right so ive come to the decision to wash the car whenever i see black on it (a small build up) it got black after a 10 mile journey this morning so looks like washing it every night !

am i sensible to do this? if i where to go sod it and just leave it and wash it every now and again how long before i can exspect to see the consequences?
if i wash the car down and clean it regularly will it be more ok?
the hole car is waxoiled underneath, but you can never be to careful

i just dont want to have a pile of rust dust by spring

and cut to the chase, no usual "dont drive it" "get a merc" crap

I would have thought a gentle hose down all over and underneath would remove the mud and salt deposits which are the chief culprit in the rusting department. And, as rusting is a chemical process, keep the car in the cold to reduce the reaction.

in the cold? my garage is cold, not as cold as outside (as in it just takes the edge of the cold) but it has no heating what so, and always has a bit of a breeze through it, but do you think i should leave it outside then? in the rain etc?
i liked it inside as it stops it being damp during the night

i tended to blast the salt off, tonight im going to wash the car with a sponge and gently hose down,

im tempted to wax oil the hole body with clear stuff but i think its more hassle than its wort

why cant councils put heating elements under the roads and keep them at about 3 degrees, no need for salt (save money) no need to pay people to put salt down (Save money) happ a series owners and a big eletricity bill!!
although in the long term it would be cheaper surely once there in and fitted?

lifes to simple i geuss

Because that is a stupid idea.

James, I fear that after the first week of washing the car by hand in this cold, dark, damp, snowy weather, you'll get fed up and won't bother carrying on.

James, wash your car, dry it, and give it a coat of car wax - a good stuff like Auto Glym. Followed by Top Coat Sealer. And another coat if you can be arsed. If you want to protect your paint work, that's how to do it - stop the salt and stuff getting through to it in the first place.

Then, when it's filthy, just give it a blast with a hose - this should remove the worst of the carp, although it won't be perfectly clean (as said above, you'll soon get fed up sponging it down...)

Also blast the hose under the arches and floorpan to flush away the salt an' shit...

i dont really have a lot of time, so waxing it isnt really realistic,

its fully wax oiled

yer i kind thought just now, why bother, its only going to get caked in it tomrow
its suposed to be 8 degrees here on saturday, so i will hose it down good and proper then

im going to take the car off the road in march if i get the job im going for then , and give it a good going under underneath, remove all old wax oil etc

So, umm, where are you going to find the time to wash it twice a day?

well i mean when i pull into the drive after work when i get home (usually late) i spend 5 minutes cleaning it (well have done before) then 5 min drying then go inside and thaw out