How OCD are you about keeping your car clean?

[PhoKingGuy]

I'm ridiculously anal retentive with keeping my cars clean, no food inside at all, only water allowed in my contigo canteen, vacuum it once a week, hate it when people lean against the paint, always park in the very back of parking lots, etc.

My GF thinks im nuts about all of this cause shes pretty much the exact opposite, its lead to some arguments when shes wanted to get fast food and eat it in the car (I hate the smell of fast food I never eat it, and sure as fuck dont want my car smelling like it) and I say no. Most of my friends are the same way and just say "its just a car, it doesnt matter"

Am I abnormal when it comes to this or do I have a point?

 

[jlee]

It's impossible to keep a car clean up here, but it's usually not too bad.

 

[ShawnD1]

We always take my car, so it looks like a trash can. I clear shit out every week but it's replaced with more garbage the next day.

 

[RichieZ]

thats why i have 2 cars, a daily driver beater and a fun weekend car

 

[StageLeft]

Not very. It's an older car. It sometimes smells of whatever my kids left in it. it's not as bad as many people's cars and generally isn't in the embarrassing state but it gets vaccuumed about once/year. Exterior is cleaned 1-3 times/summer; no point in the winter at all. The car is old so I simply don't care much about its appearance as much. It still looks pretty nice when cleaned, though.

 

[Koing]

My car has to be dirtest M3 in the country...I took it on a track day last Monday and I haven't had time to clean it and the weathers f0cking cold so I'm holding out until the weather is better.

The interior is tidier then the exterior. It just have a fair amount of dirt near the wheels and on the boot.

Koing

 

[BW86]

My car doesn't look like new but it doesn't look dirty.

 

[sdifox]

I don't obsess over it.

http://picasaweb.google.ca/lh/photo/dG8ygV6xsBV_hVoDvAxfwQ?feat=directlink

 

[ViviTheMage]

In the winter, I do not care about keeping my car clean. The inside always has NOTHING in it though, except a windshield scraper during the winter, and frisbee golf discs in the trunk during the summer.

 

[exar333]

My car(s) always look like new. The only exception was my Prelude I got a while back...It had been abused for a while, but I got it pretty clean. It is probably cleaner than a lot of cars 3 years old+.

Edit: The Prelude is clean on the inside; never washed it though...

 

[Demo24]

I rarely bother with the outside until it just gets annoyingly dirty. I try to keep the inside clean. I hate to have stuff roll around so it's all put away. I do need to vacuum it though, but it's been a bit cold to do that.

 

[FeuerFrei]

My car is most always clean. I get comments on it.
No belongings or trash on the seats or floorboards. I vacuum it a couple times a month, and wipe the dash/doors with protectant once a month.
The outside gets sprayed off almost daily, often wiped as well. I squeegee the windows. I only do a full-on wash, every week or two. Wax maybe 3 times/year.

I don't isolate when parking, but I do try for the end of a row, with a car next to only one side. I grew up parking in remote reaches of the parking lot, and traipsing toward a store on the distant horizon, so I don't wish to repeat that.

 

[AMCRambler]

I try to keep it washed during the winter to prevent the salt from eating it up. the inside doesn't get cleaned often though. I usually have a nice layer of dust on the dashboard.

 

[PricklyPete]

I clean my truck regularly (once a month maybe?) and I keep the interior tidy...but I really could care less about it overall...it's a truck. It has been taken off road in some pretty crazy places and has suffered the resulting scratches, dents, etc.

My wife's car on the other hand I clean weekly. My reasoning is that my wife is not great with keeping a car clean. By me "obsessing over it", she feels more responsible for keeping her car clean (if I didn't care...she wouldn't care). Her next car will be more kid centric...it will not be as nice a car...and I will not care how it is kept.

 

[BlackTigers]

Hmm, during the summer (Errr, April to September...)
-Several waxes
-Weekly washes
-Detailed once a month
-Interior's always spotless, have Armor-All Wipes in my trunk.

Winter:
- 2" salt build up on exterior.
- Snow, ice, mud, dirt on floor mats and carpet.
- Shit all over the back seat because I don't feel like opening the trunk and just toss stuff in the car cause I'm freezing.
-Maybe vaccuum like twice all winter.

 

[ayabe]

No way I could keep my car clean driving 80 miles a day.

I do wash the front, hood, and front of the roof everyday during lovebug season, twice a year, it's a major league PITA.

 

[JulesMaximus]

It's not showroom but it looks pretty clean inside and out. No grunge anywhere, no dents and minimal scratches/paint chips.

 

[x-alki]

I keep the Buick clean. The Jeep looks like a friggin trashcan, mainly becuase it is.

 

[Tristicus]

My outside isn't a concern to me considering it is old and faded anyways, but the inside I like to keep at least a little neat.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

i have never washed the outside of my car since i have owned it (~5yrs)

i try to keep the interior tidy, but since i dont really eat or drink it only usually accumulates random papers and stuff. will keep the floors cleaned so the oil change dudes can vacuum it while im there

 

[AdamK47]

Very

 

[Possessed Freak]

It's a 1000 dollar '94 Saturn. Why in the hell would I put ANY time/money into it that is not required to keep it running? Moving Trashcan.

 

[mc866]

I'm very OCD about it, though once my daughter came along it's been more and more difficult to keep up.

 

[vi edit]

Between a kid, a dog, and midwest weather it's dirty within hours of leaving a carwash.

Prior to the kid and the dog I was pretty good about keeping them clean.

 

[angry hampster]

In the winter I don't care. It might get washed monthly and the interior has some small trash in it. In warmer months it's washed and vacuumed weekly.