Well,

 I used to wash my cars each week, (three bucket method, dried and waxed / protected) but now as old age catches upon me it becoming too much, what do other oldies do to maintain cosmetics ? No touch, pay someone (not an option here), live with the grime ??

 I do posses the equipment but find its turning into an all day job !!! that takes 3 to recuperate (good exercise though 🤥)

Edited 30 January, 20251 yr by Crucian

I live with it, I will put it through a brush car wash maybe once a year but not down here because it costs €8 whereas the exact same car wash in an identical filling station of the same supermarket group costs €4 when I go back up to Northern France.

I have got slightly more "efficient" with my car washing and a little less obsessive, though I still try and wash it weekly.

I use the "two bucket" method less frequently, hosing down my wash mitt when it gets particularly soiled.

I only wax & polish on very nice sunny days when I make a day of it.

I stop and chat to neighbours & friends I've made over the years chatting to people was they walk past my drive when I'm washing my car.

I usually don't dry my car after washing, I use a spray and shine treatment and just hose it off. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/CarPlan-CWR005-Trade-Valet-Hi-Wax/dp/B00MW68QHY )

I haven't changed my obsession with cleaning out nooks and crannies, though. Window rubbers are a particular obsession with me.

I also like to keep it nice under the bonnet. The general public might not appreciate it, but I suspect my mechanic realises that he's looking at a car that is loved and cared for.

 

TL:DR I lowered my standards to match my lower energy.

I tend to live with it unless targeted by flying muck spreaders. I avoid automated car washes but will give the Octavia a hose-down, then a bucket wash, pacing myself, maybe three times a year. 

With a used car I just bought or preparing to sell I used to do a fully two-day clean and polish, this would off course highlight any small flaws but I'm not in the motor trade and wanted to be honest, now I very rarely clean a car, I think I had cleaned my neighbour's car more than I have cleaned my wife's 2015 Fabia Mk3 (I'm not a VW fan).

 

As required I clean (and polish) the rear lights, number plates, door mirrors and indicators and rear window, wiper, wiper blade and third brake light and any bird droppings with a carnauba waterless wash 'n' wax and two microfibre cloths (three if I want a higher polish look).  I also use this to clean the whole car (smears with very old black seals sometimes) the few times I clean a car.  Been using this stuff for many, years on different cars.  It's not truly waterless as you do have to wash the microfibre clothes, don't use fabric softener and remove the label off the cloth before use.  For those with cleaning bug you can get some extremely soft and luxurious microfibre cleaning cloths/towels.

 

For the fantastic-plastic headlight covers I use a very diluted windscreen wash solution in a spray bottle and once a month or two use finish with Plexus, AFAIK not available at the moment, well in UK anyway which is a shame as it brings the fantastic-plastic covers up very well and makes them look very clean (and polished).

 

I only buy the carnauba waterless wash 'n' wax when on offer and used to buy 5 or 10 litres at a time, I am not bothered too much about the brand and label as the UK ones seem to be made by the same  two (or three, I forget) manufacturers.  I know the wash 'n' wax is controversial but if used properly, which is very easy, I have found it find and I never pre-clean before using they would negate the point, on black textured paint and rubber side strips it is OK but I get a better finish if I use Autoglym Bumper and Trim Gel but then I have to wash my hands after.  I still have various bottles of Autoglym products in the shed but generally now life is too short to bother with them.  Decades ago I tried various polishes, very little difference between them and one of the inexpensive ones was as good finish, but was never into the hobby of cleaning cars or detailing I just done it as I have just about always had cars that lived outside.

 

For many years I have used spray and walk away Amor All Tire Foam on the tyres to make the car look better particularly if I have cleaned the wheels (always a PITA job).  Clean just the tyres, large areas of black on the car plus the windows and lights and the car already looks a lot cleaner and shinier than it actually is and it safe to drive.  Even cars that live outside need very, very little cleaning, let alone polishing, for the paintwork to be fine many years later, seen this many times.   ETA: red cellulose excluded, that picks up containments over a good number of years. 🙁 

 

The car club I am in for a few years had their stand at the NEC next or near to Autoglym or Meguiars concours completion stand and I have seen a few concours competitions in passing and know the lengths some went to for the competitions, so I do also know the opposite end I bother with.

 

Edited 31 January, 20251 yr by nta16
ETA:

I usually start off with good intentions....  However, a busy life.
A few months ago I got a new Karoq in Velvet Red and was offered a ceramic coating...

I went for that. It doesn't seem to get as dirty and is far easier to jet wash at home.

It just needs rinsing and that is it.  You don't put wax/polish on a ceramic coating.

So once a month is sufficing over the winter.

 

I would recommend ceramic coating on a new car.

Quickest way to get a lot of dirt and muck off is a citrus pre-wash or snowfoam. Jetwash anything that you can physically see just with a pre-rinse blast first. Then use the snowfoam or citrus prewash all over the car, let it dwell and then a thorough rinse. This removes as much stuff off without touching the car reducing the resulting marring from moving contaminates across the plant with the contact wash. 
 

Other ways you can cut down contact washing workoad:

1 bucket method. The ‘clean’ bucket is to get product on the wash mitt to put on the car. Instead, put it in a pump sprayer and get it on the car that way. Agitate with the wash mitt which you then rinse in the rinse bucket. Only 1 bucket needed. 
 

Multi-mitt method. Have one clean bucket with about 6 mitts in. Pick out one, use it to clean a panel/section. Then put it aside and don’t touch it again. Get the next clean mitt out the bucket and clean the next section etc etc. Danger is if you run out but don’t forget you can use both sides of big microfibre wash mitts.

 

Then look at either Gyeon Wetcoat or Carpro Hydro2. When the car is clean you mist these on and jetwash off. No touching needed. I loved Hydro2. It’s quite expensive for the bottle but you buy a mixer bottle and dilute 1:6 with water. Or you can buy a snowfoam variant or a lite pre-mixed version. 

1 hour ago, travs said:

Quickest way to get a lot of dirt and muck off is a citrus pre-wash or snowfoam

Thanks. I will try that, but enough about me. What about the car?

On 31/01/2025 at 14:10, chills said:

So once a month is sufficing over the winter.

That's far too frequent for me now!  Lights, windows, mirrors and numberplates when required, the rest I leave to the rain.