How often to wash/detail

[jbsmithram]

Hi,
My Ram is a secondary vehicle that is only driven 2 days every other week (and when it is driven it's parked in a parking garage)....the rest of the time its parked in my garage.

I've seen the recommendation to wash at least once a week....but is that assuming it's a daily driver? How often would you recommend I wash it?

NOTE: My truck has been washed, clayed, and sealed as soon as I took delivery a month or so ago. Environment, is a hot, humid, lots of pollen (for a few months) in the southeast.

 

[BLKMAGIC]

Personally, when its dirty...I mean I keep it pretty clean so I usually end up doing it once a week, but if it gets messy sooner I do it whenever it needs it. I dont think there is a set time that you SHOULD be washing it

 

[jbsmithram]

^^Thanks, Just seems like I thought I read somewhere (autogeek.net maybe) that washing at least once a week is good to help maintain the paint.

Personally I always have washed the same way you described...but I've never bought a brand new vehicle before either.

 

[Surf City Garage]

Wash when it's dirty. Do the clay test every 3k miles on clean paint (stick hand in plastic bag, run along clean finish...if it's gritty, time to clay), depending on the sealant, you may need to re-apply it once or twice a year. Polish when the paint starts to look not as bright, has noticeable swirl marks, or when your eyes tell you.

 

[jojo2012]

I'm about the same, after I have gave it a good cleaning, polish, and sealant, I usually wash it every weekend, or two. It really determines how bad it gets. Both of my vehicles sit outside, and are daily drivers. Once you seal it good, the washes are really pretty simple.

 

[cptmoney]

Nothing like a nice, clean, truck. When you park outside, it's tough to keep it clean.

 

[THETANK]

like you mine is a toy and will see limited duty, having said that I will dust it off once every few days and hit it with detailer. Twice a year I will take it to a pro and have it power polished as I no longer am able to perform these duties.