New car maintanance
 

Off topic since it's a Jeep.

I'm getting a brand new Wrangler. Never owned a new car before.

What do I do to help paint last as long as possible?

Other new car stuff to consider?

Stay away from car washes.

Keep out of sun/elements when possible.

Wax but don't overdue.

Never use dish washing detergent and avoid hot water. Strips the wax.

Wow !
 

stomachmonkey, you make that easy. I will just treat it like my 911 then.

Keep it out of the woods if it is possible. My good buddy trashed his Rubicon in two weeks of getting it. First it was a rather pesky tree we slid into ripping off the rear fender flare and then there was that four foot deep mud hole that flooded the interior. What lesson did he learn from this? Always let someone else go first and our local Jeep dealership has a very liberal warranty policy and replaced a bunch of stuff for free that they shouldn't have (they did tell him next time he would have to pay). Another friend's Rubi looks new and is a competition rig--he uses lots of caution and clear shelf paper on the trail to protect his paint. If you do any offroading with it keep an eye on the differential fluids as water will get in to them if you submerge them and the same goes for the tranny fluid. Have fun with it and after the first scratch you don't get as upset. You will be very surprised what a stock Wrangler can do with the right tires and a decent driver.

I've never worried too much about the paint on my Wrangler. Makes Jeep ownership much more fun, and it still looks great.

[QUOTE=stomachmonkey;3524378]Stay away from car washes.
QUOTE]

I was asked to invest in a car wash a while ago. In the end, I decided against it, but I learned quite a bit in the process. Bottom line, technology has changed. I have driven the Porsches through car washes several times. The new brushes are incredibly soft, and are constantly being rinsed. You are more likely to scratch your paint with a bucket on your driveway.

The one exception- Never- NEVER use a "Touchless" car wash. The only way to make a car look clean without touching it is with very harsh chemicals.

Garage it