Anyone else NOT baby their car? (cosmetically)

[Annahra]

My car is a show car AND my daily driver year round. It takes time and money to keep it that way, but it's worth it to me. I like nice things, and I like to keep my things nice (it's one of the reasons I don't have kids). I don't freak out too badly when I find new chips, dings, etc., but I fix them immediately and I'm careful when driving my car. I don't think you have to be paranoid and never drive to avoid, say, curbing your rims and scraping your lip. Just be conscientious.

[Koa]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

But I bet you also use all that stuff (not all at once unless you are an active duty SEAL) which I think is the point of the OP. I think it is the difference between owning a rifle that hangs on the wall and has never had a round through it and one that you take to the range every weekend but give a good cleaning each time you are done and don't freak out if you get a nick in the butt!

THIS! /thread


(After each ranging, its SOP to disassemble the guns fired and clean thoroughly. Trigger group and deep internals cleaned per annum or so. Does not mean my collection is absent of nicks or scratches... but you'd be hard pressed to find dust on any of my platforms )

[fang_gt86]

I'm not a cosmetic perfectionist Nazi nor care about "minor" things like bug-splash, rock-chips or dirt accumulation. However, I do care about having a "clean" looking car, whether it's $3k or $30k car, keep it clean is everything to me. I associate clean cars with responsible driver for some weird reason .

Now, my FRS will need a major wash when the weather cooperate. How do you guys clean bug splash that has been sitting through the winter anyway? All I did was a 5min half-ass pressure wash then stick it in the garage lol..

[jvincent]

Might as well chime in.

I'll pile on with the folks that don't sweat the little stuff but still take care of their car camp.

Mine is my DD and sees winter duty. As such the front bumper is pock marked with salt chips. I also had a piece of road thrown at my hood last summer that put a nasty ding/dent in it. I was annoyed, but it's not the end of the world.

Once winter finally ends I will give the car a good wash, fix all the new chips, give it a wax, put the summer tires on, and do a full fluid flush for this summer's track season. I also have a couple of mods that I can't do until the roads are clear since I need to be under the car and don't want to have salt/sand raining down on me.

During the summer I was it every week or so depending on how much dirt it picks up from the various construction zones I have to drive through.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by fang_gt86

I'm not a cosmetic perfectionist Nazi nor care about "minor" things like bug-splash, rock-chips or dirt accumulation. However, I do care about having a "clean" looking car, whether it's $3k or $30k car, keep it clean is everything to me. I associate clean cars with responsible driver for some weird reason .

Now, my FRS will need a major wash when the weather cooperate. How do you guys clean bug splash that has been sitting through the winter anyway? All I did was a 5min half-ass pressure wash than stick it in the garage lol..

I just drive it and the snow scrubs it all off very nicely!

[Koa]

Originally Posted by Target70

does this mean you don't approve?
my last car, 93 240sx, I owned for ~11 years. I think I washed it twice. Now i'm going for a new record. I figure As long as the dirt is not corrosive, then the first layer of dirt will protect the paint, almost like a coat of wax, Plus it takes no effort, or cost, and I don't get swirl marks.

uhh no.. that's not how this works.

Dirt acts as sandpaper if it's dragged across paint..

And don't think for a second that dirt "protects" the paint from any real threat

[fang_gt86]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I just drive it and the snow scrubs it all off very nicely!

I purposely left it outside overnight in 20 degree hoping the freeze & thaw will naturally break the dead bugs and a cheap pressure wash is all it take. I was fooled by my science. Haha

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by fang_gt86

I purposely left it outside overnight in 20 degree hoping the freeze & thaw will naturally break the dead bugs and a cheap pressure wash is all it take. I was fooled by my science. Haha

That is actually how I clean my boat each year! It sits in a wet dock in a very heavily algae filled lake and has long streamers of green crap hanging off at the end of the season. I juts tarp off the top and let it sit for the winter and then pressure wash it all right off in the spring.
Have a blast watching all the other guys acid wash and scrape for days in the fall though!

[Ddreder]

Im right there with you guys.. After I hit a deer and the entire side of my car had to be rebuilt I kind of gave up. Also accidently dropping a studded tire on the bumper and leaving a gig deep scratch kind of made me say eff it too.. I must say I really do love using my miata for more daily things because I dont worry about the paint at all. It has its 25 years worth of dings and dents and the paint is flaking off in 6x6in spots. I just worry to much about the FR-S because its so new. It is my first new car and I wanted to keep it nice but i dont think that is going to happen. I am just to hard on shit lol

Also $26K is not a cheap inexpensive car.. When you buy cars between $500-1500 you learn what the definition of an inexpensive car is. Hell my miata cost a whopping $2000 and I will make it last longer than the FR-S. The cost will always be less than $26K as well. And again I will have far more appreciation for it due to the hard work maintaining it. Hell the only time the car sees a shop is for tire balancing and alignments (I cant do a car allignment to save my ass! lol)

[Defuser]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I think it is the difference between owning a rifle that hangs on the wall and has never had a round through it and one that you take to the range every weekend but give a good cleaning each time you are done and don't freak out if you get a nick in the butt!

I think the statements that are throwing me are the ones that basically state, "I don't care, it's my daily".

To me this is counter intuitive. If it is something you rely on DAILY then take care of it. I understand the OP is making a statement about cosmetics. You make the comparison of a gun. Assuming nothing about the internal condition of the weapon, would you choose a gun that is covered in dust and scratched all to hell, or one that is nice and clean?

I think we have all seen cars that have aged before their time. I assure you, none of them belonged to me. (except for the RX-7 got T-boned in!)

I'm sure most of the posters take reasonable care of their car's appearance and maintenance.

[Thorpedo]

It was my first new car, and I didn't find it to be "cheap" given my income (student life, haha). I think what determines how you look at your car and treat it is what you want out of it. For me, I want enjoyment through driving it. Yes I keep it relatively clean, but scratches, chips, cone scuffs dont matter to me. Shit happens. If I worried about all the little imprefections, owning the car would be much less enjoyable for me.

WOT on an open track is what owning this car is all about to me. The door dings can't take anything away from that.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Defuser

I think the statements that are throwing me are the ones that basically state, "I don't care, it's my daily".

To me this is counter intuitive. If it is something you rely on DAILY then take care of it. I understand the OP is making a statement about cosmetics. You make the comparison of a gun. Assuming nothing about the internal condition of the weapon, would you choose a gun that is covered in dust and scratched all to hell, or one that is nice and clean?

I think we have all seen cars that have aged before their time. I assure you, none of them belonged to me. (except for the RX-7 got T-boned in!)

I'm sure most of the posters take reasonable care of their car's appearance and maintenance.

Yep! It all goes back to how you define "babying" again though. I do not think my weekly wash and chip touch up is babying at all but just common sense maintenance, Ask my wife though and she will tell you that I do indeed baby it. That may be from the time I ran out and threw all the lawn furniture cushions on it during a hail storm though!

[Braces]

It all relative and has little to do with the price of the car. To some ... this car is precious and they want to keep it perfect. Nothing wrong with that. Its their car to do with as they wish. I DD mine and drive it through anything. The car is usually dirty, but I wash it occasionally. I abhor door dings and rock chips. I try to avoid these as much as is possible. Now ... my other weekend car gets treated like a garage queen.

[zinzan]

Originally Posted by NWFRS

I'm confused.

Isn't it possible to daily drive these cars AND take care of them? Scuffs and dings happen, sure, but I can't imagine not dealing with it right away. As soon as you start letting the little things go, I feel like that's sort of the beginning of the end...

Next thing you know, your car is covered in dents and you're fifty years old with a pile of stuffed animals and fast food wrappers on your back dash...

I'm confused.

Isn't it possible to not baby your car AND still take better than average care of it?