Alright, here's the deal. I'm sick and tired of washing my car every week because i live in Washington State and it rains weekly almost every season except for maybe june-august. I use Meguairs Gold Glass car wash and it makes my car super clean& shinywhen it's nice out. I polished and waxed it back in Dec but the wax+polish was semi old. I just bought some NXT genwax and plan on doinga full detail wash+polish+wax when i get my new tires/rims on in a week. Does anyone have tips on keeping it clean in a rainy area? I just washed my car last saturday, it was somewhat sunny sunday, cloudy then like monday-tuesday and today it rained. Right when i went out to to get in my car i noticed the dry rains spots had already created little dirt spots. Is there any way of preventing this other than drying off the car everytime it rains? Would doing a very detailed wax help stop this?

do a ful detail and use some opti sealthat may help a little

I knew you were talking about Wetshington State....my stang sleeps under cover, so I have a place to clean it up, but its a weekly ordeal....and imagine this...I have a vert....i count the day with one hand that i am able to drop the top...

Would i add the opti seal after i washed/polished/waxed it?

You will get the best looks and durability if you apply Opti Seal to a clean surface. So I recommend polishing before you put it on for the initial coat. After that you can apply it whenever you feel like it. It only takes about 5 minutes to do a car with it. A lot of people like to apply it after a wash to give the paint that extra pop plus more durability.

Is opti-seal similar to wax?

yes and no it is but it isnt it protects the paint but it is not a cleaner like some waxes

here is a video of how it is used

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzfMS_S0NiY

Opti Seal is actually a sealant. Sealants are more durable than a wax.

or u can just wash it after every time it rains. a car is gonna get dirty after it rains. i wash me car atleast once a week. it wont rain a week here and it still gets dirty

+1 to the opti-seal (and don't forget to do your windshield)

I am moving up there in June, and I know that I am not looking forward to that at all. I heard it rains a whole hell of alot up there. I was just thinking that I may have to look at buying another vehicle to drive during rainy times.

It always gives us headache when rain falls that hard and our painted car, especially newly painted ones get soaked and dirty. After taking a hard time painting your car, it'll only get dirty 'coz of the rain. I gave up cleaning, waxing and polishing my car every after the rain stops then thought of buying a Cadillac Seville car cover (http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/shop_parts/car_cover/cadillac/seville.html), it protects my car from rain and it lessen my worries. I hope this'll help.;)

I live in Seattle. I find that my car looks better here then it did in Cali. when it is wet it always looks clean, when it STOPS raining here is when it starts to look like crap. Lucky for me it dosn't stop but 4 months out of the year.

I'll provide the resident smart a$$ answer....buy a daily driver/support vehicle and park your baby in the garage for fair weather days [8D]

1. build a garage

2. don't drive your car:D

Im in the process of installing one of these myself.
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x167/eadevoe/Shelter.jpg