[McNeo]

I'm sure it's possible to wash the car too much, but how often is enough to keep it clean, without over doing it?

In my case, I typically settle for the best wash at the touch free places. I've heard once a week is okay?

 

[CruzeEcoBlueTopaz]

I have put my car through one of the best automated car wash facilitys available almost on a daily basis for the past 2 years without any noticeable problems.

 

[NickD]

We have touch-free places but sure are not free. Cheapest is five bucks, paid that a couple of days ago. More snow, more salt, Cruze is dirty again, goodbye five bucks.

Can't wait until winter ends, least I think so, but then the bug season will start. Touchless car washes don't do very well with bugs.

 

[newsguy99]

buy a month long pass.. If you go to the wash more than 6 times a month, those passes are already paid for.
Right now, I'm doing $25.00 a month, can go once, everyday if I want. And this one has all the perks.. Lava shield, Hotwax, RainX, and tire shine. It does a great job, and has free Vacs as well..

their standard wash here is $6.00 with no plan.. The wash I'm getting is $12.00 without the plan.. Great Value if you ask me.

 

[Sunline Fan]

I can't wait to see chevycruze2012's answer to this one.

I usually wash once a week or so in the summer, by hand. Maybe every two weeks this winter, but I play it by ear with the weather. If I can only get one clean day out of it, not really worth it unless so dirty that I can't see out the windows easily, or unless a hot date necessitates having a clean car.

 

[spacedout]

Touchless car washes don't do very well with bugs.

Some Kwik trip gas stations have automatic washes, those will take everything off the car. On a previous car I was parked under a pine tree for a month, went to kwik trip to wash, high pressure took clear coat and thinned the paint on the roof. Learned the hard way how acidic that pine sap is and the need to clean it off not only sooner but also with low pressure.

Kwik trips wash has a great under car spray when you enter and heaters to dry the car when you exit.

 

[jblackburn]

Every time I wash mine, it's dirty again 3 days later. So then I just leave it for 2 weeks.

With spring coming, I'll just ignore it being dirty til it turns green. The good thing is spring tends to rain a lot around here. FREE CAR WASH!

 

[NickD]

Last year at this time was in Orlando, with my wife and grandson. Could not believe how clean the cars were, but typically a daily rain around 1:00 PM.

I believe this is a free service. We are suppose to get 1/3" inch of rain today, have to remember to move my Cruze outside.

 

[spacedout]

I never wash my car all winter, never have and never will its a complete waste of money. Every single time I have it just gets salty/dirty 2 days later. I just start washing it once a week in March and go back to once or twice a month in the summer.

I have a friend who washes his truck every time he drives it in the winter, though I would consider him a bit OCD about keepin his truck clean. I drive a minimum of 20 days a month, so average $5 a wash is $100 a month to keep my car clean? No thanks, I would rather have two free tanks of gas a month.

 

[money_man]

I wash mine every Friday after I cash my cheque. It doesn't bother me to do it once a week because its like buying 1 starbucks coffee

 

[carbon02]

From what I've read, you have to be careful, as some carwash chemicals are low pH and acidic. This is done primarily in hard water areas to keep cars from spotting due to hardness in the water. This can also cloud headlight lenses. Sure parking outside for many years can also cloud lenses due to sun exposure, but on cars just a few years old this is sometimes the reason.

I'm a strong believer of an actual paint sealant/wax applied outside of a spray car wash. While carwashing won't remove wax, pH adjustment in a car wash on the feed water to prevent customer car spotting sure will!

 

[obermd]

Some Kwik trip gas stations have automatic washes, those will take everything off the car. On a previous car I was parked under a pine tree for a month, went to kwik trip to wash, high pressure took clear coat and thinned the paint on the roof. Learned the hard way how acidic that pine sap is and the need to clean it off not only sooner but also with low pressure.

Kwik trips wash has a great under car spray when you enter and heaters to dry the car when you exit.

Hopefully not the paint

 

[hificruzer226]

It depends on the chemicals that are being used and the type of "wash" you are doing. I recommend an exterior detail with a hand wax every 3-6 months (based on the life of the wax) and rinsing your vehicle of once a week. If it is a good wax the the dirt will come off with just water. Keeping an eye out for tar, pine sap, bird poo and other evil entities and do an immediate spot clean once you are done visually inspecting the paint (everyday). I cant stress using good wax enough. Personally I like Auto magic BC-2 VISCOSITY #1: ~ 90 to 110 KU(VOC): ~ 13.000 % by weight. I use this every 3 months just depends on free time and weather. Its a great cleaner and sealant. Its not very abrasive and does a good job. You can buff with it on a blue foam pad (fine cut) to get rid of your car wash swirls.

 

[GeoHawk]

I haven't washed the Cruze yet, just got it last Saturday :grin: . But my 7-year old Silverado gets washed anywhere from twice a week to once every two weeks depending on how dirty it gets, either in a manual wash bay or a touchless automatic, and the paint on it still is nice and glossy. I think as long as you don't use a car wash that has brushes or the cloth rags you're not going to wear the paint out. I should add that I also hand wax it about every 3 months too.

 

[kweevuss]

I'm a clean freak, I go at most 2 weeks with a hand wash and other things, I never use car washes.

 

[98sonoma]

My uncle hand washed his CTS nearly once a day during the summers, and the hard water from the outside faucet ruined the windows...you can see hard water stains on them and they look like crap. The only fix it to have them replaced, so he left them alone. Still anal about washing it thought.

 

[Prozac]

buy a month long pass.. If you go to the wash more than 6 times a month, those passes are already paid for.
Right now, I'm doing $25.00 a month, can go once, everyday if I want. And this one has all the perks.. Lava shield, Hotwax, RainX, and tire shine. It does a great job, and has free Vacs as well..

their standard wash here is $6.00 with no plan.. The wash I'm getting is $12.00 without the plan.. Great Value if you ask me.

We have the same thing here in Colorado Springs. I pay $20 a month and can go once a day. In about 15 minutes, the car is cleaned, wiped down and vacuumed. Just too easy to keep it clean that way.

 

[Merc6]

...The good thing is spring tends to rain a lot around here. FREE CAR WASH!...

You mean free rinse cycle and air dry. I will take Rain-X car wash and a mitt and wash in a really bad rain if lightning isn't near.

 

[NickD]

Forget about that car cleaning rain, getting sleet instead and accumulating fast. If I don't hand shovel that stuff off, driveway will be like an ice skating ring later tonight.

Latest local warning is the excessive road salt used this last and present winter, is well water contamination. Maybe and just maybe, we will get our studded snow tires back.

 

[hificruzer226]

My uncle hand washed his CTS nearly once a day during the summers, and the hard water from the outside faucet ruined the windows...you can see hard water stains on them and they look like crap. The only fix it to have them replaced, so he left them alone. Still anal about washing it thought.

You can clay bar them and there is also a solvent that you can you use to remove it ... i do not remember the chemical compound