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RX-8 Show and Shine Discussion of car care products and techniques

Raining -- to wash or not to wash?

Old Jan 1, 2005 | 12:21 PM
  #1  
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Raining -- to wash or not to wash?

It's been raining on and off in San Jose for the past several days. If it's not raining tomorrow morning, would you wash your car even though it will probably rain later in the day and will probably rain on and off for the rest of the week? I know everyone walking by will think I'm nuts, but I wanted to ask the true car washing fanatics. Maybe I'll just clean the interior...
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Old Jan 1, 2005 | 12:25 PM
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I washed mine yesterday in the rain. I'd rather have the car clean and wet then dirty and wet
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Old Jan 1, 2005 | 12:44 PM
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Originally Posted by RotorGeek
I washed mine yesterday in the rain. I'd rather have the car clean and wet then dirty and wet
AMEN!
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Old Jan 1, 2005 | 12:46 PM
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I live in Washington State, and it drizzles allot rather than a hard rain. I wash the 8 every week. On Sunday it is getting a major cleaning inside and out. If you keep it as clean as you can all the time, people will notice. It's embarassing to pull up to a stop light, and have grimmy rims...
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Old Jan 2, 2005 | 05:46 PM
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I just washed mine this morning and it started raining in the afternoon. I looked at the weather report and its going to be raining off and on all week. I usually wait for a dry weather prediction before i wash my car but I couldn't stand having my rx8 so dirty.
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Old Jan 2, 2005 | 06:05 PM
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The weather bites around the globe I guess....it's been raining solidly every day in Singapore for a week. Couldn't stand it anymore so did a thorough interior cleaning yesterday...then once that was done I thought, heck, might as well give it a wash!
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Old Jan 2, 2005 | 11:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Genesis
The weather bites around the globe I guess....
maybe the fact that its raining and the fact that you have an 8 attracted you to the topic title, just like everyone else

on another note, i washed and waxed my 8 this morning and went for two drives today (both just for the hell of it). It rained during both my trips. Do I mind? No. Did I wash it again when I got home? Yes.
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Old Jan 2, 2005 | 11:51 PM
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I clean my car at least once a week whether it going to rain or not. The salt in NJ is ridiculous...like sandpaper on the car, especially on the back end.
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Old Jan 3, 2005 | 12:16 AM
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My two cents: It's good to wash your car, even when it's been raining, because rain has minerals and contaminants in it that will deposit on your paint. On the other hand, be mindful that if you wax your car, the moisture may affect the durability of the wax--depending on which one you use--by not allowing the wax/sealant to bond effectively to the paint during the curing period.

Last edited by markd; Jan 3, 2005 at 12:19 AM.
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Old Jan 3, 2005 | 12:39 AM
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:D Washing a car in the rain or about to rain...sounds like OCD setting in :p However, over the years I've found there's a strange (highly positive) correlation between a car that runs mechanically well and a car that's kept clean. So, perhaps the OCD theory is bunk after all :D
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Old Jan 3, 2005 | 01:14 AM
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yeah...

Originally Posted by Nemesis8
I live in Washington State, and it drizzles allot rather than a hard rain. I wash the 8 every week. On Sunday it is getting a major cleaning inside and out. If you keep it as clean as you can all the time, people will notice. It's embarassing to pull up to a stop light, and have grimmy rims...

When I moved up here from So Cal, I came to the disturbing conclusion that if you wait till the rain stops to clean your car, its never gonna get cleaned, so you end up sticking to the routine rain or shine....
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Old Jan 3, 2005 | 06:23 PM
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The one good thing about washing your car in the rain is that you don't have to take the time to dry it off.
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Old Jan 3, 2005 | 07:46 PM
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Originally Posted by oryas
The one good thing about washing your car in the rain is that you don't have to take the time to dry it off.
Right. This cuts time to 1/3.

The bad part is not having it rain after you wash it but when you drive the car all the crap on the road gets on the sides of the car. You'll notice how dirty it is and the roof and and upper part of the car will stay clean.
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Old Jan 3, 2005 | 09:12 PM
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Hey all.....you all do realize we are ill!! :D It's forecasted to rain for the rest of the week in Dallas and I can't wait to get out an wash my black 8 tomorrow evening. Sure, It will be dirty again by the time I get home from the car wash...but thats the price you pay for buying black.

Good luck my sick friends!! :D

- Irish
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Old Jan 4, 2005 | 07:58 AM
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Originally Posted by irish8
Hey all.....you all do realize we are ill!! :D It's forecasted to rain for the rest of the week in Dallas and I can't wait to get out an wash my black 8 tomorrow evening. Sure, It will be dirty again by the time I get home from the car wash...but thats the price you pay for buying black. Good luck my sick friends!!
Oh no! Irish, you're propagating my OCD theory above when I tried so hard to knock it down :D :D
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Old Jan 4, 2005 | 08:13 AM
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when it rains here and i cant hand wash it i take mine through the touchless carwash.a clean 8 is a happy 8.i realize buy doing this the next time i wash it i have to wax it .
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Old Jan 4, 2005 | 08:47 AM
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My wheels were getting dirty with brake dust, so I got ready for a major assault... then I checked and the stuff just wiped off with a soft dry rag. I was done cleaning all the wheels in about ten minutes. :D :D
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Old Jan 7, 2005 | 12:04 AM
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Living here in SoCal, we had hard rains last week and expect a downpour tomorrow. Haven't washed my car in a month; it seems to rain everytime I decide to wash. Some crud is beginning to accumulate on my hood despite all the continual rain washing.

Here's a question. If I put dry carwash crystals or powder on the roof and hood just before an expected hard rain or during a hard rain, will my car be cleaner than just plain rain? I might experiment tonight.

Last edited by rodmeister; Jan 7, 2005 at 06:56 PM.
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Old Jan 7, 2005 | 03:56 PM
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Ya we are sick...

I wash my 8 just to relieve stress.
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Old Jan 7, 2005 | 06:58 PM
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Anybody notice how dirt accumulates on the "V" depression on the hood after a rain. Going WOT doesn't seem to cure it.
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Old Jan 7, 2005 | 07:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Redfusion3
Ya we are sick...

I wash my 8 just to relieve stress.
me too

last weekend was the first weekend since I owned the car I didn't clean it and its still raining


there is no point in cleaning when its raining
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Old Jan 7, 2005 | 07:33 PM
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I wash it whenever...whereever...sometimes I stop in the middle of the freeway and take out my cleaning kit and have some bottled water in my trunk and give my 8 a quick shine.




j/k

Thats sick.
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Old Jan 8, 2005 | 06:44 PM
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the NWS is predicting up to 24 inches of rain in southern California in some locales near the mountains in the next three days. And up to one inch per hour. Now that's a car wash!
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Old Jan 9, 2005 | 04:56 AM
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I haven't cleaned my car in two weeks and its killing me
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