Poll:How Often Do You Wash Your Car?

Roughly How Often Do You Wash Your Car(s)?

  • weekly or more often

    Votes: 13 7.3%
  • every other week

    Votes: 15 8.4%
  • monthly

    Votes: 32 18.0%
  • every other month

    Votes: 14 7.9%
  • quarterly

    Votes: 26 14.6%
  • well less often than quarterly

    Votes: 78 43.8%

  • Total voters
    178
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.



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
Sorry for my comment. However I have a tough time with anyone saying their car looks just fine without washing. I've driven virtually every section of the country in all kind of weather and have never experienced a car staying clean for more than a couple days. I guess its all relative.


I believe my position partially comes from an impromptu car inspection during a sales meeting early in my career. The manager walked everyone out to the parking lot and went over each car. Most of the vehicles were a mess. The berating tirade that ensued would certainly not be tolerated today.


Fortunately I had completely gone over the car before the meeting so I was used as an example of how to take care of the equipment. One guy was so ticked off he suggested the boss check my call reports because a car that looked that good could not be visiting construction sites.


Nit picking attention to these kind of details served me well in my working career. Now not so much. DW has been known to throw me the broom at the mere mention of a dust bunny.
 
If I drive it I wash it, usually every couple days. I wax it every couple weeks, and clay bar once a year.
 

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Sorry for my comment. However I have a tough time with anyone saying their car looks just fine without washing. I've driven virtually every section of the country in all kind of weather and have never experienced a car staying clean for more than a couple days. I guess its all relative .....


Nit picking attention to these kind of details served me well in my working career. Now not so much. DW has been known to throw me the broom at the mere mention of a dust bunny.

That's OK. But for many of us, the outside of our car, and the inside of our house are very different matters anyhow. I live, eat and sleep in my house, cleanliness matters to me there. I rarely see the outside of my car. No comparison really

And it's true that my car stays clean, even if you have a hard time with it. I drive very little, ~ 3000 miles per year, and it's in the garage if it's not on the road. I don't drive on gravel/dirt roads. I do my best to avoid freshly salted streets in winter. Not much chance to get dirty. The red color really doesn't show dirt that much. I honestly don't think you would pick it out of a line of cars in an average parking lot, and think anything of it. I've never noticed it to stand out in any way. If it did, I would would think it was time to get it washed (or hope for rain).

... Nit picking attention to these kind of details served me well in my working career. Now not so much. DW has been known to throw me the broom at the mere mention of a dust bunny.

Well, I go try to after any dust bunnies that might have popped up before DW sees them. So there goes your theory that an annual car wash = messy home. :nonono:

-ERD50
 
Sorry for my comment. However I have a tough time with anyone saying their car looks just fine without washing. I've driven virtually every section of the country in all kind of weather and have never experienced a car staying clean for more than a couple days. I guess its all relative. ....
That's OK. But for many of us, the outside of our car, and the inside of our house are very different matters anyhow. I live, eat and sleep in my house, cleanliness matters to me there. I rarely see the outside of my car. No comparison really

And it's true that my car stays clean, even if you have a hard time with it. ...

-ERD50

Just to give you an idea, I had a chance to snap a pic of DW's car on a recent clear day. This car has not been washed for at least 2 years, probably longer (went in for the air bag recall ~ 2 years ago, the dealer may have washed it, can't recall). It certainly hasn't been washed since then.

It's a 2011 CRV, just a daily driver, not a "show car" or anything we take specific pride in (unlike some of the possessions in and around our home). It's just transportation. I understand if someone wants to keep their car pristine at all times, that may require frequent washings. But you can go a long time w/o it being anything that a casual owner would need to be ashamed of in any way ( I think if you click, you'll get a less pixelated view). Maybe some smudge around the wheel wells, but looks pretty good to me otherwise. Maybe I'll take some Armor-All to those this w/e.


-ERD50
 

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Well, I go try to after any dust bunnies that might have popped up before DW sees them. So there goes your theory that an annual car wash = messy home. :nonono:

-ERD50[/QUOTE]

Agreed. I like to think I'm not too old to learn. I do need to be more proactive inside the home rather than polishing cars and boats and calling it a day. :)
 
Being a car guy, I like a clean car. However I find using the drive through car wash more than hand washing. Frequency has more to do with how dirty the vehicle is than pure number of days. I used to wash a lot more in younger days, but that has become less frequent now. My old cars I tend to clean before driving them.
 
Wash the 'town' econo box car every other week or more often as necessary.

Never the 'farm' pickup. It just wouldn't be right.

heh heh heh - Ok will hose out the inside of the bed once in a while. :angel: Gotta keep that part functional. :D AND I will crawl underneath to pull out anything stuck from driving across fields and pasture. :greetings10:
 
The 14 year old minivan gets washed when it gets to the point that we get filthy when we accidentally lean against it, but it is garaged so that is infrequent. The truck is parked outside, but, well, it is a truck. When the mud gets caked on too badly or there is salt crusted on it. Otherwise, it rains once in a while.
 
What is the "wash" you speak of? I believe the dealer washed it when I bought it. Now it has 5 years of patina.
 
We have 5 cars in the household. I don't wash any of them on a schedule. They get washed more so to protect the paint finish. So, they're washed when they have visible dirt or bird junk, so that the dirt and bird stuff doesn't get embedded in the paint.

I never use a drive thru car wash. Ever. Being a car guy, I think car washes are too hand on the paint finish, so all washes are done by hand with a micro fiber cloth.

In the winter time, I will use a coin operated spray wash just to hose off the salt. If it's above 32 degrees, I'll pull out the hose in the driveway and just spray them.

I also try to hand wax each of them twice a year. I did use a clay bar a couple of times, but I kinda drew the line in the sand there.
 
We have a sweet deal. We have 2 Mercedes and our Mercedes dealer washes cars bought from the dealership for $0 every Saturday from 9-12. The wash includes vacuming the interior. The Lobby of the dealership offers a stocked breakfast bar with local pastries, a Starbucks commercial coffee machine and free snacks, sodas and juices. Reading material is abundant-latest periodicals.

The logic of this perk is pretty obvious-The dealership sales people interact with their clients who come in regularly. They are pretty unobtrusive though. The Saturday morning wash is part of our routine of Saturday morning errands.
 
4-6 weeks

There's a delightful young man who started his own car detailing business and I call him up regularly to make an appointment. He comes to our home with his self-contained van and washes/vacuums for $50.

Well, actually, $40, but I tip him another sawbuck.

Our new SUV is my pride and joy. It's also big/tall. The first time my DH and I washed it - we already had all the equipment needed - it took almost 90 minutes. Remember, that's both of us! We park on the street so oh my, it gets dirty and dusty.

Screw that. He does a better job, faster, and we don't have to do anything except unlock and lock the doors. He costs no more than the horrible drive-thru washes - which have started charging more for SUVs, out here - and is much more convenient.

That's one thing I love about my DH. He points out that our time is worth $$$ as well. If we can spend our time doing what we want to do, when we're able to afford to hire someone else to do it - then that's what we do.
 
When people are able to write "WASH ME" on the car, then I'll wash it.:)


Actually, the Toyota dealer where we get our cars services began throwing in a free car wash for scheduled maintenance appointments, so the cars are washed at that time. Or, if some major gunk as occurred, such as driving through mud with other cars, a snowstorm that gets salt on the cars, or dive bombed by birds.
 
I get my car washed every few months . I do it more for the inside than for the outside .So do you people who do not wash your car at least vacuum the inside occasionally ?
 
What is the "wash" you speak of? I believe the dealer washed it when I bought it. Now it has 5 years of patina.

Yup - "wash," what's that? Ok, when it goes to the dealer, they wash it...but otherwise, rarely in the true sense of the word....
 
I get my car washed every few months . I do it more for the inside than for the outside .So do you people who do not wash your car at least vacuum the inside occasionally ?


Good point. I may not wash the exterior of my car often, but I do vacuum out the inside about once every two weeks, and more often if we have been making long trips and/or going in and out in bad weather, when one can accumulate more junk/dirt.
 
.

Wash my car ?

Isn't that what rain is for ??
 
However often it rains... i.e. never.

Actually this isn't entirely true. Every year or two we see the local high school running a 5 buck carwash. Oh how the little darlings' faces fall when they encounter our filthy monstrosities.
 
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However often it rains... i.e. never.

Actually this isn't entirely true. Every year or two we see the local high school running a 5 buck carwash. Oh how the little darlings' faces fall when they encounter our filthy monstrosities.

The church/school across the street from me has a car wash every so often. But they always have it in the fall, not in the spring when cars would be dirtier after the messy winter.
 
I get my car washed every few months . I do it more for the inside than for the outside .So do you people who do not wash your car at least vacuum the inside occasionally ?

If I'm on the road for work and eating in the car, sure. Otherwise I find that cleaning the windshield is more than adequate for keeping the car clean. Of course, I'm normally not traipsing dirt into the car or dropping fries under the seat either, so there's little-to-nothing to bother vacuuming up.

The car gets washed when it needs it, i.e. too many bugs/obvious large amounts of dirt/dust accumulation/etc. Which is very rare outside of trips to client's facilities.
 
It's becoming less frequent, but I like hand-washing to find all the new dents, nicks and scratches. Was 2x a year, DW car once a year. Wash maybe once a month or so. Much more often when the plows start dropping salt.



My 4 yr old truck's wheel wells are already rusting and I washed that more than anything I've ever owned. The plows use some strong stuff here in the North. Unless it's a foot of snow or more, our world keeps on turning around here as if nothing happened.
 
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