I only wash 2x per year

I love the 6" for every vehicle we own except my daughter's Jeep. it has black textured moldings running all the way down the sides and the bumpers are black textured too. so I don't use the 6" on her car at all. I just actually sealed hers last weekend before we got all this snow. I used the 3" polisher for every part of paint on her car and couldn't be happier with it. the 6" is just too big in some instances. you will love the 3" if you get one. I think they are like $105 or something like that. well worth the money!

 

The 3" works GREAT with thin pads (Griots BOSS 3" pads). But for doing paint correction on a whole vehicle you'll want a 6". If just spreading wax or doing spot work, the 3" is fine.

 

Ah yes, I would be using the 6” for most of the vehicle, just places like the a pillars and other spots sometimes the 6” is just too big and slings the polish all over the place. I think I will pick up the 3” as it will be very valuable in the times it is needed.

 

Got a link to the product? This is something that would make clay bar faster and have less to pick up? Thanks.

 

yes this product gets the biggest majority of the iron/fallout. makes claying a lot easier.
https://adamspolishes.com/shop/exterior/carwashing/adam-s-iron-remover-gallon.html

 

Only during oil change? Does that mean you only do 2 oil changes a year?

You might not see it but the dirt is slowly wearing away at your clear coat. 5 years is still consider new so you won’t see any major effects. When you start to see paint defects it will happen all at once and quick. Having a white vehicle does help hide the paint flaws.

Also location and weather plays a role in vehicle wear, sun, salt, hail, droppings etc.

 

Yep, don’t drive a ton so works out about every 6months. Sometimes I hit miles a little sooner and the work is done.

On average about every 6months since new.

Washes sometimes happen more frequently, or a rinse is to occur in the instance of bird poop. I also try not to park near trees or overhanging anything.

Edit: don’t get me wrong. I’m not a sloppy person and the bed/cab have always been clean and organized. My area is just dusty so when I bought my truck I just changed mentalities and stopped washing. Was always surprised how well things held up, but as said, there isn’t a gloss to the white, so keeping it clean and contaminant free seems to be all that is required. There are enough evening “rain” events to keep things looking good. It’s the dry stretches I break down and wash.

 

Super cool. Will have to check this out. Never used it before.

Will this flip the yellow areas that built up on the leading seams (say, front edge of gas door)? Or will I still have to put some elbow grease into those areas?

I think my trick is bring some of this stuff to my next car wash. See where I get. Bad if I use this and don’t Seal ASAP after?

 

With the air pollution out there, a good clay bar at least would pick up a lot of those particulates. I'm sure you've done one before, you'll feel the difference.

 

not sure what you mean by yellow areas? but no, this product only removes iron and fallout embedded into the paint. if you have yellowing going on, you have a whole other issue entirely. that will require some buffing for sure.

your last sentences I cannot make out what you asking?

 

Sorry, didn’t finish the sentence, haha.

Meant to say bad if I don’t do sealant after?

I’ll try and get a shot of the yellow area. It’s not a panel, it’s literally along leading edges. Have to look close to notice it.

 

Normally follow your same principle for washing twice a year but end up having to when birds shit on it. The Urea concentration really takes a toll on your clear coat.

 

no, its not bad if you don't seal it right after. but, if you want to seal it later down the road you will need to redo all the same steps so you are not sealing in the contaminants.

if you have yellowing along edges then your paint is oxidizing rapidly. that will require some buffing and or real hard hand polishing to correct. if I can see what you are talking about I can try to help you. otherwise I am just guessing.

 

Oh, I saw the title and thought you were talking about personal hygiene.

My truck gets washed 2-3x a week because I have an unlimited car wash pass. The automatic car wash this many times a week over 9+ years hasn't hurt my paint at all and my truck is black. I get teased at work because my truck is rarely dirty and looks like it just got waxed. In the winter the DOT throws lots of salt on the road yet I still have little to no rust because it gets an undercarriage spray every time I run it though. Twice a year I do handwax it with a resin based wax. It's a good professional car wash with microfiber brushes, liquid wax, tire dressing, and a hand dry by 2 people at the end. I pay $32 a month for the pass.

 

I’ll grab some shots of the discoloration. Upon inspection this morning, I gave it a little rub down and it appears to have white under it.

Maybe just from lack of nook and cranny attention during the washes, I hope.

 

People assume detailing is about obsessively cleaning your car... its not, its actually about washing as minimally as possible.
Every time you touch your vehicle you cause swirling and marring. The more you can minimize contact with your paint the less you’ll have to do paint correction.

You should clay your vehicle at least once per year. Always. It keeps contamnants off the paint and helps prevent paint damage from those contaminants.

These are the things you must wash off your paint ASAP:
Bird poop
Berries
Tree sap
Salt
Bug guts

Always wash these off right away. Dirt, mud, dust etc does not damage your paint and can sit there.

You may not need to change your washing habits in terms of how often you clean just add a clay bar and lay a paint sealer (not wax, wax is a waste if your time it wears off in a couple weeks).
You can also consider a ceramic coat which is a permanent coating to protect the paint and all you have to do is wash and clay every 6 months.

White has no clear coat. Single stage means no clear.

 

Do you have a ceramic coating on your truck?

 

No I do not.

Maybe one day I will be in the financial position to get my vehicles professionally coated. I think it will be worth the cost.

 

Yeah. Honestly for me I am happy sticking with paint sealants. I’ve seen some weird things from ceramics like some causing bad water spotting which where I live the water is so hard it has always scared me away. Also the fact that the ceramic is always there so better hope it’s done right. Just scares me I guess. I know they can be buffed off but it’s a lot of work.

 

Something I have wondered about and never considered before is all the salt/brine where I live getting recycled through the car wash, even using filters I still wonder if I'm spraying salt/brine into my frame.

Being hand dried by people at the end has me questioning how clean the towels they are using and would also wonder if they are causing more damage than letting it air dry.