My MME gets dirty so quickly

[Mach1E]

Yes, the car wash solution we use has Rain-X in it.

Not quite the same. That’s about as effective as a car wash with “wax” in it. Better than nothing, but not nearly as good as it can be.

Gotta use the regular rain x that you put on, let dry to a haze and remove like wax.

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[Jack Roberts]

I have a California Route 1 in Shadow Black. I wash it every weekend, but within a day or two of washing, the car looks dirty, with smudges and spots from rain and dirt. I know black car paint is famous for getting dirty easily, but this happens even on the glass windshields.

Anyone else experiencing this, or have any tips on how to avoid/fix this? I wash the car manually at home because I'm afraid of automatic car washes damaging the clearcoat, and I don't really have time to do more than one wash a week.

I have a Black BMW X6 that had the same problem until I had it detailed and ceramic coated. G to hat solved my problem. My Rapid Red will be paint corrected and ceramic coated as soon as I get it.

 

[woody]

Well OK then.
Theory applied would mean the paint and clear bras/PPF were completely scratched off my cars. Huh.
The CCD contains wax ("lubricant"). That is why you replace them when the wax fades.
Stupid me. I thought clear coat protected paint/paint color. And PPF and ceramics added further protection and shine. Kind of like waxing in days of yore.
Rules:
1) no automated car washes
a) especially the new water conserving ones with soft brushes designed not to harm your car
b) no touchless, too much pressure
2) no soap, too damaging
3) no water, might leave water marks
4) no chamois or microfiber for drying, scratches
5) no hand washing, mitts, sponges etc., scratches, waste water
Guess I will go down to the hardware store and buy a heavy duty leaf blower or sand blaster. Wait, forbidden as well.
Ah well. Just put the car in a vacuum storage container.

 

[RickMachE]

IMO, which is worth something only to me, too many people spend way too much time on the appearance of their vehicles, instead of enjoying them. Guy that used to live across the street had 4 or 5 vehicles at one time. Used to array them on his front lawn and take pictures. Washed all the time.

I like my cars clean, and wash them when they're dirty. Then I drive them. I use Collinite 845 once a year and that's that.

 

[billy_at]

Well OK then.
Theory applied would mean the paint and clear bras/PPF were completely scratched off my cars. Huh.
The CCD contains wax ("lubricant"). That is why you replace them when the wax fades.
Stupid me. I thought clear coat protected paint/paint color. And PPF and ceramics added further protection and shine. Kind of like waxing in days of yore.
Rules:
1) no automated car washes
a) especially the new water conserving ones with soft brushes designed not to harm your car
b) no touchless, too much pressure
2) no soap, too damaging
3) no water, might leave water marks
4) no chamois or microfiber for drying, scratches
5) no hand washing, mitts, sponges etc., scratches, waste water
Guess I will go down to the hardware store and buy a heavy duty leaf blower or sand blaster. Wait, forbidden as well.
Ah well. Just put the car in a vacuum storage container.

Oh man, this is exactly how I feel! ?

 

[RedStallion]

I learned today that parking under a tree for shade gets my car really dirty really fast.
Not tree sap thankfully......bird poop. ?

Our local cats like relaxing on car roofs, so that's a natural bird protection. Maybe you should get one.

 

[Olds442]

Our local cats like relaxing on car roofs, so that's a natural bird protection. Maybe you should get one.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Oh man, this is exactly how I feel! ?

Here’s the gouge on car washes:
1. Touchless won’t scratch because they’re touchless. The chemicals can be a bit harsh.
2. Soft Touch can scratch and will eventually. Gouges? Not likely, but fine scratches probably.
3. Old fashioned bristle brushes? Yeah scratch more.

Drying:

Air doesn’t scratch. Not everyone either has or is willing to use an electric leaf blower or dedicated car blower for that. I personally knock most of the water off with a blower and get the mirrors and other spots, then use a large no seam microfiber towel to dry.

Large microfiber and the like towels pulled in a single direction reduce the chances of scratching.

Towels: clean and not old and worn. Microfiber is great.

Hand wash: A two or three bucket system is best.

Pressure washer? Get a foam canon, they’re really good.

Do what you can to get the car clean, your paint will thank you by looking new for years to come. Besides, It’s not religion. Waxing vs ceramic coating is religion.

 

[Kabish]

So I did pickup the Armor All Extreme Shield Ceramic Car Wash last weekend from Autozone referenced earlier in this thread.

Used a pressure washer with a foam cannon and washed the MME with it last weekend. It smells awful, but outside of that it did a pretty decent job on cleaning the car. I do wash my care almost weekly, so it was not too dirty.

I must admit, it does at least feel like there is a ceramic coating on the car. The paint is not currently treated with anything, its just factory. The paint feels like glass when going across it after using the car wash. I was inspecting it again today and its still holding up pretty well with the ceramic coating feel at least. However, like a lot of ceramic soaps, it pull dust to the paint so my car is substantially more dusty than it has been otherwise.

I came across another product that I will be ordering tomorrow that is supposed to also be a ceramic car wash. It makes the statement that it has chemicals that repeal dust, so we will see how that works when I receive it.

All in all, it seems like a decent product.. Car cleaning can turn into such a rabbit hole

 

[Pibbman]

Just an update on the armor product now that it has been about a week. So far it is easily one of the better products that I have used for the MME. It has outperformed the Turtle Hybrid 3-in-1 detailed that everyone praises about.

of course, I still get dust but that’s just a fact of life but beading and everything else is much better IMO.

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