How long does it take you to wash/dry your Camaro - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Jeanius · 12-20-2009, 09:59 PM

Mine is Black and it is the biggest PIA to wash/dry. Considering its my DD, It takes me about 3 hours.

Rinse
Foam Gun Soak
Double Bucket 2 Mitt wash, Top down with rinse dips after each panel
Wheel/tire wash

Blow dry
Blot Dry
Detail Spray Buff

Its safe to say I will never buy a DD Black car AGAIN!!

Just curious how long its taking the rest of you

PAUL SS · 12-20-2009, 10:12 PM

I don't care how long it takes it is quality time spent with my pride and joy.

beowulf80 · 12-21-2009, 11:44 AM

IBM here, almost as bad as black. It takes me ~2 hours total. My SS is a 3-season car, but its DD during those seasons. I generally only wash once/week; usually on Sat. I find that I spend as much or more time washing the wheels as rest of the car combined. I wash the entire barrel, not just the front face. My procedure is this:

Rinse Wheels
VERY gentle Soap scrub then rinse each wheel individually. Repeat for all 4 wheels
Back car up ~3'
Re-wash wheels, with focus on the area that was behind the caliper
"Harsh" scrub of tire sidewalls with dawn, focus on removing any remaining brake dust
"Harsh" scrub of wheelwells with dawn mixture.

Move onto painted surfaces
Spay soak of entire vehicle
Double Bucket 2 Mitt wash, Top down with rinse dips after each panel. I use Zaino, and as such use the Z-7 wash. Takes about 1-1/2 gallons of wash water. I also wash the windows with this mixture. I use 2 mitts, one for roof, hood, truck, sides; the other for bumpers, lower rocker panels.
Hose sprayoff every 2-3 panels to remove majority of dirty soap. Full spraydown after completing entire car.
Free-flow water rinse of entire car - this removes most water beads
Careful use of California squeegie. Only use on flat panels on upper half of car. Do not force to shape around tight bends, like the hood cowling. No scratches with this technique for me.
Dry entire car with 100% cotton bathroom towel
Blow out cracks & crevices with compressed air; mailslot, rearviews, taillights, spoiler
Use dampened rag with Z-7 soap mixture to clean out areas only dampened by car wash such as door sills, door jambs, trunk area. Also look for any missed spots during this time.
Detail Spray Buff using Z-6

I use the California car duster also, but carefully and sparingly. It brings it back close to the level of a washed car. The car will get dusted after work on either Monday or Tuesday. After that, I'm waiting until the weekend. If it rains, I will not dust the car again until after it has been washed. I do not dust the wheels. I do not press down on the duster, I hold the solid section ~1" above the car and let the tool do its work on its own. Again, still no scratches with this technique.

2010 SSRS · 12-21-2009, 12:36 PM

I would have to say about an hour or a little longer, my Camaro is garaged and never gets dirty, so it is easy to wash the dust off of it

the part that takes long is completely drying it with the leave blower, but is well worth it, I have had my Camaro since August 6th and I have only washed it 2 times and one of the times was only because when I got it back from the tint place, there was some water marks on the door.

jeffny09 · 12-21-2009, 12:40 PM

I DO MORE THEN THAT SPEND ABOUT5-7 HOURS

UCI CamaroFan · 12-21-2009, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2010 SSRS

I would have to say about an hour or a little longer, my Camaro is garaged and never gets dirty, so it is easy to wash the dust off of it

the part that takes long is completely drying it with the leave blower, but is well worth it, I have had my Camaro since August 6th and I have only washed it 2 times and one of the times was only because when I got it back from the tint place, there was some water marks on the door.

I don't really like using the leaf blower because all it does for me is make the drops of water really really small and spread out.

Instead I use a waffle weave followed by a very thick normal towel, then use a quick detailer after.

Moose · 12-21-2009, 01:55 PM

Actual time to give it a good bath and thorough drying...45 min....

And it's black, and I'm probabaly more "anal" than most when it comes to maintaining my Camaro's appearance.

BOOTZILLA · 12-21-2009, 02:14 PM

You guys are outta control... top to bottom... front to back... areas that can't be seen....

It takes me maybe 90 minutes, because my hose is a pain in the ass, and there are oak trees dropping leaves and flowers all over the place.

ffrcobra_65 · 12-21-2009, 04:25 PM

I wash mine every Saturday morning. Washed and dried in about 45 minutes. Add 30 minutes if I also I wipe it down with detail spray afterwards.

chevyss · 12-21-2009, 04:54 PM

It takes me about 30 minutes to do mine. Do it yourself car wash. Spray it off, wipe it down w/shamy. I never let mine get dirty. Of course it's not my daily driver. It's a weekender car. It also never sees and never will while I have it, winter. Now my kids might do different when I'm gone.

RedJewelrsss32 · 12-21-2009, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul SS

I don't care how long it takes it is quality time spent with my pride and joy.

2nd that Its good clean fun

SGOS252382 · 12-21-2009, 05:56 PM

30 minutes - from dirty to spotless.
I wet the car.
I mix car wash and water in bucket.
I gently wash the car with a car sponge.
I clean the wheels and exhaust tips with a soapy rag.
I rinse the car off.
I use my aborber to dry the car.
I'm done.

I wash my car every Saturday morning.

Unless your waxing your car, I don't know why it would take more than 30-40 minutes.

Jeanius · 12-21-2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moose

Actual time to give it a good bath and thorough drying...45 min....

And it's black, and I'm probabaly more "anal" than most when it comes to maintaining my Camaro's appearance.

I dont know Moose, Im probably I think my "ANALNESS" will give yours a run for its money.

How do you dry it?

I cannot for the life of me cut it shorter.

Mine goes like this, with a Rinse and resoap of the mitt after each line listed

DS roof down to top of the the quarter panel
PS Roof and top of quarter panel, wash the side mirrors/windows/winshield

DS Hood
PS Hood

Deck Lid

Top half DS Fender/Door above body line under CAMARO
Top half DS Quarter Panel to half of rear end

Top half PS Fender/Door above body line under CAMARO
Top half PS Quarter Panel to half of rear end

Bottom half DS Fender/Door
Bottom half PS Fender/Door

Bottom half Front Bumper
Bottom half Rear Bumper

CHANGE MITTS

Front bumper under last body line

DS Fender/Door Under last body line
DS QP level of last body line

PS Fender/Door Under last body line
PS QP level of last body line

Rear Bumper Under last body line, then rear diffuser

Wash each wheel/tire using a 3rd mitt and boar hair brush

FULL RINSE

FLOOD METHOD to remove most beading

Dry with Metro Air style filtered blower and blot dry remaining water

Buff with detail spray, Top to Bottom

I have to refill my rinse bucket at least twice during the wash because so much water gets lost.

Im seriously considering buying one of those water filters I've seen on here to cut the drying time

Jeanius · 12-21-2009, 06:03 PM

For those that take about 30 min, when your car is in direct sunlight, do you have swirls/scratches in your clear coat?

12-20-2009, 09:59 PM	#1
Jeanius Drives: Blk/Blk 2018 Sierra SLT Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Golden State Posts: 2,925	How long does it take you to wash/dry your Camaro Mine is Black and it is the biggest PIA to wash/dry. Considering its my DD, It takes me about 3 hours. Rinse Foam Gun Soak Double Bucket 2 Mitt wash, Top down with rinse dips after each panel Wheel/tire wash Blow dry Blot Dry Detail Spray Buff Its safe to say I will never buy a DD Black car AGAIN!! Just curious how long its taking the rest of you

12-20-2009, 10:12 PM	#2
PAUL SS The Mark of Excellence Drives: 2010 ABM 1SS RS LS3 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Smallest State in the Union Posts: 8,688 View My Garage	I don't care how long it takes it is quality time spent with my pride and joy. __________________ BMR, CAI, DynoMax, Elite Eng., Hurst, Jannetty, Clear Image Headers & Hi Flow cats, Jet Hot, LSR, TSW, VMax, Vredestein

12-21-2009, 12:40 PM	#5
jeffny09 Drives: 2010 camaro Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: new york Posts: 5,618	I DO MORE THEN THAT SPEND ABOUT5-7 HOURS __________________ top 10 reason why real men drive stick. 10. A manual transmission is the ultimate in control 9. You can use automotive jargon and not sound like a total tool 8. You can't spell "manual" without "man" 7. Manual transmissions prove you can do more than one thing at a time 6. You can't drift in an auto 5. You can't pull fancy moves in an automatic 4. You get better fuel economy with a stick 3. You’ll never look like a chump if you can drive stick 2. Manual transmission cars are faster 1. Women like a guy who is good with his hands.

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12-21-2009, 11:44 AM	#3
beowulf80 Drives: 2010 2SS / RS MT, IBM Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Yorkville IL Posts: 181 View My Garage	IBM here, almost as bad as black. It takes me ~2 hours total. My SS is a 3-season car, but its DD during those seasons. I generally only wash once/week; usually on Sat. I find that I spend as much or more time washing the wheels as rest of the car combined. I wash the entire barrel, not just the front face. My procedure is this: Rinse Wheels VERY gentle Soap scrub then rinse each wheel individually. Repeat for all 4 wheels Back car up ~3' Re-wash wheels, with focus on the area that was behind the caliper "Harsh" scrub of tire sidewalls with dawn, focus on removing any remaining brake dust "Harsh" scrub of wheelwells with dawn mixture. Move onto painted surfaces Spay soak of entire vehicle Double Bucket 2 Mitt wash, Top down with rinse dips after each panel. I use Zaino, and as such use the Z-7 wash. Takes about 1-1/2 gallons of wash water. I also wash the windows with this mixture. I use 2 mitts, one for roof, hood, truck, sides; the other for bumpers, lower rocker panels. Hose sprayoff every 2-3 panels to remove majority of dirty soap. Full spraydown after completing entire car. Free-flow water rinse of entire car - this removes most water beads Careful use of California squeegie. Only use on flat panels on upper half of car. Do not force to shape around tight bends, like the hood cowling. No scratches with this technique for me. Dry entire car with 100% cotton bathroom towel Blow out cracks & crevices with compressed air; mailslot, rearviews, taillights, spoiler Use dampened rag with Z-7 soap mixture to clean out areas only dampened by car wash such as door sills, door jambs, trunk area. Also look for any missed spots during this time. Detail Spray Buff using Z-6 I use the California car duster also, but carefully and sparingly. It brings it back close to the level of a washed car. The car will get dusted after work on either Monday or Tuesday. After that, I'm waiting until the weekend. If it rains, I will not dust the car again until after it has been washed. I do not dust the wheels. I do not press down on the duster, I hold the solid section ~1" above the car and let the tool do its work on its own. Again, still no scratches with this technique.

12-21-2009, 12:36 PM	#4
2010 SSRS Drives: 3 V8 Camaros Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Ocean State Posts: 111,186 View My Garage	I would have to say about an hour or a little longer, my Camaro is garaged and never gets dirty, so it is easy to wash the dust off of it the part that takes long is completely drying it with the leave blower, but is well worth it, I have had my Camaro since August 6th and I have only washed it 2 times and one of the times was only because when I got it back from the tint place, there was some water marks on the door.

12-21-2009, 01:55 PM	#7
Moose Moderator Drives: '99 Camaro SS #1392 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Newtown, Pa. Posts: 3,982	Actual time to give it a good bath and thorough drying...45 min.... And it's black, and I'm probabaly more "anal" than most when it comes to maintaining my Camaro's appearance.

12-21-2009, 02:14 PM	#8
BOOTZILLA Banned Drives: Black 2010 SS/RS Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The 'Wood Posts: 196	You guys are outta control... top to bottom... front to back... areas that can't be seen.... It takes me maybe 90 minutes, because my hose is a pain in the ass, and there are oak trees dropping leaves and flowers all over the place.

12-21-2009, 04:25 PM	#9
ffrcobra_65 Account Suspended Drives: SuperCharged 2SS/RS IOM MN6 Join Date: May 2009 Location: CA Posts: 5,094	I wash mine every Saturday morning. Washed and dried in about 45 minutes. Add 30 minutes if I also I wipe it down with detail spray afterwards.

12-21-2009, 04:54 PM	#10
chevyss SS/RS Drives: 2010 SS/RS IOM w/blk stripes A6 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Eastern Washington Posts: 816 View My Garage	It takes me about 30 minutes to do mine. Do it yourself car wash. Spray it off, wipe it down w/shamy. I never let mine get dirty. Of course it's not my daily driver. It's a weekender car. It also never sees and never will while I have it, winter. Now my kids might do different when I'm gone.

12-21-2009, 05:56 PM	#12
SGOS252382 Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS/RS Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: S.W. Florida Posts: 6,294	30 minutes - from dirty to spotless. I wet the car. I mix car wash and water in bucket. I gently wash the car with a car sponge. I clean the wheels and exhaust tips with a soapy rag. I rinse the car off. I use my aborber to dry the car. I'm done. I wash my car every Saturday morning. Unless your waxing your car, I don't know why it would take more than 30-40 minutes.

12-21-2009, 06:03 PM	#14
Jeanius Drives: Blk/Blk 2018 Sierra SLT Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Golden State Posts: 2,925	For those that take about 30 min, when your car is in direct sunlight, do you have swirls/scratches in your clear coat?