So this is my first white car ever, any reccomendations on keeping it all looking clean...

So far all I've done is got a clearbra on the hood and fender, too expensive to get the bumper covered. But I can already see this will be a work to upkeep.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

 

Lots of tips. Where do you live? That bra may be the worst thing you could have done depending on where you live btw.

 

Canada. You know I've heard concerns about the paint below the bra discoloring or trying to keep the bra polished, but I do a tonne of highway driving everyday and don't want any major chips/rust etc

Thanks

 

clay and wax atleast once a month

 

I wouldn't go that far... it's not the big dumb looking black bra... it's just a clear bra, like a 3m Paint Protection kind of thing - you can't ever really go wrong with that.

 

get the plastic trust me put out cash to keep it clean looking or ull be busting ur butt hard..

 

Overkill and bad for the paint actually.

Claybars are good to use though. Maybe where you live you need to, but really, every few months before a wax is ideal. As for waxing the car, you should never do it more then once every few months, depending on how often you wash the car. Todays waxes use a high degree of silicon to give the shine we all want. Unfortunately, silicon seals paints in and don't allow them the ability to breathe. This, over time, can cause the paint to become brittle and crack, the same as if it were exposed to extreme heat all the time.

Your best to just wash it by hand as often as you can to keep the debris off and wax with a low silicon wax every couple of months. The best product in your arsenal should be you soap and mitt as that will save you from scratching the paint and often puts a thin layer of protectant films on the car, helping aid against daily contaminants.

Because winter is fast approaching, I would spend this coming weekend in the garage giving it a good wash and wax before the snow hits. This will help protect against the harshness of winter the best you can. And, over the winter, try to avoid using touchless washes as much as possible. They are good occasionally, but they use a lot of alcohols to clean the car, which can strip the protectants and dry out the paint, leaving it dull and faded. Best to drop it off at a local detail shop when you feel it's needed and have them wash it for you. Its a little more, but worth it in the end.

Just noticed that above. Don't know how I missed that. Your fine with the clear bra. The leathery ones are junk though.

 

Thanks for the reply. I guess I should read up on clay bars and waxing etc. I havne't had my car for too long, but I drive so much, I've already given up on keeping it 100% clean. I've been reading on certain sprays etc that work like clay bars, so you spray it on, and then spray a wax on. Is that the cheap way of doign it as opposed to a full on wax with a buffer etc?

Also, what sort of cleaning schedules are the "pros" here following when trying to keep their car clean, and what products are you guys using? Thanks

 

Anything that comes in a spray and says its wax is a crock. Its designed for lazy people to accomplish nothing.

I wash my car with a professional wash and wax soap every couple of weeks by hand. I use a soft mitt and a warm water pressure wash. No science to it. Before winter, I waxed it with a low silicon wax (by hand) and before that I clayed it. After winter, I'll do it again.

For the interior, I bang my shoes off before getting in and avoid putting people in the back seats. That way there is less dirt to vacuum when the time comes for it. I have the cargo mat in the trunk to help protect that area as well. All the mats are rinced out ever month or so, depending on how dirty they get.

And thats my "schedule". And I was a pro years ago. Its not hard to keep your car looking great, but if laziness takes over, unfortunately no amount of products will save you. Sadly, that's something I've told my g/f for years, but she never listened. Now her low mileage, never seen snow car looks like it has 300,000kms on it.

Honestly, if you don't think you can keep the finish up and want to have it looking it's best, invest the money in having it washed for you (by hand) by a local detail shop.

 

Never heard of claybars. Just went to their website, sounds like it is more for restoring old paint? Should it be used on new cars? How often.

Also, I found something that hopefully will reduce the hours spent keeping the rims clean. I'm testing it out now/
http://www.armorall.com/products/vie...ry_index=wheel

 

A clay bar is used to clean the painted surface of contaminants. contaminants consist of brake dust, rail dust, and industrial fallout. everytime you use your breaks tiny metal shavings basically fuse themselves into your clear coat. the contaminants are both visible and felt on light colors. they are orange specks all over the vehicle from the windows down and the back of the vehicle. if you cant see them like on my blue tc you cand feel them. run the back of your hand along the body of your car after you wash it. it will feel kind of gritty, and that is what contaminants feel like. a clay bar will fix these problems while protecting your paint. use the right grade of clay and use it properly and you wont scratch your paint. fyi if you ever get overspray from a body shop a clay bar can solve that problem too. dont try to save money by getting a cheap kit either because they are garbage. go to www.claymagic.com and buy from them. best bang for your buck. also for car wax go to www.automagic.com and your car will love you as long as you love it. go carnauba... not silicone

p.s. sorry for your luck on white. i used to have a white truck and the only way to keep it clean is to never use the brakes

 

what does everyone think about dusters? i'm considering getting

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER


OPINIONS?!

thanks

 

Im not interested but i guess if i lived somewhere that the car only got dusty id consider getting one. if you show your car by all means it would be a great investment

 

california duster is definitely bad ash. i used to sell refrigerators and i would use it to clean the tops of them, but its great for getting pollen off the car. I actually am going to pick one up again soon because its that time of year where you walk outside and your car is magically yellow

 

^ So true. I hate a dirty car and the California Duster is a great way to quickly touch up the car during the week and between washes

 

My previous car was 2005 Toyota Corolla, painted Super White. I found that it's best to just keep up with your washes, preferably at least once a week, but once every other week is fine as long as you're thorough with the wash. My wax of choice was Zaino All-in-one, which works very well for white daily drivers.

It's funny because I decided to go Black for my TC2, and going from a white car to a black car is hard because now I have to deal with swirls! My TC2 is a little over 2 months old and it "visibly" has more swirl marks than my 5 year old TC2!