I have my 2007 Coupe in the driveway with a car cover on it. I've got an oak tree & 3 sweet gum trees along one side and I need the car cover to keep the tree sap off the car. In addition, living in Upstate SC, the car needs some protection from the elements. That being said, I probably wash the car every couple of weeks. I prefer to "hand wash" the car & immediately dry with a large, microfiber towel. However, with the extreme heat from late July through August in our area this year, I took the car up to the local Car Spray Wash and gave it a good cleaning & rinse for 5 minutes. I dried it off when I got the car back home. Naturally, the car has a deep shine, surface treatment on it which helps protect the paint & holds up to the spray wash. Since these car wash facilities use high pressure water, I never have the spray nozzle close to the car's surface. And I use only the "Soap" cycle, followed by the "Rinse" cycle. All that other stuff shown on the selection dial is crap - MHO. And I NEVER use the brush wand! I'll take my own wash mit if the car needs a section scrubbed during the soap washing.

I'll "spruce up" any surface polymer sealant and/or wax treatment probably every 3-4 months. Doesn't take very long that way.