I share many of your traits:
-- probably have the shinest cars in my neighbourhood (black & silver), and wash only by hand.
-- park far away from stores
-- use the best enthusiast wax products (e.g. Zaino).

I know how hard black cars are to keep clean, but washing more than once per week one average is excessive.

Advice: get a California Car Duster (or equivalent). It takes seconds to use each day, and if you keep the dust from building up, you can easily go one week or more between washes and still have the shiniest car in your area. You can follow-up with a good Quick Detailer spreay to enhance. A few seconds with the duster and QD once in awhile takes much less time than washing several times per week

 

I was getting gas the other day. A woman on the next pump asked me if I had just driven the car off the showroom floor. I said no just like to keep it clean. I wash it once or twice a week. Use a detailing spray. People do notice.
Mark

2003 Sedan AT. Ivory Pearl/ Willow
20% tint. Z-tube. Clear Corners w/ PIAA.
Aluminum Pedals

 

Wow, washing your 3-4 times a week sounds alot to me. I thought I wash my car too much.... LOL j/k
I used to wash it every other day when it was new! I think it's normal to keep the car clean when it's "brand new" to them.
Now on average, I wash the car whenever the front wheels gets a lil dirty.. which is about 2- 3 times a weeks. I wish the warranty period passes up so I can swap to aftermarket brake pads!


03.5s/Brillant Silver/Premium/Sport/Winter Pkg

 

Okay.. you guys have it bad... OCD for sure. Go hang out over at http://www.autopia.org/, you'll have a great time.

And when you get hooked on maintenance, go to bobistheoilguy.com... you'll never believe reading about engine oil could be addictive as well.


<font color=red>chinee</font color=red>
03.5 G35s

 

When a person does one thing way too frequently, that is a problem. I think if you wash it so frequently, the paint would diminish earlier.

2003 Infiniti G35 sedan Twilight Blue/Willow, 5AT, premium, sunroof, winter, HIDs, Navi, dark tint.
.

 

Actually, you may be right about the OCD diagnosis if you're washing it that often. Or you may have much too much free time on your hands.

 

When I was younger, I used to wax my car at least every weekend. Now, the first thing I do when I buy a new car is take the key and put a huge freakin' gash in the door paint. Then I don't have to worry about washing it, or water spots from not drying it right away, or the film that gets on the inside of the window, or door dings in the parking lot, or rock chips on the hood, or that FnAH that threw a half full coke out his window into my hood.

But seriously, 3-4 times a week?????


On-On
S&S

 

Ok, so maybe 3-4 times a week is alot, but it rains here quite often and it gets dirty easily. Also, driving at night here guarantees a front end plastered with bugs.

Yeah, my wife makes fun of me always cleaning the car, however she sure likes driving it when its spotless.

btw, I've never heard of paint diminishing due to frequent washing.....is that actually possible??

 

okay heres the deal with washing cars too often. Everytime you wash your car, no matter how careful you are, and no matter how good the products you use is, you will be making MICROSCOPIC scratches to your clearcoat. It is something you cannot avoid, but it can be minimized.

So if you wash your car 3-4 times a week you are accelerating the process of putting microscratches on your finish. For many colors this may not be a problem. But for dark colors (especially black) you will soon see swirlmarks and micromaring.

Of course there is a way to get rid of swirlmarks/micromaring by polishing the paint. But this envolves removing clearcoat to make the surface smooth again. Thus you are again removing clearcoat. Remember once your clearcoat is gone the only way to restore the paint is to start from scratch = $3000 paint job.

I'd say wash your car once a week, or at most three times every two weeks.

I've been in the same situation as you folks. I have a black sedan. For the first month i washed my car at least 3 times a week. You must understand it rains over 100 times a year in Hawaii! But since then i have tried very hard to wash my car only once a week. Its tough, but its for the better, especially if you plan on holding on to this car for over 5 years.

 

i have to agree with you soG35. i don't like my car showing dirt but every time a cloth crosses the paint no matter what it is made of, a scratch can be born. so i wash once per week and dry with a leaf blower most of the time. i also blast off as much dirt and dust from the car before i wash it to minimize trapping these particles on my wool mitt which then can also microscratch the paint.

if i could just figure out a good way to wash without a cloth or mitt and then dry with the blower, so that nothing but liquid touches the car, that would be the ticket. i thought the mr. clean deal might be it but i tried someone else's and didn't like the overall result.

p.s. i can't believe many have the time to wash a black car to perfection 3-4 times a week. i least i know i'm no where near as **** as i thought.

****************************
04 6MT sedan, black/willow

 

Prozac will help immensley with the OCD!!


Brilliant Silver/Graphite/Chrome Wheels '04 Sedan/5AT

 

I wash mine about twice a month...in between I use a California dust mop (this thing works great the dirtier it gets, and it doesnt scratch the paint.) Trust me, I was a doubting Thomas till I tried one myself.

Tony B. [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img][img]/w3timages/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
2003.5 G35 Caribbean Blue Sedan