How are you keeping your white Integras not constantly filthy?

[SomethingSomething]

This is my first white car. The color was not my first choice, but at the time, the car was pretty rare, particularly at msrp, so I was willing to be flexible. I am really regretting getting a white car. It is constantly filthy, I think way moreso than other white cars I see. I don’t know if it is the wide body, or something aerodynamically unique about this car, but the sides and back seem to just suck road and tire spray up onto them, and are constantly filthy, like embarrassingly so. My previous car was silver and looked reasonably clean all the time.

Is there something people are doing to keep their white cars clean that I just don’t know about? “Don’t drive it when it’s wet out” isn’t really an option, and it’s wet here reasonably frequently. Do you all just have car wash subscriptions and run it through daily?

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[UWU-mancer]

Ceramic coat it. Keep it washed.

it’s still gonna suck but not as bad

 

[nybrianc]

Have you considered mud flaps? I never planned on installing them, however shortly into ownership, I installed the OEM ones and it made all the difference with the tire spray.

 

[bvanlieu]

This is my third white car, second white Integra in fact. I have had Black/red/yellow/silver/3 shades of blue.

White, by far, looks the cleanest from 20' or more away. Get close and sure any car is going to look dirty. The dirt/salt this time of year you spot from the moon on a dark car.

 

[whtciv2k]

This is my third white car, second white Integra in fact. I have had Black/red/yellow/silver/3 shades of blue.

White, by far, looks the cleanest from 20' or more away. Get close and sure any car is going to look dirty. The dirt/salt this time of year you spot from the moon on a dark car.

I’ve owned primarily white cars for this exact reason. The mud guards will help keep dirt off the sides of the car. I noticed without them, the sides get dusty quick and the tire slings right onto the rear doors and widebody.

 

[kanmann]

I agree with a high quality ceramic coat, either done professionally or at home. Cost will differ with each. I swear by it and how easy it makes cleaning the car.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

I agree with a high quality ceramic coat, either done professionally or at home. Cost will differ with each. I swear by it and how easy it makes cleaning the car.

Ppf and ceramic coating both help. Both have their pros and cons. Neither will be effective unless you continually wash and decontaminate the surface though, which is what it sounds like op has the issue with.

It's a very paper white kind of white too, and not as much yellowy cream like the ctr or some other whites, so that's part of why it looks so dirty. Nothing hides dirt and scratches as well as a light silver color.

Washing monthly and a once a year clay bar are a simple approach for long term cleaning. Automated car washes are a fast way to scratch up the car without getting any surface contamination off. In between washes, something like optimum no rinse (onr) does great for getting the minor dust/grime off with minimal fuss.

 

[SomethingSomething]

I have mud flaps, and feel like maybe they help a little, but the car is still constantly filthy.

I don’t typically use automated washes, and handwash in my driveway where possible. In cold weather, I may high pressure spray it down in a wash bay to get the worst of the salt and crud off, then come home and do a waterless wash in the garage. But the timing and weather doesn’t always allow for this. I‘m close to just biting the bullet on automated washes, as I think whatever microscratches I may pick up will bother me less than the constant filth bothers me. The reality is that 90%+ of car owners only ever use automated washes and the sky isn‘t falling on them.

I saw a white CTR recently that looked just as filthy as mine and it somehow made me feel a bit better about my car.

Thanks for your input.

 

[UWU-mancer]

U know what I just thought of. Maybe going through a touchless wash once a week and just doing a physical wash every 2-3 weeks will help keep it cleaner?

white paint is a mf. My GTI was white. I only drive like 100-300 miles a month cuz I’m retired and got no where to go. And even then, keeping it clean kinda sucked

 

[SomethingSomething]

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a touchless wash that's any good. They more clean the top half of the car, which isn't too dirty, and don't clean the bottom half. Then the water runs down the car and leaves these dirt zebra stripes on it. As much as I hate to, I may just have to start with automatic touch washes.

 

[UWU-mancer]

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a touchless wash that's any good. They more clean the top half of the car, which isn't too dirty, and don't clean the bottom half. Then the water runs down the car and leaves these dirt zebra stripes on it. As much as I hate to, I may just have to start with automatic touch washes.

Dang. That sucks sorry. I’d advise against the paint slappers myself.

Maybe every week. Give the car a touchless wash yourself?

 

[SomethingSomething]

For those recommending ceramic coat, ppf, clay bar, would any of those actually make the car less dirty, or just easier to clean when I wash it?

When I wash it, I typically finish with a spray on, hose off SiO2 spray of some sort. I'm doing this regularly enough that I always have really good water beading year round.

 

[UWU-mancer]

For those recommending ceramic coat, ppf, clay bar, would any of those actually make the car less dirty, or just easier to clean when I wash it?

When I wash it, I typically finish with a spray on, hose off SiO2 spray of some sort. I'm doing this regularly enough that I always have really good water beading year round.

Easier to clean. For sure. If your car is beading with good contact angles. Should be good to go. It ain’t no coating but it ain’t nothing.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Yeah ppf and ceramic make it easier to clean but it all depends on surface contamination. I've had a black car that had several layers of ceramic and sat in a private space in a big garage for months on end. It would get super dusty and the dust would settle in to the point it was thick grime. Washing at that point did nothing and I had to clay it, but the ceramic protected the paint under it from scratching as the wash happened. It would still feel tacky until claybarred just like it would with no coating.

Point is, it's not going to make it bullet proof of a quick wash unless you keep it consistently clean. Ceramic will however help protect from the fine scratches left by automated washes if you wait a month or two between washes. It will not protect from the rock chips you get from those brushes when things are stuck on them and it won't protect entirely from the sandblasting a touchless wash does. Ceramic still needs decontamination with a claybar yearly and preferably a "top off" spray on coating during those times.

If you ppf it, automated washes are off the table unless it's the sandblasty touchless version. The brush version will lift the edges and wreck your ppf, or rip it off with the paint in the process...

To be honest, I deal with it being dirty a lot because I don't have the time with two little kids like I used to. I don't so automated washes and my car has most everything covered in ppf and everything else in ceramic. I've got another car coated in ceramic that gets a yearly minor polish and ceramic top off. They stay clean enough for a few months at a time, but the wet wintery stuff leaves grime on them no matter what. I've given up caring because I'd rather protect the paint longer term than short term shine. If you'd rather just have it be shiny now and then polish it well every few years that's another approach...

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