submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by SamC@lemmy.nz to c/newzealand@lemmy.nz

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What are people's approaches to washing cars? It seems the options are:

Wash at home on grass (not an option for us)
Wash at home on the driveway (technically allowed where I am, but pollutes the rivers, although may be OK if you can find an eco wash and wax product?)
Go to an auto car wash (not too expensive, but likely to scratch up your car)
Pay someone for a hand wash (costs hundreds)

I just washed our car on the driveway, and tried to minimise run-off going into storm water, but it didn't work that well. Have found this product, but no idea if it's any good, or greenwashing.

Any other ideas?

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[-] Dave@lemmy.nz 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I park my car outside in the rain, which is about as much washing as it gets...

What's the benefit of washing a car? (Not a judgment, but a genuine question)

[-] quirq@lemmy.nz 4 points 1 year ago

Depending on how dirty it is, I would assume at the very least cleaning the car removes things that can harm the paint (and result in corrosion later down the track) like bird poop, road grime and brake dust to name a few things.

Even just washing very infrequently, maybe a couple times a year could probably save the paint on your car and prevent premature corrosion of a vehicle!

Plus some people just like their car to be shiny I guess!

[-] Dave@lemmy.nz 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Thanks for the info! Interestingly, I searched up about washing cars and got articles about how you need to do it in a specific way or you'll scratch the paint (the suggestion was you should not take a cloth or sponge anywhere near the car until you've waterblasted it).

So washing might save the paint, but it might damage it as well if you don't do it right!

I've never owned a new car so never felt the inkling to wash it, but my neighbour across the road bought a ute and washed it every day for weeks. Surely that can't be good for it.

[-] sylverstream@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah same question. I used to wash cars often but stopped doing it. Perhaps once a year. I do wash off bird poo straightaway as I've been told that will eat into your varnish.

[-] SamC@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

To be honest we don't wash it that often, but are getting it ready to sell at the moment.

But there was a lot of crap that had built up, which I'm sure isn't great for the paint.

[-] Dave@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

Do you have a touchless car wash nearby?

You can sometimes also find do it yourself car washes that you basically waterblast it with soapy water.

I never wash cars so maybe you should listen to someone else.

[-] SamC@lemmy.nz 4 points 1 year ago

Yeah good point, I hadn't thought about DIY car washes..

Giving confident opinions on topics we know nothing about is what the internet was invented for!

[-] Viper_NZ@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

If you're using a DIY car wash - use the water blaster/rinse feature to blast any grime or grit out of the brush before you use it.

[-] Ilovethebomb@lemmy.nz 1 points 1 year ago

It looks like shit, particularly if the vehicle is quite a light colour. Given how much a new car is worth, obviously an owner would like to keep their vehicle tidy. It's also a bad look for a company vehicle. Sometimes paint can be damaged if grit and mud is stuck to the paint, bird droppings are particularly bad for this.

If your vehicle has been near the sea, you would want to rinse off any salt water as quickly as possible