[Xandersmama85]

I have had my black Ascent for over a week now and of course one of the drawbacks of black is it shows dirt/dust terribly so Jack is now ready for his first bath. I was planning to buy one of the monthly memberships from Crew Carwash as practically everyone I know has one. Problem is, I am freaked out I wish hurt him by washing him too much! This is the nicest car I have ever owned by far and I am paranoid about doing something to hurt it, especially with him being a newborn. :tango_face_wink:

So tell me, how many car washes is too much? I've been reading online that once a week should be the max but if I'm only washing once a week, a monthly membership really isn't worth it.

I've also been contemplating getting the ceramic coating done but was quoted at $350 and really don't want to spend that kind of money this early on. Does anyone know if ceramic coating will protect the car well enough to allow for more washes? Or will more washes wear down my ceramic coating faster? Help!

 

[Snowgirl]

I have had my black Ascent for over a week now and of course one of the drawbacks of black is it shows dirt/dust terribly so Jack is now ready for his first bath. I was planning to buy one of the monthly memberships from Crew Carwash as practically everyone I know has one. Problem is, I am freaked out I wish hurt him by washing him too much! This is the nicest car I have ever owned by far and I am paranoid about doing something to hurt it, especially with him being a newborn.

So tell me, how many car washes is too much? I've been reading online that once a week should be the max but if I'm only washing once a week, a monthly membership really isn't worth it.

I've also been contemplating getting the ceramic coating done but was quoted at $350 and really don't want to spend that kind of money this early on. Does anyone know if ceramic coating will protect the car well enough to allow for more washes? Or will more washes wear down my ceramic coating faster? Help!

We have CWP and got the ceramic coating! I must say I’m very impressed and just the spray of a water hose brings off all the bugs, road grime, etc. they also gave us a spray to use in between to help bring back the shine and keep it sparkling. I think the ceramic coating is so worth the money. If you don’t want to do that then I would suggest a good detail shop for a good coat of wax. That will help with the car washes. Just remember car washes or any water can cause hard water spots, damage, as can the rain. So protect the paint now with a good wax or coating.

 

[Orestes85]

I have had my black Ascent for over a week now and of course one of the drawbacks of black is it shows dirt/dust terribly so Jack is now ready for his first bath. I was planning to buy one of the monthly memberships from Crew Carwash as practically everyone I know has one. Problem is, I am freaked out I wish hurt him by washing him too much! This is the nicest car I have ever owned by far and I am paranoid about doing something to hurt it, especially with him being a newborn. :tango_face_wink:

So tell me, how many car washes is too much? I've been reading online that once a week should be the max but if I'm only washing once a week, a monthly membership really isn't worth it.

I've also been contemplating getting the ceramic coating done but was quoted at $350 and really don't want to spend that kind of money this early on. Does anyone know if ceramic coating will protect the car well enough to allow for more washes? Or will more washes wear down my ceramic coating faster? Help!

IDK what crew car wash is, but I'd religiously avoid car washes. Even if they're hand washing, if they're not professional level detailers then you've got a high probability of them introducing swirl marks into your paint. This is particularly an issue on black vehicles. If the car they washed before yours was muddy or covered in salt, all that crud is probably going to be stuck in the mitt/sponge they used and that mitt/sponge is going on your paint. Automatic car washes are even worse. I'd find a good detailer that properly hand washes and uses a foam cannon (if required), 2 bucket method, and can explain to you, in detail, how to prevent swirling/marring of paint during washes.

As for wax vs coating, they accomplish the same thing, and ceramics will still scratch and swirl (though may be slightly more resistant to swirls during proper washing). To remove scratches/swirls you'll have to polish, just the same as un-coated paint, you just have a clear layer on top that gets polished down, so if swirling/scratching is your main concern, and you don't want to spend the ~$2000 to have it applied, I'd skip it. A good poly sealant under wax will give you plenty of environmental protection. If you (or your detailer) properly wash the vehicle, you should have similar results as if you had the car coated...it just needs a little more maintenance to reapply.

 

[Orestes85]

We have CWP and got the ceramic coating! I must say I’m very impressed and just the spray of a water hose brings off all the bugs, road grime, etc. they also gave us a spray to use in between to help bring back the shine and keep it sparkling. I think the ceramic coating is so worth the money. If you don’t want to do that then I would suggest a good detail shop for a good coat of wax. That will help with the car washes. Just remember car washes or any water can cause hard water spots, damage, as can the rain. So protect the paint now with a good wax or coating.

Do bear in mind that you'll want to do more than spray it off periodically. Particularly with white vehicles, you'll have a yellowing effect over time (coated or not, it'll happen). The only solution is an abrasive to remove the top layer of coating/clearcoat. The yellowing can take anywhere from 2-6 years depending on location, driving conditions, and miles driven. The biggest contributor is rain (oil/tar/smog mixed with water).

 

[traildogck]

Jack is now ready for his first bath!

You need to start calling her Jackie. I've never been able to get into guy names for my cars. Even FrankenWagon goes by Frankie. One guy likes to call her Francine. There is a guy on the Outback forum who named his car Rich, I suppose that's because his car is a d*ck most of the time.

 

[Snowgirl]

We have CWP and got the ceramic coating! I must say I’m very impressed and just the spray of a water hose brings off all the bugs, road grime, etc. they also gave us a spray to use in between to help bring back the shine and keep it sparkling. I think the ceramic coating is so worth the money. If you don’t want to do that then I would suggest a good detail shop for a good coat of wax. That will help with the car washes. Just remember car washes or any water can cause hard water spots, damage, as can the rain. So protect the paint now with a good wax or coating.

Do bear in mind that you'll want to do more than spray it off periodically. Particularly with white vehicles, you'll have a yellowing effect over time (coated or not, it'll happen). The only solution is an abrasive to remove the top layer of coating/clearcoat. The yellowing can take anywhere from 2-6 years depending on location, driving conditions, and miles driven. The biggest contributor is rain (oil/tar/smog mixed with water).

Yes I should have clarified that! Haha! We do wash it quite often, and detail it! We found this great product called Papa Shine a couple years ago and it does such a great job for washes/detailing! The ceramic coating just makes it easy to spray the bugs off in between! Haha!

 

[Ascentlover4me]

If you have a machine just wax it with any wax every 6 months. The key here is to apply by hand and take it OFF with the machine to prevent circles. That how I do it and it works cus every car I have owned is perfect after 10 years. Even the wife's Mercedes paint is perfect and it was bought new in 2006.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

IMHO, this is a very subjective thing. Some folks get really, really upset with a single micro-miniature scratch and some of us just accept that as normal wear and tear. I have not waxed a vehicle in decades. I use local drive-through automatic "brushless" (but still "touch") car washes once or twice a month and opt for the five buck wash. My vehicles have looked just fine and have never had any noticeable (to my eyes) change in the paint surface from the car washes. I'm actually considering the $9.99 monthly subscription for the place that near several other businesses like Home Depot, Lowes, Harbor Freight and Tar-Zhey that get visited frequently. If I only get there twice a month, I'm even money. Any additional visits are essentially "on the house".

That said, if I had a black vehicle ('never happen... ), I'd be at that car wash every other day! LOL

 

[Ascent4greyhounds]

We have a touchless car wash here which, is basically a high powered water jets over your car. Thats something I'd use as nothing but water, suds, air touches the paint. And yes ceramic is worth it and just needs a quick wash down to get stuff off BUT you DONT want to use a car wash with brushes/cloth.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

UT you DONT want to use a car wash with brushes/cloth.

Again, that's subjective. I use them with no issue, but I also patronize places that keep their gear maintained and regularly serviced/cleaned. Touchless using water jets just doesn't remove the dirt the way I prefer.

 

[Ascent4greyhounds]

Again, that's subjective. I use them with no issue, but I also patronize places that keep their gear maintained and regularly serviced/cleaned. Touchless using water jets just doesn't remove the dirt the way I prefer.

Problem is, we have some great one here but some idiot has to ruin it for everyone. Literally brand new car wash opened 1/4 mile from my work, has those nice soft cloth brush type things, some %#$$ went through in his truck that OOOPS forgot he had roofing nails in the truck bed. Guess what got caught in the cloth, and guess what happened to the car behind him Soon as the place knew of the issue they fixed it but damage was done.

 

[Titanrx8]

nothing but water, suds, air touches the paint.

For those who are hyper-vigilant against swirls and scratches, even that's not entirely true. It all depends on how well the water recycling equipment is maintained. A poorly maintained touchless system can recirculate enough grit to cause cause light scratching.

My cars are hand washed at home with fresh cloths and 2 bucket system.

 

[packout]

Problem is, we have some great one here but some idiot has to ruin it for everyone. Literally brand new car wash opened 1/4 mile from my work, has those nice soft cloth brush type things, some %#$$ went through in his truck that OOOPS forgot he had roofing nails in the truck bed. Guess what got caught in the cloth, and guess what happened to the car behind him Soon as the place knew of the issue they fixed it but damage was done.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Problem is, we have some great one here but some idiot has to ruin it for everyone. Literally brand new car wash opened 1/4 mile from my work, has those nice soft cloth brush type things, some %#$$ went through in his truck that OOOPS forgot he had roofing nails in the truck bed. Guess what got caught in the cloth, and guess what happened to the car behind him Soon as the place knew of the issue they fixed it but damage was done.

While that is certainly an unusual situation, what a horrible thing for the folks behind that truck!

 

[GaryInMI]

Again, that's subjective. I use them with no issue, but I also patronize places that keep their gear maintained and regularly serviced/cleaned. Touchless using water jets just doesn't remove the dirt the way I prefer.

Same for me, I drive 8 miles to the Wash World that is across the street from the Mercedes, BMW, Porsche/Audi dealerships. Always well maintained and they do a hand pre-wash of any muddy or hard to clean areas. I always get the $11 wash and I've learned that if I give the sales guy a generous tip he will write the tip amount on the windshield so the hand wash guys see it and they pretty much have the whole car done before I get to the drive through.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Is it funny or ironic (or both) that I hand wash my car, but put hundreds of feet more trail stripes on it every month? 😆

 

[mtmra70]

That said, if I had a black vehicle ('never happen... ), I'd be at that car wash every other day! LOL

Black 2011 WRX owner here. The last time I took it to get detailed I swore never again. The detailer was EXCELLENT, and did our other vehicles, but man was my WRX long gone after countless work trips. It looks better unclean than clean....LOL

And yes, never again on a black car. They look nice when perfect, but otherwise horrible...lol

 

[JaxAero]

I have had my black Ascent for over a week now and of course one of the drawbacks of black is it shows dirt/dust terribly so Jack is now ready for his first bath. I was planning to buy one of the monthly memberships from Crew Carwash as practically everyone I know has one. Problem is, I am freaked out I wish hurt him by washing him too much! This is the nicest car I have ever owned by far and I am paranoid about doing something to hurt it, especially with him being a newborn. :tango_face_wink:

So tell me, how many car washes is too much? I've been reading online that once a week should be the max but if I'm only washing once a week, a monthly membership really isn't worth it.

I've also been contemplating getting the ceramic coating done but was quoted at $350 and really don't want to spend that kind of money this early on. Does anyone know if ceramic coating will protect the car well enough to allow for more washes? Or will more washes wear down my ceramic coating faster? Help!

It has a lot to do with where you live. Snow, salt, pollen, dust, bugs, sunlight. I've lived in all of it and I've had plenty of black cars, two white ones, red, yellow, gray, and some innocuous goldish/silverish/champagne-ish colors. If you are in winter climates, go to a well-recognized car wash and get the crud off top, sides, and underbody on a regular basis. I use to hand wash my cars when I was single and younger (and it was warm) like a professional auto detailer. Nowadays life is too important to spend it washing my car by hand every week or so. Here in Florida we get LOTS of pollen and other drippings from palms, birds, and bugs. And the sun is tough on the paint. I recommend finding a well-regarded auto car wash. Make sure the guys/gals wiping down your car see you place money in the tip jar (and even tip the person that sees you get out of the car. The tips really help. They'll remember you. A regular every 2-3 weeks of the cheap wash is fine. Then every other month (or once a month if you want), do the $20-ish wash. Every 12-18 months or so, you may want to have a detailer do a clay bar, although the ceramic coatings which everyone loves these days, eliminates the need for that. I haven't ceramic coated a car yet, but I have traditionally changed vehicles approximately every three years for the past 20 years, so protection wasn't as critical.

Depending on the level of dirt, dust and grime in your area I also recommend cleaning you engine bay. Go to a self-service car wash with a can of Gumout engine cleaner. I do a light water spray, then coat everything in engine cleaner, being careful of the electronics and electricals that may be exposed (I don't worry about spark plugs and wires). I also keep my engine running just in case it sputters (only happened infrequently on old carburaeted engines). Then I hose it down. This might go against everything people recommend, but I've been doing that regularly for 35+ years and NEVER had a problem. My mechanics love it too. No mechanic enjoys working on a dirty engine. And, if you get leaks, they are easier to spot.

 

[Slagmi]

Now or never for the ceramic coating!
It will look newer longer.

Wash it when it's dirty. That's not too much.
Yourself, touch less, spend the 11 bucks and get the weird spray wax and spot free rinse.
Your choice.
It will look about the same when you're done.
Clean.

My .02

 

[JaxAero]

Now or never for the ceramic coating!
It will look newer longer.

Wash it when it's dirty. That's not too much.
Yourself, touch less, spend the 11 bucks and get the weird spray wax and spot free rinse.
Your choice.
It will look about the same when you're done.
Clean.

My .02

I didn't realize Subaru's Symmetrical All Wheel Drive had ears and forelock.