Okay, I just got my xA a week ago and I'll fully confess that in the past I have not been good about keeping up with washing my car and have waxed a car exactly once in the 15 years I've been driving (oops...)

So, I have decided that I will try my best to keep the xA looking great. I've been reading through all the info here in this section and will be going to the store to buy some meguires products tomorrow and look for those detailer's choice microfiber cloths. Thanks for all the great info!!

But, I am totally confused as to what a realistic car care routine should be. Unfortunately, my car will be outside all the time and to top it off I live on a road that seems to have constant new building construction and therefore TONS of red dirt. I just want my paint to be protected and my car to look nice, I don't need it to look ready for an auto show.

I'm guessing washing once a week would probably be a good idea, but what about waxing and polishing and all that other stuff? And as for cleaning the wheels, I really don't even know what the factory wheels are. Are they painted and clear coat sealed? They just look black behind the cover. Already I seem to have red dirt and tree stuff everywhere and I've just been driving back and forth to work and yoga.

I will say that reading all the info here has really inspired me to keep my car looking pretty. I'm planning on washing it tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

It gets too dirty for your tastes... you wash it.



Schedule?

 

when your car gets real dusty, take an air compressor and blow all the dust off of it!

I wax my xb about every six weeks or so. I do it in sections. One week after washing my xB I will wax my hood, fenders and bumper. the next week I will do the roof, back and sides. that way It is eaiser to keep up on it.....


You may also want to invest in a car cover.....

 

UnFocused.. Your right...car cover will help every day and Night

 

I have mixed feelings about a car cover.

If you put a car cover on a dusty/dirty car, the wind blowing
that car cover is going to scuff and grind that dust and dirt
into your paint.

I love a car cover in the winter though, and when I store my
old ___ Porsche, I give it a good cleaning, detailing, and a
couple coats of wax before I throw my all weather car cover
on it, along with a couple extra bungee cords to keep snow
and dust from being blown up into it.

As for Schedule. I wash weekly and before every show/meet.
It bugs me how many people out here show up with dingy cars
but it's not my place to tell them to go wash (though I do ).

If you get a good wax on your car, you can get away with
intermediat dustings with a good Microfiber Cloth and your
favorite detail spray. But you really need to learn when dust
is dust, and when dirt is TIME TO WASH.

Wheels should be done AT LEAST once a week. There is
nothing more damaging then brake dust for your wheels.
So make sure you keep it from eating into the finish/metal.

Wax is really dependant on your environment and how you
store your car. If you drive 20 miles a day and store in a
garage, you could go 6 months without wiping.

If you live in the city, get a lot of acid rain, bird droppings,
and are forced to park on the top floor of a parking garage
right next to the train/"L"/subway and drive 50 miles a day,
you might find yourself waxing every month to 6 weeks.
The road dust, rail dust, acid rain etching, bird droppings
and smashed bugs generally need to be addressed and
the paint re-protected after all that.

Besides, when you get it all down to a science, washing and
waxing is nothing but quality time with your car.

Oh, one last thing. Polishing is for repairing damaged paint.
No matter how careful you are, you'll eventually need to
polish, but generally you don't need to do it often if you maintain
a good wax and wash schedule.