Can I use windex to wash my car??

i hope your joking

you are aware that windex contains ammonia? You are aware that ammonia will strip any and all wax and protectant off paint? You are aware that ammonia will damage the paint and allow uv damage and oxidation to occur many times faster? ....No? hmmm.

hassle of washing your car? are you serious? at the very least - you can find a neighborhood kid to wash the thing for a few bucks. He cant hurt it worse than you are with windex.

I hate to think about what you shower with, or is showering too much hassle too?

check your head for the flat spot where you were dropped.

 

I'm guessing the Windex had more appeal than the paint Detail Spray.

 

the shine comes from the bare metal,



ps: i use windex on my car windows.... f*cking sprinkler water is a b!tch

 

Interesting to read about the horrors of ammonia above ...

For the last couple of decades I have always kept a spraybottle of Windex and a roll of Bounty paper towels in each of my cars. Primary use is of course glass cleaning. But I have also routinely used a light spray of Windex along with frequent-fresh Bounty to remove light "surface stuff" (dust, aerial gunk, bird-poop, grease thrown by other vehicles, tar, brake dust, mud, etc.) from both wheels and painted areas.

In all the years of doing this, I have never noticed or experienced any dulling or degrading of the paint. This is not to claim that it could not be happening at the microscopic level, but my cars continue to look shiny (and of course clean). Possibly modern painted surfaces are more resistant due to the top clearcoat, etc.

A few caveats:

(1) I always use Bounty, never any other brand of paper towel. The moment Bounty gets damp, it becomes chamois-soft. Not so with any other paper towel I've encountered.

(2) I don't use Bounty/Windex for anything resembling "scrubbing" - just a very gentle, light, surface whisk. Frequent new pieces of towel so that the removed crud is not re-ground into the surface.

(3) This is a spot- or specific-surface (dirty hood, top, top of trunk) technique. I would not use it as a replacement for car washing as a whole. (However my washing generally consists of water only - no soap - and Bounty-as-above.).

Certainly common sense should always prevail. Sometimes you have to decide whether to use a little Windex or to leave the contaminant(s) on your paint, baking in the sun, that much longer. Take your choice!

 

I make it a point to make sure the Windex does not go past the glass, so I hold the bottle agains thte windsheild and squeeze the trigger SLOWLY so it dribbles out not creating that 18" round fan of Windex you get when cleaning the sliding door glass on your home. Windex will remove wax, don't know about all the other claims.

I use a California Car Duster before each drive to get dust and stuff off, if I see any mark from perspiration or such I use Quick Detailer. I wash the car once every few months, just to get into the crevis areas, but Quick Detailer and a clean towel around the wheels and such keep it looking great sans water.

Anyone using those things that leave no water spots, I think Mr Clean makes one?

 

I use glass cleaner for bird poop and road tar on the paint, but always wax that area immediately so it blends back in. I wouldn't use it as a general cleaner.

Ken

 

I too hate the hassle of washing my car.
I mean having to get up off my a$$ and all.
Using windex to clean the paint finish, I have found that I still have to get up off my a$$ at least 3 or 4 times a year to keep the car clean.
So instead of using windex, I have found that by spraying the car with hydrochloric acid once a year, that all the dirt, dead bugs, and anything else that would get on the car, miraculously disappear in a cloud of toxic smoke.
Not that my car gets that dirty, I mean driving is such a hassle and all.

 

There's no need to be an jerk about it. A simple "That's not a good idea, here's why:" would have sufficed. The Tech area isn't for flaming, go to P&R for that.

 

Agreed, Jesus, folks, the guy says it seems to be working well and wants to know if there's any long-term implications. You'd think he was showing off his small block Ford powered 288 replica or something!

 

I thought that he was joking!
hence my reply.

 

Mr. Clean is not good for darker colors. My brother bought and returned it after 2 uses. I have never used windex, but I used to wax my Mazda with Pledge spray. It was quick and wet looking. I really don't consider time saving steps with the Ferrari because I enjoy cleaning the car and try to use the BEST products I can find, not the FASTEST. I was unaware of the hazards of ammonia on paint until reading this thread, so thanks for asking!
BT

 

Mr. Clean works fine on my black 360.

 

In addition to ammonia, it also contains alcohol. I would presume that continued use would slowly strip the protective wax finish off. Probably better to use a detail spray. Most of them have a small precentage of liquid wax in them, so they actually enhance the wax on finish on the car...I'm a cheapskate, so I buy the Griot's Garage "Speed Shine" product by the gallon. I have cut my car washing in half, finding that using Speed Shine and a mircrofiber cloth to be much faster, and easier, for light cleaning and dusting.

 

It may be that the South Florida sun dries the car too fast and that is why the Mr. Clean is not so good here (also could be from the minerals in the city water supply). I like the thinking outside the box like Windex / Pledge for the exterior upkeep (although with the info here I will stay away from windex), as well as the WD40 for cleaning the engine parts.

BT

 

When I was 12, I as given the chore of washing my dad's Ford which had not been done in numerous weeks. I decided to REALLY get that imbeded dirt out by using a steel wool pad! Needless to say, I didn't get any allowance for several months after that! Yet, I did get that dirt off of there!

 

Another great gadget; I keep one in the car for a quick, light once-over as needed. Don't use it to try to get off anything but surface dust, however, and keep it away from the wheels so as not to contaminate it with brake-dust.

While we're talking about goo to use/not use on cars, I recommend against "Rain-X" glass treatment. It's supposed to make water skitter off your windshield much better, and so it does. However in my experience it also hardens rubber, turning your windshield wipers into blunt, squeaky, useless objects. I suspect that the rubber seals around your side windows wouldn't like it either.

 

If you go to any pro races (ALMS, Champ car..etc) I do notice they'll use glass cleaner to clean the race cars. Normally its the white foamy cleaner and not windex. I personally wouldn't use it, but they use it all the time.

 

Windex works just fine on DeLoreans.

 

Bill,
Interesting you bring good old "Lemon Pledge" up! That has been THE detailing product in the motorcycling world for decades. It has only lost favor in the past 6 or 7 years as car specific products have come out. I will still use it in a pinch, as it is known to not harm paint, and give the car that nice lemony scent!

 

Windex streaks, use Glass Plus- MUCH better streak free cleaner but ONLY on glass or mirrors please !
I consider it a privaledge to wash my QV.

 

Why the towel, If you want to use Windex, just use Windex Outdoor Window Cleaner:
http://www.windex.ca/windex_outdoor.asp
Just hook it to your hose & spray your paint away.
;P)

 

Ya know, occasionally when Im cleaning the windows on my 348, I have touched on a few spots on the car, I know its not the best for the wax but the car has many coats of wax and a few swipes isnt going to erase the car. I would say its probably not the best idea but for an occasional touch up if your in a rush, do it I the scheme of life there are worse things you could do