I head this hawked on Howard Stern's show. A sponge that washes and waxes the car at the same time, supposedly. I'm pretty skeptical.

http://www.spongetech.com/

 

Skeptical? Rightfully so. Good for you. Your BS finder is in fine shape.

 

Yes I would buy one of those right along with the Bidge that is for sale in my area!!!

 

And I'll buy it as long as the girl in the video washes the car for me.

 

I read never to use a sponge of any kind when washing as it holds the dirt and makes scratches along the paint. I use one of those mitts that looks like it's part of a car wash. I wonder which would be better though, that spongetech thing or that Mr. Clean stuff that you use with a hose.

 

Washing with a sponge isn't necessarily a bad idea, it's just that most sponges aren't really all that soft. A sponge is just a cellular foam block, not all that terribly different from foam pads used in paint polishing. Sure, they tend to have larger cells with a larger and more random structure, but essentially they're the same thing. For washing though, there are far better choices - like a good microfiber or natural sheepskin wash mitt.

And as far as a wash & wax in one - yeah, that'll give you the best possible look and protection to your finish. Not. Then again, these type of things aren't really aimed at the enthusiast market. They're for the average, or below average, consumer who considers a car a mere transportation device and deems washing to be a necessary evil. For those people, in all honesty, this is probably better than just dunking an old bath towel in a bucket of water and scrubbing the paint - which is what that segment of the population does anyway.

For real car guys, only the best will do. That wash-and-wax-in-a-sponge ain't it.

 

Are you sure that's not the Sponge Bob Square Pants wax kit?