Cleaning - or lack of it

[PeterHBne]

So i've had the pog almost 4 years. I've washed it/had it washed, gee, 7 or 8 times in total and vacumed it less times. never polished or detailed (the shame....)

i see the photos on here of perfect shiny pogs and i feel a bit guilty. but then i think of the hundreds of hours i've saved from car cleaning and then wasted in other fun ways.

so there's that.

any other serial abusers out there?

[vwthunder]

Hmm I think I am the opposite of you, over the last 3 days I have cleaned it twice being about 6 hours all up, well I guess i enjoy it as it is my baby lol.

I probably spend more time cleaning it that driving it, I think i have a problem, or too much free time

[AusScare]

My mate left his Polo GTI at my place while he was overseas.

I checked it out, took it for a drive, saw that it was so filthy, so spent 5 hours cleaning it.

He bought me a bottle of OP Rum as a present because that was the first clean it had ever had.

[flat6]

I spend a crazy amount of time detailing mine, to the fullest extent, guess there are other sick ppl like me but on a plus, it keeps your resale value up.

[PeterHBne]

i think i'm going for the mad max 2 Interceptor look.

mine has got gutter rash on all wheels (some pretty bad), the usual annoying shopping centre dings from idiots in 4wds opening big heavy doors, stone chips, bird poo acid stains that stayed on a month or so too long, etc. i think sometimes you have a line in your mind where once it's crossed you just get over with not having a perfect looking car. as long as it does what it should when it counts - when the key turns.

mind you my 86 suzie swift gti was always utterly immaculate and detailed weekly. but hell, i was young and silly in 86.

[Buller_Scott]

i think sometimes you have a line in your mind where once it's crossed you just get over with not having a perfect looking car. as long as it does what it should when it counts - when the key turns.

not necessarily, peter. before buying the pog, i didnt have a frickin clue how to decently take care of a car - like so many people out there, i thought that "treating" the car was to drive along to one of those self-serve car washes, vacuum it, then rinse it, then get on it nice and vigorously with the foaming brush, rinse it off, and then... wait for it! if i was feeling extra proud of the little pog, i'd treat it to a chamois dry! lol.

then, it would only take 5 minutes of rain to make the car look crap again... so like "most people" on the roads, i'd start putting off washing the car until the weather looked like it was going to be good for at least the next 4-5 days.

my car goes to mt. buller no less than 25/30 days a year during the ski season. after the first season of having the car, having dirt caked on to the back bumper, bedded-in dirt on all the lower parts of the panels etc etc, i was pretty sad to think that my car would never look decent on the road, but i appeased that sentiment by saying to myself "oh well... it's serving a purpose... this car will take me to buller and back 30 times a year, and do it with flying colors, but the trade off is that it's going to look crap all the time".

now, my car looks cleaner than "most" on the road, especially for a daily drive that's never parked under cover. it doesnt take much to take care of the car, and to have it looking good whilst also protecting it a little - i've never bought anything from car care products (they seem to be awesome, but tbh im a little old school and prefer to walk into a shop, get to know the guys, have a bit of a chat and buy off the shelf etc etc).

my car was looking pretty sorry, but a couple of off the shelf products - microfibre mitt, waffle weave drying cloth, a couple of microfibre polishing/ waxing/ buffing cloths + Autoglym super resin polish, Eagle One wax-as-u-dry spray on wax, Armor All tyre shine gel, and some 303 Aerospace protectant for the interior, and the car is at least a little protect, and looking good.

The Autoglym super resin polish seems to be really gentle on the paint work, whilst still being able to take out little nicks, scuffs, marks, and light swirl marks, and the Eagle One wax, at $16 a bottle, does the same job as the Autoglym spray wax ($35) - i simply dry the car, and spray sparingly onto half a panel at a time, and wipe it in with a microfibre. that's it. no need to buff, and you can spray it onto your black plastics and window trim - it restores it to a really nice, gloss black.

Yes, there are better ways to detail a car that will take care of it for longer, but im lazy, and the Eagle One spray wax lasts a good 2-3 weeks, by which time i'm ready to clean the car again. plus, it works awesome on your windows - it could be pissing down rain, and you can drive along the freeway without your windscreen wipers on, and still see just fine.

anyway, folks, that's scott's bedtime story. the moral is that you dont have to bust your nuts to take care of your car. a couple of "lazy people" products like i mentioned, and a wash once every couple of weeks, and your car will still be looking good.

sleep tight!

[Transporter]

I spend a crazy amount of time detailing mine, to the fullest extent, guess there are other sick ppl like me but on a plus, it keeps your resale value up.

and... it keeps you fit. For those who need more motivation you would be also swapping the inside for the outside.

I love that ad.

[noone]

I like seeing mine clean, its just rarely when I've cleaned it...

My rims are looking more Charcoal gray than bright silver the last few weeks.

[flat6]

Quick tip to anyone wanting an instant clean look, just wash your rims, instantly the whole car looks clean

[Ralfi]

Quick tip to anyone wanting an instant clean look, just wash your rims, instantly the whole car looks clean

I use this stuff.........takes grime, dust etc. off easily. I don't even bother wiping with a brush/cloth....just spray it on, let it sit for a couple of minutes & then remove with a high pressure rinse.

[johnw]

With the throw away mentality of modern society I'm surprised people don't buy a new car when the old one gets dirty. Or maybe that's called 3 yr lease? :-P

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[flat6]

I use this stuff.........takes grime, dust etc. off easily. I don't even bother wiping with a brush/cloth....just spray it on, let it sit for a couple of minutes & then remove with a high pressure rinse.

Yeh that stuff is amazing, especially on rims that are difficult to clean, useto use a similar bmw product as the rims on my old e46 sports were a pain in the ass to clean, the pog rims are relatively simple which is nice

[Chuck]

mine hasn't been longer than 3 weeks without a clean since i bout it in '08 and gets detailed every 6 months by a pro....driving a clean car inside and out just fools me into thinking its still a new car

[kaanage]

i think sometimes you have a line in your mind where once it's crossed you just get over with not having a perfect looking car. as long as it does what it should when it counts - when the key turns.

mind you my 86 suzie swift gti was always utterly immaculate and detailed weekly. but hell, i was young and silly in 86.

I like to think that leaving my car covered in grime is a sign of maturity and inner confidence.
Of course, it can also be interpreted as me being a tired old fart who can no longer be bothered trying to fit in an extra chore.

[Buller_Scott]

Of course, it can also be interpreted as me being a tired old fart who can no longer be bothered trying to fit in an extra chore.

yeah, but you've got a family and important stuff to do...

me? "hmmm. okay. i can refresh watercooled a bunch of times to see if anyone's posted something, or i can play gran turismo, or i can have a nap, or i can detail the car.... oh look, this week is every other week - better detail the car"...

im the poster boy for living life to the maxxxx haha