Perfect daily driver? ?

I see the issue, if there even is one, as a washing issue. People love rinseless washes. Nothing wrong with that, but you are wiping all dirt off the surface instead of rinsing the majority of it off just by the process. The way I see it rinseless washes will cause more marring faster simply because of this fact.

This is why I don't do rinseless washes without pressure washing the static dirt off the vehicle first. I don't want to have to polish off scratches I can avoid.
 
swanicyouth said:
I see the issue, if there even is one, as a washing issue. People love rinseless washes. Nothing wrong with that, but you are wiping all dirt off the surface instead of rinsing the majority of it off just by the process. The way I see it rinseless washes will cause more marring faster simply because of this fact.

This is why I don't do rinseless washes without pressure washing the static dirt off the vehicle first. I don't want to have to polish off scratches I can avoid.
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Usually I'll foam cannon my cars followed by sheeting before doing a rinse less wash for this reason. Might as well knock the easy stuff off without having to touch it.

This dependent on the temperature not being too high causing water spotting.
 
So much good info for me. My DD is white. I'm looking to develop a sold routine to take care of it. Especially, the AIO vs. finishing polish question. @ swanicyouth, I was doing a waterless wash (CG Ecowash) to get the road grime off (every couple of days). Am I doing more harm than good?
 
^prolly.

Wiping off dirt will always scratch more than rinsing it off. There is no magic chemical in any wash product that prevents scratches. The safest & least aggressive method is pressure rinsing off as much dirt as possible before touching the car.

I think the safest method is to wash the car when it's dirty - and don't do touch ups in between.
 
no. a DD is going to encounter flying debris, stone chips, and other annoyances that we have no control of. i would say somewhere between 80%-90% would be good enough (with proper tools and wash/drying technique) and your car will look better than most all the others on the road...
 
Well Frank I'm sure you know what a "true" DD is, a way to get around no matter what and because of that you have to keep things in perspective. Most and I do believe most AG'ers keep their DD in much better condition than 90% of those guys at your local cruize night that pull out their classic, garaged car, I've seen it with own eyes on a regular basis! All you can do is what you can do with the given time you have to keep your car up:thumbup:

Sent from my SPH-M930 using Tapatalk 2
 
Klasse Act said:
Well Frank I'm sure you know what a "true" DD is, a way to get around no matter what and because of that you have to keep things in perspective. Most and I do believe most AG'ers keep their DD in much better condition than 90% of those guys at your local cruize night that pull out their classic, garaged car, I've seen it with own eyes on a regular basis! All you can do is what you can do with the given time you have to keep your car up:thumbup:

Sent from my SPH-M930 using Tapatalk 2
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Your right, our cars look perfect compared to most. As you say even better than cruise show cars. I'm always striving for perfection
 
swanicyouth said:
^prolly.

Wiping off dirt will always scratch more than rinsing it off. There is no magic chemical in any wash product that prevents scratches. The safest & least aggressive method is pressure rinsing off as much dirt as possible before touching the car.

I think the safest method is to wash the car when it's dirty - and don't do touch ups in between.
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I just bought a gallon of CG Ecosmart.. I bought into their " captures/traps the dirt in hydrophobic beads that are wiped away without scratching"
 
EVOlved said:
Mine would be extremely close but things happen. For me it really seems more like other people happen. As I have now had my car egged and had plastic containers drug across my hood by my lovely neighbors.
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On your Evo? That stinks, to many people just don't respect other people's property.

My car is in the 80-90% range. No door dings or scratches, only some swirls and a rock chip :mad: after a year of ownership. I'm going to see how close I can get the paint to perfect this spring and see if I can keep above 90%. Fortunately I don't put on a lot of miles during the winter.
 
tenblade2001 said:
I just bought a gallon of CG Ecosmart.. I bought into their " captures/traps the dirt in hydrophobic beads that are wiped away without scratching"
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Do a test of the claim

Buff out a section on your car to absolute perfection

Take some photos in the Sun

Do 5 rinseless or waterless washes

Take some photos in the Sun of the same spot

Call Chemical Guys to request your money back
 
allenk4 said:
Do a test of the claim

Buff out a section on your car to absolute perfection

Take some photos in the Sun

Do 5 rinseless or waterless washes

Take some photos in the Sun of the same spot

Call Chemical Guys to request your money back
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Good call. Thanks bruther.:xyxthumbs:
 
Dogfather said:
My current daily driven car and any future DD is and will always be white.
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My daily driver is black. I must be a masochist. The Mustang is white though.

I've just learned to tolerate the swirls. It's nothing severe, but they do build up. Polish once a year.
 
frankprozzoly said:
Is it impossible to keep a daily driver perfect? I noticed a few very fine scratches on the hood after a rinseless today. The sun was very bright and I noticed them.

I'm happy with the way the paint looks. It's a little disappointing though considering I try sooo hard to have good technique
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Don't let the impossibility of perfection deter you from continuing to reach for it.

Sometimes it's the journey that matters, not where we end up. I think that's true of everything in life. Especially detailing.

Even the most perfectly cut, shaped, and polished diamond has imperfections.
 
I own a black DD and I think I've been able to keep it about 85-90% if you don't count the stone chips, which are really beyond my control.

I take great care when hand washing and avoid rinseless/waterless washes. If the car is dirty I wait untill I can wash by hand (warm weather) or run it through a touchless (winter). When doing my bi-annual major details I polish in the Spring and glaze in the Fall before laying down the LSP.

I've also learned to live with it not being perfect. My car looks better than most cars on the road, and you won't see the imperfections unless the car is under the right light source and you look really close. The maintenance is much higher on black, but to me it's worth it.
 
Desertnate said:
I own a black DD and I think I've been able to keep it about 85-90% if you don't count the stone chips, which are really beyond my control.

I take great care when hand washing and avoid rinseless/waterless washes. If the car is dirty I wait untill I can wash by hand (warm weather) or run it through a touchless (winter). When doing my bi-annual major details I polish in the Spring and glaze in the Fall before laying down the LSP.

I've also learned to live with it not being perfect. My car looks better than most cars on the road, and you won't see the imperfections unless the car is under the right light source and you look really close. The maintenance is much higher on black, but to me it's worth it.
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gospel. My black 08 rabbit takes a stone chip'n and keeps on tickin'. It far from perfect but has drawn alot of attention and gained me many customers who praise it's appearance.
 
Desertnate said:
I own a black DD and I think I've been able to keep it about 85-90% if you don't count the stone chips, which are really beyond my control.

I take great care when hand washing and avoid rinseless/waterless washes. If the car is dirty I wait untill I can wash by hand (warm weather) or run it through a touchless (winter). When doing my bi-annual major details I polish in the Spring and glaze in the Fall before laying down the LSP.

I've also learned to live with it not being perfect. My car looks better than most cars on the road, and you won't see the imperfections unless the car is under the right light source and you look really close. The maintenance is much higher on black, but to me it's worth it.
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absolutely agreed :dblthumb2:
 
conman1395 said:
Get a white or silver car.
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Yep, I have a silver Lexus and although it is not scratch/swirl free. You would have to use an intense flashlight or right angle of sun to see them.

But my dads black BMW, using just a regular flashlight you can easily see swirls and micro marring.

No more black cars.
 
So, we can all agree that your DD won't be 100%, but can be much better than average. With that said, what are y'all recs/routine for a DD?
 
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