm in Stuttgart

Zeus993

My C2S loves the rain. I don't know what it is but the engine just seems to come alive. Anyone else notice this?

997at

Anything special????
Yup, I have two separate protocols for driving in the dry vs. wet:
Dry - get in car, drive car, stop driving car, get out of car.
Wet - get in car, drive car, stop driving car, get out of car.

Seriously, these are cars and they are designed and built to be driven in any weather. Do you hose your house off and dry it with a microfiber when it gets rain on it too? I can guarantee you that a car that has been driven hard and put away wet for a lifetime yet washed and taken care of on a routine basis will look identical to one that has never seen rain for a lifetime.

McCulla

plus, if you really are "****" about the appearance of your car, a rained on car is crying out for a clean up session! The more you drive in the rain, the more often you get to clean the car! A self fulfilling prophecy.

Alstoy

I actually switched to Rejex from Zanio this time. You are absolutely right-it's great.

hjacobs2000

There's a 12 step program for that

mander

Hilarious. The only time I worry about driving in the rain is days like today. Freezing rain at 32F and I switched to summer wheels and tires last week. It's just a car. I'm more worried about the occupants.

Skibum

There are those that belong to the club, those that don't...and those that never will.

Bob Brackman

Go easy, gentlemen. I understood the spirit of his concern, especially in arid Southern California, so I responded in kind. For some of us, these are not DD's and we prefer to keep them as immaculate as possible. If you are unable to understand this, then I don't have a clue what to tell you.

Minok

Celebrate, as its washing some of the dust off, so I can delay my washing it some more.

cvazquez

I wash my car every 2-weeks, however, if it rains I'll continue driving until the weather forecast calls for a couple of sunshine days.