Do you take pride in your car?

[Kaido]

Noticed something:

Women: house has to be clean, but car is a dump.
Men: house is a dump, but car has to be clean.

Ooooooh my gosh, this makes so much sense

 

[Squeetard]

My truck (daily driver) gets washed once a week, waxed twice a year and the interior cleaned once a month.

My convertible Camaro was washed once when I got it home from the dealership 4 years ago. Never seen a puddle since. Sunny day driven and garage stored. Detail spray and waxed. Not a spec of dirt in the engine bay either. I put in some performance suspension stuff so I detailed the underside at the same time.

 

[evident]

Most people are slobs, and don't seem to give a damn about their cars it seems. This is ESPECIALLY true of women. Oh, and you're also an elitist snob.

my car is immaculate, my wife's car can get dirty for my standards but not too bad.
people who keep their cars disgusting really tick me off... I treat it as an extension of my house, its another room that i spend my time in. why the hell would i want bad smells, growth, bugs or other crap in it?

Pro Tip (very obvious) for people who don't keep their car as clean as they should or want: Keep a plastic grocery bag either in the backseat, hanging on the gear shifter or glove box and throw your random receipts / garabge in it. makes cleaning that much easier. You do have a trash can in your bedroom don't you?

My 8 year old 2007 Honda accord looked brand new the day I sold it (sold it in less than a month). Cleanliness is godliness, people, and it helps get your shit sold quicker too when the time comes!

 

[evident]

i don't let it get filthy inside, but i don't care about the outside (except for salt). i just let the rain wash it.

cars get me from point A to point B, that's it.

If you don't get your car washed once in a while, your paint will oxidize and peel much faster and make it look terrible

 

[exar333]

my car is immaculate, my wife's car can get dirty for my standards but not too bad.
people who keep their cars disgusting really tick me off... I treat it as an extension of my house, its another room that i spend my time in. why the hell would i want bad smells, growth, bugs or other crap in it?

This...

I don't want to sit on a seat full of crumbs/food with garbage at my feet. No difference than reclining at someone's house on a couch/chair in similar condition. Its lazy and disgusting.

 

[Kaido]

1. Weathertech all-weather floor mats
2. Weathertech all-weather trunk liner
3. DropStop
4. Neoprene seat covers
5. Grocery bag hung on the passenger's side of the gearshift for trash (assuming a center-console automatic shifter; just chuck the whole bag when it gets full)
6. Wash as needed (soft towel & water; at least monthly)
7. Wax as needed (DA Polisher Pro: day 1, synthetic; day 2, carnuaba; day 3, second coat of carnuaba; would do monthly if I had a heated garage for the winter)
8. Shopvac for vacuuming (weekly)
9. Small 12V tire pump in emergency kit for topping off tires (as needed)
10. Gas fillups (bi-weekly top-offs)
11. Couple bottles of windshield washer fluid (top off monthly)
12. Spare set of wiper blades in trunk (replace as needed & reorder off Amazon from my phone when they get used)
13. Swiffer dusters (at least monthly, or as needed, for the dashboard & other plastic parts)

It's expensive up front, but it's like putting an Otterbox on your car. The floor & trunk mats rinse off really easily. The DropStop prevents crap from sliding down under the seats. The neoprene seat covers also hose off & are waterproof in case you (or your kids) spill a drink or something. Never have to worry about getting the interior of your car detailed because everything is protected (also great for resale value!). The grocery bag is a simple hack, just a convenient place to chuck garbage & then just throw it away & replace as needed.

I prefer just washing with my cars with water instead of soap, so just a soft towel & a continuous stream of water, plus some misc. tools like a toothbrush for tricky spots like rims. Claybar etc. as needed. The waxing job is actually pretty quick too, even if you do it manually (3 days of waxing, 24 hours between coats, but just let it dry & then rub it off). The MT300 polisher really speeds things up, although it's pretty pricey ($205 on Amazon right now).

Maintenance pretty much just boils down to: chuck the trash & fill up the tires as needed, spend 2 minutes vacuuming it out once a week, wash & wax as needed, hose off the mats, trunk liner, and seat covers as needed (maybe once or twice a year, like at the end of winter or if you get them really muddy), and top off the windshield wiper fluid & Swiffer out the inside on the first of every month.

For gas, I top mine off Mon/Wed before work & top off my wife's car Tues/Thurs before work. This usually results in never having to make a pitstop for gas (aside from roadtrips) & we pretty much never go below half a tank (in case of emergency). Used to run it to 1/4 tank (or sometimes til the fuel light came on), but now I just have a reminder alarm on my phone 15 minutes before commuting to work every morning, so I go do a quick 2-minute fillup four times a week & never have to worry about it

It may be weird, but I like to put preventative maintenance items as recurring events on my personal calendar (I have a Gmail calendar called "Car Maintenance"). I am a fan of personal process automation because it keeps the status quo without you having to think about it...gas is always filled up, wiper fluid is always filled up, washing & waxing happens on a regular basis, etc. Like the windshield wiper fluid, my alarm goes off on the first of every month, I run out & refill the tank to top it off before work, and I never have to worry about running out, ever. It's a small thing, but it's just another thing I don't have to worry about it because I have reminders for these little 2-minute projects so I don't let things slide. Over-think your system up-front & then just coast on cruise-control with minimal effort after that :thumbsup:

 

[HarryLui]

I keep my engine bay cleaner than my interior on my 31 yr old Dodge.

 

[pcgeek11]

I'm with Jules ( for once anyway ). I cannot stand a dirty vehicle. That is why my wife isn't allowed to drive my truck....

 

[Zaap]

LOL this topic made me laugh.

I have noticed -anecdotally- that many of the ladies I know do tend to keep a messier car (sometimes EXTREMELY so) than men I know and myself.

Many's the time I've gotten into a lady's car and had heard like "Oh, just move that apple core off the seat.." Wait, DO WHAT?!! Floors full of garbage, papers up on the dash, scattered clothing etc. For some reason a lot of ladies just don't care about their car being clean.

One girl I knew, I remember this flower pot upended on the floor in the backseat- dirt everywhere. I was astonished like... "uh... aren't you gonna clean that up?!"

On the other hand, I refuse to ride in one guy's car ever because the smell was like... like a physical force. Like HEAT! It seemed to get in my face and cling! He'd turn a corner and you'd hear the sound of bottles rolling from one side of his trunk to the other... eeeeh it was just horrible. He'd offer to drive a few times after the first time and... no, no thanks.

My wife tends to keep her car way messier than I'd like, but not horribly filthy. And she has the kids in hers more often and lets them get away with more.

The rules are WAY different in pop's car. FEET OFF the back of the seats. NO FOOD. Drinks only in cupholders... no, you know what, most times no drinks either. Pop is a bit ruthless! But we don't take long trips in my car.

I'm not a neat freak or anything, but I like my car pretty damn tidy.

 

[marcplante]

I keep my cars for 15-20 years. You think of them differently under those terms imo.

 

[I Saw OJ]

I do, I try and keep my pickup clean, but in the same breath, it is my work truck. I drive it in the dirt and mud, get in and out of it with filthy clothes so its a never ending battle.