GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Okay.........Who washes the Vibe and how.

I use Meguiar's gold car wash and a soft wash mitt. I do not use the bucket except to get all the grit out of the mitt, I just wash the mitt and then apply the car wash on the mitt itself and do like a fender, then wash the mitt, apply more, etc. I think that Meguiar's makes a great product!

I have not used the Meguiar's car wash yet. I just use thier tire jel and the wax. I use two mitts when I wash, one newer soft wash for the car body painted surfaces. Then I have the older mitt for rims, tires, wheel wells, and all other none painted surfaces. I use two chamois, one for the outside surfaces and one for the inside painted door. hatch, and hood openings. The "B" chamois also for the interior plastics. I do this one a week if needed or not, and as soon as the rain stops. I had only black cars before...........It forms a habit as I had to wash all the black cars every 3 days.
[Modified by old man winter, 8:34 AM 9/13/2002]

damn you people and ur driveways...

I just did mine tonight (did the Voyager too). Used Meguiar's gel car wash for both.

I will be washing in my driveway (sorry locdog) weather permitting. Not many Canadians can bucket wash in January, so I will be using the services of a touchless drive thru or a coin op pressure wash to keep the salt levels manageable.
[Modified by Frosty, 12:23 PM 9/16/2002]

quote:Not many Canadians can bucket wash in January, so I will be using the services of a touchless drive thru or a coin op pressure wash to keep the salt levels to a manageable level.Most Ohioians can say the same though. Our area was just blessed with a couple new touchless car wash facilities. I patronized them last winter. Works out great and the ones with the under-car spray really makes a difference in salt removal.

In the winter months I will go to a coin operated enclosed hand wand booth. I do this late in the evening so that the place is empty. I bring a small cooler filled with hot water and car wash soap. I spay off the salt and dirt, then wash with a mitt and the soap. I will rinse off the drive back to the garage at my house. before I left for the car wash I start up the gas heater and put it on full power. I back the car in and let it heat up so all the ice now starts to melt...............wait a bit, then dry it off with a chamois............. turn the heat off...........nite nite. Sorry Chris
[Modified by old man winter, 5:52 PM 9/16/2002]

I wash my car at least 3 times a week (weather permitting)Not to mention the hundreds of dollars that I have spent on car care productsI've done this with every car that I've owned2003 ABYSS 18 inch "Enkei" CDR-9 wheels with "NITTO" NT-555 Extreme High Perfomance 40ZR Standard Equipment; Portable Playstation game console on fold down front seat complete with adapter and 2 dual shock controllers; Sony CD;CD-R;CD-RW-XM Radio ready in-dash receiver with remote card commander, dual display motorized flip steath face, 4-way 6 1/2 Infinity speaker system. MTX 4250 Class D 700-watt Digital Amplifier. 2 MTX Thunder6000 12 inch subwoofers http://www.imagestation.com/mypictures/ ... 4248913204[Modified by yank dini, 8:45 PM 9/20/2002]
[Modified by yank dini, 8:47 PM 9/20/2002]

3 time a week? Thats pretty harsh on the paint. U wax yer car a lot I take it.

OK, just did my first Vibe GT wash, Meguire's gel and bucket (do paint, change water, do rest) And, to continue the GenVibe tradition of going OT in the same post: Yank,Love your "standard equipment" list Are there pics of same somewhere on this board? I'm thinking replace the radio/CD soon. How do you like yours?

If I had a house, it would have been with a garden hose and a bucket...but since I don't, the coin op is the way for me.

I only wash Sputnik when I'm at my parent's place since they have a nice garden hose.

Meguiars Car wash soap is what I use also, ....I like this stuff very much it leaves a great shine everytime!

Touchless car wash in winterMyself in summer

quote:Most Ohioians can say the same though. Our area was just blessed with a couple new touchless car wash facilities. I patronized them last winter. Works out great and the ones with the under-car spray really makes a difference in salt removal.Touchless car washes are the way to go in the winter, but normally in the summer I wash mine at the coin-op car wash!

Had wash in the summer. High pressure spary to knock off the salt during the winter. And last but not least, a touchless wash with an underbody blast at the end of winter.

quote:Drive the car in a lakeJust be sure not to have a CAI.

whoa! this thread has returned......Has anyone tried Jax's???? (michigan)

quote:Just be sure not to have a CAI. well it then becomes a CWINeed a long text description? Cold water intakeLOL!!!!!

quote:Drive the car in a lakeKids safely belted in the back seat.

i wash it about once a week with a Meguiar's Gold Class wash. I'm really into detail when i clean my car. I actual clean cars on the side for spare cash. It is my of my favorite things to do.

My First Washing...filled a gallon water jug with warm water. Put it, my Maquire's car wash bottle, my Absorber, amd wash mit in a bucket and drove down to the "Sparkle Clean" car wash place. Poured the water from the jug into the bucket, soaked my Absorber, hung it up on the floor mat doo-hickies then poured a little bit of the car wash into the water, Mixed it up and I was ready to go. I used the high pressure spray wand to presoak the Vibe, switched it to soap spray to try to help remove the bugs on the front. Also used the tire cleaner thingie to clean the tires. $1.75 for the presoak and tire clean. Washed the car down from top to bottom (Except the tires which were already cleaned). Made sure the bugs were gone... then Rinsed using the high pressure wand. Once it was rinsed I set it to "Spot Free Rinse". After that, I used The Absorber to dry from top to bottom. It was a cool night so I went over the vehicle once to get the majority of the water, then went back over it for a detailed drying. Another $1.75 to rinseDid all this at about 1am in a car wash bin labled "No Bucket Washing" HA! I'm such a rebel...Dave

it nice that i work at the dealer all the cloth car washes i want but a good hand wash is great tooo,,

Hand and hose wash in the spring and summer. My Vibe hasn't gone through a Canadian winter yet, but I will most likely be using touchless car washes since it looks like most of you are.

I wash my car with water...duh!

With all the rain we've had in NJ since April, I just go outside when it's raining and we both take a bath!

To start off, since I waxed the vibe like 6 times, dirt barely sticks to it. When it does, it takes minimal effort to get it off!But I start with just a cheap car wash -- I think it's Westley's...I bought a big bottle of it at Target...Start with that...I dump a crapload of it in the bucket, load 'er up with water. Then prewas with a quasi-pressure wash nozzle on the hose (stronger than a standard attachment, but hardly a pressure washer).Start with the wheels. Have a special wheel-cleaning brush that gets in the nooks and crannies. Used to use a spray-on wheel cleaner, but found they really weren't cutting it anymore...so I save the $$$. Plus my hubcaps are in such crappy shape...Once the wheels are done, I get a window sponge/squeegee stick (like at your common gas station), use that to clean the roof. Since I removed the roof rack crossbars, it's a breeze. If needed, I break out the step stool and get a scrubber sponge and scrub.Follow up by standard sponge washing...walk around with a spray bottle filled with car wash concentrate, to help me get stubborn dirt. Use a standard sponge on the paint, then a scrubber on the cladding. Doesn't scratch it, and gets off all the stubborn dirt. Follow up with a synthetic chamois and dry her off. Go back and nail any stubborn dirt, tar, or bugs with turtle wax bug & tar remover. When I have whole day dedicated to washing, I move into the interior now.Start by vacuuming everything, even under the seats...Then get the little green clean machine out and do the rugs (though soon they'll be replaced by rubber mats! Then I go around and use armor all on all the vinyl and plastic to shine it up.Then move onto the glass surfaces. Start using a typical house cleaner with paper towels to get all the dirt off. When that's done, use invisble glass and a glass cloth to get them really clean and streak free.Then, time permitting, go back outside, apply meguiar's tire shine gel, go over the cladding, handles, and other exterior plastics with Mother's back-to-black. That about covers it.Once a month (ideally) I would now go into cleaner wax, glaze/sealer, and finally a solid wax coat...but who knows if I'll be able to keep that up...

You are one sick little puppy. I mean, I love my car too, but damn, don't you have a life....a wife....a girlfriend...or something better to do than to do all that to your car? (Mind you, given the opportunity and time I would do the same thing!!!)

quote:You are one sick little puppy. I mean, I love my car too, but damn, don't you have a lifeNope.quote:....a wifenope.quote:....a girlfriend...unfortunately not.quote:or something better to do than to do all that to your car? (Mind you, given the opportunity and time I would do the same thing!!!) Nope. Keep in mind, it sounds like a lot, but really only takes a couple of hours...because I do it weekly, each step goes fast. i.e. washing takes minimal time because nothing gets really baked on, and the wax helps it all clean right off...so while it seems like a lot, each step takes minimal time...

Ok, so my neighbors would really think you are nuts! I can't even do the inside and outside in the same day without 15 random people walking up and asking me where the line is or if they can be next. It's not funny the 15th time people! I usually pull out the rubber floor mats before I start washing, so I can spray them down and let them dry on the sidewalk while I do the rest of the car. I used to use the synthetic chamois, but it got too wet and I had to keep ringing it (or buy another one) and it got annoying. So my dad got me using a squeegee thing (just a small hand-held one) that just flicks the water right off. I was a little nervous at first given the temperment of the paint, but then I gave in figuring that a tiny strip of rubber really can't be causing much harm. I have not noticed any ill effects from it yet. It's tons faster and more efficient than the chamois and doens't have to dry afterward. I think it was like 4 bucks at walmart in the auto section. As for the rest of your steps...I feel like I have a lot of shopping and practice ahead of me now.

quote:my dad got me using a squeegee thing (just a small hand-held one) that just flicks the water right off. I was a little nervous at first given the temperment of the paint, but then I gave in figuring that a tiny strip of rubber really can't be causing much harm. I have not noticed any ill effects from it yet. It's tons faster and more efficient than the chamois and doens't have to dry afterward. I think it was like 4 bucks at walmart in the auto section. have one...but find the various angles and curves of the vibe make it more difficult than beneficial...

Yeah, that's sort of true. I use the squeegee first, then all that is left are the angles and edges, then I swipe those dry with the chamois. Still a lot easier.

i dont have a schedule...i just wash it when its dirty or when my mom yells at me...

quote:Mom does know best. HA!