[LBC111]

Originally Posted by Ridgemanron

know this guy with a beautiful 1974 Toyota Corolla (owned it since new) and
he claims to never have washed the car with soap. It still looks pristine. Also, I
was told that if you must go to a car wash, then make sure it is 'touchless',
not 'brushless' if you want to avoid getting swirls.

I had a Jeep Wrangler that I also "almost" never washed with soap. I kept it out of the sun/rain when not driven, and just used mineral-free or distilled water, sprayed it down (lightly and often) at a coin wash, drove off so the wind could blow most of the water off, then would lightly dry the remainder with a clean cotton towel. I only off-roaded it about a dozen times, and only used soap when there was caked-on mud. The finish was always like new. I had the truck for 8 years before I finally waxed it, and there wasn't much of a difference after it was waxed. The only thing that REALLY helped to make it shine, was to dress up all the plastic, rubber, and metal. (It also helps to live in a very temperate climate.)

I don't buy the arguments that you have to wax every ____ months, or ____ wax is much better than ____ wax. Bottom line is how you treat the finish from the start. I think the key to maintaining a good finish is, keep these things away: Detergents; Scrubbing; Sun, and use the cleanest, most mineral-free water possible.

The Elise has been waxed once, but I have only washed it with soap 3 times.

BTW.. a great little trick to make the undercarriage, wheel wells, etc. of a truck look new again: Armor All (or similar product). It works WAY better, and lasts longer, on metal than it does on plastic!