Possible to wash a vehicle too much?

Hey guys, this is motorcycle specific, but i'm sure it can fall under the same thing. I live in a rural area which means potholes, dirt, stones, etc. I hate seeing my vehicles dusty and dirty. Not only does it make be worry about it sitting there caking on my paint, but I hate the look. This means I have to wash my car every other day practically. Just wondering if it it possible to wash a vehicle too much, that it becomes unhealthy for the paint. I'd obviously prefer not to have dirt sitting there caked on my vehicles, but I also don't want to do through the bother of washing them so often if it ends up damaging the paint.

You may think washing it every two or three days is OCD, but thats what is required in dumpy/dusty rural Canada

 

They wash busse & trucks at the depot daily.

 

sure, but a business likely doesn't care about long term damage to their paint as long as it looks clean. i dunno

 

I wouldn't think that washing the bike would damage the paint. I would think if the dirt sticks to the paint and you wash it by rubbing the dirt would scratch and damage the paint. I would give it a good coat of wax so the dirt does not stick and flush it away with water before using a sponge.

Be careful if you are thinking of pressure washing. You can force water in around seals and cause damage you may not see for awhile.

 

Ya, I do pressure wash , and have never waxed my car yet. I should get that on the go, but i always hate doing it.

 

Don't think you can wash a vehicle too much, if you do it correctly.

Don't wash in direct sunlight, because the UV rays concentrated by water droplets CAN damage your vehicle's paint! Work in the shade, or in the early evening as the sun is very low

First, rinse the mud, dust and grit off your bike or cage using a low-pressure garden hose

Wash using a decent cleaner formula designed for washing -- don't use dish soap or laundry detergent, for example -- and use two buckets: one with the suds, and one to frequently rinse your applicator

You can buy special mitts or sponges, but good clean cotton rags, or terry towels work just as well.

Don't scrub away at the dirt; you risk damaging the painted surface. Let the suds do the work, and 'float' the grime away

I use a car wash liquid that contains micr0-encapsulated carnuba wax, and it does a fine job.

Dry the bike/cage with a clean chamois

Now get out your good wax, and at least do the high spots that get the most abuse -- such as the front of the vehicle, and the gas tank and other places on your bike where you're likely to make contact

You don't need a lot of wax for a bike, and you don't need to wax after every wash either! Just pay attention to the shiny bits, and give 'em a coat of protection from time to time

If you keep your ride waxed, you'll find the dirt and dust come off much easier

Cheers

 

I have about 10 different waxes that I used on my Mustang back in the day. I even have a two part Klasse Wax which cost an arm and a leg back in the day. I guess I should get the front of my car re-clearcoated (i hit a deer in October, and the new bumper seems to have a tonne of white specs where the clear coat lifted up. I dont know if this is due to a crap winter), and put on some coats of wax. I like washing my vehicles for sexiness though

 

A coat of good wax, and low pressure garden hose rinse followed by towel drying never hurt a good paint job. Just make sure you don't use strong chemicals, or detergents.

Ghost

 

As to the "lensing" effect - wouldn't a light sprinkle on a sunny day (all the time in Florida) cause this paint damage?? I haven't seen any.

Someone was just asking me about watering a lawn in broad daylight; if that would "burn" the grass. I say no.

 

The best advice.

If you have everything properly shined up, waxed and protected, then keeping it clean is a lot easier.

Low pressure water, a proper car-washing soap (not wax-stripping dish detergent) and lots of clean cotton terrycloth towels. (TIP: Don't use "microfiber" it absolutely scratches the bejabbers out of chrome.)

NO PRESSURE WASHING. You can force water into the motor or transmission/driveline.

 

I work for one of the largest paint company's in America selling and writing specifications on a variety of coatings. I can assure you these products are designed with extreme UV exposure in mind, so the Lens theory is untrue.

The worst thing you can do to paint is abraid it...so use cleaning clothes and chamois dedicated to vehicle cleaning only. If the cloth gets sandy or overly dirty replace them.

In my opinion you cannot over wash any vehicle....The market for these coatings is so competitive they are light years beyond what the used to be 10-15 years ago and are designed with the harshest of environments in mind.

 

how can microfiber cloth scratch chrome and not scratch paint?
if the washing time takes away from the riding time then that's too much

 

I'm sure microfiber scratches paint too, it's just a lot harder to see.

I thought microfiber was my new best buddy until I used it on a piece of brand new chrome.

Lesson learned the hard way. Microfiber banished. Works great for automotive pleather.

 

That makes sense about the 'lens' thing. 8)

I think chrome is actually delicate, compared to modern paint, but I don't see how a clean microfibre cloth could scratch it, unless it picked up grit embedded on the chrome surface during the polishing process. But then, you'd think terry towel or cotton would do the same?