Washing Cars

Hi John

The theory being that someone goes in before you with there rustbucket and bits of car get caught up in the brushes which then scratch your shiny new motor. Also the brushes themselves can make tiny scratches in the paint, especially on the cheaper washes.

Other issues can be bent aerials, wipers etc.

Best to do it by hand, normally.

Mark

If you want to wash your car properly then you will have to do it yourself.

Those "brushy type" car washes will not clean all the panels, trim and are likely to cause minor damage (risk of scratches or worse).

Invest in two buckets, a good car wash solution (eg McGuiars), a wash mit, clay bar, chamois, wax and sealant!

quote:

Originally posted by Chillkram:
Hi John

The theory being that someone goes in before you with there rustbucket

Sorry, 'their' rustbucket.

Mark

Flippin heck! Living in the Dark ages are we? Do you not have "no touch drive through washes". Their are great. No brush or direct contact. So not likely to scratch. Find yourself one of these washes. You must be able to.

Life too short sweating for a vehicle.

Get a couple of girls wearing tiny tight cut down jeans and white t shirts to do it for you and charge your mates to watch. This should mean you get your car cleaned at no cost at all and you may even make a profit.

Really, I don't know why I should have to explain these things

Here are two I did earlier

Two choices:
Erik's (by far the best).
Simply let the rain do it for you. Why bother?

David

My car is here to serve me, not the other way round, like my Naim gear, so I do not pamper it. End of story.

I enjoy washing a car well, although the London hose ban is a bit of a pain.
I use and recommend these products Zaino
Expensive but, as in most things, you get what you pay for. My two year old car still looks better than showroom new. It is a bit nerdy, but hey! this is a hi-fi forum.

Never, ever, use a car wash if you want a good looking car.

It depends on how nice you want it to look. I do mine myself. It's the only way to do it properly, keep it in good condition and keep a check on minor blemishes which can be caught early. It's also two hours of reasonable exercise in the fresh air and can also keep the grandchildren amused when they visit.





And yes, I do pay above minimum wage!

Cheers

Harry

Any brush will cause swirls/scratches be it a car-wash or a brush on the end of a hose-pipe.

Two buckets and a natural sponge or mitt seems to be the best method and it doesn't take long to do most cars.

As Rockingdoc says Zaino is bloody good stuff, not that pricey either compared to what a car costs. Only problem I found is that it takes an age to dry and needs indoors or good weather.

Without getting into mail order, at the local Halfords I'd say go for Meguiars stuff.

Paul

Many of the swirl marks on your vehicle are caused by improper drying by the people at the car wash. Polyester towels, pressing too hard, drying in circular motions will all lead to no good. Plus, since they have to work fast, car washes use strong detergents which remove your wax.

Zaino have dealt with the curing time problem by introducing an accelerant (pricey) which makes their polish a wipe-on, wipe-off experience

quote:

Originally posted by Harry K:
And yes, I do pay above minimum wage

Nice family pic!

Gianluigi - not wishing to create stereotypes but as an Italian I hope you’ll be a big supporter of keeping beautiful cars looking beautiful.

quote:

Originally posted by Rockingdoc:
Zaino have dealt with the curing time problem by introducing an accelerant (pricey) which makes their polish a wipe-on, wipe-off experience

Hmm.. interesting.. though it has been three years since I brought any.

I decided with the new wheels (when the eventually arrive) to go with a wax called Collinite - only about £15 and it's supposed to be very good and last a long time.

Like others have said I don't feel too sad posting about these things on a hi-fi forum, and the way I see it most cars are a sizeable chunk of money so £50 or so a year on decent products to look after it seems like small beer.

Paul

Hi Harry!
Yes, cars here look always very clean.
So i keep mine like a kind of..............dump?

I'm too lazy!

A clean car is the sign of a wasted life!

Doug

As wellyspyder said, echoed by Dougunn - why bother - do something more worthwhile...

quote:

Originally posted by Steveandkate:
As wellyspyder said, echoed by Dougunn - why bother - do something more worthwhile...

Errr ............Yeah, like taking a picture of myself in front of my naim system



SJB

Rockingdoc,

The products you mentioned look really interesting.

I have two Mercs. One is a recent (3 year old) metalic finished car, the other is a 17 year old standard white finish car. Both have been washed and cleaned with Mercedes' own shampoo and polished with Mercedes' own car polish and gloss preserver. Both look like they came out of the factory yesterday. I think the two paint systems are completely different.

Howvere, the old white one needs washing every week and a coat of polish every six months to keep it looking nice. The metalic one also needs a wash every week, but I haven't applied any sort of polish yet. (I only bought it a few weeks ago and it had been polished before I bought it - privately). Unfortunately it has a few light to medium scratch marks on the bonnet and driver's door.

Which of the vast range of products or "kits" would you recommend buying, and are the products REALLY as good as the advert suggests?

Cheers

Don

PS were you ever tempted to try this stuff on your Watt/Puppies?

quote:

Originally posted by Sloop John B:
Errr ............Yeah, like taking a picture of myself in front of my naim system

Do you mean having breakfast?

I was ready for breakfast, lunch and dinner after this detailing session:



Well worth the effort I think.

Dear friends,

I have owned tow Volvo 240s in a row for about nine years. I have not washed either. Somehow the rain just seems to do the job.

If it was a sporty number I suppose this approach might look a bit naff.

Fredrik

Fredrik,

I tend to agree, but during the summer I sometimes find notes from the neighbours along the lines of "Do not wash, plant potatoes".

Life is too short to wash cars by hand, yourself, when there is music to be listened to, food to be cooked, and wine to be drunk.

Nic