I have a white 2003 Accord EX V6 4-door. I didn't think an EX Accord
came without a sunroof. How did you manage that?

White is the color least likely to show swirl marks. Dark colors are
more sensitive. So we might not be the best owners to answer this
question. Cleaning is more of an issue with white.

I think the key is lots of water and only scrubbing as needed with as
clean a cloth/brush/sponge as you can manage. I wash lightly and rinse
and area before I scrub. The cloth gets dipped often and the water
changed several times.

Keeping a good layer of wax is good to avoid needing to scrub.

Cloth automatic car washes are frightening for a bunch of reasons. Free
sand blasting with every wash? <g>

I like your method of washing and your taste in car color. <g> I wish I
had your weather!


Paul Stuart wrote:
>>Which of the two is better for washing your car and minimising the affect of
>>swirl marks on your paintwork, a sponge or a woollen mitt?
>
>
> I have a white 2003 Accord EX 4-door without the sunroof.
>
> I purchased the car new, and it now has 10K miles with very little, if any,
> swirl marks on the paint finish. I never take the Accord to a car wash where
> you drive through. Even if it's a "100% cloth" car wash, you never know how
> many particles or dirt could be clinging to the spinning cloths (which would
> then scratch your finish).
>
> If the car is lightly dirty, I park within a car wash bay that has an
> attached water gun, and spray the car with its soapy water on the low-intensity
> setting. I use the high-intensity trigger for the lower areas of the car and
> around the wheel wells, even inside the wells themselves and underneath the
> car. I then fill up a water bucket I usually carry empty in the trunk, and
> with a huge sponge, apply the soapy suds to the finish -- never using the
> long brush provided by the car wash bay.
>
> I seldom drive in the rain or on wet pavement, so the car does not get that
> dirty. So when it rains and is parked outside, I get a "free" car wash!!
>
> Paul
>
>
> Paul