I just moved to the desert and was wondering if anyone had any tips and tricks to keep it from being scratched by sand while washing the car.

Marian

Now, Now Bella you should have thought this out before geting into this sand!!!!! Now that you are
scratched up leave it alone and spray the car with clear laquer paint. Then it will look like a salt shacker.
I am your newest member and I must say it took me some time to get here.
I do not care about the desert as I am a Forester.
Not many Trees in the desert.

OK I am back with a tribute to you. You look lovely!!! Me I am Handsome at the age of 80
and going strong!!!!!

Hi Ed! We have some trees in the desert, but not the kinds you are used to. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the compliment. I'm blushing! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Marian

Wow that does sound like a tricky situation. I would guess you'd have to really spray it down with water and try to get ALL sand off of it before you start soaping it. You might want to do it completely touchless so there is never any pressure on the car that might grind in sand grains. They have soap attachments on hoses that in essence blast soap at the car for the 'wash' phase and then you just rinse it off. You'd have to then do a spray wax too ... one that didn't require polishing.

Thanks Lisa! Since my car is just one year old, I'd hate to ruin the paint job so soon. My mother's car's paint on the roof has almost completely come off from the sand and the sun!! I can't wait to get a garage to put it into during the day.

With the water restrictions here in Las Vegas, we are only allowed to use 10 gallons or less to wash our cars! Most car washes are being forced to become a facility that recycles their water, too.

Marian

We were just talking about this last night at dinner <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> In fact many car professionals say not to use high power water because it can lift up the paint and damage it.

So apparently what people in that situation do is, when the car is first bought and quite clean, they get in essence a plastic layer and heat-shrink it onto the car. This plastic layer absorbs all the grit-hits that happen so it doesn't damage the car. It's washed off with gentle water streams and soap. After a few years when the plastic layer gets gritty, you peel it all off and put on a new one. That way the paint and the car is always undamaged and protected.

It's the same theory as wax, but with wax you have to keep cleaning down to the wax layer and reapplying it to keep it strong. With the plastic version it's like a more permanent form of wax.

OH, what a great idea!!! Kind of like when you buy a new appliance and it has that plastic sheet over the display! How cool is that???

Of course, I still have the plastic thingy on my CD player in the SUV because it has instruction on it. If I rip it off, I won't know how to run the darn thing, LOL. It even has a "remove before use" label that's still there. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Marian

LOL too funny <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> My boyfriend always keeps those stickers on things he buys, and I always remove them immediately so they look like a "normal part of the household" and not a "strange new thing". I have to stop myself from reaching over to his new toys and removing those stickers <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

My parents moved to Seattle, and there, you aren't allowed to wash your car yourself at all! It's true. This si due to the regulations regarding runoff into Puget Sound.

A carwash every now and again might be an option. Lisa's description of the plastic coating is good. You could also try brushing off the car before washing. Brush bristles don't press the grit down against the surface of the car, instead they sort of catch them and move 'em along.