Does washing an early 911 do damage to the car?
I know we are not supposed to drive in the rain so I was
wondering if washing allowed water to get trapped into places
like doors promoting rust? Is there a particular way
that's best to wash your car?
Don
---------
1970 911T
2006 Cayman S
You can wash your car, just don't put away wet. Make sure and take a nice drive to blow water out of all those hidden places. Keep the inside of your doors clean and all drains in place and clean.
David
'73 S Targa #0830 2.7 MFI rebuilt to RS specs
Not everything we think we know is true.Originally Posted by dhopkins
65 356SC Dolphin Gray
66 912 Green
69 911E Tangerine
72 911T GP White
72 911T Aubergine
72 911T Lilac
72 911S Black (voodoo)
86 911 GP White Targa (now sons)
90 964C4 Black Targa
94 964C2 Black Coupe
08 GT3 Speed Yellow
I agree with Bob, after all these are GT cars, made for driving enjoyment, not display.
David
'73 S Targa #0830 2.7 MFI rebuilt to RS specs
And David is correct, it is a good idea to dry your car off after a wash and to make sure all drains are clear.
You can also use a Griot's product to wash without water, Spray on Car Wash.
65 356SC Dolphin Gray
66 912 Green
69 911E Tangerine
72 911T GP White
72 911T Aubergine
72 911T Lilac
72 911S Black (voodoo)
86 911 GP White Targa (now sons)
90 964C4 Black Targa
94 964C2 Black Coupe
08 GT3 Speed Yellow
Where are the drains?
Under your spare tire, and in the door bottoms. Inside your headlamp buckets too. Water tends to get trapped under the rubber seals around your windows. If you have a compressor, you can blow most of it out. Make sure all rubber seals are in good condition too.
I try preventative maintenance and keep inside the door cavities clean and with some lubricant spray like Wurth HHS, I think that is what its called. It goes in liquid and sets like wax. I spray the inside parts of the lock mechanism and then fog inside the door. Another area on the doors that trap water are the aluminum trim that runs along the bottom of the trim. I take these off once a year, check for rust and clean it up if I find even a tiny spot.
Water gets in the door naturally, it just has to drain and dry. Take it for a nice drive to blow it all out.
Unless I've taken it out for a dirty drive somewhere, I wash maybe once a month and then use Bob's procedure above to keep it clean.
David
'73 S Targa #0830 2.7 MFI rebuilt to RS specs
some drains have rubber tubes with a pinched end and some don't
also, there's a rubber tube drain in each tail light housing
buy a few extra as people usually slide the tail light housing out cutting the drain off at the top
yes, wash the car !! flood it with water at low pressure 1st, then use a car washing liquid, never a dishwashing or other harsh soap
drive it to dry it out, the function the car was made for (356 owners will tell you that is the only way to get water out of hidden channels - dunno if true on a 911)
Good one Dan ! LOL
I use to use my low powered electric leaf blower on low setting to blow the water off after washing and didn't use a strong stream from the hose to rinse - good quality car wash soap is a must
Early 911S Registry #750
1970 911E - The Good Stuff
2001 Toyota Landcruiser
My car is a really good example of what happens from washing the car.
What happens is all of the window seals dry out and water leaks into the car. It's then trapped there. The interesting thing is that this problem happens in hot climates such as CA and FL. The cars up north don't have this problem - as much.
The fix is to replace all of the seals. Or, never wash your car.
Richard Newton
Car Tech Stuff
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