Washing Considerations

RTC1930

RTC1930

Senior Member
Maybe this a dumb question but I assume an A should not be washed like a modern car using profuse amounts of water to pre-rinse, wash, and rinse. I'm finally getting ready to pull the old lady out of the garage and want to get the polish residue and dust from re-assembly off the fresh paint. But I was thinking with the limited use of the A's weather sealing around the doors and windows I probably don't want to go shooting water through every nook and cranny. What do you guys do? Sponge bath only? Or hose her down?

I'm probably just being a baby over the new paint and will get over it after the first few scratches. Hopefully i'm not the only one with these ridiculous concerns.

As always Thanks for the help,
Robert
 
Mike is right, it is just a car. The only things that factor in is that many pieces on the undercarriage are/were bare metal and do rust. The other thing is many cars have been restored incorrectly and leak in areas like the top, around the windows and windshield, and the doors.


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My Dad taught me to not hose a car down, but to wash it with a sopping sponge, replacing the water in the bucket often. Then dry it with a chamois and dip it in clean water often. This eliminates the velocity of the hose. Might even use less water.
 
I use Poorboy's World Spray & Wipe Waterless Wash. This stuff is unbelievable! You spray it on and wipe it off. It does not scratch or streak. I can wash my 30 coupe in about 15 minutes with no mess or fuss.
 
I think what you are hearing here is everyone's tolerance for the amount of water that they are willing to let get into their car, and probably the different body styles come into play. What it comes down to is how much water do YOU want to get into places where it won't dry as quickly as you might like it to. Personally, I do a light hosing and lots of detail cleaning. I would rather do that than use water liberally. If it is just transportation, sure, but for me they are not purely transporation anymore and I prefer to preserve them to the point of being really retentive....just me.
 
Thanks All,

Guess I will start with a little water and work my way up to figure what the cars tolerance for water is.

Thanks again ,
Bob
 
I run mine through the car wash...It's waterproof..
The local car wash does not have the big rotary brushes though.
 
Pete how good of a job does the touchless car wash do? Ive thought about it for my A but the closest one to me closed so i have been washing it off after the sudden thunderstorms roll through. As for how much water to use i wouldnt be afraid to get it wet its a car. Mine was rested 30 years ago by my dad (not a pro but did know a little bit) Its a leatherback and doesnt leak after all these years it sat through 2 thunderstorms at the beginning of the week with no problem.

Wash away!
 
jaguar6165 said:
Pete how good of a job does the touchless car wash do? Ive thought about it for my A but the closest one to me closed so i have been washing it off after the sudden thunderstorms roll through. As for how much water to use i wouldnt be afraid to get it wet its a car. Mine was rested 30 years ago by my dad (not a pro but did know a little bit) Its a leatherback and doesnt leak after all these years it sat through 2 thunderstorms at the beginning of the week with no problem.

Wash away!
Click to expand...

This one does a good job...My car gets VERY muddy in the winter sometimes.
It rains about 50 inches a year here and I drive it year around.
If there are spots missed when it comes out I just wipe them with paper towels. I wash it by hand at home sometimes in the summer.
 
I seldom run water on my Model As but if I do I always hook up the compressor and blow the excess water out of all the tight spots.
 
Personally, I wouldn't use any spray stronger than a garden-hose... and proceed carefully around windows / doors, roof, rain gutters... try not to spray "up into" places...

Once you get an idea of how watertight your car is, you might get more adventuresome.

I see many pre-War cars ( some are restorations ) with water staining on the headliner around the edges and on the side panels and seats from water infiltration... if you've invested big bucks in a cloth interior, you might want to keep the hose away from the upper parts of the car ?

Mine is just an old driver, so I'm not afraid to turn the hose on her...
 
My 30 cabby gets a wash maybe every other year. She get a dusting with a paraphin- impregnated dust mop. A hose-washed car takes about 7 days to dry.
clem clement
 
Never really thought about washing Hansel...

It has taken many years to build up such a "patina".

Peace to all.
 
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