How do you guys wash your car?
I had a 3 and now switching to a Y. My 3 i would just wash at a regular car wash but it caused swirls and i dont want to repeat the same mistake. I dont have time to hand wash lol
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I had a 3 and now switching to a Y. My 3 i would just wash at a regular car wash but it caused swirls and i dont want to repeat the same mistake. I dont have time to hand wash lol
28 bucket method. Anything less will destroy it
Lol
😂😂 this is the way
I drove it around the block a few times in the rain yesterday
Came here to say this. I use ONR and do a one-bucket wash. I do one panel at a time and dry with another micro fiber towel as I go. Takes me about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how dirty the car is.
I would HIGHLY recommend that folks use the Optimum Option-Seal polymer paint sealant spray. You only have to use it once every 9 to 12 months and it acts as a great sealant where dirt/crap is easier to clean. When you apply the spray do a. wash and clay towel first to make sure car is clean.
Came here to say this. I use ONR and do a one-bucket wash. I do one panel at a time and dry with another micro fiber towel as I go. Takes me about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how dirty the car is.
I would HIGHLY recommend that folks use the Optimum Option-Seal polymer paint sealant spray. You only have to use it once every 9 to 12 months and it acts as a great sealant where dirt/crap is easier to clean. When you apply the spray do a. wash and clay towel first to make sure car is clean.
What is the function of the sealant spray?
It functions as a protective coat against the elements and makes it so much easier to clean. So things like bugs and dirt sit on that protective coat and not your paint. Since those things don’t sit on the paint any chemicals that might stain or penetrate your paint without the coating don’t have an opportunity to do that. Because of that when cleaning the dirt and bugs lift easier from your car which means you don’t have to scrub hard and scratch your clear coat.
Now what the spray does not do is protect against scratches like a PPF.
Ya I love ONR. it takes me around an hour to fully clean the car and it looks great. I can do it in my parking garage. I usually spray it off first to remove most of the dirt as the area I’m in gets the car really dirty.
What is ONR?
Optimum no rinse
That’s been in my Amazon cart. How do you wash underneath? Just a quick spray?
i just ordered a power washer and a foam cannon from amazon. ✅
That’s what I do. Never used a mit. One car specific drying towel is enough to dry the whole thing.
Squeegee for the top windows and that gets so much water off.
Hand wash. Unfortunately I used a regular car wash and noticed some scratches. I would do a hand wash or touchless wash.
$30 for unlimited washing at a new drive through wash near me. Great vacuums and I bring a spray wax from McGuire’s (does it smell like Pez to anyone else? ) to finish off with high quality micro fiber.
I’m sure there’s some wisdom to the people warning about micro scratches of some sort, but this is a brand new shop and I’m sure the squeegee technology has improved at least a little so hoping for the best. So far I’ve seen all sorts of cars go through that place And I love to keep mine clean so if I do end up getting scratched in the future I’ll look into new paint job.
It’s a car. Treat it like a car. You’re good.
Do you live in Bonney Lake, WA? lol. There’s a new car wash I went to for the first time there and they offer unlimited car washes for $24-$40. They also have great vacuums.
I have a white MY and it’s been through dozens of brushed car washes. No PPF, no problem.
La
Olympic Speedwash 20 bucks for the first month and then 30 afterwards.
This is me too!
Touchless car wash every once in a while
Followed by steel cleaner on the trim.
Careful with these. They use harsher detergents.
They started discoloring the blacked out trim pieces on my 3 after half a dozen washes.
Discolors regardless
In the rain. 😂
Regular car wash but I ask for touchless so it doesn’t have anything touching the car. Just sprays and soap etc. and I have a subscription so I can go weekly
I jet wash with water really well and get 90% of the crap off. Spray the lower half the car with citrus pre wash. Then snow foam over the top leave for 5 mins jet wash off. Then snow foam again and contact wash with two bucket method. Then pat dry with a huge micro fiver towel. Then I wax with finishKare 1000p once a month and fuso99 once/twice a year….
Then glass cleaner inside and out
Get all my stuff from
https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk
Car is 17 month old 16k, no swirls and looks great.
Excessive? Possibly but i brought the car outright and not leased.. so I like to look after it
Why don’t you use a shammy? To dry? Much better :)
I used to use a shammy in the early 2000’s then switched to a synthetic shammy, but I found a dedicated large micro fibre drying cloth seems to do the trick much quicker and safer than a traditional shammy
Touchless car wash about once a month. Do not select the extra wash options or you will get detergent marks on the window trim.
No rinse wash
I’ve been running my 3 (2019) and my Y (2022) through automatic car washes weekly (subscription). Paint still looks great imo.
My bigger frustration with paint is chipping from driving. My white 3 shows maybe one blemish while the blue Y has a ton. IMO Tesla paint is weak and requires ppf in the front. I had to have the Y paint repaired and covered.
I got Stealth Gray for a reason.
Swirls and dirt are very noticible in MSM, can't imagine SG is that different.
The reason would be not washing it at all.
That's one way to do it lol
Touch free car wash about every month. More frequently if weather is wonky. Then I use chemical guys interior cleaner, tire shine, and wheel cleaner. Window cleaner as needed. That’s it.
ONR one bucket wash. Done in less than 20 minutes.
To the 15-20 minute one bucket ONR folks, what are you guys doing? It takes me at least an hour to wash mine this way, going by Jeremiah Jones'' method.
It’s a car…I go through the car wash.
pay mobile hand wash
Just like any other car. Automatic car wash with great monthly subscription for unlimited washes. It’s still a car.
A car covered in swirls
Been through dozens and no swirls. Maybe because it’s white.
I suppose that’s not any different than my previous vehicles and didn’t notice enough to care then. I drive my car. I take good care of it but I’m not showing it in car shows or anything.
This is the most convenient for me and i had the monthly subscription for my model 3. But people keep saying its a sin to do that so idk lol it did cause a lot of swirls
What color?
The model 3 was blue. Horrible horrible paint
I am living in a snow area, so I am washing the underbody manually to clean the salt, then goin to touch less car wash once a month.
I use soft cloth car was every couple of days. I just give it a buff & wax a couple times a year.
Pressure washer with a foam gun. Takes 10-15 minutes or so.
I schedule a mobile wash to come to my work every month
Waterless car wash one bucket method or just waterless and damp cloth if it's not too bad. It doesn't take but 15/20 min.
A bucket, microfiber cloths and some car wash soap. Warm water with the soap, hand wash. Takes me no time and always does a good job with getting rid of grime.
Find yourself a solid touch less truck wash that has proper pressure washing guns, roll up with drying towels and tire dressing call it a day best alternative to washing by hand at home or do one bucket touchless like some of the others mentioned ✌🏽
Hand wash and Griots ceramic spray afterward
I never washed any of my cars at those spin brush places. They carry dirt and thats how you get swirl marks. They are more noticeable in the sun if you take a close look. I went to a hand wash place or did it myself at those self wash places. If you happen to have those swirl marks just get the car buffed and waxed and dont go back to those spin brush places. I also use detailer spray and micro fiber towels in between washes. Takes me about 10 to 15 minutes and saves me frequent trips to the car wash.
ONR, absolutely the easiest way to wash car
Ingest in ceramic coating, after dont worry about swirls nd scratches from carwash, heck just wtaer preasure without touching it with anything else do the trick, to some degree afternthat
Even for a person that has always washed cars myself with microfiber towels and having experience with detailing, tesla paint is really sensitive so even taking the right precautions might result in swirls marks. Of course you dont want too many swirls, but expect them even with the right techniques and just do a paint correction in a couple years
you got to use a touchless carwash and put a good coat of wax once year
Rinseless wash in the winter and I’ll probably buy a foam cannon in the summer.
Make the time.
After getting your paint corrected and ideally protected with Opticoat Pro Plus or similar, learn how to wash your car by hand. Before I got a garage, I washed mine 2x/mo. Best 2 hours/mo I spent. Almost Zen-like.
A master detailer showed me how. Very kind of him. Short version is that you’ll want a simple commercial foamer tank if you don’t have a hose for a foam cannon. Many microfiber towels w/tags removed. And NO circular motions ever.
And years later, there are no swirl marks on my car.
Take a gummy, earbuds in, sunny day on my driveway.
If you have a white MY with no PPF like me, I just take it to a good automatic brushed car wash. Always looks great. No swirl marks.
Rinseless wash. Takes about an hour once every two months. Today it’s raining so I parked it outside and wiped the glass with microfiber.
Drive thru car wash in the winter/colder months. ONR in the warmer months. I care about my car but I’m not anal and know it’s going to get scratches. But for the most part it looks great when it’s clean.
In a Borat mankini. Give my neighbors something to look at.
Just go to a hand car wash down the road where the friendly crew will do it for a tenner. I bought white so don’t give a shit about swirls
I give $60 to a guy and go for lunch. When it get back it’s clean…
Mobile car was guy comes to my house. L🫶🏻ve this guy.
I have a touchless car wash by me that’s top tier. It’s been a lifesaver.
Depends how dirty but typically pressure wash, two bucket mit wipe down with meguiars soap, pressure wash, meguiars spray on ceramic wax. Takes about 20 min..I dont obsess over the details though
ONR, a bucket, and 6-8 of edgeless microfiber towels.
I have hard water so I also use a resin based filter for my water but isn’t fully necessary.
Soak the towels in ONR, pre-spray car a section at a time, use a towel in long single strokes in the section…set towel aside once both sides dirty. Pull giant microfiber drying towel across clean section. Repeat.
30-45 min and minimal setup with a small set of tools.
Bucket & brush method
Have y’all tried ONR with distilled water? Does this remove the need to dry?
Anyone put paint protection on the front clip? Highly recommended. Then it cleans easier. I love the drive threw car wash, but probably need to think of better methods.
Car wash. It’s a car, not a precious piece of art.
Ppf or wrap. Then you can avoid swirls in your paint. Then you can just run it through washes and beat up the exterior as much as you want. Or else hand wash to minimize swirling or else automatic wash and live with swirls. Not many alternatives here.
My local automatic car wash is great. No issues with swirls or scratches. I wipe it down with microfiber cloth to avoid spotting. Free high powered vacuums for the win!
I got a subscription at a car wash and go through it 2-3x a week. It’s a lease so I’m not too worried but the swirls are already prevalent after a dozen or so washes. Can anybody recommend some polish or product that will help minimize the swirls?
I do self wash stalls with a bucket and tools once a week
Once a week?? How do you have so much time on your hands it's just a car 😂
I dont even have time to do it once a week smh
I Retired at 34, currently 44….. not as much free time as you’d thing BUT
Its my ‘dad quiet time’ lol
And that sir, is how you answer a snarky question. I’m 45 and retired myself now too. Well done!
Self service manual when it’s cold out or I’m in a rush. In my driveway with a power washer when I have time and it’s warm out.
You are lucky 😀
You are lucky 😀