Best Car wash

Chergar

have always been a fan of washing my car myself, and as such have had quiet a few appliances installed in my house, from hot water jet washes and so forth, but am just wondering what the boards opinion is on garage washes. Personally I travel every sunday morning down the m50 just to go to the lucan texaco car wash. they really do a fantastic job, while you sit in your car eating your breakfast and reading the paper. I've also recenently found the 24 hour car wash service in walkinston, which i have to say is a bit mad. im a total car junkie, but I dont think iv ever wanted to wash my car at 5am on a saturday night, not sober anyway:pac: but they do very good job nonetheless. yet their not great with the wheels, not as good as lucan.

Gary ITR

Please don't mess with the fonts!! thats terribly hard to read

Chergar

Clearly an unintentional error. Fixed

alpina

The new line of 'Soft Cloth' car wash's are pretty good, no hard brush like bristles used, but a chamois quality cloth rather is attached to the rollers in place of the old fashioned stup.
What I like the most is the fact that the wash's are fully attended and as such one's car is thoroughly sponged down before rollers even come near you car so not compounding existing dirt into body work which too often leads to scratches. The alloys are also sprayed (some kind of alloy cleaner I guess as I have seen it lather) and cleaned prior to entering wash. Car drives on to a conveyor belt setup and pulled through wash, have always been quite pleased with result.
There are two in Limerick as far as I am aware, I think a new one opened in Castletroy but definetly one on the dock road.

Toots

There's was a good one in the service station down by merrion gates in dublin. I think it's either a texaco or an esso. It was like a conveyor that brought your car through and had the soft cloth wash. They recently changed it for a different type of carwash though, which isn't as good. Just a normal one, but really overpriced.

TestTransmission

alpina wrote: »

The new line of 'Soft Cloth' car wash's are pretty good, no hard brush like bristles used, but a chamois quality cloth rather is attached to the rollers in place of the old fashioned stup.
What I like the most is the fact that the wash's are fully attended and as such one's car is thoroughly sponged down before rollers even come near you car so not compounding existing dirt into body work which too often leads to scratches. The alloys are also sprayed (some kind of alloy cleaner I guess as I have seen it lather) and cleaned prior to entering wash. Car drives on to a conveyor belt setup and pulled through wash, have always been quite pleased with result.
There are two in Limerick as far as I am aware, I think a new one opened in Castletroy but definetly one on the dock road.

Where's the one in Castletroy?

alpina

I think out around SuperQuin but sorry can not swear to this.

L-M

There is one in Superquinn alright, on the far side of the car park... Also if any1 knows of Cosgraves, they've a good wash. Also Singland Motors has a great power wash.. Requires u to loosen up the dirt a bit first of all, and there's a wheel cleaner... No brushes... Other than that my old bucket of water does wonders....

irish.rugby.fan

Best car wash is the Beacon Valet wash. Hands down.

highlandseoghan

Try the hand car wash in Tesco car Park in Artane and ClareHall and they opened new one in Bray and BallyBrack.

They wash the car by hand using the 2 bucket method and tyres are dressed too. I got the car done there inside and outside for only €32 no where around is as cheap and the job is perfect and the misus can do the shopping at same time.

alpina

I'm afraid €32 to get my car washed is a little OTT
I know it's all relative but seriously, I take my car's cleanliness serious and is rarely caught dirty, as a result realistically would wash it 2/3 times a week preferably by hand but if in a rush a car wash again preferably a soft cloth version, so you can see I understand keeping the car clean.

But to hand over €32, have a truck overtake me on the way home, most likely a shower of rain & whatever local roadworks are in operation often it's a case I need to wash it again once arrive back home.

There's the Celtic Tiger & there's the core value of the pound/euro which a certain portion of our country have forgotten about

bitemybanger

Bradys Ratoath beside Fairyhouse racecourse without a doubt:cool:

highlandseoghan

alpina wrote: »

I'm afraid €32 to get my car washed is a little OTT
I know it's all relative but seriously, I take my car's cleanliness serious and is rarely caught dirty, as a result realistically would wash it 2/3 times a week preferably by hand but if in a rush a car wash again preferably a soft cloth version, so you can see I understand keeping the car clean.

But to hand over €32, have a truck overtake me on the way home, most likely a shower of rain & whatever local roadworks are in operation often it's a case I need to wash it again once arrive back home.

There's the Celtic Tiger & there's the core value of the pound/euro which a certain portion of our country have forgotten about

sorry i think you misunderstood, €32 got my wifes car hand washed and a full valet job on the inside. I paid €32 compared to the €90 i used to pay for the same job.

alpina

highlandseoghan wrote: »

sorry i think you misunderstood, €32 got my wifes car hand washed and a full valet job on the inside. I paid €32 compared to the €90 i used to pay for the same job.

Fair enough, different story....
Thought the country had gone mad there for a moment
(maybe I should say mader)

kippy

Lads,
How often do ye wash yer cars?
I think it is crazy the amount of money spend on carwashes when they can usually do a better job themselves.
Kippy

bigtimecharlie

kippy wrote: »

Lads,
How often do ye wash yer cars?
I think it is crazy the amount of money spend on carwashes when they can usually do a better job themselves.
Kippy

About fortnightly for me. Mostly car washes as not enough room at the house.


As for a location in Cork, the Texaco in Mahon has an excellent car wash, (Polish) guy washes car with sponge, then into a brushless jet wash. Good value at €9.

eyeball kid

Some wash it 2/3 times a week? In Irish weather? On Irish roads?
Don't see the point really. Got my car last September. Washed it once I think.:o

MercMad

I'm a bit OTT, I wash either my car or the wife's every night !

I have it down to a fine art though, sponge, shampoo and chamois in the boot of each car, hose reel located at front side of house. I pull in and have the car washed and dried in about 8 minutes !

Every morning I hose down the dew and chamois it again if required !

My cars always look spotless and folk actually do comment on it !

BTW I have a similar set up in work and wash bthere too if needs be !

Like I said OTT !

Esel

MercMad wrote: »

Like I said OTT !

Sounds more like OCD to me! :eek:

landydef

MercMad wrote: »

I'm a bit OTT, I wash either my car or the wife's every night !

I have it down to a fine art though, sponge, shampoo and chamois in the boot of each car, hose reel located at front side of house. I pull in and have the car washed and dried in about 8 minutes !

Every morning I hose down the dew and chamois it again if required !

My cars always look spotless and folk actually do comment on it !

BTW I have a similar set up in work and wash bthere too if needs be !

Like I said OTT !

MercMad=the monica of the motors board:D

Wertz

kippy wrote: »

Lads,
How often do ye wash yer cars?
I think it is crazy the amount of money spend on carwashes when they can usually do a better job themselves.
Kippy

At least once a week depending on weather...sometimes I'll manage to get it done twice...my neighbours think I'm loony. (I lather/rinse/dry with two buckets, mit and water magnet cloth).
I've never put a car through either a roller/brush type washer or had it powerwashed.

JoeA3

MercMad wrote: »

I'm a bit OTT, I wash either my car or the wife's every night !

I have it down to a fine art though, sponge, shampoo and chamois in the boot of each car, hose reel located at front side of house. I pull in and have the car washed and dried in about 8 minutes !

Every morning I hose down the dew and chamois it again if required !

My cars always look spotless and folk actually do comment on it !

BTW I have a similar set up in work and wash bthere too if needs be !

Like I said OTT !

Class! And I thought I was the very definition of OCD

landydef

ive given up washin me car until i get my new extra wide arches as me tyres are two inches past my present arches leaving anything within two miles of where im driving splattered all up the side:rolleyes:,have to admit i am a big fan of a good aul car wash on a saturday morning all the same

penfold944

Best place I've used for the last while is the texaco on the old N2.

contactless wash - so the brush only touches your windscreen.. plus you have a reasonably quiet road to dry the car off - and dry the brakes ( cross drilled brakes warp when wet ).

After that - really you cant beat a wash where they drive the car, but I would avoid like the plague anywhere that uses brushes.

I managed to ruin the paintwork on a Porsche a few years ago by washing it with a brush that had previously washed a very dirty farmers jeep...

Zascar

There is a Texaco (I think) on the N11, if coming towards the city after you pass Cherrywood, before you get to Cabinteeley. Good car wash there. It's got twirley roller thingys, but the brushes are soft spongey stuff. It's good value too. That one by the merrion gates is a stinking ripoff

irish.rugby.fan

MercMad wrote: »

I'm a bit OTT, I wash either my car or the wife's every night !

I have it down to a fine art though, sponge, shampoo and chamois in the boot of each car, hose reel located at front side of house. I pull in and have the car washed and dried in about 8 minutes !!

You obviously dont have it down to a fine art if your using a sponge and chamois.

I bet your car looks clean but as soon as the sun hits - swirl city!

vectra

Every day :cool:

MercMad

irish.rugby.fan wrote: »

You obviously dont have it down to a fine art if your using a sponge and chamois.

I bet your car looks clean but as soon as the sun hits - swirl city!

..........I actually have a micro fibre mitten, but I thought my post was bad enough without that detail !!

prospect

What is peoples obsession with pressure washers?

You do NOT need a pressure washer to clean your car. As far as I am concerned they only push grit across the paintwork and cause those tiny little scratches.

Two buckets, a deep pile wash mitt, a good chamois a decent salt free shampoo, warm water & an open ended hose is all that is required for a perfect car wash.

JoeA3

prospect wrote: »

What is peoples obsession with pressure washers?

You do NOT need a pressure washer to clean your car. As far as I am concerned they only push grit across the paintwork and cause those tiny little scratches.

Two buckets, a deep pile wash mitt, a good chamois a decent salt free shampoo, warm water & an open ended hose is all that is required for a perfect car wash.

Agreed! I think pressure washers give the user the impression they're doing a great job, but in reality there's no need for one in most cases. Can be useful for the wheel arches and sills though if its really mucky!

vectra

prospect wrote: »

What is peoples obsession with pressure washers?

You do NOT need a pressure washer to clean your car. As far as I am concerned they only push grit across the paintwork and cause those tiny little scratches.

Two buckets, a deep pile wash mitt, a good chamois a decent salt free shampoo, warm water & an open ended hose is all that is required for a perfect car wash.

Rubbish.
I can just picture you arriving hime with muck and grity stuck to your paint and you rubbing it with a sponge.. Talk about creating scratches.

Power washer first for me all the way.
And no,You dont cause scratches by using one.
I would Never wash my car unless I give it a good 5 minute blow down first with the power washer to remove all traces of grit.

3 washes and a dry off again.

Every third wash and give it a good waxing with Harly Wax :cool:

Like new

TomMc

Power washes are best left for under wheel arches, mudflaps etc. Over time, the force of these can even weaken tyre sidewalls. A strongish jet from a garden hose is best for the paint.

The force of a power wash will pound dirt and grit into the paint for sure. Even lesser quality microfibre or cotton cloths can scratch paint so blasting dirt and grit with a pressure washer is only going to increase the risk of marring greatly.

You want to dampen the caked on dirt first with water from a garden hose to soften it somewhat. Then use a lance or sprayer to cover the car in a layer of active foam (highest foaming solution is best) for 5/10 minutes which will soften & loosen dirt from the surface. Then rinse off the lot with with a hose. Only then start a proper wash, touching paint with lambswool mitts using the 2 bucket wash method and so on.

Not much point in using a non cleaning wax like Harly's, without first preparing the surface with a polish or paint cleanser. Otherwise you are just sealing in contamination.

vectra

TomMc wrote: »

Power washes are best left for under wheel arches, mudflaps etc. Over time, the force of these can even weaken tyre sidewalls. A strongish jet from a garden hose is best for the paint.

The force of a power wash will pound dirt and grit into the paint for sure. Even lesser quality microfibre or cotton cloths can scratch paint so blasting dirt and grit with a pressure washer is only going to increase the risk of marring greatly.

You want to dampen the caked on dirt first with water from a garden hose to soften it somewhat. Then use a lance or sprayer to cover the car in a layer of active foam (highest foaming solution is best) for 5/10 minutes which will soften & loosen dirt from the surface. Then rinse off the lot with with a hose. Only then start a proper wash, touching paint with lambswool mitts using the 2 bucket wash method and so on.

Not much point in using a non cleaning wax like Harly's, without first preparing the surface with a polish or paint cleanser. Otherwise you are just sealing in contamination.

Power washers are fine once you dont act the muppet and hold the lance too close to the paint. Use the nogging and stand back to give it a nice spray to allow the heavy dirt run off the paintwork.
I agree with the foam but most people dont go to the "Detailing" extremes, Remember, we are only talking car washing here.;)

As for the Harly wax.!
Why would I not use it?

My car is only 10 weks old :cool:

prospect

vectra wrote: »

Rubbish.
I can just picture you arriving hime with muck and grity stuck to your paint and you rubbing it with a sponge.. Talk about creating scratches.

Power washer first for me all the way.
And no,You dont cause scratches by using one.
I would Never wash my car unless I give it a good 5 minute blow down first with the power washer to remove all traces of grit.

You may 'think' its rubbish.....

An open ended hose will soften and remove much without issue. Always works/worked for me, including washs after being off-road.

Then biggest bugger to get rid of is birdsh.t. The key to getting that off is not to let it dry in. However if that does happen, I put some car shampoo on it neat and let it soften it up first.

vectra

prospect wrote: »

You may 'think' its rubbish.....

An open ended hose will soften and remove much without issue. Always works/worked for me, including washs after being off-road.

Then biggest bugger to get rid of is birdsh.t. The key to getting that off is not to let it dry in. However if that does happen, I put some car shampoo on it neat and let it soften it up first.

Power washer works and has worked fine for me with 20 years or more and never had an issue with it. so "Whatever floats your boat" It is all down to either using it or abusing it.
That is the trick.

As for bird droppings.. i am just glad elephants dont fly
Yeah, The trick there is not to allow it dry in.;)

alpina

Use your heads and there will not be an issue.
Whole purpose of water is to soften the dirt so it drips from the car prior to sponging, power hose does this fast, open ended hose does this slow.

Personal preference, open ended.
Maybe it will not damage a car's paint job in this day & age with the quality it leaves the factory, minimum standards, QC & all that larky, but it will without doubt lift off that wax you spent hours applying & buffing if you go and point a power hose nice & close!

Happy washing & don't forget to chamois dry...:)

vectra

alpina wrote: »

but it will without doubt lift off that wax you spent hours applying & buffing if you go and points a power hose nice & close!

Happy washing & don't forget to chamois dry...:)

Hot water will lift off the wax.
Plain old cold water just will not stay on my paint out of my power washer.
It simply runs off it and leaves a nice beading effect on it until I chamois it off :cool:

alpina

vectra wrote: »

Hot water will lift off the wax.
Plain old cold water just will not stay on my paint out of my power washer.
It simply runs off it and leaves a nice beading effect on it until I chamois it off :cool:

That's my point....

Many convenience stations power washers give out warm to hot water resulting in disolving the wax, which leads to my point of wasting hours of application & buffing

vectra

alpina wrote: »

That's my point....

Many convenience stations power washers give out warm to hot water resulting in disolving the wax, which leads to my point of wasting hours of application & buffing

OH.
Sorry, I misunderstood your point.
I would NEVER use the service station power washers. Its anyone guess as to what is used in those to make the "FOAM" Probably cheap wash up liquid along with hot water :eek:
There goes my wax as you said

Seperate

I stand about 4 or 5 feet from the car and angle the lance at about 60' to the car. It rinses it down without major pressure. I then spray APC under the door strips & on the bumpers, rinse off again...then foam the car and rinse again. Then out with the two buckets and a final rinse.

Dry using a microfiber towel. A chamois will scratch the surface, so they're best left in the bin.

vectra

Seperate wrote: »

I stand about 4 or 5 feet from the car and angle the lance at about 60' to the car. It rinses it down without major pressure. I then spray APC under the door strips & on the bumpers, rinse off again...then foam the car and rinse again. Then out with the two buckets and a final rinse.

Dry using a microfiber towel. A chamois will scratch the surface, so they're best left in the bin.

What products do you recomend ?
If you cannot say on here then PM me
I assume you have something to do with the link in your sig? :pac:

Alz®

I havta agree that Texaco on the Lucan Bypass is pretty cool, and that garage on the Walkinstown side of the Greenhills road is meant to be very good...

I wash my car once a week pending the weather if not every two weeks....

Mike...

Alz® wrote: »

I wash my car once a week pending the weather if not every two weeks....

Had my car since December, washed it once, I always clean the interior weekly, just prefer the muck outside.....shud I hang my head in shame

irish.rugby.fan

vectra wrote: »

What products do you recomend ?
If you cannot say on here then PM me
I assume you have something to do with the link in your sig? :pac:

Loads of help here www . detailingworld . com

stratos

Thanks mercmad you make me look a little sane, I think a power washer is needed in the countryside.

I can hose wash my car and a shower of rain will wash all the muck under the trim pieces down onto the body. the power washer gets this stuff off.

My personal opinion is I would never use a car wash. The 2 bucket idea is excellent and I learned of it here. The wash mitt was mentioned here, I never heard of one, so i bought one I,ll let you know.

OCD obsessive car detailing. Its not washed unless you needed a tooth brush.

washing a car beats hoovering.