Poll:How Often Do You Wash Your Car?

[ExFlyBoy5]

If we kept ours inside it would be covered with clutter and we could never drive it. Oh, you meant in a garage.

Twice each year for us, once in the early spring and once in late autumn.

Ha! Yes, I think that's what they used to call them. These days, I think most are used for storage of other consumer goods.

 

[Car-Guy]

Daily drivers, about once a week.

 

[dtbach]

Keep the cars garaged and don't drive everyday, so monthly seems about right. More often in winter (Wisconsin) than in summer.

 

[Dawg52]

By hand? Never once in.y 66 years. Car wash once a week

I've done a ton of car washings by hand. But retired from that several years ago. The car wash does a good job and I run it through there on average once a month.

 

[aja8888]

When DW says her car needs a wash.

My truck: when it gets dirty which is usually weekly.

 

[W2R]

It rains a LOT here; 60"-65" each year. So, my car gets a free car wash courtesy of Mother Nature, almost every day.

I haven't washed it even once in the almost 9 years since I bought it. It still looks just like it did when brand new (in the photo below).

I keep thinking that since my new/dream home has a garage, I should start washing it because it isn't out in the rain as much. But apparently it's out enough just from driving it every day.

 

[PBAT]

Once, in 5 years 2 months.

That was one month in. A tree in our yard split in half and fell on my car. The chain saw left it covered in wood chips/shavings so I took it to the drivethru carwash. But we had lots of firewood that winter!

Husband will vacuum the interior for me about once a year.

I'm surprised how many people wash their cars so frequently. I try to keep a car 15 years, so I'm not worried about resale.

 

[Walt34]

I used to hand wash at least weekly and detail/wax twice a year. Age has caught up with me and now it's the car wash whenever it's dirtier than I can stand, which is monthly or every other month. I'm thinking about having both detailed but haven't bothered to get a cost yet.

 

[Bamaman]

I have a young friend that owns a first class car wash. You do your own vacuuming and window cleaning, however. I usually go once or twice a week--since we have 5 cars. Wednesday washes are $3--a great deal.

 

[Nemo2]

Wash the car? If it weren't for the seagulls constantly circling around it, we'd never find the thing in a busy parking lot.

 

[LuckyDog]

The rain washes our cars...

 

[ShokWaveRider]

When it rains, or when I take it to the dealer for service (They do it for free). Besides it is a leased car, it does not get dirty...

 

[foxfirev5]

About every week on average. It's good exercise, along with wax on wax off, sand a floor, and other activities. But I digress. Anyhow it bugs me to see cars idling while waiting in line for 20 minutes at the car wash. Kind of like seeing people with pagers waiting for a table at a restaurant. You're actually spending your time waiting to give people your hard earned cash. For something you could very easily do for yourself.

Like I said I wash my car about every week.

 

[Jerry1]

I run my cars through the car wash, but then a few times a year, I’ll really clean the inside, including windows, and I’ll also go around the outside of the car with a micro fiber cloth and water and clean the exterior places the the car wash just doesn’t get. Mostly the floorboards and the door frames in general. I hate opening up a car and seeing a dirty entrance.

Oh, and yes, silver cars rule. I had a grand national and loved it, but would not have a black daily driver again.

 

[ERD50]

Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly?

Years would have been a better delimiter for me. I'm with the "when it rains" group, or if I'm going to be in a Funeral Procession. Or if I were to take it into the dealer and get a 'free' wash.

I don't even wash my cars before I sell them. By the time I'm done, all they care about is "does it run?". The ROI on a wash would be zero.

-ERD50

 

[gauss]

Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly?

Years would have been a better delimiter for me. I'm with the "when it rains" group, or if I'm going to be in a Funeral Procession. Or if I were to take it into the dealer and get a 'free' wash.

I don't even wash my cars before I sell them. By the time I'm done, all they care about is "does it run?". The ROI on a wash would be zero.

-ERD50

+1

Ours are all old. Model years are 2002 / 2002 / 2000.

Wife could have had a subsidized management lease vehicle, but instead opted to continue driving the oldest nastiest one of them all (which she did inherit from her DD).

I feel pride and satisfaction when I am able to repair them and keep them running for next to nothing -- not by driving a shiny one.

-gauss

 

[foxfirev5]

Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly?

Years would have been a better delimiter for me. I'm with the "when it rains" group, or if I'm going to be in a Funeral Procession. Or if I were to take it into the dealer and get a 'free' wash.

I don't even wash my cars before I sell them. By the time I'm done, all they care about is "does it run?". The ROI on a wash would be zero.

-ERD50

With that level of distain for your vehicle I gotta wonder what your house looks like. Just sayin'

 

[ERD50]

+1

Ours are all old. Model years are 2002 / 2002 / 2000.

Wife could have had a subsidized management lease vehicle, but instead opted to continue driving the oldest nastiest one of them all (which she did inherit from her DD).

I feel pride and satisfaction when I am able to repair them and keep them running for next to nothing -- not by driving a shiny one.

-gauss

Even my recent purchase, just 2 years old now, has been washed only twice. Once a year ago (I got car wash coupons for Christmas), and when it went to the dealer for 'free' (included) warranty service.

With that level of distain for your vehicle I gotta wonder what your house looks like. Just sayin'

I don't have any disdain ("distain"? I clean any stains!) for my vehicle. I have the oil changed at the recommended interval, check the fluids, tires, etc.

It looks just fine. It's not dirty, it just does not seem to need much washing to look nice. It's not like you could pick it out in a parking lot, and point and go 'ewww'.

So that last statement you made is actually quite rude.

-ERD50

 

[Winemaker]

Never.

 

[Independent]

I live in the snowbelt. The salt really piles on in the winter.

When I catch a warmish day, I use the DIY high pressure bay at the local car wash. In March I'll hand wash it in the driveway on a warmer day just to have an excuse to do something outside.

The rest of the year, I'll hand wash it if I've been on gravel roads and the rain just isn't coming soon enough.

The dealer runs it through the automatic machine twice a year when I get the oil changed.

I bought the car (2005 Murano) for practicality, in spite of it's awkward looks.
If I had a car where I really liked the styling, I'm sure I would wash it more often.

 

[aaronc879]

Once at end of winter. Maybe an extra time in middle of winter if I drive when there is a lot of salt on the road.

 

[dixonge]

where's the poll option for 'what car?'


?

 

[FlaGator]

Florida resident for 20 years, so the rain keeps most of the dust at bay. When I lived in SoFla, had to wash them every 2-3 months to get the mildew off

Don't have that problem in the Panhandle, so it's every 4-5 months to get the black streaks off the white car, and whenever DD wants to wash the silver one she's driving. Seems to be 2-3 times/year.

 

[Helena]

.

Hardly ever. But I don't drive much because I'm in an urban area where everything I need is within a couple of miles and most of the time my car is in the garage.

.

 

[MarieIG]

DH takes my car in for a wash a few times a year, when I notice it is getting dirty. About a month ago a tree pooped all over my car, and I couldn't wash off the stains with the hose. DH took it to get detailed and it came out very nicely.