Who considers themselves fanatics about keeping their car looking great?

I'd like to know who our members are that have a habit of washing and detailing their cars to the nth degree...

Bob ///M3

Well, I am <b>when I get around to doing it</b>, about once every two weeks.

Given that it's driven daily, and we've had a lot of rain here, it can look a wee bit unsightly (although much, much better than any other car I've owned).

I've been letting the "touchless" car wash do the exterior and a quick roll around the interior since I bought it (four months ago) and am just now getting to the point where I feel comfortable doing my own car without worrying about trashing the paint, etc.

I still have some minor touch-ups that need to be done to the exterior.

I keep an old toothbrush in the glove box to tidy up those parts that a vacuum cleaner just doesn't do well.

I'm a nut about it. I expect the bottom side, engine compartment, wheel wells, and door jambs to be as clean as the exterior, if not better. I wax the springs, swaybars, door jambs, and anything else that looks to be in need. But, my car has won more than one concours. Oh, and it gets tracked on a regular basis.

Brian

Who me??? Nah.. my car's always dirty.. ;)

I wash my car at least once a week. I do not feel comfortable if my car is not clean inside and out. My neighbours are used to seeing me washing my car. I get complements on how nice it looks and how clean I keep it. But I am sure they think I am nuts when they see me wash my car while it is raining :D

will generally stop and tell me "you're making us all look bad" while I'm washing mine.

Jeff B.
95 Cosmos M3

I am fanatical about keeping the car clean. My neighbours are used to seeing me almost everyday making sure it looks good and then a detailed wash and clean job on the weekends!

It's good to know theer are others like me....My wife thinks I am nuts! :dunno

Originally posted by zman
I am fanatical about keeping the car clean. My neighbours are used to seeing me almost everyday making sure it looks good and then a detailed wash and clean job on the weekends!

It's good to know theer are others like me....My wife thinks I am nuts! :dunno

Everyday :eek: you are nuts :D :D

No No!!!! Just a wipe down on week days with a CA duster!!! Eeven I am not that crazy!!! :laugh

I think that I've spent about 200 in quarters since I bought my car! I've got a little wash kit in the trunk with dusters, cleaners, a dust buster, brushes. I would say I probably wash my car at least once a week. Anyone else a nut about the door jambs? Thats my pet peive, it has to be clean all the time. I've bought some Armor All wipes just for them. The dead pedal is another one!
Glad to know we are not alone!:clap: :clap:

There is a fractal frustration quality in maintaining a nice car.

With my old city beater car I could care less if a flock of pigeons suffered from diarrhea above it, but now I care when the pollen wafts onto the clear coat.

And the closer I look the more abuse I see, especially from cars in nearby parking spaces. Last week I gave the car a good wash 'n wax and now I realize that there are some sap spots which haven't been coming out in the car-wash and one where the clear-coat is all gone. Not to mention some very tiny dings and paint from other cars on the doors.

I'm wondering whether it would be worth the time and money to have a professional detailer go over the car. Using a touch-up paint (even the one with a clear-coat bottle) just doesn't bring it to "factory fresh" quality.

Will a professional do the trick?

Mickey,
A very good friend of mine owns a black Jetta. No joke this guy cleans it everyday, and I don't mean just a quick wipe down, he CLEANS it everyday. So, you can imagine his dismay when he left, where else, Wal Mart to find a ding in his door. He took it to a pro detailing shop and I'm not quite sure what they did but the ding was completely undetectable. It's amazing what a good shop can do with some compound and knowledge! :D
Good luck,
Dave

Wow, every day, huh? Your friend must have a good amount of time (and money) on his hands. I'd be happy with a duster, but I haven't been able to find one locally and I haven't yet ordered it from the 'net.

Ugh, compound. Well, these are **teeny** dings, but the closer I look and the more fanatic I am about keeping the car nice the more they bug me. Sigh.

I guess when they reach a critical mass I'll visit a body shop / detailer.

www.DentWizard.com

Paintless dent removal is an easy and affordable way to get rid of all of those door dings.

Brian

Originally posted by BMLRacer
I'm a nut about it. I expect the bottom side, engine compartment, wheel wells, and door jambs to be as clean as the exterior, if not better. I wax the springs, swaybars, door jambs, and anything else that looks to be in need.

Wow....now that's fanatic....

-E-

My friends and family think I'm obsessed.

I started studying Detailing, color sanding, etc. I've been looking for a rotary buffer/polisher.

I've got a closet full of sprays, liquids, bars, different types of cloths/towels. I save toothpicks when I go out to dinner.

I even have that G-27 goop I bought off a TV infomercial!

help me.

please.

Originally posted by Jmiller

help me.

please.

So you keep toothpicks and buy things off a TV commercial, hmm sorry dude you are beyond help :laugh

PS: what the heck is G27 goop?

It's the harshest scratch remover known to man, other than Hydrocloric acid.

Never use it. It'll melt your clear coat right off.

help me. please.

I could help you by providing you another car on which to vent your genius. It can always use another wash and wax...

Originally posted by Jmiller
It's the harshest scratch remover known to man, other than Hydrocloric acid.

Never use it. It'll melt your clear coat right off.

I use Mothers 3 stage system, the first step (after washing it that is) is the wax remover, it also removes oxidation, small dirt that has bedded into the paintwork and small (not to deep) scratches. It is supposed to be clear coat safe... I only use it if the car is a year old at least, or it has not been taken care of properly, so you have to use it before wax. Anyhow thanks for the info. I will keep away from it :D

i like my new clear coat....Dust...well i guess it aint clear but oh well;)

I have to give the car a good once-over about every 3 or 4 days. I work off of a gravel road, and black is the WORST color for dirt!!!!!!!!
I think I'm single handidly keeping Zaino in business:laugh

Dust!?

We recently had rain and sun, so the trees gave off a pollen bloom. The trunk of my black car is covered with swirls of yellow pollen. Sigh.

And not a California Duster to be found anywhere.

I'm not a fanatic (I don't think I am anyway), but after looking at the condition of my '88 735 with 189,000 miles on it I have to wonder. It's simply been treated with respect it's whole life I would say. Here's a pic I just took this afternoon.

http://personal.atl.bellsouth.net/rdu/c/b/cbrans/pictures/735i/DSC00512.JPG

http://personal.atl.bellsouth.net/rdu/c/b/cbrans/pictures/735i/DSC00514.JPG


Chuck

Wow, very clean car with 189k miles. Are those the original seats? They look new! How did you keep the leather so clean?

Yep, it's all original. It's been garaged almost 24hrs/day since it was new except when it was traveling cross country or doing light duty in recent years. I've used Lexol leather cleaner and Lexol leather conditioner on it from time to time over the years. I'm now selling the car due to 540i 6-spd arriving in 2 weeks (and not having a 3rd garage spot, damn!). You can see the add in the buy/sell section of the forum, and there are links to more pictures of the whole car there.

Chuck

Wow, now that is a clean car CSB540i. I can't imagine my car looking like that with 189,000 miles.

I thought I was the only nut. I try to wash and wax my car every weekend. I know my neighbors get tired of seeing me outside every Friday afternoon. One thing I hate is dusting the brake dust off my wheels everyday!!!!!!

Willy///M3 forget the brake dust, get some Repco, Ferodo, or any modern pads that hardly dusts! That's the first thing that will happen to my 540 the day after I get it!

I try to wash te car completely once a month, inside and out.
I even wax the rims to try to keep off the brake dust.
But we have been having unstable weather so the car is dirty by my standards.

i try to keep it clean as possible. my girlfriend thinks i am a nut:chix
but the weather hasn't been the best here either, and it hasn't really been cleaned well lately.
i don't know why...i just got new wheels and i got to keep it looking good:cool: