Daily driver - daily clean?

[KenSilver]

Can I overdo the daily cleaning stuff?



I`m driving my month-old black `93 Mercedes SL500 almost daily. (Don`t want to add miles - but heck, it`s an irresistible vehicle I can`t keep away from).



Even a half-hour drive can leave the body with a thin film of the usual city dirt, while the tires kick up a bunch of brake dust on the rims and rocker panels.



So at the end of each drive, when the car is cool, I patiently QD all over with clean 100% cotton towels and either Meguiar`s or Mother`s quick detailers. And do the car as well



So far so good - no scratches /swirls /problems yet, after these few weeks.



But I worry about the long term effects of my rubbing. Do QD solutions REALLY layer off the dirt without it touching the body? Does a 100% cotton towel REALLY not cause scratches?



Do I have to do a year`s worth of QD`ing to find out - at the end, the hard way - that my paint is then dead?



For me, life is simple. You rub something enough times - it wears away.



So how does this equipment reverse the laws of physics?



Before you dismiss me as an ill-informed klutz, I`ve been seriously cleaning and polishing for years. I`m no Turtlewax amateur. Used all the mainstream products and have a shine on my cars like no-one else in the neighborhood. This website too has been a boon in giving me far more detailing information than I can possible use at one time.



But now I`m worried. How much is too much?



I`m calling on the collective wisdom to reassure me that I can keep rubbing daily without fear. Can I?



Ken Silver

--------------

~1993 SL500, glistening blue-black on black leather, xenons.

~1991 Daimler, shiny grey on grey leather, best in country!

~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife`s (but my polishing)

~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey

[CharlesW]

No expert, but I CCD`d and QD`d a 1988 Chevy Astro van for 14 years and 165,000 miles. Looked great when I sold it to the second person that looked at it.

My 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport van is still looking good, but it has only been six years and 118,000 miles, so far.

Just don`t do it when the car is dirty enough that it should have been washed.

The brake dust might require a separate CCD and some extra QD when removing it.



Charles :wavey

[tommyd]

I consider myself a bit of a fanatic at keeping my car clean, mostly cuz my lady friend is always scolding me that i am...

but i haven`t gotten into the habit of using QD`s yet, except to spot detail fingerprints, areas where i had to clean (bird poop or road tar, etc) between washings...

The CCD is an amazing tool that keeps my car esthetically beautiful (to my standards which may be lower than some of the OCD types around here ).

It`s a great tool to use until you need to wash again...



:xyxthumbs



edit: the wheels ya gotta clean... at least i gotta... no getting around that one... :p

[imported_Luster]

New Black Car =



1. Cali-Duster Daily

2. Wheels every 2 days

3. QD every 3-4 days

4. Wash weekly





Sounds like you are enjoying it!



Have fun.......

[Re-Lax]

I`ve used both the CCD and QD`s on my black car and have found them to be great ways of keeping your car looking good. However, you may want to look into Quick and Easy Wash (do a search). With it I can wash and dry my car in about ten minutes and the result is better that using CCD and Qd`s.

[CJ from Granite Bay, CA]

On my black Suburban I CCD every day, sometimes more than once depending where I went. Again, depending on the amount of dust that accumulates in the cracks that a CD can not get it will then get washed. After a wash, it gets a QD. No marks, no scratches, no problems, just a great shine.

[Nebraska99]

You know they do have medication for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder??? LOL

[imported_Luster]

Originally posted by Nebraska99

You know they do have medication for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder??? LOL

My wife diagnosed me with A.D.D.



(ANAL DETAILING DISORDER)

[luke667]

:nono :nixweiss

[godofthunder]

Ive got OCD...seriously...but it has yet to go to my detailing!

I have that and GAD (Generaized Anxiety Disorder). To top it off....i have a slight depression sometimes!

YAY!!

[Bruce]

Ken: Yes, you can keep rubbing daily without fear. But you should be a little careful. If you wash your car too much you can wash the paint right off it. I know this is true because my neighbors tell me that all the time.



You are correct about your laws of physics and, no, this detailing stuff does not reverse them. There is another law you should know about. It is called Murphy`s Law: no matter how careful you are, daily QD`ing with clean 100% cotton towels will someday cause an itty bitty scratch. And don`t forget swirls. They can appear out of nowhere, usually at night while you are asleep.



If I were to QD my car every day (inconceivable), I would try to hold off Murphy`s Law by dusting first with a California Car Duster and using microfiber towels instead of cotton.



You are correct that if you rub something enough it will wear away. That`s one of the purposes of wax or sealant or whatever your renewable protective layer is. On the other hand, I have yet to see a post here of someone lamenting that he has QD`d away his clearcoat layer (or brushed it away with a CCD).



And yes, you will have dead paint someday, but it won`t be caused by QD. It is inevitable due to oxidation, heat, UV, acid rain, air pollution, etc., but it will be on the paint`s surface where it will be cleaned off when you polish. I would think that daily QD`ing--which is not unlike daily washing--will help keep oxidation at bay for a good long time.



You realize, of course, that many here have read your post as a thinly disguised cry for help, and you should appreciate their responses as the sincere and warm-hearted support and reinforcement that you can expect from the members of the Autopian community (i.e., in one way or another we are all just as crazy as you are).

[KenSilver]

Thanks guys,



Your replies have been a real revelation to me - I discovered I have all the diseases mentioned here (apart from A.D.D, felt a little uncomfortable reading about that).



The other good part is that I see many of you use the California Duster. They are not available in my country, but I was in LA last month and should have bought one then . I had often wondered if it was a real pro tool or a gimmick, but it seems by your responses it is really useful. My order goes in today!



I really appreciate the response for me as an "Apprentice" and for this, my first post on this forum. It`s great to be part of a crowd of like-minded enthusiasts and know that when my wife calls me obsessive that it`s really normal behaviour here!



Ken Silver

--------------

~1993 Mercedes SL500, glistening blue-black on black leather.

~1991 Daimler (Vanden Plas), shiny grey on grey leather, best in country!

~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife`s (but my polishing).

~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey.

[2wheelsx2]

:welcome Ken :ca



I was like you....I was really apprehensive about the CCD until I talked to a number of people here, and I got one 2 months ago, and use it all the time now. Great time saver.

[KenSilver]

Well, here we are half a day later after my initial query, and I`ve got a bunch of post readings under my belt. All I did was do a search for "CCD" and it came up with umpteen million microdetailed posts on this very subject of QD`ing.



So I`ve added electronic junk to the digital wastelands without knowing.



Sorry to reinvent the wheel for this subject - I`ll do my homework next time.



BTW, makes me wonder if Autopia should just freeze the site right now and we could all exist happily for years on the knowledge residue





Ken Silver

--------------

~1993 Mercedes SL500, glistening blue-black on black leather.

~1991 Daimler (Vanden Plas), shiny grey on grey leather, best in country!

~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife`s (but my polishing).

~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey.

[jerry@robs]

I CCD my daily driver 2x a day minimum, then wash every 3 days... regardless if it`s clean or not.. then i wax weekly regardless of previous wax content as well... hehe.