Car washes

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Car washes

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#1732376 7-Mar-2017 11:28

kingjj:

Similar here except I use the MotherNature™ range of Rain and Sun with the occasional touch of Wind.

Ha my wife relies on that method..

Personally I'll only let the purest, sand filtered, pristine, dune lake water touch MY rides..

CitizenErased

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#1732564 7-Mar-2017 15:10

Besides being useless, the touchless car washes compensate by using harsh cleaning chemicals, which probably strips the wax right off the paint and doesn't do the paint any good either.

networkn

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#1732566 7-Mar-2017 15:12

CitizenErased:

Besides being useless, the touchless car washes compensate by using harsh cleaning chemicals, which probably strips the wax right off the paint and doesn't do the paint any good either.

Do you have some evidence to support that assertion?

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#1732568 7-Mar-2017 15:13

Caltex were good and refunded the $11 I paid and rewashed the car for free. Still wasn't great, but good enough. I found them good to deal with. Very prompt with resolution.

trig42

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#1732569 7-Mar-2017 15:13

Sidestep:

kingjj:

Similar here except I use the MotherNature™ range of Rain and Sun with the occasional touch of Wind.

Ha my wife relies on that method..

Personally I'll only let the purest, sand filtered, pristine, dune lake water touch MY rides..

Hope it's outside today (and in Auckland) - Was just absolutely hosing down.

scuwp

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#1732584 7-Mar-2017 15:21

Have seen a car go through the normal petrol station car wash, unbeknownst to the driver the "brushes" had ripped off the previous cars rear wiper arm and the arm was tangled in the brush. Needless to say the outcome was a nightmare. The garage didn't care less and attendant just pointed to a sign saying they took no responsibility. It was a few years ago now so the brush technology may have changed to prevent that occurring. It turned me off garage car washes forever however.

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clevedon

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#1732596 7-Mar-2017 15:37

scuwp:

Have seen a car go through the normal petrol station car wash, unbeknownst to the driver the "brushes" had ripped off the previous cars rear wiper arm and the arm was tangled in the brush. Needless to say the outcome was a nightmare. The garage didn't care less and attendant just pointed to a sign saying they took no responsibility. It was a few years ago now so the brush technology may have changed to prevent that occurring. It turned me off garage car washes forever however.

I heard years ago about a farm ute that had gone through a standard car wash with some barbed wire on the back and it got picked up by the overhead brush/roller, made a mess of the next car through.

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networkn

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#1732604 7-Mar-2017 15:47

clevedon:

scuwp:

Have seen a car go through the normal petrol station car wash, unbeknownst to the driver the "brushes" had ripped off the previous cars rear wiper arm and the arm was tangled in the brush. Needless to say the outcome was a nightmare. The garage didn't care less and attendant just pointed to a sign saying they took no responsibility. It was a few years ago now so the brush technology may have changed to prevent that occurring. It turned me off garage car washes forever however.

I heard years ago about a farm ute that had gone through a standard car wash with some barbed wire on the back and it got picked up by the overhead brush/roller, made a mess of the next car through.

Well I wouldn't expect the garage to be liable for that, I'd expect the farmer to be, though tracking him down and making him responsible for it would be very difficult.

6FIEND

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#1732627 7-Mar-2017 16:22

Simply put, if you don't want scratches and swirl marks to accumulate over time, you will need to avoid and wash process that traps dirt against the surface of the paint. This includes automatic carwashes (touch kind), and any handwashing with a brush or sponge. As other have noted, using two buckets (one for clean suds/shampoo to apply to the car and the other to rinse the dirt out in before getting more suds) is helpful - as is using a wash mitt with a deep pile that will draw the dirt away from the paint. (Eg. Lambswool or microfiber)

Touch-free carwashes tend to give a poor result, and rely on very strong chemical shampoos to remove the dirt which will quickly strip any wax or protecting sealant off your vehicle as well.

After several years of poor wash technique, the effects can really start to detract from even the nicest of motorcars - as can be seen in this vid.

https://vimeo.com/45600402

*full disclosure, this was my company that performed the work a number of years back. It is now dormant (on account of me being too busy with other things) so I trust that the link won't be in breach of the FUG! ...if there is any objection, I am happy to delete the link.

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#1732628 7-Mar-2017 16:28

Rikkitic: What a lot of hassle keeping those expensive delicate machines damage-free. Maybe they should just be left in garages. I'm sure glad I have a cheap old thing that scours up real nice with steel wool. It runs well, too.

I've had one brand new car, but I'm not sure that I would buy one again as a daily driver. If I parked at the far end of the supermarket carpark miiiiiiiles away from anyone else, when I came out there would be a invariably be a vehicle either side of mine and no less than 70 new marks on the paintwork. I didn't like how brassed off I was feeling when that happened.

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networkn

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#1732659 7-Mar-2017 17:35

Dynamic:

Rikkitic: What a lot of hassle keeping those expensive delicate machines damage-free. Maybe they should just be left in garages. I'm sure glad I have a cheap old thing that scours up real nice with steel wool. It runs well, too.

I've had one brand new car, but I'm not sure that I would buy one again as a daily driver. If I parked at the far end of the supermarket carpark miiiiiiiles away from anyone else, when I came out there would be a invariably be a vehicle either side of mine and no less than 70 new marks on the paintwork. I didn't like how brassed off I was feeling when that happened.

Don't even get me started! I have 5 dings in my new car from inconsiderate a**h**** opening their door into mine. Insurance won't cover it unless I pay excess. I really don't understand people not leaving a note or something.

TinyTim

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#1732785 7-Mar-2017 22:35

Our twelve-year-old takes care of our cars. Just have to feed him Spotify vouchers in return.

networkn

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#1732786 7-Mar-2017 22:37

I rememer surprising my big sister when I was about 8 years old, by washing her car for her.. With Jiff which I squirted directly onto the car, left it for 5-10 minutes to "soak in" and then cleaning it. Those lines never went away, changed the colour of the white paint by about 11 shades!

Satch

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#1732957 8-Mar-2017 11:52

networkn: Don't even get me started! I have 5 dings in my new car from inconsiderate a**h**** opening their door into mine. Insurance won't cover it unless I pay excess. I really don't understand people not leaving a note or something.

Unfortunately leaving a note isn't always the solution either. My car was parked in Ponsonby while out getting takeaways one evening. Came back to the car and there was a note left under the wiper with a name and mobile number, plus a dent in my rear bumper. Rang the number and it was invalid. The person who bumped into it must have left a note to be seen "doing the right thing" with witnesses around, but a false name and phone number was no good to me. $500 excess straight out of my pocket...

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#1732960 8-Mar-2017 11:56

When I said leaving a note, I meant a geniune one with contact details.

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