How Long Does It Take You To Wash Your Car?

[MartynS]

I just washed my car this evening ready for its first service tomorrow morning (no pictures as it got dark :P), and was wondering if I'm just really slow at doing it. It took an hour and 20 mins to wash the bodywork, 20 minutes for the wheels then another 20 to rinse it off and dry it. Add to that the preparation and cleanup time and its almost 2 and a half hours, which seems a lot just for a wash. I'm sure other people on here manage to wash, dry, polish, wax and clay in less time than that.

What seems to take all the time is getting rid of the little black specs that aren't removed by the front of a washmitt and need a rub from the netted side. To be fair I've never waxed it but it still beads in all but heavy rain so can't be too bad yet. Do you spend this long on your car, or am I slow?

[DanGull]

2 hours is a dust off for me - 6 hours is a decent wash and up to 24 hours over a few days if any paint correction is involved.

I should also add - those black specs are tar, and should not be removed with the 'netted' part of your wash mitt. They should be removed by applying a tar remover and cleaned off with a plush micro fibre, then clayed. Never, ever rub your paintwork hard.

[ONETrueSaturday]

I'm no pro, so about an hour ish so far however just ordered a lot of stuff from I4D to extend my product range and get into more detail on detailing.

[Danny87]

I think that's pretty good going, I usually take about two hours if I want a really neat job, but I can take longer if I'm cleaning the interior as well.

I used to work as a car valeter at a used car place, and the turnaround had to be fast, as there was lots of cars to get through each day. So anything over an hour was taking too long, and that included steam cleaning the engine bay, hoovering the interior, polishing the bodywork etc.

But when washing my own car, I take my time and enjoy it. There's something enjoyable about getting all the horrible dirt off and seeing your hard work after when your car is shiny and clean :D

Dan

[Fi.Es.Ta]

Two hours thats body wash,wheels all inner sills hinges seals cleaned and engine cleaned if i wax i always clean inner arches to new condition and under the whole car that takes me pretty much all day.

[Nico.]

i have taken over 4 hours some times, is a good way pass time!!

[Smett72]

A quick wash takes me about an hour, but 3 or 4 times a year i'll give it a full wash and wax treatment that probably takes in the region of 6-8 hours over a couple of days.

[andy64]

Erm - about 45 minutes!

This is a proper wash too - hose down, wash (including the backs of the wheel rims which are visible through the spokes, clean the door shuts etc), hose again & then dry off - including drying of door shuts & under bonnet... Used to take me longer but I guess that after 27 years of car ownership I've got it down to a fine art!

Also gets a polish about once every three months (takes an extra hour - Autoglym Super Resin Polish is good enough for me).

[Motocrossmad]

my car gets cleaned every 2-3 days, takes roughly 2 hours. then a weekly wash of around 6 hours. keeps it looking sparkly :)

altho the bad weather stops me keeping to my wash schedule. aslong as its dry im celaning

[jmurray01]

Wow, 1 hour and 20 minutes!? You're fast!

For me...

"Quickie" - Spray body with hose and brush attachment, quick vacuum, quick rub with a chamois leather - 30 minutes

"Good Wash" - Body wash, slightly longer vacuum, quick splash of water on the wheels, slightly longer and more intricate rub with a chamois leather - 1 hour and 10 minutes

"I Love This Car!" - Body wash, very long and pernickety vacuum, dash board clean, interior windows clean, take wheel trims off and wash in bucket, wash wheel rims, wash tyre walls, wax and polish body, very long rub with chamois leather to get a "new car" shine, thorough engine bay clean - 6-7 hours. Yes, 6-7 hours! The neighbours must think I'm nuts, but I love the car, and I believe that if I treat her well, she'll treat me well!

I give the car a "Quickie" every week, a "Good Wash" every two weeks, and a "I Love This Car!" every month.

[andrew43]

6hrs to 2 days if paint correction is needed

[MarkyR]

It takes me far too long! A normal wash is about 2 hours. But I only spend about 5 mins on the wheels if that, I just smother them in Bilberry cleaner (I think that's what it is) then if they need a scrub, scrub em, leave them for 5 or so mns then jet wash, job done.

In fact I can happily state that wheel cleaner is the BEST car cleaning product I have ever seen, it's so effective and effort free.

A full wash and wax, well I've only done it twice haha, but it's a 2 day event for me. I need to detar the entire sides though as they are smother in tar spots, then clay, then lime, then wax, washing twice in between...

I really don't have the time for it so I have decided when I get my Fezza ST I think I'll pay Auto Finesse to do it twice a year for me. If they have a service in my area, they do some great work but aren't cheap:

http://www.youtube.com/user/AutoFinesseDetailing

They offer a mobile service, so if they cover my area, then it may well be money well spent to keep the car clean and in good nick? They will even take your car away for several day's to do very proper jobs.

Ah, the only cover the London area primarily! Oh well, they sell a range of products too, not sure how they compare to DoDo Juice etc?

[Sam C]

Just done mine today. Wash, dry, top up coat of wax, Windows cleaned in and out, vac'd and cleaned the inside. Took about 3 and a half hours. And then it rained!

It's a full day for to clay, polish, seal, glaze, wax etc.

[TheTard]

A quick wash for me is around 2 hours in total but when I give it a detail it can take 15-20 hours for the paintwork. I hate cleaning the interior lol but when I do it, it takes around 90 min to vac and dress everthing