When did people stop caring about their cars?

R

RAG

New member
It isn't like we don't have the necessary knowledge to care for paint properly, so when did this country stop caring about their cars? The fact that so few people (maybe 1% of drivers) care for their cars properly is hard for me to understand, afterall, vehicles are most people's second largest asset. Virtually all the vehicles I come across have heavy rust contamination (salt air) and are swirled to heck.
 
I guess people don't seem to care, its just a means of transportation. Its sad when you see the 70k Benz's or BMW's with swirl marks all over and the wheels are caked in brake dust
 
Most randoms that approach me regarding a detail insist that their paint is in good shape, and when I suggest that most vehicles around here that haven't had a proper detail in a while have rust (and swirls) in their paint, the customer usually sias there's no way they have any in their paint...of course a quick inspection usually ends that debate real quick like. So maybe it's a combination of ignorance and lack of care.
 
When you think about it, it is just a mode of transportation. But I would not say people dont care. There are tons of things (gadgets) made for the car, that has made it a billion dollar industry. As far as appearance? I think many people care, but there is a lot of things to do in a day in this day of career people. Many distractions, that make it hard for people to take 2 hours a month to care about the car. They would rather run it through the gas station car wash every other week. Keep in mind, most people keep their car less than 4 years now. That is much different than 20 years ago.
 
I think most cars today are boring, only distinguishing feature are their nameplates and require very little TLC to do their function - transport on road that in many places in disrepair and constantly crowded.

Beside no one seems to kind about their fellow man/woman anymore. I drive a DD because I refuse to take my classics or garage queen anywhere where others can create damage from neglect or plain jealousy. :(
 
People only stopped caring when you started caring more!

I've always been 'easy' on my cars, but never really babied them. Didn't really wash 'em all that regular. Rarely waxed, let alone explore all the LSP options available beyond the store shelf.



I came off of three, three year lease deals (9 yrs.) and bought this one back in June. Well, I've always gotten the new car fever, but it usually only lasted six or eight weeks. This time it stuck, found this side, studied up, products galore, pc 7424, pads, towels and more!



It was at about this time that I too began noticing how it seemed very few people took care of there cars - inside or out! New cars, old cars, many look like they're rarely if ever get washed...I wonder if they get regular service? Hope I never have to buy one of them!



Point is, I likely wouldn't have noticed a year ago - and frankly, right now with the real crappy weather, I don't pay as much attention as I did back in summer.



Sure like the way mine looked on Saturday after the coin-op power wash and the ONR quick detail! Short lived as it may be.



Looking forward to spring to polish and try Duragloss or Werkstatts Acrylic Jett: Trigger.

Leaning towards Duragloss for the good rep and nice pricing.



Oh and truth be known, a lot of folks don't take care of their homes either! Perhaps the byproducts of a fast food, buy cheap, use once, disposable, polute 'n trash the world culture. (I better stop before this turns into a George Carlin routine).
 
I would say its just plain ignorance. They can't spot a swirl if they're life depended on it, and they think the tunnel wash is a "treat" for the car. :think2



To be honest, I wouldn't care that much about my car if I had a 1993 civic or something.



I dont think people realize how delicate car paint is. Its 50% ignorance and 50% just not caring enough.
 
I agree with what joshtpa's saying.



Also, even though a car may be someone's 2nd biggest asset, many don't treat it like a valuable one because the majority of cars decline in value. If people knew it was going to be a collectible, they would treat it with better care and spend more on the upkeep. But most people nowadays probably change their car within 5-10 years, so what's the point of spending all that money on upkeep when it doesn't justify the little extra you get back when you sell the vehicle?



We live in a world where it's getting harder and harder to have extra money left over. If I had only $50 to spend a month between paying a cell phone bill, paying a cable bill, or getting my car detailed, having my car detailed is low on my priority list. And I'm sure it's low on the majority of most people's list unless they could afford it or maybe having a clean car was part of their job, such as a real estate agent or something. I could drive to work in a dirty car and still make money to survive, but if most of my customers did business over the phone, I could have the cleanest car in the world but that won't bring any money in for me.
 
joshtpa said:
Keep in mind, most people keep their car less than 4 years now. That is much different than 20 years ago.
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That's not true, people keep their cars longer today...even the leases are longer.



People are just oblivious. They don't know anything about how to maintain their car, and they feel out of control because of the weather, parking lot dings, traffic accidents, etc. It's hard to feel protective of your car when you (may) have to leave it outside 24/7, it's subject to all kinds of abuse...I think people feel they are just shoveling against the tide...they know they are powerless to stop a lot of the damage, and I think they block it out to some degree so it doesn't eat at them.
 
It's always been this way. Just look at old photographs from the 30's and 40's and you'll see that cars were always dirty and just didn't shine (I'm sure some of it has to do with the archaic photography). I have no idea why it is that way, but it is. I've always said like you RAG, my cars are our second largest expense, and they don't generally appreciate like a house. So if I'm spending so much money, I'm going to take care of it. While I don't go to the extremes that a lot of Autopians do for washing and such, I cringe when I see a new ding from some clueless idiot at the mall. To most people, it's just another thing they bought with their credit. To me, it's something I worked hours upon hours to get, so I'm going to take care of it.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
That's not true, people keep their cars longer today...even the leases are longer.



People are just oblivious. They don't know anything about how to maintain their car, and they feel out of control because of the weather, parking lot dings, traffic accidents, etc. It's hard to feel protective of your car when you (may) have to leave it outside 24/7, it's subject to all kinds of abuse...I think people feel they are just shoveling against the tide...they know they are powerless to stop a lot of the damage, and I think they block it out to some degree so it doesn't eat at them.
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Excellent points. Maybe we all assume here at Autopia that everyone has a DD, a garage queen and coozy garage to park in every night. But then again when I did not have these things 38 years ago and it was only a new '71 VW Super Beetle, I treated it with as much TLC as I do my vehicle today. I know it's not genetic because my brother drives nice vehicles and could care less if it dirty or clean. As long as its maintained and service properly he's happy.



Maybe "we" care "too" much? :nixweiss
 
It's definitely a throw-away society these days. If your dvd player breaks, do you fix it? Or do you just ditch it because it's cheaper to buy a new one than get it fixed? As someone else mentioned, more and more people replace their cars sooner than ever before. With the popularity of leasing, people can get behind the wheel of more expensive cars and replace them in a couple of years, so why worry about maintaining it's appearance? The paint won't look too bad by the time they turn it in, so a couple washes a year will do the trick.



Personally, I bought a new car at the end of 2006 and I've been infected with OCD. One of the main reasons I do it myself, so I can't/don't want to spend money for someone else to do it for me.



Do you guys actually have regular customers that subscribe to a bi-weekly regimen?
 
Besides being just a mode of transportation, I think many people view their car as financial loss or just impractical. For instance, my father is only willing to apply Zymol AIO and wouldn't even think of cleaning/wiping down the interior. He is far from a lazy man. However, this regiment suits his purpose since he doesn't enjoy car/driving (cars cost $, gas costs $, etc). See the pattern here? My mother on the other hand has a new lexus, which she loves, and looks for chances to drive it whenever possible. I give the vehicle one good detailing once per year and she is willing to maintain it from there. She even asks me to teach her what to do and get her the supplies as gifts.
 
People in the 1930s and 40s didnt clean there cars any more then they do today.People in the 50s started to clean there cars more often because car were painted brighter colors, and car waxes and polishes were advertised a lot . Now people just want to just run there cars through car washes, colors are not as bright, and waxes are not advertised to much on tv or magazines.
 
People like their cars to be clean, but they just don't see the value in making it perfect. I used to be like that until I finally bought a collectible car that I'm enthusiastic about. These days I pay attention to the paint and I take the time to learn how to detail properly. I would never have heard of Zaino or Autopia if I continued to drive boring cars. 99% of people fall into that category.
 
P-nut said:
People like their cars to be clean, but they just don't see the value in making it perfect. I used to be like that until I finally bought a collectible car that I'm enthusiastic about. These days I pay attention to the paint and I take the time to learn how to detail properly. I would never have heard of Zaino or Autopia if I continued to drive boring cars. 99% of people fall into that category.
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+1. I never heard about Zaino or Autopia 'till I got my own car.
 
Some really great points raised here so let me add just a few more. Since we all agree that most people don't take care of their cars then it only reasons that most cars on the road look like crap. Therefore, dirty, neglected cars become the norm and logically, they fit right in with the rest. Those of us who clean our cars routinely are viewed as obsessive or eccentric. I recently installed a spigot on my house to bring hot water to my garden hose to wash my car with warm water. My friends at work busted my chops and called me names for a week over that one. Geographical location also plays a big role. In Massachusetts, you'd be lucky to keep your car clean for 1 day in winter and 3 days in summer. Most drivers don't want to spend 8 bucks on a car wash that only lasts 1 or 2 days. But here comes the big one. I love a clean car don't get me wrong. But financially, the time and effort spent on keeping a car clean ultimately does not pay off. Please know that I have sold over 35 cars in my life. My cars sell quickly because of their condition but their condition DOES NOT yield more money. Here's why: Insurance companies rely on books like NADA & Kelly Blue Book to determine value in the event of a loss. People around here know this and therefore are not willing to spend more money for a car than insurance will pay them if it gets stolen or totalled. In short, they don't care how many coats of wax are on the car, they just know the book value is $17500 and that's all they're willing to pay and you know what, in the end they're probably right!
 
it happened when cars became an appliance, like a washing machine or stove.



Think about it... what if there was someone who LOVED keeping a super clean, brand new looking stove. You would think "oh man, yea, that looks cool. I think I'd like to have my stove like that."



But you know that what you REALLY believe is that its a stove, its going to have some burned on food, you can't keep it clean all the time, since its just not "worth it."



I'd say these "other" folks have the same mentality. For us, our vehicles are an extension of ourselves; a personal expression of sorts. For them, its not... its as much an expression of themselves as a doormat.
 
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