[Guest]

Hello everyone. Would be interesting to hear how do you wash your RAV4 (handwash, carwash, touchless, etc) Any recomendations to prevent premature paint aging? Any products you recommend to preserve the paint? How often to apply? Thanks

 

[Jeff]

I hand wash mine during the summer and use a touchless or self-serve wash during the winter. Old-style car washes with the rotating brushes are terrible for paint, as are the brushes at the self-serve washes.

The best way is to hand wash with high quality towels during the warmer months of the year, and use a touchless or self-serve car wash (minus the brush) when it's too cold to hand wash during the winter. Using a touchless or self-serve wash will not get it 100% clean, but your paint will thank you.

I found this out the hard way, and have the swirl marks to prove it. My favorite wax is Meguiar's Gold Class because it gives the deepest shine on dark vehicles such as mine, however it only lasts a month or so.

 

[Heinznfries44]

Be careful when using a spray wash. If you get to clse the jet can strip the paint right off the painted plastic parts (bumpers and mouldings). The painted plastic parts aren't covered under the body/paint warranty for defects. At least here they're not.... I found out the hard way! Sometimes (as in my case) you don't even need to get too close, a tiny rock chip is enough for the jet to get in "under" the paint's edge and the next thing you know you're missing a huge strip of paint.