Going to Florida: What to bring/do to keep `er clean?

[imported_Speedy]

Well, my family and I will be leaving after Christmas for a week of R&R in the sunshine state.



I am looking forward to it, but am concerned with maintaining the looks of our STS while down there.



Rather than wing it, I figure it would be best to ask everyone here!



What do you guys think I should bring? Space will be limited due to the rest of our luggage, so bringing lots of supplies is a no-no.



I was thinking...



-QD

-A small amount of car soap

-chamois (sp?)

-tire dressing



With this stuff, I could "borrow" some towels from the resort, buy a cheap bucket while down there, and use a coin-ops water.

I suppose I could then wash, dry and dress the tires.



Does this sound like a plan?



The car was just detailed last night...Mothers Clay, Megs. ColorX, and topped with S-100. It came out real nice, and I was able to use my friend heated garage to keep out of the -5 degree temps (and thats in Farenheit!).



I plann to layer the S-100 one more time before we leave too.



Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[Bill D]

Might be too late to order some Pro Bug Guard



I`d pack some Spray and Wipe, if you can fit two buckets, put the supplies in there with some QEW and a good mitt for sure. Loads of mfs both regular and ww. (they can compact nicely) Don`t forget to apply rain X or better,Aquapel to the glass



I have been seeing some very nasty, salt encrusted Canadian cars down here :eek: :nono

[jfelbab]

If you are only going to be in Florida for a week, you won`t need much. I`d bring some MF towels and your favorite QD.



If you only have a week, do you really want to spend much time with your car when you can be out at the pool or the beach enjoying the sun? Besides packing stuff for your car, be sure to pack some sunscreen for you.



I came down for the winter and brought NXT Wax, NXT Booster, NXT Protectant, Xtra all purpose cleaner, Medallion Leather cleaner/conditioner, lots of MF`s, foam applicators and a new wash mitt. This all fit nicely in a small softside bag.



My favorite car wash, tire brush and dressing, glass cleaner and a couple of 5 gallon buckets were easily obtained locally.



I`ve been down here in Florida for three weeks so far and have waxed my vehicle twice (we had two overcast days). It`s now resting in the garage while I spent the day at the pool.:D Sure beats shoveling snow.

[ntoddalbert]

I do the NJ/Fla thing every year. I have always overpacked myself, for me taking my car to Florida is the purpose of my trip, dont tell my GF though. One thing I have learned is you can always get mitts and baisic off teh shelf products at Walmart and its always cheaper there than here. I enjoy seeing whats available when I travel, what part of Fla are you visiting? Autogeek and others have showrooms that are worth the trip if your nearby.



have fun and visit below for great info about the drive. have fun!

http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm

[imported_Speedy]

Thanks for the responses guys.



We will be staying in Ft Lauderdale, and yeah, I almost forgot we are going down there to relax...not polish the car!



What can I say, I`m an Autopian?

[oldblu]

You should stop at a store called The Drivers Seat in Boca Raton, that is about 10 miles north on interstate 95. They have a hand full of stores but that one is real close to where you are staying. They have a lot of the same products that we see on the forums.:xyxthumbs

[ntoddalbert]

I visit the Drivers seat often, never seen that much Boutique stuff in a retail store before. Watch the prices though, they were selling Stoners Tire Shine for close to 20 bucks a can last time I was there, I pointed out that the Autozone about 600 feet away sells it for less than 4 bucks and the manager said really?



For some reason the had a wide range of prices, 70 bucks for Klasse and 20 bucks for a 16x16 MF but Crystal Mist QD was the same price everyone sells it for. My last visit all the Wolfgang stuff was half price. Just keep an eye on what the real prices are before you go.

[gto78]

i can say the worst problem on the long drive down here is probably going to be bugs smashing and gluing themselves to the front of your car and windshield. The other bad problem is going to be all the road construction and debris in the road. If you have a bra for the front of the car to temporarily put on, it will save you a lot of work in cleaning up once you get here, and prevent some rock chips in your paint. when i travel i have very limited space, and little free time so I look for brushless car washes. Then I either dry it off myself or pay for the hot air dry. But NEVER let any water in florida dry on your car. The water here Suuuckks and has tons of crap in it that leaves bad water spots. I can only wash my car either early in the morning or just before sunset and then immediately pull into the garage for drying.

[jasonmac]

I`ve seen some folks use painters tape on long-distance drives, especially on the mirrors and nose. Might be something to consider -- I was on on 95 in MA yesterday, and the salt/rocks were pathetic.

[ntoddalbert]

I got two really bad scrapes, down to the base metal on my last trip. Strange locations though, one was right smack in the middle of the hood. The other was the right rear quater panel about midway up/down. I heard both strikes, bra/tape wouldnt have helped me. The only down part of my vacation. Enjoy and get some touch up paint when you get back.....

[the other pc]

Carry your own MF and skip "borrowing some towels from the resort". A lot of commercial linen service towels aren`t 100% cotton. They`re also likely to have residue from detergents and fabric softeners.





PC.

[oldblu]

Falcon Guy,are you sure you are talking about The Drivers Seat by Barns and Noble? I know there is a store down the street called Car and Driver and there $$$ are crazy. I have been there many times and never have seen $$$$ like that. I know that the stores $$$$ are a little higher than their web site Thedriversseat.com. If you go there ask for Mike he is the guy that runs that store.:cool:

[ntoddalbert]

Bmax, I stand corrected, I was thinking of the Car and Driver store. The racing logo is the same too making it even more confusing. I will check out that store next time im down that way. Thanks for the info

[tcjohnmj]

I know the problems with bugs smashing on the paint and leaving marks. I was very obsessed that at evvery gas stop I had my QD with MF wiping the front down. Bu this time it seems it was a little late the damage was done. By accident, I oversprayed 303 Aerospace protectant, was I accidentally grabbed the wrong bottle and sprayed my whole front end. I was pretty mad at myself for doing this. I found out at the next rest stop, that the bugs came off very easy. I also spray it on my alloys and the dust comes off....

[nailzer]

If you come to Florida in the spring-late summer we have a bug called the "lovebug". If it smashes on you car it must be washed off within 24 hours or it becomes a permanent part of your paint.

The thing eats into a car finish like acid.