Since it's so damn cold here in Albany, NY I can't do it myself until it gets a little warmer. For now I prefer the stalls. I can't use the Laser Wash with my Thule rack and snowboard carrier mounted and they need a salt removal just as bad as my X does.

When I lived in San Diego, a car wash close to my apartment had a stall that had a platform running down the sides for oversize vehicles like RV's - it would have been perfect to get the top of the X with. Now I just wash in front of my house, and since putting the sliders on I have a little cosco two step fold up ladder that I use to get the front roof with, I just stand on the rear tires for the back part of the roof. You could take a small ladder like that with you to the carwash (I've seen others do that).

All the @%#$ ridges on the roof really make the California blade a pain. Otherwise I love mine too.

Yeah...I just skip the roof w/ the blade. I discovered that the roof basket is a pain to get around, too. I'm thinking I'll leave it on only during the winter.

I'm starting to think I like my X dirty all the time. Friends have been writing on the back of mine (I know, I know...beware of scratches) and it kinda reminds me of the "billboard" commercial

I don't.

$28 and the they do it all for me. Vacuum, shampoo carpets/floor mats, windows, wheels, tires, under-body and interior cleaning. And with the specialized equipment they have, 5 of them do a hell of a lot better job in 10-15min than I can do in 2-3 hours.
It cost a bit more for the wax/buff. But that's only every 6 mos. or so.
Sometimes they have specials...get it all done << $20.

In between cleanings, I've got a touchless automatic nearby that takes the check card.

Damn I'm lazy. Or, maybe I've just got better things to do.

Wash it? What's that?



By hand, never through the car wash. Had a bad experience once with a car wash and the power antenna on my Celica, so from that point forward I wash the X by hand. Car washes sand the living crap out of my paint anyway.

Hose, bucket, wash mitt, and some foamy "Mototech" stuff that's about $6 a gallon and won't strip wax. Wax it every 3 months or thereabouts with old school Turtle wax. Takes bloody forever, but the results are worth it.

I second the rain statement

PDXterra--another portland area member! I'll be watchin for another yellow X around the area now

for those who hate the "spots" after you spend time washing, i use the "ABSORBER". i purchased it at Wal-mart for about $6. i had tried a few different chaimis that all sucked. but the absorber is awesome, it really gets the water and doesn't leave any spots.

Grab a bucket of mud and throw it all over the X and consider it very clean and especialy good looking lol!!

Wasn't that on a Grand Cherokee commercial?

Living in Vegas, all vehicle washing at home has been banned. The only way to wash your vehicle is to take it to a commercial car wash that supposedly recycles the water.

I saw that when I was home visiting the folks - unbelieveable. There is a whole set of restrictions. First time fines range from $25-$100 and double with each violation

And people laughed at me when one of my reasons for moving back east was the southwest was going to be running short on water

Part of the price you pay for living in the desert.

However, much of the "drought restrictions" are political moves to aid the developers. Proof of this is the lack of restrictions on hotel / casinos and some business.

Since I work at an ice rink, I sometime use the highpressure water that they have to fill up the zamboni and wash my car.. Warm water dries better than cold.. " I said WARM, not HOT" I mixed a bottle of Prestone complete care to a bottle of armorall car soap and it turned out great but I'm gonna go back to my meguires gold class " oober ".

With all of the salt on my truck I was thinking about doing a wash today since we are going all the way up to 40 degrees today. At Target I saw these soft bristle brush and handle sets that say they won't leave brush marks in the paint or clear coat. Has anyone used these and are they safe on the finish?

I always hand wash. I enjoy it.

In the summer I use car soap and a hose. Hose it down, lather it up, hose it off, dry it.
In the winter, I have a heater in my garage so I can repair and wash year round. But no hoses allowed in the garage, so no soap, just plain warm water. I start at the top, windows and roof, I can reach the whole roof from the step rails. My gear basket is removed (full time) so it is easier to wash. then dry that section. When the water gets dirty I dump it and get clean water. It usually takes 3 five gallon buckets of water to get the X clean. Tires and wheels included. I hate salt.

After reading a post here a while back I tried Zaino products. UNBELIEVABLE. My X never looked better. The beginning is time consumming, clay bar and several coats of wax, but what a difference. Now we need to see how long it lasts.

I have always liked driving a clean car and in my opinion its hard to beat a clean shiny X

I checked out one of them high pressure washes down at the Sheetz station in Richmond (that thing's huge), and it does an excellent job for 4 bucks. It removes the dirt and stuff way better than those damn car washes that scratch up your paint. So def a must to those of you who haven't checked it out.
Now she's sparkless, and I keep detailing her every morning.

I've hand washed it 3 times since I got it in December 2002. Have had it hand washed by a company 3 times, and on the 3rd time I found scratches I know I didn't put there (bad enough to warrant touch up paint). I never went back. Sucks too, cause aside from fuckin up my car, they did an awesome job. Hahaha.

Now it's the $5 car wash in the south Bronx where they armor all your tires too (yeah right... Vaseline and vegetable oil). When they're done, I get out and do a visual, and grab a towel and get off the excess they missed or the dirt the was missed. Like in between the Nissan logo or the headlights (have a Nissa brushguard installed too).

Anyone get pissed after using the car wash and you come out and the dryer forces all the soap out of the front of your truck, down the gutters and all over your X again?

Richie =)