bean438

Can you care for your 8 too much? My wife thinks so. I wash it 3-4 times a week, hand drying and follow it up with a Meguires quick detail spray. Not to mention dressing the tires.
I will do this even when the car is clean but slightly dusty. I love a clean car and feel it is my duty to have a car that looks great not only to me but to others who see me in it.
Should I seek help? Is this vain?
Seriously though we are going on a vacation and I want to bring my entire cleaning kit (car sop, wash mitt, glass cleaner, detail spray, clay bar, tire dressing, vinyl cleaner, towels etc) with me so that my car will be showroom perfect at all times.
My wife says to relax when we are on holidays and to maybe only bring a couple of towels to dry it off after going to a no touch wash. No detail spray, vinyl cleaners etc. She says a clean car will be good enough, and all the detail can be overlooked for 7 days.
What should I do?
Maybe I do have a problem. 2 hours 2 or 3 times a week (more if it rains) may seem crazy, but I really enjoy it. As a bonus I quite often get a lot of "nice car" comments, and the odd time some babes will come over and talk to me.
Please help!!

IZoomZoomI

wow 3-4x a week sounds pretty excessive. I wash mine roughly once a week and its a thearapeutic thing for me .

Kel Rx8

i think your sain
sometimes i get pissed off cause i dont have enough time or just too damn tired
to wash it. i say 2 wash's a week is where im at
the local kids in the area are always saying wow you wash your car alot.? kids

my schedule for car wash's is usually late afternoon 5pm done by 6pm
i do the tires with armor all, or black majic
windows i use rain x window cleaner.
for my wheels i use simple green
and finish it off sometimes with a meguiars quick detailer after a cruise.
but yeah seems like a wash gives the rx8 more points on the road,
and my car gets more attention from ladies then any o.v i ever had.
i cant complain but im sure wifey doesnt like that

robertdot

We all have our hobbies. When I was in Alabama, I tried to wash my car once a week because it fit in with work and daylight times, even if it was going to get rained on the next day. Otherwise, I spend HOURS on my computer, redesigning my website, rescripting, making things, photoshopping, surfing, etc. If I didn't have a computer, I'd PROBABLY be washing my car, which would be 2-4 hours a day at minimum.

So, are you crazy? Nah. You just have a new hobbie. Some people build model trains, or model cars, or airplanes, or do art, or watch TV. You clean your car. Sounds healthy to me.

ACHILLES

It's your life, do what you like with it. If you want to give away hours of your life for a clean car go ahead. It's not like it makes any difference to us anyway unless you posted that because you want to hear that your mentally ill and you could be doing something meaningfull. But that didn't come from me and that is if that's why you did post your post. But besides, what the hell are you doing reading this??? Go outside and wash your car man!

Rob Tomlin

You guys ain't got nothin' on me!

I remember a time when I had a Black '69 Camaro that I was constantly detailing. One day it rained at work, the clouds started to break and the sun started to come out. Ya know what I did? I actually LEFT WORK TO GO HOME AND WASH MY CAR for fear that I might get water spots!

I can relate to being ****!

As far as 4 washes a week, this shouldn't be necessary. Use your quick detailer spray daily, and the car will look fantastic for at least a week.

mysql101

You'll eventually slow down and start washing it 1-2 times a week, then every other week.

shorty911

dude you just have something your proud of and you like to keep it as nice as possible its perfectly normal and its definately a good thing

RotorGeek

I wash it once a week and soofar polish it once a week with Liquid Glass

loco4rx8

Typically, I wash mine once a week. But hey if you enjoy washing it more, go for it!

I do think it's important to wash it once a week, or every other week at least, during the summer. As robertdot said, even if it's going to rain the next day, you will get the bugs and crap off and make it easier to keep it clean.

Once you let a car go for a couple months without any kind of washing, you're really asking for a hard time getting it looking like new again. Especially if you get a lot of bugs, tree sap, bird poop, etc.

rx8cited

I agree with your wife .......... 3-4 times a week is a bit much considering the wife's not getting any pampering during that time .

rx8cited

Rob Tomlin

I highly recommend washing at least once a week. And even then, you should be doing "touch up" during the week with a quick detailer spray. This is the best way to maintain the paint in it's best possible condition.

red_rx8_red_int

I wash about every 4-5 days typically. Use the califionia duster every other day, and occasionaly wipe the car down with a wet microfiber followed by a dry microfiber. But once I went over a week without doing anything. I try to keep it showroom condition at all times. But I balance that effort with other priorities.

mikeb

I clean it good once a week
and touch it up once a week

and I love cleaning it

bean438

I dont trust a simplt touch up with detail spray without washing. Dust and scratches!
ANy way I dont care about washing any more. I have an unfixable leaking tire. I have to wait a week because there is nothing locally in stock. I am kinda mad.
I cant take it on my trip to the twin cities now.

Twinturbo2800

1-2 times a week for me...

bureau13

Well, that's why you use the detail spray and not just water...to handle the dust. That's why they invented the stuff.

jds

irish8

1-2 times a week for me!! The problem is I take literally 4 hours or so to clean my baby. I'm definately sick....I detail the inside of the rims, the engine bay, the wheel wells......even the damn tail pipes!!

I gotta go see my Doctor now!!

- Irish

bj99mm

I resemble that remark!
I thought **** was a prerequisite to all RX-8 owners with type A personality disorders. :D

Naughty Boy

Once a week, usually Sunday, for 6 hours.

Very therapeutic! Also fun! Cheers!

legokcen

I tend to get more compliments about it when it is newly washed too. I have more than likely washed it at least 1/week since I've had it.

emailists

I live in a highrise buidling in Manhattan and we are lucky enough to have an indoor garage with a faucet and a drain I can use (this is a rarity in NY and I dread the day the Hospital my GF works for kick us out of this Hospital housing building- which they will do probably in a few years or less)

I bought my own coil up hose and pretty much every time it rains I just give it a quick hose off- usually while the car is running- it only takes 3-4 minutes. Then I drive it down to my floor to park it towel dry, using a patting motion, generally I dont drag the towel across any surface for fear of micro scratches. This makes the drying process a bit longer.

If it hasn't rained, I generally hose it down like this 1-2 times a week. I hardly ever use soap in fact!!! Maybe once a month. I am due for 2 coats of Zaino.

The titanium color seems to not show dirt very much. I will never take this car to a car wash since there is no truly touchless carwash here in New York that I know of. I have my probe GT '94 for 9 years and only had it in the car wash maybe 6 or 7 times in total. I generally just let it get dirty (in the winter it was bad!!!) and hand wash when I could. The new owner of my WHite Probe GT (a security guard in my Building) commented yesterday how good the finish still is.

JJ01769

I was my car about 1, maybe two times a week. Im in the process of putting on my first Zaino Treatment right now.

Rob Tomlin

I agree that washing a car can be therapeutic and fun!

It's nice to be outside washing the car, having neighbors come over and talk cars etc!

bean438

I tried to get my wife into helping me wash the car. I said stuff like its a couple type activity, we should spend more time together, it will strengthen the marriage, and so forth.
Anybody considering using the samr method...................
Umm...it doesnt work. She said she wasnt born yesterday.
Oh well , I tried.
If you dont ask, the answer is no!