washing in the rain

Back in the 70's, when I bought my first Corvette, I bought a detailing book titled "Secrets of Show Cars" from one of the Corvette vendors. It was filled with tips and techniques from some of the serious Corvette show competitors. One of the tips was to pull your already-clean 'Vette outside in a rain shower for its final rinse, idea being that the rain water rise left a cleaner finish than a tap water rinse. I've been accused of being insane about some aspects of vehicle cleanliness, but I've never gone that far.
Of course I have gone a bit over the edge at times. My all-time favorite wax was Classic Slipstream, a hard, solvent-based paste. It was advertised that you could wax in the rain with it, and that claim was true. Sometimes it would start to rain on me in the middle of a wax job in the driveway and I'd just keep on going. Definitely got some strange stares from people driving by with their wipers on.

Bill
 
Glad there's many many more like myself! I work until 330am and have spent many rainy mornings with the spotlight on washing the car(s). That way in the daylight I'd just wipe it down with a detailer spray.
Makes rinsing alot easier and I think the paper boy thinks I'm crazy :)
 
Ryan R said:
Glad there's many many more like myself! I work until 330am and have spent many rainy mornings with the spotlight on washing the car(s). That way in the daylight I'd just wipe it down with a detailer spray.
Makes rinsing alot easier and I think the paper boy thinks I'm crazy :)
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So you washed your car in the rain at 3am? Wow! :dblthumb2:

I for one have never washed mine in the rain. Would be fun, but it seldom rains here in SanDiego.
 
Gary Sword said:
I don't mind washing a car in a lite rain. Drying it off can be a problem. If you can pull it in the garage and dry it off it works out well. I would rather wash a car in a lite rain then a very hot direct sunlight.
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:iagree:
 
Most of the time I am not opposed to washing in the rain.

I see a wash as getting the grime off the vehicle. So while it may not be 100% due to the rain already there and potentially spotting a bit, it will get the layer of crap off that is already there.

And that is the point of a wash.
 
do you guys think that the layer/layers or quality of wax on the paint affect anything when talking about washing in the rain?

I ask this because i took my truck hunting 2 weeks ago and drove through a muddy corn field... Tires, rims, and lower part of truck was very muddy... Drove it home and for the next two days we had non stop rain... After the rain stopped, the only visible mud left on the truck was on the mud flaps... I'm inclined to think that if you have a good quality wax on your car, even washing in the rain shouldln't hurt the paint?
 
truckbutt said:
:awman: My wife and I are thinking about moving to Oregon. Seriously!
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Come on over. It's a nice place to live and most of the 'rain' is what I would call an 'all day drizzle'

That said, if you're mobile the phone stops ringing when it starts raining. Always seems to come in for the weekend too which kills my business. :mad:
 
I do this all the time in the summer (doesn't work with snow). The rain water is definitely softer than tap water and provides protection from grinding dirt against the paint as it is "floating". I give it a shot of water from hose and let nature rinse it off. Wash with soap and again with the tap water. Let MN rinse. Pull into garage and dry. Only problem is if I have to go somewhere and the roads are still wet then all for not, and have to do it normal way.
 
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