Does it feel different to you
 

After you have worked on the car, changed the oil, or even a good wash and wax, does the car feel different to you? I would imagine that most here can tell by the feel in the seat and steering for any changes.

Feel different? No, but one of my pet peeves is dirty windows. I don't care how nasty my car is, if the windows are clean, everything is alright. Touching on what you mention above, though, if my windows are filthy and I clean them but not the rest of the car, the whole car seems "cleaner" at that point.

Changing the oil, no. Changing the plugs, caps & rotors, sometimes. Depends on how bad the old plugs were.

I just had a failing hydraulic lifter replaced, and the engine sounds a lot better!

Mike, I’m with you regarding windows. Other people think I’m nuts. Windows are not truly clean unless you can’t tell if they’re rolled up or down. I store a soft rag under the drivers seat, and routinely pull it out to wipe down the windows & mirrors.

Maybe you are referring to the whole 'Zen' way of putting something of yourself into an object. Like imparting personal care on an object and thus, in turn, the object has more ownership of your emotional intangible. Very uplifting and a necessary evil for true perfectionists (read obsessive compulsives).

Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an excellent book.

But then again, maybe your talking about removing that microscopic layer of grime and feeling the performance gain?

I don't know what you are asking exactly.

Oh yeaaaaah.

Just washing does it for me...

All of life's riddles are answered in the movies...
 

As noted in the lyrics of "Upholstery", from Brian DePalma's '74 cult classic Phantom of the Paradise:


Of all life's mysteries the greatest one I've seen
My short runs better when it's clean







Tim

Just washing a car alone will make it noticably faster.