I just took delivery of my car a few days ago, and it's almost ready for its first wash.
With my previous car (an E90 328i), I would take it to the local do-it-yourself car wash usually once a month and get it professionally detailed twice a year. I would also do spot cleanings with detailing spray or distilled water for bird splatters and the like.
When washing my car, I eventually found myself using only the wheel/tire cleaner, pre-wash, wash, and spot-free rinse. I avoided the foaming brush (because it seemed to leave surface scratches despite very soft feeling bristles) and the wax setting (because I was afraid it would ruin the trim). I was also careful to hold the hose at as much of a distance as possible in the wash mode, since it's pretty high pressure.
I'd like to continue to wash my car at the same place, but I'm curious whether I really need to avoid the wax mode. Given that it's clearly very diluted, how likely would it be to damage the trim?
If it is too risky, I was thinking
Protect All might be a good alternative. It looks like it would allow me to quickly apply wax between detailings, just spray on and dry off. Do you have any experience with this product?
Any other advice? I know myself, and I'm never going to take the time to wash my car every week (at least once the new car excitement wears off
), but I do want to protect my investment and make sure the finish stays in good shape.