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Hey guys
Well anyone who has been around or ridden in my car always comments on how nice it is and they get obsessed with rubbing my car ever since i claybared, and kept up with wax / nufinish.
I'm finally off to college (UCI) and bringing my car with me. Sadly I think i can only park OUTSIDE by the dorms. So the interior and exterior are going to be hit with all the elements. For those with experience, is there anything i can do before i head on down there and perhaps do during my stay?
I had a friend who took his 4 runner down there and didnt wash it all year...
although he and his dad spent 4 hours cleaning it last weekend and it looks like new, i am not one that can do that to a car i spent so many hours taking care of.
Im at UCSB and we also only had outdoor parking in the dorms...thankfully now I have a garage.
Not much you can do really except get some really good sealer wax and maybe use a car cover. From what I remember irvine gets pretty decently hot so that would be a bonus as well, not getting into a scorching interior.
Other than that, not a whole lot of options it would seem. My camry fared pretty well outside during that year though, so I would not be too worried. Just keep that wax up to date.
My car was garaged for the first 4 years, but it's been sitting outside uncovered for almost 3 years now. 29 Palms is probably harsher than Irvine. My car just got sandblasted yesterday during the storm. I went outside this morning and there was a big pile of sand next to the passenger side of the car. Wind blows sand into my car and it gets stoppped by my car and falls to the ground I presume.
I try to wash it maybe once ever one or two months and wax ever time I wash it. There isn't much more I can do to it. The interior can get messy too if I get in with muddy boots or what ever. At least you don't drive off road...
Maybe before you go, put some Klasse on there. I hear it lasts longer than wax and looks fairly impressive.
Maybe you can join one of our SoCal meets sometime while you're at UCI.
xtucjx -
ah i like UCSB its nice there. I have a friend going there this year for something engineering i think.
I did a heavy layering of nu finish, hopefully that'll help as well. I'll wash and do a nice layer of wax before i leave so at least on the 6 hour trip down nothing will stick too badly to it.
Touringcamry - Hmm well i dont expect to be using the car that much, although i can see myself using it a lot now that i just said that. haha
I may try some of the klasse stuff ur talking about, i've seen it many times before. I could meet up with you guys down there.
*runs out and rips the norcal sticker off of the brake light* lol.
*runs out and rips the norcal sticker off of the brake light* lol
.
Right on!
Give that shit to Alex (95whitecamry)
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**ADAM! A/C button for Gen 5.5 Camry (2005 LE) !! Por favor!
Brake lights aren't broken, I just don't brake.
--Can honestly go to a parts counter and ask for brake shoes for the front brakes.
--Likes long walks on the beach.... once it's lit by a massive bonfire.
actually it used to be a part of the Norcal Tuners decal but i couldnt find a suitable place to put it on my car so i just cut off the norcal part and it fits VERY well in the high mount brake light.
lol its hard to just give that shit away after its been applied. :-p
gotta question...it seems like everytime i go to so cal people drive very fast, tend to be rude, try to race me at every stop light, and do jackrabbit starts. and surprisingly the gas costs a ton there...what is up with that?
(i am in no way implying that ALL socalers are like that, but there are a lot. AND i am in no way saying there are no such individuals up in norcal or anywhere else, just less, because ive driven to a lot more norcal places than so cal)
its definately much much harder to keep your car clean at school as opposed to home in the summer... it goes from washing sometimes 3 or 4 times a week to once every week or two, so its really hard on the paint- atleast from my exerience. interior cleanliness tends to suffer for me too because of trips to the beach and the s word... snow
you wont have to worry about snow there, but here it is brutal... really hurts the wax and the interior as well. my car suffers somewhat through winter here at school but excellent care all summer really helps it to stay somewhat nice.
the biggest issue here for me is i dont have a hose or a shop vac... i do have a dust buster but it isnt that great for small spaces like during the summer. with no hose you have to go to the powerwasher and bucket washing can be tricky there... not to mention expensive. id say just do what you can during school and wash it very well if youre ever at home... thats your best bet in my opinion
thanks!
well if there is a shell gas station/carwash i can use, i'll use that. 4 dollars with a fillup and i can choose a touchless option where its just blasted and soaked in suds. I've used the one here and it does a great job till theres a lot of stubborn stuff that usually results from the rainy season. I can just get another bottle of wax as you dry or some simple spray on wax when i get down there and a bottle of armorall leather protectant. I do have a minishark vac i could bring down...not that i have something that could supply the power to it...lol
bucketwashing just doesnt work for me, and its gotta be cheap/not time consuming cos afterall i'll be busy unlike during summer time. U know the deal too.
I usually bring a bucket to wash my car at the coin-op car wash. I'm sure they would rather I use their soap and that nasty brush, but they've never said anything. I also leave my car in the stall when I dry it because shade. I also wax it in there. At 530 in the morning, I don't think they care too much. Honestly, they probably think I'm nuts for going there 530 in the morning to wash my car on the weekend. Oh well, I'm out the door at 520 three times a week anyway.
how do you wax your car so fast? it takes me hours to wax...
i use that brush in a pinch, like when i have a foot of snow on my car and its 20 degrees out, when bucket washing isnt the easiest.n you dont have to dry because the water freezes on the way home!
Just keep it washed regularly and it will be fine. Unfortunatly college students are careless and tend to hit cars so its better to leave it home. But I understand if you need it you have to have it there. Im in the same boat. Just be careful when driving around the lots and park it places were its less likely to get hit. Fortunatly Ive been lucky and never got hit but I have had several friends whos cars have been bumped in parking garages and lots. Also if you can help it just dont park it on the streets.
And I dont know how you guys say that the weather is harsh on your cars in california. Just come to ohio in the winter and see what the salt does. I have to wash my car once or twice a week in the winter to keep most of the salt off.
how do you wax your car so fast? it takes me hours to wax...
i use that brush in a pinch, like when i have a foot of snow on my car and its 20 degrees out, when bucket washing isnt the easiest.n you dont have to dry because the water freezes on the way home!
gosh, two months left... i hate winter
It takes me about 3 hours or so to wash and wax dude...I start at 530 in the morning because it's cooler then. Washing a car mid-day sucks because it's 100+ out and the car dries and leaves water spots in minutes.
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2007 Camry 2.4L 5M
Last edited by touringcamry; 09-07-2006 at 10:40 PM.
Hey guys
Well anyone who has been around or ridden in my car always comments on how nice it is and they get obsessed with rubbing my car ever since i claybared, and kept up with wax / nufinish.
I'm finally off to college (UCI) and bringing my car with me. Sadly I think i can only park OUTSIDE by the dorms. So the interior and exterior are going to be hit with all the elements. For those with experience, is there anything i can do before i head on down there and perhaps do during my stay?
I had a friend who took his 4 runner down there and didnt wash it all year...
although he and his dad spent 4 hours cleaning it last weekend and it looks like new, i am not one that can do that to a car i spent so many hours taking care of.
All advice is welcome Thanks!
Hey, I'm going to UCI too. Which dorms are you staying in?
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