| Author | Message | ||
     Roderick Waite Frequent User Username: rodwaite Post Number: 94 Registered: 1-2012 |
Sorry if this raises a few blood-pressures, but is there any valid reason for not using a modern car-wash? The soft strip brush, rather than the old soft bristles, seems to avoid paint damage, and with folding mirrors and the Vanishing Lady I can't see any other drawback. Except perhaps one! My '84 Spirit is 18'4" long and I'm not sure she'll fit into the washbay! Has anyone tried this? Are car-washes standard, or are there various different ones? What is the maximum length of car they can accept? Tried asking at the station, only to be met by a blank stare! Rod '84 Spirit | ||
| Brian Vogel Grand Master Username: guyslp Post Number: 590 Registered: 6-2009 |
Rod, While I generally wash my cars by hand, I have not hesitated to use brushless (read: high pressure spray) or "soft cloth" car washes when I've had SRH33576 out on tour. Only once did I encounter a problem, and that was when a particularly horizontal spray of water managed to bypass the baffle system on the intake scuttle and cause a small rain shower on my feet. Our cars are not, by any standard in the USA anyway, "large" or "long." They're shorter than quite a few pickup trucks, and I have yet to see a car wash that can't accommodate a long-bed extended-cab pickup. The main reason I hand wash is not fear of paint damage, which I haven't seen caused by any of the above mentioned types of car wash, but because they just don't wash everywhere as thoroughly as I do. I've never folded mirrors nor touched hood ornaments, either. The only thing I am absolutely certain to do is to make sure that the electric radio aerial is safely tucked away before entering. Brian, who realizes this is definitely going to be one of those "your mileage may vary"-type subjects | ||
| Geoff Wootton Prolific User Username: dounraey Post Number: 289 Registered: 5-2012 |
The problem with any car wash is contamination. You are not in charge of quality control. With hand washes - how often do they change their sponges/ wash mitts. If one falls onto the floor do they change it. You have no way of telling. At my local car wash an operator goes round the car with a hand brush to remove stubborn dirt at the bottom of the doors, front and rear before the car enters the actual car wash. So, a nice grinding paste there before you even start. When new I am sure the soft strip brushes are perfect - what about after a couple of hundred washes - how many particles of grit do they pick up. Here is a youtube video of a totally unscientific comparison of car washes taken from a UK motoring magazine programme. The one thing it does really demonstrate is that no-one is going to care about your paint finish as much as you do. Worth a watch - just 4 mins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZjWkB_q2lE Geoff | ||
| Jan Forrest Grand Master Username: got_one Post Number: 503 Registered: 1-2008 |
I bought a small power washer several years ago and use that to wash all my cars. My routine is as follows: Using just the clean water high pressure spray on a medium fan setting I rinse off the worst of the dirt/bird poo. Next I insert a soap 'stick' into the handle of the rotating brush with the washer motor turned off and starting at the roof work my way down to the bottom of the windows - including the boot & bonnet on any of my cars so equipped. I then renew the soap and work my way down to the sills and wheels. I finish by going back to the clean water jet with the motor on again and rinse the car once more followed by jet washing under the wheel arches and such parts of the chassis I can reach. I am fortunate that the rising main water pressure to my home is more than adequate to make the brush rotate without using the motor as I doubt that I could make do with only 2 soap sticks per wash on larger cars. 2 or 3 times a year I give the paintwork a thorough waxing with a good car wax which I 'top up' at every wash with a cheap wax spray. | ||
| Roderick Waite Frequent User Username: rodwaite Post Number: 95 Registered: 1-2012 |
Good afternoon everyone, well, it looks as if the car wash would come out better than hand washing if Geoff's video is right! So no valid reason for not using them, other than they don't do as good a job as you do yourself, as Brian said ... for example, when I do it, I wash the car, then open the doors and clean all round them as well, rear wheel arches, sills etc: - then, I open the windows and clean off that grotty strip that forms where the window nestles into its housing. But Brian is in the USA, where everything is that much BIGGER - including their car washes, so I'm still hesitant about abandoning Echo in the might-be-too-short bay! Jan's plan has already been tried out - I bought the kit when I bought the car! But I find it a bit clumsy to use, especially the long handled brush (although good for the roof!), and it requires a good deal of effort which I am less inclined to provide these days! Hence my original question! I've measured the car wash local to me, and the outer guide rails are long enough - but there's an inner rail I don't know the purpose of, which is only 5 metres long, half a metre short of Echo's length. So I'm still dithering ... | ||
| Anton De Bloch Unregistered guest Posted From: 77.196.178.7 |
To Car Wash or not Car Wash, that is the question! I live near Marseille in France and have not hand washed my cars for at least ten years. They are not concours, just daily cars that are reliable and happen to be 1989 R-R. I have a standard Spirit, that fits into any car wash without a problem. I also have a stretch Spirit that is about 100/120 CM longer than standard. and so far it seems to fit the car wash without any problems either. I shall continue to use Car Wash in the near future. Kind regards De Bloch (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Roderick Waite Frequent User Username: rodwaite Post Number: 100 Registered: 1-2012 |
Hello Anton! That's very reassuring - I don't suppose they make different sizes of car-wash! I'll chance it when I'm feeling brave ... in the meantime the valet chappie is coming tomorrow - mainly for the interior - so he'll give her a wash down. She could do with a waxing too - see what sort of a job he makes of it. Thanks! I didn't really think I'd get anyone to own up to actually having used a car-wash! Makes me feel a whole lot better! Rod '84 Spirit. |
