Today, April 28, is Car Wash Day in Japan. The date comes from a play on words for 4 (yo), 2 (itsu), and 8 (ya), or yoitsya, which means “a good gloss” in Japanese. Washing your car can be a chore or a labor of love. But with the right tools and materials, it can be enjoyable. That’s closer to the intent of Car Wash Day’s creators, the Auto Parts & Accessories Retail Association, who say it’s “a day to increase your attachment to your car by washing it.”
What’s your favorite car care product?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What movie or TV wreck always makes you cringe?“.
One of the earliest traumatic memories I had as a kid was seeing the destruction of KITT that Ian G. describes from Knight Rider. It was like Atreyu’s horse in the Swamp of Sadness, I tell you. But that was second fiddle to the wanton Ferrari destruction that ra21benj mentions from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, before I knew it was a replica.
Speaking of Ferraris, I was unaware of the 308 carnage in the Hawaii Five-0 reboot that Nigel brought to my attention. StreetSpirit calls out a good one with the Dodge M4S from The Wraith — luckily all replicas. And as nlpnt rightly states, CHiPs featured untold decimation of vintage 60s and 70s machinery on a regular basis.
The Europeans weren’t immune, either. As speedie points out, the Lamborghini Miura drop in the opening scene of The Italian Job (not even a very good movie in my opinion) is horrifying (it was a real Miura, but one that had been wrecked). And Genda Nicolai Yturzaeta Iwakawa recalls the many decimations from the French Taxi movies and the German Alarm for Cobra series.
As for actual JNCs destroyed, TheJWT calls out Mythbusters for their senseless Toyota Corona slaughter. But the winner this week was Anthony, who laments Evelyn the Subie from Twisted Metal:
(spoiler alert for those who haven’t seen twisted metal yet)
i would have to say the moment that Evelyn the salmon coloured subaru impreza in the tv series twisted metal was the most painful thing I have witnessed.
the love for the car grows through the episodes and then it is mercilessly blown up.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
good old linseed oil, great for cleaning and restoring old interiors and it gives a scent no car-perfume or little tree air freshener could ever hope to match!
I’ve been detailing my cars for too many years to mention. Naturally I’ve gone through many different products over the decades. But recently I came across one I decided to try without any referrals.
I don’t like shilling other companies products but this one genuinely works.Though it’s made in the US, it feels like a product you’d expect from Japan.
“Best Wheel Wax – Sealant & Protection for All Wheels – Easy Removal of Brake Dust & Road Grime – Hydrophobic – Acid, Corrosion & Moisture Resistant – Made in USA”
Brake dust is a real pain to keep up with and left untreated can etch aluminum wheels. What I like about this product is, it goes on easy, comes off easy and does what it claims…
I’ve got an ’86 MR2 and an NB2 MX-5 both with original paint. I love the Griot’s Garage 3-in-1 Ceramic Wax. Its always given a nice shine and protects the paint nicely. Ceramic products in general are awesome, easy to apply and wipe off, and cuts down on the detailing time and still keeps the shiny side shiny.
I also love and honorable mention goes to my foam wash spray nozzle. Its so easy to apply soap evenly. So practical too so it’s like a foam party at the driveway. Club Ian is lit.
I’m a big fan of rain. It’s free and all natural (mostly).
University Car Wash. A full-service car wash that will completely do your car inside and out for $39.99 @ month. This means I can wash my car (the Mercedes-Benz) EVERY DAY OF THE MONTH if I want/need to do so. They do an excellent job and, love the car so, its worth giving a tip to them. I plan to have the paint ceramicized later on for further protection as well. As for the S-Cargo, it has been detailed and ceramicized. The wahing I do now takes care of errant bird bombs. I also keep all glass Rain-X’ed. A prudent idea!
Silicone Grease! I use it on all the exposed weatherstripping/seals and misc rubber bits, as well as unpainted plastic such as side mirrors, or other trim pieces. It helps bring the shine back and condition the parts. I’ve yet to see any negative side effects, but it can fade back to original with a couple weeks or months.
Does it add “moisture” back to the rubber pieces? I’ve heard that glycerin does, similarly.
Scientifically, I’m not sure… but it certainly seems less dry the more it absorbs, so I would say so.
Car wax. I’m not a wax fanatic, and my parents had started with the lower priced Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell to protect the Plymouth Reliant and Ford Taurus, but I really appreciate a nicely waxed paint job. Over the years I started comparing different waxes (obviously with pricepoint in mind). I don’t know how long I’ve had it, but the discontinued Turtle Wax Ice Synthetic Liquid Polish is probably the best wax product I’ve ever owned, and over ten years later and still 1/2 bottle left. I am very sensitive to an unwaxed car being baked out in the sun. Worse yet, that chalkboard feeling when you accidentally run a fingernail against an unwaxed surface. So, when I lay a nice coat of wax after a good car wash, the paint just pops hard.
When “my” Ford Taurus was rear-ended by a careless driver back in the 1996, insurance surprised us with an eye-popping $4000 payout. I told my dad it was partly because I had just washed and waxed the car, thus increasing its value. He scoffed at that so hard.
When we used to have a Subaru Legacy GT wagon in Obsidian Black Pearl, the Ice Wax just made the pearlescent hue look so much deeper. I clayed and learned to buff the paint as well, but the wax just adds so much depth. Same with the old Jetta TDI wagon, its Toffee Brown was already a nice color, but the Ice Wax seemed to instantly add a centimeter of clearcoat. The Ice Wax is also easy to apply and polish off, as long as I don’t get carried away with TOO much liquid wax applied. I generally avoid any application under direct sunlight, but it’s been pretty easy to work with even if under the sun. The wax also temporarily clears up hazed headlight covers, and darkens the window rubber trim.
It’s a great arm workout too!
Water!
Aerospace Protectant 303, hands down.
Truly the best way to keep plastics looking fresh, weatherstripping dark and supple, and dashes crack-free. An absolute must for stewards of special old machines.
I totally forgot about this stuff, but it is legendary. I’ll have to try it one of these days.
Rain-X: because my wipers make poor squeegees.
My life changed when I went from the good old garden hose to a good cheap pressure washer!
So much comes off with the first heavy rince! Then suds go away so quickly! Afterward, I can even clean my house, patio stuff, fence, and scare my friends as a bonus!
With quick-connects it is so easy to set up and to put away afterward that it became my go-to to give anything a quicky.
A good plastic restorer really goes a long way. My car isn’t even that old (2013 FR-S) but I live in South Texas, and our garage goes to my parent’s cars (’67 Camaro & ’73 Karmann Ghia) so my poor little car gets baked in the sun all day long. I picked up a plastic restorer while I was polishing faded headlights and the results were fantastic, made my car look brand new. It still looks great to this day and has brought so much more life into my car’s appearance, I absolutely love it