Automatic car washes - are they that bad?

[mark.t]

Originally posted by pluggers
I personally dont trust them.I have seen chrome trim ripped off cars and thrown out the back of the wash before now landing in front of my car,scaring me slightly.Also I would be affraid it will rip the bonnet star off,even though my local dealer uses one of the said car wash's at the back of their compound.

this is a mb approved car wash part no 13,13,13,13,lucky for some

 

[Kinky]

Reminds me of a story of a guy a few years ago - early/mid 90's.

I think he had a Rover 800 with a [regular] spoiler. Took it to a BP garage and had a car wash.

Anyhow - the machine ripped his spolier off and wrecked his boot.

He complained and complained and complained and BP did nothing.

So he registered www.bp.com as his domain and used the site to complain about this incident, and all the letters/emails/calls that went on for month and months.

I never knew what happened in the end - if he got any form of compensation.

I do also vaguely recall that BP demanded that he give them their domain. Again, never found out what happened.

K

 

[Ian B Walker]

I was once the proud owner of a brand new Ford Capri, 24 hours after taking delivery I put it through a car wash. I lost my windscreen wipers and damaged the roof as the brushes spun the removed wipers onto it. I argued balck and blue with the garage owner and was pointed to a sign wavering any responsibility. An ouch moment. I have never used one since. I am lucky where I currently live as there is a roadside valeting establishment who hand wash, WITH FRESH WATER FOR EVERY CAR, your car for the pricley sum of £6, which includes an interior clean too.

 

[fuzzer]

Originally posted by Ian B Walker
I was once the proud owner of a brand new Ford Capri.

Whats a Capri ? is that like a probe?

 

[Steve_Perry]

Originally posted by fuzzer
Whats a Capri ? is that like a probe?

You mean you never watched Bodie and Doyle as a kid?

S.

 

[fuzzer]

Originally posted by Steve_Perry
You mean you never watched Bodie and Doyle as a kid?

S.

Okies , youve genuinely lost me now

 

[Steve_Perry]

Originally posted by fuzzer
Okies , youve genuinely lost me now

S.

 

[Ian B Walker]

Well yes, we all make mistakes. Was living in Germany then (oh why didnt I get a Merc Tax Free) What pursuaded me to get it was as you point out, Bodie, Doyle and my wifes infatuation with them (I am really old, really really old)

 

[vito113]

Originally posted by fuzzer
Whats a Capri ? is that like a probe?

Yes, it was a predecessor to the Probe but it came with rust as a factory fitted option. Still revered as the last 'proper car' by Essex Man ;-)

 

[Dave Lewis]

I had a 2-litre Capri for about a year. I bought it from my brother-in law (an overweight pilot) for £250, with 150,000 on the clock. I totally abused it. Never serviced it, changed the oil, washed it, or mucked-out the interior. It never let me down, not once. I think I did about 20,000 miles in it, including a couple of non-stop runs to southern France. I sold it to an import/export type for twenty-five quid.
It was the best darned car I ever had.



Not.

 

[eurojunky]

Audi dealer took my Audi thru a car wash and scratched the paintwork to hell.
(and scratched up my alloys!!) Just glad it wasn't my face there by the alloy.
G.F. took her 205 thru a brand new Safeway's car wash and that was scratched to hell too. (like it's been polished with a steel wool pad for washing pans).

Neighbour too with their Audi A4, though they managed to get compensation.

Car washes are too abrasive!

Having said that, in the VW Polo manual (car I just acquired) it says it has a tough enough paint finish that is safe to use in car washes... yer right.. I'm not brave enough to test it.

I don't let dealers wash my cars either, as some young lad could be using the same sponge they clean the brake dust off the wheels to clean the body work, and more often than not, they are very economical with the water, dirty bucket cleaning say 20-30 cars on the forecourt with a fairly dry cloth/sponge so they don't need to dry off.. just chammy/wash

I had a courtesy 3 mth old 220 cdi with less than 6k on the clock, but the paintwork looked like skates on ice (not as bad as a car wash though) because of poor cleaning or not rinsing throughly before using a sponge or cloth. ouch!

 

[GregE240]

Indeed, these contraptions should be avoided like the plague. Jet wash yes, but car wash - big no.

My mother is currently having to sue Sainsburys as the door on one of their washes has come down onto the back of her car, scratching the paint off the tailgate and bumper. Sainsburys defence is that the door has a sensor on it which should prevent it - yeah right and sensors don't ever fail, do they?

 

[Shude]

This thread has been sitting in the wrong section for 5 months, time to move it!

 

[Goldfish11]

Jet Wash Car Wash?

What about those Jet Wash car washes? Any one had any bad experience of these. I have used them but always worry about the Dirty Brush you use after your intitial jetting.

You also never seem to have time to run round the car before the token runs out.

I now use sponge and bucket.

 

[sym]

I was attacked by a Jet Wash recently - a very wet and soapy experience that I would rather forget ! (The hose had split!)

Otherwise, I don't bother with them any more. I have a pressure washer at home which is not as high pressure as the garage ones, but does the rinsing job nicely, and is great for wheels, and other household jobs !

S.

 

[GregE240]

Indeed, this is the problem with jet washes.

Chances are some farmer has been in with his mud caked Landie before you, so you end up brushing all the dirt off his car onto yours.

And yes, its an unwritten rule, the token never lasts long enough.

 

[Shude]

Chances are some farmer has been in with his mud caked Landie before you, so you end up brushing all the dirt off his car onto yours.

My nearest jetwash doesn't allow any vehicles with a spare wheel mounted on the exterior of the car to use the equipment! So that's the landies and indeed wannabe offroaders out of the game!

Here are some jetwash tips:

1. Before pointing the lance at the car, try jetwashing the brush for a second, that should shift anything left there by the previous car.

2. Get a friend to hold the hose so you don't drag it all over the car when using either the brush or the lance, the stupid thing always gets caught on the bonnet star!

3. Wash the wheels before you go, it doesn't have to be a perfect wash, just that because of all the suds you can't see how dirty the wheels are when you're at the jetwash, so I always give them a quick wash before going so they're perfect after the jetwash treatment.

4. Dry the car with a chamois either in the bay, or if it's busy at the jetwash take it home and do it.

5. RUN!! You have to be seriously quick if you have a car larger than a smart! I can usually manage to wash the whole car but it's often very close!

 

[GrahamC230K]

Only time I use the Jetwash, I use the lance spray only, then take the car home and wash it anyway!

 

[pammy]

I'm lucky I guess in that mine's small enough for handwasing to be a pleasure anyway and I can reach over the top of it

Mines never going through a car wash while I own it nor a jet wash - use the power wash at home if I have to - but bucket and sponges do me nicely oh and long rubber gloves to protect my nails

 

[BimMerc]

I wash the cars at home whenever I can. I have bought a Karcher pressure washer (goes upto 150 pressure which is also good for cleaning the paving etc)

Also bought a steam cleaner for the wheels if they get particularly dirty too. Eases up the dirt quite well. I am going to try it on the engine bay once I have the time to do it!

Some local hand car washes are really good. They charge a fiver, but if you get to know them, you will get a concour job. They rinse the car down, add the chemical cleaner to the wheels and bottom of the body, rinse again, foam it over with the lance, spnge it down, rinse again, add wax in the rinse, then dry it off with the chamois.....for a fiver!!

BimMerc