How often do you wash your truck ?

I use quik wax or some shit lol it's a spray bottle

 

once or twice a day I think there is a problem especially if its just dust, if you feel the need to remove light dust I would just use a detailers spray and a couple towels.

 

Just as quick and easy to run it through the car wash

 

Usually did once a week in the warmer months. When things would freeze, then whenever the automated car wash was open. I don't have a driveway right now, so I just run it through the car wash after work on Friday before I go home. Being a black paint job and now 3 years old, it's due for a good detailing as soon as I can get it back in a garage.

 

Even with the most advanced techniques you're likely to leave tiny scratches "swirls" so minimize the risk of leaving these swirls by minimizing the number of times you wash. I might have missed if the OP stated if this is a drive through car wash or a self serve car wash but even with a foam cannon and the two bucket method that I use it still isn't completely safe. So a drive through car wash really isn't good for you. The self serve is better but if you're not bringing your own buckets with grit guards and your own wash mit you're still undoubtedly doing damage. And even when drying you can leave swirls if done improperly by hand. If not dried at all and the water you rinsed with is not deionized then you are leaving behind contaminants far worse then the dust you just washed off. The main one being calcium in the water that leaves a white watermark and can etch into the paint over time.

All of this being said the wash process is actually quite dangerous for the longevity of your paint and if done often and improperly will require paint correction early in the life of the vehicle.

I wash twice a month on average and I would recommend a similar schedule varying depending on what ends up on your paint. Bug guts and bird poo should be removed immediately. Mud and other similar materials should be removed quickly. Light contaminates such as dirt and dust should be left as long as you can bare

 

Golden Nozzle lol

 

The car wash is a drive through using the latest equipment and technology. With that said I am the type of person that does the paint correction that is talked about here 3 or 4 times a year just for giggles. Clay… compound..polish with astroshield and wax using a porter cable.

 

My truck is hand wash only. I never take it to an autowash.

Right now with all my road tripping I wash every other week. When its not so hectic with travel once every 4-6 weeks.

 

To put it simply, you are full of crap lol. All autowashes come with risk of damage. A guy on here recently sustained $5,000 worth of damage to his Tacoma when the machines malfunctioned.

Carwashes with brushes = swirls. Unless we now live in Harry Potter's world no state of the art magic equipment exists to avoid swirling 100%.

If you have to paint correct 3-4 times a year that proves the point.

 

I get mine washed, spray waxed, and interior cleaned once a month. There is a place near my home that does it all by hand for a reasonable price and every 8 cleanings are free.

 

Link?

 

First world problems....

 

The only automated car wash I'll ever put my truck in is those "Touchless Carwashes".

@honey how many times do you run your truck through the car wash? Since you do own the car wash lol

 

i am going through 30-35 tomes a month…yes every day except when it is pouring all day..sometimes twice a day

 

Sorry the question was for @honey.

Why twice a day?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/whos-good-a-repair-estimates.476006/

Looks like the final work came in under $4k. :S

I have nightmares about this stuff.

 

Post some dead on sun pics.

 

We have a carwash guy that comes to our work every Friday. Does a solid hand wash and interior clean for $20. I generally get it done every other Friday unless I want it cleaned for something specific. I love walking out of work on Friday and seeing my truck sparkling and ready for the weekend hahah

 

I usually go in the morning. Then if I run into rain or snow during the day I will stop on my way back home. This past Saturday for example I went through the wash in the morning, them took a drive to a concert in the country then stopped by on the way back home to wash the bugs off.

 

Here is some numbers I found on a meguires forum.

CC thickness = 2 mil = 2 x 0.0254mm = 0.0508mm
Thickness of paint abraded = 0.001mm

So 0.0508/0.001 = 50.8.

In other words your clear coat is .0508mm thick and you remove around .001mm ever time you compound/polish. You you have 50 corrections before you burn all the way through the clear coat.