Car wash

[Yash]

Guys, just bought my 996 MY2000, coupe. The previous owner drove it in winter, but serviced it every 5K miles at Porsche dealers.

1. Am curious, how do you keep the underside clean ?. Do you wash it at the regular car wash. I read somewhere, that some car washes can damage the wheels etc ?.

2. What products do you use to keep the insider leather and dash clean.

3. Does Porsche raise the car for washing the underside.

4. Since my car is 10 y old, should I get the underside inspected and sealed by Porsche.

Thanks

[HGGuate]

Hello Yash.

Your Porsche is your new baby, and as most parents... we want to take the best care of our babies.

However, After all, your Porsche is a car. It is a high performance car that will not be bothered by the elements more than any other car you have had, so common sense should prevail.

1.) Some parts of the underside of your car is covered by plastic or metal plates (depending on location) that aid in aerodynamics of the vehicle. A pressure hose and a good bit of water help remove dirt and road salt that may have accumulated there and should not cause any problems (like driving fast over a water puddle).

2.) Automatic Car washes are not recommended for cars with nice finishes because the rotating bristles can scratch your paint finish and wheels (specially wheels with big openings that can trap the rotating bristles), also, high pressure water streams can cause loose debris to move quickly and scratch your paint. (This is not just for Porsche, it is for any car with a nice finish.)

3.) no factory spec or recommendations on washing the underside, but if you have a way of raising the car, it may be worth the trouble to see if your underbelly has any damage. (like any other car driven up north) While you are down there, check to see that aerodynamic panels and spoilers are not loose.

4.) lots of low pressure water, soft soap and Chamois rags are the best way I have found to wash a car and not scratch the finish. After the soaping and removing of soap, drying the car out of direct sunlight will help so that suds don´t dry quickly and leave white drops or streaks defeating the purpose of the washing. I remove water drops with a soft rubber blade squeegee and then finish it off with a clean Chamois rag.

5.) for leather, many different products available, just make sure to test the smell of the product. I remember a friends car that became unbearable because of the "clean leather" artificial smell that came from his treatment.

6.) polish. whatever you are used to. I have seen some really expensive shine products that dont make the car look better than your walmart variety wax. I think in the end, I think the quality of the shine depends more on how careful you are with the wax and shine job than on the cost of the polish. Once again, common sense... make sure to use clean sponges, polishing rags and chamois. Dirty cleaning and polishing equipment can scratch your finish.

(One last recommendation... leave the high speed polishing drill attachments to the professionals, I saw a friend ruin his paint job once learning how to use a 19.99 "marvelous polishing attachment" that promised to leave his car better than new.

I recently had my car detailed by a professional to see how good it could look. They literally spent hours on the job... and it made a difference.

good luck with your new car.

HG

[rattles]

Thats good advice from HG. My 996 is 11 years old and looks almost brand new. I dont wash the underbody apart from the wheel wells and behind the rims but I do spend time to get the rest of the car looking good. I dont spend a fortune on expensive polishes but get a good result from clay, cleaner, polish and wax.

I found this website to be very useful www.autopia-carcare.com

Glenn

Hello Yash.

Your Porsche is your new baby, and as most parents... we want to take the best care of our babies.

However, After all, your Porsche is a car. It is a high performance car that will not be bothered by the elements more than any other car you have had, so common sense should prevail.

1.) Some parts of the underside of your car is covered by plastic or metal plates (depending on location) that aid in aerodynamics of the vehicle. A pressure hose and a good bit of water help remove dirt and road salt that may have accumulated there and should not cause any problems (like driving fast over a water puddle).

2.) Automatic Car washes are not recommended for cars with nice finishes because the rotating bristles can scratch your paint finish and wheels (specially wheels with big openings that can trap the rotating bristles), also, high pressure water streams can cause loose debris to move quickly and scratch your paint. (This is not just for Porsche, it is for any car with a nice finish.)

3.) no factory spec or recommendations on washing the underside, but if you have a way of raising the car, it may be worth the trouble to see if your underbelly has any damage. (like any other car driven up north) While you are down there, check to see that aerodynamic panels and spoilers are not loose.

4.) lots of low pressure water, soft soap and Chamois rags are the best way I have found to wash a car and not scratch the finish. After the soaping and removing of soap, drying the car out of direct sunlight will help so that suds don´t dry quickly and leave white drops or streaks defeating the purpose of the washing. I remove water drops with a soft rubber blade squeegee and then finish it off with a clean Chamois rag.

5.) for leather, many different products available, just make sure to test the smell of the product. I remember a friends car that became unbearable because of the "clean leather" artificial smell that came from his treatment.

6.) polish. whatever you are used to. I have seen some really expensive shine products that dont make the car look better than your walmart variety wax. I think in the end, I think the quality of the shine depends more on how careful you are with the wax and shine job than on the cost of the polish. Once again, common sense... make sure to use clean sponges, polishing rags and chamois. Dirty cleaning and polishing equipment can scratch your finish.

(One last recommendation... leave the high speed polishing drill attachments to the professionals, I saw a friend ruin his paint job once learning how to use a 19.99 "marvelous polishing attachment" that promised to leave his car better than new.

I recently had my car detailed by a professional to see how good it could look. They literally spent hours on the job... and it made a difference.

good luck with your new car.

HG

[Yash]

1.) Some parts of the underside of your car is covered by plastic or metal plates (depending on location) that aid in aerodynamics of the vehicle. A pressure hose and a good bit of water help remove dirt and road salt that may have accumulated there and should not cause any problems (like driving fast over a water puddle).

HG

Thank you both, I wonder if someone has a picture of the underbelly, to get an idea of the "plastic and metal plates". Or perhaps, someone knows of one on the web.

many thanks

Yash

[rattles]

have a look here http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/996rms/pics/rms1.jpg

[Yash]

have a look here http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/996rms/pics/rms1.jpg

Thanks, wow!, never seen anything like this!.