Washing & Detailing your own car

You feel a greater deal of attachment to a person if you take care of them. Benjamin Franklin was able to form relationships with other people by asking them to do favors for him. Cognitive dissonance (essentially having two contradictory beliefs) dictates that if you're doing someone a favor, then you must like them. I believe the same stands for forming a tie with your car.

The vast majority of the Top Gear specials end with the hosts forming strong attachments to the cars they had, because of this I was lead to believe one must love their car. My Nissan Murano was a good car, but I never smiled when I drove it, I never felt attached.  It took me on many road trips, showed me new places and carried my friends & supplies throughout the time I had it. But when it came time to trade it in, I didn't feel much. 

I believe this was due to never really putting much effort into the car. Aside from one of the headlights, It always worked. I never washed it by hand because of living in college apartments, I just drove it though automatic car washes. I never detailed it because it had a plethora of dings and scratched from previous owners. I simply never put the time and work into it.

That is not the case with the Maserati or the Golf. They are both something special. The Maserati is soulful. To me it is a sentient being, it has a heart and soul. Detailing it brings me closer, I know every blemish, every scuff mark, and every imperfection. I hand wash it prior to storage after every outing. At the time of writing this I have put 1,029 miles and have washed the car 9 times and done a full detailing twice. I believe cars are most thoroughly enjoyed by being driven and shared. Building the routine of washing the car has stripped me of the notion that it can't be taken out in "Less Than Perfect Weather" which yields more chances to drive and share the car. Washing the winter salt from the underbody has given me a deep appreciation for the mechanics and engineering while washing the body has left me in awe at the flowing lines and the Italian flare in styling. It makes me smile even when parked, and most importantly, every wash has made me itch to drive it again.

2010 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS. What a pleasure it is to clean this beauty!

Washing the car after brunch and giving friends a ride.