just out of curiosity for al the dc5 owners or ep3 owners how do you wash ur car. car wash bay? auto wash bay? or hand wash? if hand washing what products do you use?

 

i dont own a dc5 or ep3 but this is how i wash

1. get a bucket of warm water(NO SOAP)
2. spray the car everywhere witha hose
3. rub with a microfiber sponge everywhere
4. hose it again
5. chamos+ microfiber cloth for drying

 

why no soap? the soap is very important because it's the lubricant that prevents your paint from scratching when you run your mit/towel/sponge or whatever you use to clean with.

 

the detergent in soap ruins the clear coat. Ive read on several different articles that

have proven using water is the best way to keep your paint in good condition.

My 88 civic still has its clear coat after 18 years. My dad used soap only a few times

because he didnt know any better. Even though i dont use soap i still get results with

soap or better.

 

if you read the manual it says use dish washer soap or car soap to prevent the paint from deteriorating.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by thecolombian &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if you read the manual it says use dish washer soap or car soap to prevent the paint from deteriorating. </TD></TR></TABLE>

you listen to that and we can compare vehicles 10 years from now

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ck123 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you listen to that and we can compare vehicles 10 years from now </TD></TR></TABLE>
sure


look at my dad's gsr..we used car soap..and t looks like we just got it from the dealership...except the rock chips from daily driving.

 

i heard dish wash was bad so i bought some meguiars nxt car wash. want to try gold class car wash next.

btw, i dont have a dc5 or a ep3

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ATEJ8FTW &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i heard dish wash was bad so i bought some meguiars nxt car wash. want to try gold class car wash next.

btw, i dont have a dc5 or a ep3</TD></TR></TABLE>

i personally like the outcome of gold class over nxt, but i like zymol car wash the best

 

i know theirs alot of quality stuff out there but most you can not get in retail stores. like zaino and symol, etc all has to be ordered online.

zymol found instores is turtle wax rebranded. best retail stuff you can get so far is either meguiars or mothers.

 

I only hand wash mine...I don't trust anyone or anything washing my car! lol

 

tried hand washing myn but some parts just werent clean it wouldnt even rub off..

 

I bring mine to the detailers for a wash, Its only 13 bux for the wash so I figure why not since I hate washing cars!

 

wash and wax it every time...had the car for 2 years in the florida sun and it still shines like new when its clean....Also i claybar it once every two months being its white it sucks up road debri easily

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ck123 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the detergent in soap ruins the clear coat. Ive read on several different articles that

have proven using water is the best way to keep your paint in good condition.

My 88 civic still has its clear coat after 18 years. My dad used soap only a few times

because he didnt know any better. Even though i dont use soap i still get results with

soap or better.</TD></TR></TABLE>


you may have clear coat, but there's prolly scratches all over it. Why don't you just wash your car with a bucket of rocks and a sandpaper sponge (preferably 60 grit) ?!?

 

I just turn on the hose... spray the car with this thing called water... put some colorful soft bubbly fluid called mequires soap in the bucket... n rub the car with a cotton scrub in a circular motion from bumper to bumper

 

soap doesnt just act as a lubricant it physically changes the water by breaking the skin making the water "wetter" if u will....Removes oils and such

 

I wasn't aware there were so many misconceptions about something as simple as soap. You should only use a dishwashing detergent or hand soap like Dawn when you want to strip all products off the body, i.e. old wax coats, etc. For those of you who know what Zaino is (basically an award winning polish/wax that isn't sold in stores as a marketing technique), the people that know what they're talking about (Zaino's website) say this:

"I don't advise making a habit of washing your car with Dawn. But for this scenario it's fine. High alkaline products like Dawn are tough on polishes. It will never harm the paint finish though. A car wash is made specifically to clean without removing durable polishes."

Basically, no, it's not a good idea to use *actual* soap on your car all the time, but just using warm water is not going to do anything for tougher oils and such. The reason to use car wash is that it's less basic than soap, so it won't hurt finish, or even recent wax jobs, but it will cut dirt and grime before you put another wax coat on. Does any of that really matter? Probably only in the long run, like people are talking about 18 years, etc. etc. But it couldn't hurt to spend a little extra money and time, since I should think the members of this site are members because they value their rides.

 

zaino is good stuff

 

all i can say is "ICE" it is great liguid clear wax its pleasure to do. All you have to do is apply the liquid wait 3-5 minutes and wipe down with a micro-fiber wipe the whole process takes about 15 minutes and the results are amazing brings out the color and swirl marks are a thing of the past.

 

if you want to clean everything off, thats what claybar is for.