£3 car wash "bargain"
21 December 2013, 12:01 PM
#2
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I wish they were £3 down here, they all want like £9 for a quick rinse over.
I always get too scared to use them anyway in case they hurt my car haha.
I always get too scared to use them anyway in case they hurt my car haha.
21 December 2013, 12:11 PM
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There is one that I trust in a 20 mile radius to me.
Faults I find with certain hand car washes:
- They drop the sponge, pick it up and carry on
- They don't actually clean the whole car, just what is in front of them
- Drying - Depends what they use. If it is the cheap drying clothes i am normally left with a very smeary car
- Leaning over the car. What really gets on my **** is when they try to reach over the roof and I can hear their zip from either jacket or jeans touch my paint work.
- Tyre dressing - Some don't use it, some plaster the stuff on so that 100 yards down the road, I am left with a nice black spray pattern from the tyres, all over the paint work.
Faults I find with certain hand car washes:
- They drop the sponge, pick it up and carry on
- They don't actually clean the whole car, just what is in front of them
- Drying - Depends what they use. If it is the cheap drying clothes i am normally left with a very smeary car
- Leaning over the car. What really gets on my **** is when they try to reach over the roof and I can hear their zip from either jacket or jeans touch my paint work.
- Tyre dressing - Some don't use it, some plaster the stuff on so that 100 yards down the road, I am left with a nice black spray pattern from the tyres, all over the paint work.
Last edited by Gear Head; 21 December 2013 at 12:14 PM.
21 December 2013, 12:19 PM
#4
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Yep, never entertained the thought of using these 'Hand Car Washes'. Similar story where I am. Why there are people prepared to cue for 20 minutes to have theirs done I will never know. Use that time and do it yourself, knowing that its done properly, then use the money you saved in buying yourself a couple of pints.
21 December 2013, 12:34 PM
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I don't bother cleaning mine at home for the following reasons.
- I've gone through 4 lots of Jetwashes in 3 years. I've tried Karcher and the cheap units and after warranty they all stopped working.
- The grime that comes off the car ends up on my drive so that will need cleaning next
- it's cheaper to get the local Poles/Iraqis/Kurds/Afghans to wash the car
Be nice to them and they will look after me. Treat them with a bit of dignity and respect and they will oblige with pretty much anything I ask.
I get them to wash and dry the car then take it home for polishing/waxing.
- I've gone through 4 lots of Jetwashes in 3 years. I've tried Karcher and the cheap units and after warranty they all stopped working.
- The grime that comes off the car ends up on my drive so that will need cleaning next
- it's cheaper to get the local Poles/Iraqis/Kurds/Afghans to wash the car
Be nice to them and they will look after me. Treat them with a bit of dignity and respect and they will oblige with pretty much anything I ask.
I get them to wash and dry the car then take it home for polishing/waxing.
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21 December 2013, 12:54 PM
#10
£3 jesus I wouldn't go anywhere near them !!
You really think they do a good job ?
Not a chance and good luck getting rid of the scratches, smears and swirls later on. A good idea to clear any salt of the underside of the car and wheel arches at this time of year but it does not take too long to clean your own car.
I am far too fussy to let anyone wash my car, I clean every car in this household because I will not trust anyone to do a decent job. Took me 3 hours the other day to do my wife's scoob whilst she was out in my car. Inside and out, tyres all dressed, new centre caps, hoovered and all the arches done. May as well do a job properly I say
You really think they do a good job ?
Not a chance and good luck getting rid of the scratches, smears and swirls later on. A good idea to clear any salt of the underside of the car and wheel arches at this time of year but it does not take too long to clean your own car.
I am far too fussy to let anyone wash my car, I clean every car in this household because I will not trust anyone to do a decent job. Took me 3 hours the other day to do my wife's scoob whilst she was out in my car. Inside and out, tyres all dressed, new centre caps, hoovered and all the arches done. May as well do a job properly I say
21 December 2013, 01:04 PM
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£3 jesus I wouldn't go anywhere near them !!
You really think they do a good job ?
Not a chance and good luck getting rid of the scratches, smears and swirls later on. A good idea to clear any salt of the underside of the car and wheel arches at this time of year but it does not take too long to clean your own car.
I am far too fussy to let anyone wash my car, I clean every car in this household because I will not trust anyone to do a decent job. Took me 3 hours the other day to do my wife's scoob whilst she was out in my car. Inside and out, tyres all dressed, new centre caps, hoovered and all the arches done. May as well do a job properly I say
You really think they do a good job ?
Not a chance and good luck getting rid of the scratches, smears and swirls later on. A good idea to clear any salt of the underside of the car and wheel arches at this time of year but it does not take too long to clean your own car.
I am far too fussy to let anyone wash my car, I clean every car in this household because I will not trust anyone to do a decent job. Took me 3 hours the other day to do my wife's scoob whilst she was out in my car. Inside and out, tyres all dressed, new centre caps, hoovered and all the arches done. May as well do a job properly I say
21 December 2013, 01:09 PM
#13
i must be getting old then 
i just dont get being an@l with the paintwork anymore.
lets face it, you can pay silly money for a good detailing or spend 12 hours doing it yourself.
then the first time ya take it out it can get covered in ****, scratched or some **** opens there door onto it
£3 for me anyway, bargain !
oh and i quite like my swirl marks, adds chararcter
i just dont get being an@l with the paintwork anymore.
lets face it, you can pay silly money for a good detailing or spend 12 hours doing it yourself.
then the first time ya take it out it can get covered in ****, scratched or some **** opens there door onto it
£3 for me anyway, bargain !
oh and i quite like my swirl marks, adds chararcter
21 December 2013, 01:10 PM
#14
My other half hates it when I say I'm cleaning the car, she knows it's going to take hours. If I haven't got time I'd rather put £3 in the local jetwash and get off all the crap I can. I won't touch the paint unless I've got time to do it properly.
21 December 2013, 01:34 PM
#16
Mine gets 10 kuna (£1.50) jet wash and wax spray this time of year, don't go near it with the sponges till the weather gets better, rarely bother with the hoover either, looks a bit of a skip inside at the moment so due a general tidy.
I always laugh when I go to a supermarket and those guys with the trollies offer to clean the car, yeah right as if i'd let you anywhere near it. 
I always laugh when I go to a supermarket and those guys with the trollies offer to clean the car,
yeah right as if i'd let you anywhere near it.
21 December 2013, 04:59 PM
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5 mins from home there is a hand car wash run by pols and been using them for the last 10 years,they have all the wright chemicals and cloths, never had an issue.
They have a pre wash team then wash team and then a dry team!
Place is so busy on a Sunday you have to get there early or be prepared for a couple hour wait!
Full in/out £10 or £5 for outside only and you still get most of the trimmings
They have a pre wash team then wash team and then a dry team!
Place is so busy on a Sunday you have to get there early or be prepared for a couple hour wait!
Full in/out £10 or £5 for outside only and you still get most of the trimmings
21 December 2013, 06:40 PM
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I wouldnt give one of these guys my car to clean for free, infact, they couldnt even pay me to give it to them.
If you take the time to look into how carefully you need to clean a car to keep it free from swirls and scratches you will look at these car washes with a very different mindset.
It does not matter what they have or use, the nature of the car wash is flawed and it will always produce swirl marks.
If you take the time to look into how carefully you need to clean a car to keep it free from swirls and scratches you will look at these car washes with a very different mindset.
It does not matter what they have or use, the nature of the car wash is flawed and it will always produce swirl marks.
21 December 2013, 07:19 PM
#21
I wouldnt give one of these guys my car to clean for free, infact, they couldnt even pay me to give it to them.
If you take the time to look into how carefully you need to clean a car to keep it free from swirls and scratches you will look at these car washes with a very different mindset.
It does not matter what they have or use, the nature of the car wash is flawed and it will always produce swirl marks.
If you take the time to look into how carefully you need to clean a car to keep it free from swirls and scratches you will look at these car washes with a very different mindset.
It does not matter what they have or use, the nature of the car wash is flawed and it will always produce swirl marks.
21 December 2013, 08:38 PM
#22
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My Volvo goes to the hand car wash down the road. Couldn't care less if there are swirl marks or whatever, it's an Ebay banger/workshorse and as long as I can see out of it I am happy!
The AMG has a monthly full valet to keep it in tip top condition
The AMG has a monthly full valet to keep it in tip top condition
21 December 2013, 09:27 PM
#23
I clean mine myself properly, detail it etc takes around 3-5 hours once a week, but in these poop winter months I go for the quick clean option, not hand wash by the foreign dudes though can't trust them lol.
What I do is grab my wash wool wash nuts and trying towel, and some quick Detailer, nip down to ARC car wash chuck £2 into the self clean machines (never use there brushes though) and use the Pre-clean jet wash, then the jet wash shampoo, go over the car with my wash mits one for the car other for side skirts, mud flaps and wheels, then rinse with jet wash and then spray on quick Detailer, towel it off and go!
£2 and 10 mins later a representable car in these winter months
What I do is grab my wash wool wash nuts and trying towel, and some quick Detailer, nip down to ARC car wash chuck £2 into the self clean machines (never use there brushes though) and use the Pre-clean jet wash, then the jet wash shampoo, go over the car with my wash mits one for the car other for side skirts, mud flaps and wheels, then rinse with jet wash and then spray on quick Detailer, towel it off and go!
£2 and 10 mins later a representable car in these winter months
21 December 2013, 11:03 PM
#24
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I would honestly forget about drying and using quick detailer if you are not going to wash the car properly like you would normally do. If its a quick wash with garage supplies then theres a higher chance you will miss spots or leave some dirt on the car, especially with the winter dirt that builds up. Then when you dry it and quick detail it you risk trapping that left over dirt between the cloth and paint which will give you swirls.
Best thing to do is to put on a fresh coat of wax/ sealant and then most of the debris will come off with the primary jet washing stage, then give it a once over with the lambswool mit and leave it.
I am actually using a pet hair drier to dry my car now so I dont have to touch it at all with a cloth, drying is one of the worst stages for car scratching.
Stuart.
Best thing to do is to put on a fresh coat of wax/ sealant and then most of the debris will come off with the primary jet washing stage, then give it a once over with the lambswool mit and leave it.
I am actually using a pet hair drier to dry my car now so I dont have to touch it at all with a cloth, drying is one of the worst stages for car scratching.
Stuart.
22 December 2013, 01:30 AM
#25
I , personally would never spend 5 hours cleaning my car because I have a life! However I will wash my car myself when it needs it. in the winter, a quick jet wash once a week. In the summer a good detail and look after but don't take the **** with a full detail ever week in the winter, it's a car ffs not a puppy!
22 December 2013, 02:26 AM
#26
I never was really into all this detailing malarkey just a squirt or Two of fairy liquid and a sponge was me,that is until I took my car to my mates house and he said that he wanted to clean my car for me to show me how to do it properly,the rest as they say is history,I have been detailing my cars ever since and that was 10 years ago now.5 hours is nothing really if you want to do a complete job of it,but I do hear yah about winter just a quick wash and detailing spray and that's it until summer for me where it gets the full works.SJ.
22 December 2013, 05:21 AM
#27
Not having kids to look after or Amuse in my days off I actually enjoy cleaning my cars whic can take a whole day with three to do
That's my relaxation and would rather do that then be trailed around the shops with the misses looking at rubbish that we don't really need or clothes that never come Come out of the wardrobe
That's my relaxation and would rather do that then be trailed around the shops with the misses looking at rubbish that we don't really need or clothes that never come Come out of the wardrobe
22 December 2013, 08:58 AM
#28
22 December 2013, 10:37 AM
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I , personally would never spend 5 hours cleaning my car because I have a life! However I will wash my car myself when it needs it. in the winter, a quick jet wash once a week. In the summer a good detail and look after but don't take the **** with a full detail ever week in the winter, it's a car ffs not a puppy!