I always end up having to stop midway because:
a) The sun is glaring down on the car (too hot to wax)
b) There's construction going on nearby (dusty conditions)
c) A small trickle of rain comes down on me

I tried doing it in one of those do-it-yourself carwash places but the covered detailing area is too close to the actual carwash so you're bound to get a lot of splashing.

Also had the idea of buying one of those car-sized tents but given i live in an apartment complex with a rather crowded parking lot the idea is useless.

Any ideas? Do you guys think having the car "professionally" detailed by places like Bubbles Car Wash (not sure if it's local to Houston only) is a good idea? They wash your car by hand using some sort of furry hand mittens and wax it by hand as well.

Thanks for any tips, advices or suggestions.

 

I have the same problem, I live in an apartment complex and they don't allow people to wash their cars. I just go to the "touchless" car wash because it's right down the street and doesn't use rags or anything.

Sometimes I just go to my parent's house and wash it there.

 

Ditto here, though the contract only says "You can't work on your car in the lot". I guess "cleaning our Maxima's" is more fun that work don't you think?

We have those touchless drive through carwashes but it doesn't really do it's job and my paint is already starting to look dull w/o the waxing and detailing

Lucky you for having parents with a garage hehehe... my mom also lives in an apartment complesx. Our house back home (Philippines) had one but i'll be danged if i have to drive all the way there from the US Mainland just to wash my car

 

Unfortunately, my contract specifically mentions "No washing cars." They're no fun. Usually, I spend all day cleaning my car.. I get very strange looks from my parent's neighbors when they see me out there in the morning and when I'm still out there at night!

I definately know what you're talking about with getting dull paint. The good thing about "touchless" washes is that it won't scratch up your car. The bad thing is that it doesn't get a lot of the dirt off! I can still see fingerprints sometimes.

 

Aww, that ain't good.

As for the touchless washes, i used that "Laser carwash" that Phillips 66 stations had on my (then) black Civic... it did the job pretty well (but then again i waxed that thing almost every week) - this was at my old apartment which had shady tress all over the place.

In the new place, Chevron stations have a similar touchless carwash but for some reason it doesn't get the dirt out at all... even the windshield still shows the marks from the wiper.

I also just recently learned from the stickies up there that these car washes uses some strong detergent that may damage our clear coats or something.

 

I usually go to the do it yourself places late at night. Since no one else is usually around at those hours, I can take a bucket, sponge and all my other goodies and take my sweet time cleaning my max. I almost prefer this over doing it in the driveway because I like the pressure washer at these places. I should just by my own.

Cheers.

 

I do it in my driveway

 

Hmm... i never thought of that. Good idea!

 

Yeah yeah.. just rub it in Mr. "Ihavvadriveway" hehehe

 

Add me to the list of wish I had a REAL garage and didn't live in a stuck-up apartment complex.

Anyways, I commute 30+ minutes to a friends house to use his driveway. However, if the sun is out it's miserable, because the water dries so fast I get tons of water spots. Luckily, I have light colored paint and it doesn't show water spots easily.

Another friend is also "garageless" and he has a "hand only" wash done ~1-week and then every now and then he has it detailed to get it waxed by a local Nissan which does FULL inside/outside details pretty good, but cheap, ~$75, vs. local detail shops which charge ~$125+.

BTW, I use "Meguires Quick Detailer" and an ORIGINAL(wood handle) "California Duster" to keep washes to a minimum. That and a shoebox size "garage" I pay an extra $65/mo. for that barely fits the Maxima and my tools.

 

I usually spend a long time washing it in my driveway, making sure there are no water spots--but occasionally I'll go to Car Spa (gentle machine wash) for a quick cleaning

 

We have a professional detailer that comes out to our work and does all of the employee cars at work.

 

Since I own a self-serve carwash I can give you this advice.
(Finally a thread I have some expertise on!)

Find yourself a good Self-Serve carwash in your area. Talk to the attendant or owner if their is one at the carwash and ask him if he minds if you wax your car after you have washed it in one of his self-serve bays. These bays provide pretty good shade. As long as you spend some money with him and he is not extremely busy, he probably won't mind. But be prepared, there are some carwash owners that will say no. I don't mind at all if someone does this at my wash as long as they are a regular customer and they at least spend a few dollars at the wash (vaccums, air fresheners, etc.)

On the other hand it does irritate me when someone comes up to my wash and spends an hour in my self-serve bay and never spends the first dime, especially if I am busy and have paying customers waiting to use the bay.

If it is a really busy carwash then simply go late at night or early in the morning when it is not typically busy.

As far as touchless washes go, there are certainly good ones and bad ones out there. We have "Water Wizards" and they do the best job of any automatic car wash I have ever seen, especially on the wheels.

If you happen to live in South Georgia/North Florida come give us a try!

Sudz Carwash, Valdosta, GA

 

Wow! That must be sweet!
I'd love to drive in to work with a filthy car and have it all taken care of, looking new when I come out at the end of the day.

 

I go to the do-it-yourself car wash with my own bucket, mits, etc. I put $1.25 in and get the car wet and then use my own stuff to wash it. Then I put another $1.25 in and rinse it off. Then I pull outside and dry it off. Try using the water blade, it helps cut way down on dry time and then I finish drying with the absorber.

Tony

 

I use the pressure wash, and spot free rinse. I then use the chamois before taking it for a 5 minute drive home for a wax.

 

I only go to hand washes. I don't go to any place that uses those spinning or any kind of machine-driven brushes.

After it's washed, I pull it into the garage in my complex, spray it with final touch and take care of the tires.

Just use a California duster every day/every other day and take care of spots with final touch... stays clean for a good 2-3 weeks, as long as I don't run through a puddle or a flock of birds have other ideas..

 

Straight to the detail shop after ever rainy day. Always clean

 

I live in apartment, on a 2nd floor. What I do is to haul buckets of water each time outside on the parking lot, and I dont give a s*** about neighbors. Can't wait to move to a house with at least a driveway, hose it down nicely.

 

I take it to the best car wash in San Diego. I have it hand washed , as I did my grand cherokee. NO BRUSHES ! ! ! ! It looks great every week. I go over it every night to get any bugs off . Besides that, it always looks sharp !