Keeping that white Prius white

Clay bar should do it.

 

Or some quality car cleaner like Maguires.

 

A good car wash soap like Maguire’s should clean off typical road grime, bugs, and tree sap.

I have the same problem, this is my first white car too. One time I tried to scrape off what I thought was dried bird poop only to smear and stain it. A good car wash took it out.

A clay bar will as well, however, it will remove whatever wax is still on the car and a light layer of clear coat.

Try the gentlest solutions first; all my previous cars have been black, so know the importance of streaking, scratching and swirling.

 

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Clay bars will not remove any clear coat, at least not on this planet.

First of all, the clear coat is a lot harder than the clay. Second, you always use lubricant with a clay bar, such as quick detailing spray. The clay never actually touches the paint, there's always a thin layer of lubricant between the clay and the paint.

 

definately Clay Bar.......

Claybar LINK....

 

Clay bar + Wax = Your best new friend

 

Yes, it will remove bug stains

 

my car's black. so i see all the little spots on it. i would also recommend putting on mudflaps to keep grime off the side of your car, and if you're really intent on keeping bugs off, a bra or clear paint protectant (clear bra)

watch out for mulberry trees. our last place had mulberry trees nearby and little did we notice we were parking under a power line. so all those birds that ate the mulberries sat on the power line and left purple spots on our cars... fortunately that wasn't my prius but my old car had permanent stains.

watch out for trees and power lines, woudl be my best advice.

 

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My guess is that clay is the better bet, since it is not abrasive. I believe carcleaners use a combination of petroleum distallates and mild abrasives to do their thing.

 

Well.....Yes! However, if you are planning on "claying".......understand that to reach the contaminants on your paint......you must "Strip" the existing wax off the vehicle....... and washing with regular car wash will not accomplish this.
Just use Liquid Dawn (hand dishwashing liquid) as a car wash. It has a high alkaline content which cuts right thru carnauba wax, paraffin, silicone oils, etc. This will get your paint finish squeeky clean and wax free.

Don't make a habit of washing your car with Dawn. But for this scenario it's fine. High alkaline products like Dawn are tough on polishes. It will never harm the paint finish though. A car wash is made specifically to clean without removing durable polishes.

So.....
1.wash with Dawn
2.claybar
3.Zaino

peace....out......

Zaino application process Link....

 

Having had a white car (everyday car to stay cooler in the sun) and a black car (sports car that has won one car show) for over thirty years (many of which was while I was in the automotive industry), I had to live the two ends of the spectrum.

Here is my 2 cents I copied from my own previous post a while back.

How to get perfect looking paint on your Prius.

Wash your car thoroughly.
Wax it with Malm's wax.
Quickly remove any stuff that may get on it (bird droppings, bugs, tree sap, etc.)
Have fun.

A little more serious about maintaining a fabulous paint job? Then read on.

OK, so you just picked up the most desired car in the world (at least in my world) or have had one for a few years now, we are going to basically do the same thing.

We are going to pepare the surface for its first wax job (just follow here, its all going to work out in the end
Park the car in the shade and alow to cool off before proceeding.

Flood the entire surface of the car with your water hose and let the water soak in for a minute or two.

Now spray the car with your water hose and get it as clean as possible with just the spray. Pay special attention to the tires, wheelwells, and the entire undercarraige. Do this two or three times or until you are sure that its as clean as is possible.

Wash your car. Use a natural brush, preferrably a boar hair brush, dipping it in Malm's Car Wash Concentrate in a perfectly clean bucket. Just a small amount of Car Wash Concentrate in a bucket full of water will do, all Malm's products are highly concentrated so they are actually very economical.

Start at the top, work your way down. Rinse the car off once or twice, until you are sure that its clean.

If this car has been waxed many times before and still has some wax on it then wash it down with Silicon, Grease and Wax remover (available at local paint shops). If its a new car skip this step.

Next we clean the paint with a paint cleaning clay, available from Malm's and is called de-racer. Malm's was the very first company to sell these cleaning clay bars to the public over a decade ago.

Take a small piece of the clay and rub it over the entire painted surface of the car. Keep the surface wet with Malm's Neetoo otherwise the clay will stick. What does the clay do: It cleans off small pieces of grit and contamiants that washing the paint didn't get off. (Note: Neetoo is what you should carry in the car to gently remove bird droppings and other stuff that gets on the car. If you get something like tar or tree sap that won't come off then use Stoner Tarminator and put a little wax back on as Tarminator will take everything off that paint.)

If you touch the paint surface now it should feel extremely clean and slick, with no grit at all. On a new car this effect is barely noticeable but if you've driven your Prius for a year or three, you may feel a huge improvement.

The wax stage is nearly upon us but first we will perform a very light polishing, even if the car is right off the boat. This step is only done once every few years for many people so don't fret about the extra work, its not hard to do at all. There are two choices at this point, if yours is a new Prius right off the boat then use Malm's Formula 10 Polish & Glaze. If yours is a bit older and need to have the paint freshened up a bit (small scratches and/or haze marks, etc.) then use Malm's Ultra Fine Polishing Cleaner. In cases where you are just not sure which to use, since they are both mild and gentle products, just remember that Malm's Ultra Fine Polishing Cleaner is the more aggressive of the two. If you still aren't sure then just send me an email or contact Jay Kolinsky, President of Malm's.

Go ahead and polish the car with your choice of the above polishes. I prefer to use the small inexpensive sponges that are sold on the Malm's site along with a small tool to hold the sponge with very little effort (its called the Kolinsky Speed Waxer). Follow the directions, essentially polishing one small section at a time. This is a bit time consuming and tedious for some of us, but once it is done you will enjoy a a lot of enjoyable times driving your exotically beautiful hybrid.

OK, now go for the wax. I like Malm's Concentrated Carnauba Wax (this is a rich thick liquid). Read the instructions as it is easy to put on and take off and surprisingly there is a way to apply the wax so that you have nothing or next to nothing to buff off. There is no need to wait to buff as you will only be putting on a thin coat (any more than that is a waste of product and increases your effort accordingly). This wax is so concentrated that a pint could last you for a few years (it has for me). Buff it off and stand back, ooh that looks as good as it feels, doesn't it?

Now you can enjoy your Prius and the admiring glances it will generate for you. Just wash him/her gently with Malm's Concentrated Car Wash (which is so gentle it won't remove the beautiful wax job) and drive away. In this area I find that Malm's wax lasts for months (3 to 6 months or more is not unusual) so you don't have to do it often. When it is time to freshen up the wax, just wash and wax, polish is not necessary unless you need to fix a problem.


Enjoy life, drive a shiny Prius.

Bob

 

Bob gives some good tips. Having a white vehicle is actually quite easy to keep up. We have a Seaside Pearl (I think that is the correct color) Prius and I must say this car is a pain in the butt to keep clean when compared to my white Silverado. I use Meguiars carwash, a Mothers claybar, and various Meguiars waxes and polishes along with my Porter Cable 7424 Polisher. If you are enthusiastic about keeping your car waxed, look into the Porter Cable. I bought mine from properautocare.com and I love it.

 

Let me say this about car washing.....

I'm pretty dam lazy......after working all week and doing my fatherly duties I don't much feel like spending hours cleaning my car or pulling out power tools with electric cords to buff out my paint.....
This is one of the main reasons I really like Zaino......It's pretty effortless once you get past the initial 1st application. After the 1st round.....all that really required is.....wipe down your car with a very very thin layer.....then let it set 1/2 hour....then wipe it off.....And I don't mean RUB IT IN....simply wipe it on......it's a chemical bonding process...not elbow grease...

And it last and beads for a good long time.....

Did I mention the smell? ummmmm Zaino..... 8)

 

Vinegar also works well to help reduce or remove water spots.