how often car wash

DUBLINHITMAN

ok people which one do you do most frequently

EPM

jetwash it yourself 3minutes 2 euro / the same brush used all day

I use a drive through when I'm in Cork but they dont have bristles on the rollers. Loads of little cloths stuck to it instead. Should cut down on little swirl marks. Since I moved to Waterford, been using a brush job...and now I think a trip to detailer.ie is in order:o

Forgt to say, I go through stages of once a month maybe (after a good polish and wax) when its wet to once a week (sometimes twice -sad i know) when its dry

Tipsy Mac

Do it myself, frequency is season dependant, in the summer id say twice a month with wax, in the winter just a basic wash once a month

Drummerboy08

I try to do it once every weekend.....:o

leeroybrown

It varies. Depending on how much time I have I'll either do it myself or bring to a particular attended car wash where they do the job properly.

mik_da_man

I use a drive through jet wash in cork.
It's a good job as no brushes touch the paint

It's the only one I know of..

John_Mc

Surely the brushes in the automatica car washes don't damage the paintwork on cars

Farls

I give mines a hot sponge wash every sunday morning and a good hoover out and clean up inside, wax about once a month. I drive a jeep too so takes a LONG time, especially the wax as it has a lot of graphics on it!!

Products I use would be Autoglynn (to polish) (sp?) and TurtleWax (to wash)

leeroybrown

John_Mc wrote: »

Surely the brushes in the automatica car washes don't damage the paintwork on cars

If you use them continuously over time they tend to abrase the clear coat on your paint work making it look dull. They can also pick up particles of grit from other cars that will put micro scratches your paint work as you go through.

The place I go to use sheep's wool cloths for the direct contact cleaning. This is despite being a bulk car-wash where people just queue up and drive through.

JoeA3

John_Mc wrote: »

Surely the brushes in the automatica car washes don't damage the paintwork on cars

Of course they do. If a handwash using a sponge with a little bit of grit on it leaves the car like swirl city, what do you think a set of bristly brushes spinning at mach3 will do?!

Avoid automatic car washes like the plague.

cjt156

JoeA3 wrote: »

Of course they do. If a handwash using a sponge with a little bit of grit on it leaves the car like swirl city, what do you think a set of bristly brushes spinning at mach3 will do?!

Avoid automatic car washes like the plague.

+1 its like washing your car with a pot scrub & gritty water.

The Real B-man

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

I try to do it once every weekend.....:o

Me Too

Anan1

I've had my car 9 months, during which time it's been washed twice. Both times were by valet.

mik_da_man

JoeA3 wrote: »

Avoid automatic car washes like the plague.

I've found the non touch one that I use is grand, but there's not many of them in the country.

busman

John_Mc wrote: »

Surely the brushes in the automatica car washes don't damage the paintwork on cars

5th Gear had a slot on this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZjWkB_q2lE

Found that the autowash was not the worst!!

milltown

DUBLINHITMAN wrote: »

ok people which one do you do most frequently

Obviously a poll amateur. Where's the Atari Jaguar option?

I do mine by hand. Once a week in the drier months and maybe once a month in the wetter ten
Gets the clay bar at the start of the summer and gets waxed about twice a month. Clay bar again at the beginning of winter and a good coat or two of wax. Hasn't been waxed in a few months now but the water is still beading nicely.

First car care day of this "summer" will involve taking the wheels off for a good scrub and then seal them with something. I hate brake dust!

Heroditas

Once a fortnight in the summer and once a month in winter - bucket of warm water and a sponge.
What's the best stuff to put in the water though? I usually use a bit of washing up liquid but always have difficulty removing the bits of tar welded onto the paintwork.

atlantean

busman wrote: »

Found that the autowash was not the worst!!

Interesting result!

personally I never go near them though - always do it myself using the 2 bucket method and never use a sponge

bill_ashmount

Never washed my car in 4 years and never intend to.
Still looks clean, the rain does the job

leeroybrown

Heroditas wrote: »

What's the best stuff to put in the water though? I usually use a bit of washing up liquid but always have difficulty removing the bits of tar welded onto the paintwork.

I'd steer well clear of washing up liquid. It contains quite a bit of salt which will cause oxidation on your paint work over time. If you wax your car it will also strip off the protective layer of wax you had added the previous time. A proper car shampoo would be best as it's formulated so as not to have negative effects.

ednwireland

every nct whether it needs it or not

L-M

Hah.....:o

Twice a week.

Sadly, I spent six hours in the last two days cleaning mine. I'd normally give it a good going over once a month then.

bazz26

A true car enthusiast would wash their car themselves. :D

Seriously, during the winter I try to wash it every couple of weeks using a mitt, I hate a dirty car. During the summer every weekend, weather permitting.

Would never leave it near one of those automated car washes.

Anan1

bazz26 wrote: »

A true car enthusiast would wash their car themselves. :D

A true car washing enthusiast would.;)

bazz26

Anan1 wrote: »

A true car washing enthusiast would.;)

LOL.

Tu chez!

CrowdedHouse

drivethrough car wash 10 euro /damages paint

I'd rather eat mine than wash it myself :pac:

It's time to wash when my hands or clothes get dirty getting in.

L-M

Anan1 wrote: »

A true car washing enthusiast would.;)

Lol, I'd have to agree. Although, if you're a car enthusiast, I'd hope you'd wash your car more than twice a year, and that you'd do it yourself. I think I'll get mine washed tomorrow again in work. So clean, I'm proud. I should take pictures.

DigiJem

Hand wash only for me, 30 minutes most weekends, hate to have my car dirty.

DUBLINHITMAN

do it yourself @ home with what ever products you have

thanks for your votes lads its just to get a general feel for what type of people look after there crs in any sort of way ,
i know most petrol/diesel heads will make that small bit of effort to to it themselfs and then some go out of there way either to find the right product /valet company / garage with drive through or attended jet wash ...

thanks again keep the vote comin in

unkel

I'm not into washing cars tbh. I might do a quick hose down plus car shampoo job a couple of times per year. More to do with me wanting to play with water when it is hot than me wanting to wash the car

That said, I've never paid to get a car valeted either. Shiny cars look lovely, but that's not important enough to me to spend any time or money on it. I like driving cars though, does that count?

L1011

Mine has never been washed by anyone other than myself bar the garage's valet when I bought it (it was sitting as an unreged demo outside for over a year so a service + valet were done). Lambswool mitts, microfibre clothes, meguiars shampoo; don't seen any swirls yet. Needs a clay'ing soon for some bits of tar, etc though.

HJL

In the winter i quickly wash mine with brush and car shampoo about once a month.

Once the slightly-less-winter-but-not-quite-summer weather starts i wash it once a week, sometimes twice a week, but i like washing cars, i imagine its like cutting the lawn for people who like gardening!

Still using a sponge though, i must invest in a mitt of some sort, are lambs wool ones better than the microfibre ones?

I also try to give the car a rub down after washing it. As for wax/polish i do it about once a month in the summer, but then it might not get done for months in the bad weather.

I recently got a black car and ive noticed that you can spend hours cleaning it and after a 5min drive its filthy again!

Voodoomelon

Okay, so i'm a weirdo...

I'm sure the neighbours are laughing at me, I wash and dry mine 2-3 times a week and the interior gets a full clean at least once a week. Not that there's much to clean as I don't keep a single scrap of rubbish in it. I don't have rubber mats as they're for farmers so the carpet mats get a constant cleaning. I hate if the car doesn't look like it came straight out of the factory.

The local Gardaí even stopped me this afternoon at a checkpoint and started smiling "well if it isn't the cleanest car in Louth!". Started chatting to me about it in the middle of the road for about 2 minutes... :pac:

Rowley Birkin QC

I powerwash mine at home every so often. No real method or routine to it.

Personal peeve is seeing pristine Range/Land Rovers, they look ridiculous. They look infinitely better under a thick coat of muck! Worked on motorway construction for a while and was great to see them in their natural environment, ploughing through depths of muck and mud.

L-M

unkel wrote: »

I'm not into washing cars tbh. I might do a quick hose down plus car shampoo job a couple of times per year. More to do with me wanting to play with water when it is hot than me wanting to wash the car

That said, I've never paid to get a car valeted either. Shiny cars look lovely, but that's not important enough to me to spend any time or money on it. I like driving cars though, does that count?

Does your signature tell lies?:pac:

unkel

Limerick man wrote: »

Does your signature tell lies?:pac:

Nope. Someone who used the car for a while last year paid for the full valet :pac:

green123

bill_ashmount wrote: »

Never washed my car in 4 years and never intend to.
Still looks clean, the rain does the job

ednwireland wrote: »

every nct whether it needs it or not

never / almost never option is missing from poll

i have got a car washed once in the last 10 years, ( how much has that saved me ? ) just dont see the point when you are going to get stuck behind a truck and filthy again in no time

Seperate

green123 wrote: »

never / almost never option is missing from poll

i have got a car washed once in the last 10 years, ( how much has that saved me ? ) just dont see the point when you are going to get stuck behind a truck and filthy again in no time

Do you shower every morning?....Whats the point if you're just going to be 'dirty' again during the day? Most people shower in the mornings so they feel good in themselves and so they're not the 'smelly one in the office.'

It's the same with washing the car... some people don't want to be 'the bloke with the scruffy car.' I always enjoy driving when the inside/outside of the car is clean and fresh.

green123

lol
is that a sales pitch ?
business a bit slow these days ?
washing cars is a waste of time and money

david

green123 wrote: »

never / almost never option is missing from poll

i have got a car washed once in the last 10 years, ( how much has that saved me ? ) just dont see the point when you are going to get stuck behind a truck and filthy again in no time

Whats the point of getting up in the morning if you only go to sleep again that night :pac:

I wash mine once per week, keep her spotless inside and out.

If I'm down the country at the weekends I'll wash/wax it myself. Otherwise I'll use the jetwash in Tesco or an attended hand job for a tenner on Clonskeagh Rd. if I'm feeling lazy (Prestige 24/7 I think)

TestTransmission

green123 wrote: »

washing cars is a waste of time and money

:eek:

samsamson

Total newbie here, can someone please give me a run down (or a link to somewhere) explaining how to wash a car correctly?

Never washed my own car before and not sure what sponges (if there's a special type) and products etc. to use. Thanks!

Flesh Gorden

My best friend has a huge petrol driven Honda Pressure washer - (€1000 worth) for his business

that with the Swarfega car wash stuff to foam it up

I've a DeWalt DW849 polisher I use every few months
that with the Meguiars 3 piece Deep Crystal

Only around 2 hours work - and you can get almost anything up to near concours level

You need to be really careful with both

Its worth the effort though

david

Flesh Gorden wrote: »

My best friend has a huge petrol driven Honda Pressure washer - (€1000 worth) for his business

that with the Swarfega car wash stuff to foam it up

I've a DeWalt DW849 polisher I use every few months
that with the Meguiars 3 piece Deep Crystal

Only around 2 hours work - and you can get almost anything up to near concours level

You do need to be really careful with both

Its worth the effort though

You want to be careful with the pressure washer. I've a friend with a 24hp V-Twin (Sounds class!) Honda washer and it took paint/plastic trim off of his corolla! Seriously you could should pheasants with them yokes!

MarkR

david wrote: »

Whats the point of getting up in the morning if you only go to sleep again that night :pac:

I wash mine once per week, keep her spotless inside and out.

If I'm down the country at the weekends I'll wash/wax it myself. Otherwise I'll use the jetwash in Tesco or an attended hand job for a tenner on Clonskeagh Rd. if I'm feeling lazy (Prestige 24/7 I think)

That's good value. :pac:

Seperate

david wrote: »

You want to be careful with the pressure washer. I've a friend with a 24hp V-Twin (Sounds class!) Honda washer and it took paint/plastic trim off of his corolla! Seriously you could should pheasants with them yokes!

That can happen with your average Karcher/Lavor washer too if it's too near the car when on. I've seen a Peugeot dented by one aswel with the initial burst of water when you pull the trigger.

Trick is to always keep the lance at an angle to the car and not directly pointing towards it.

david

MarkR wrote: »

That's good value. :pac:

Yeah it's a pity they're all eastern european men :pac:

philstar

who are the three posh gits that get the mobile valet:rolleyes:

afraid to get your hands dirty or wha??

CrowdedHouse

drivethrough car wash 10 euro /damages paint

philstar wrote: »

who are the three posh gits that get the mobile valet:rolleyes:

afraid to get your hands dirty or wha??

DUBLINHITMAN, Homer, Sugerraysarah

...and I have a hunch that the OP DUBLINHITMAN is thinking of offering this service...

Elessar

jetwash it yourself 3minutes 2 euro / the same brush used all day

Whenever it gets dirty - and I have the money. Unfortunately I'm effectively broke for unnecessary purchases so I haven't gone near a car wash in months. I'm too lazy to do it by hand.

It's a pity too because she's quite a looker when she's clean and polished! Turns heads she does

Silver BMW 320Ci/M3 alloys

Voodoomelon

samsamson wrote: »

Total newbie here, can someone please give me a run down (or a link to somewhere) explaining how to wash a car correctly?

Never washed my own car before and not sure what sponges (if there's a special type) and products etc. to use. Thanks!

Leaving out waxing, there's not a lot to it.

I buy a 5 litre container of Turtle Wax Car Wash every six months or so, and use a big 10 litre bucket filled with hot water.

If my car has a light layer of dirt on it (which is the worse as it gets), I get a sponge and dip it in the wash solution and using the hose, go around the whole car (usually the lower half) and give it a quick once over with the sponge. This gets most of the dirt and mud off, without dirtying the wash solution in the bucket.
I then rinse the sponge off with the hose and start cleaning the car from the top to the bottom. This keeps the water cleanest for the windows and mirrors as the lower half of the car is likely to be the dirtiest. Once the whole body of the car has been cleaned and is covered in solution, I proceed to clean each wheel with the remaining wash solution, wiping each spoke individually. Once all wheels are done, I use the very last of the solution to wipe the tyres down.

I then get the hose and starting rinsing the car from the roof, down the the windows and mirrors, the bonnet and boot lid, side panels and then the skirts and wheels.

At this point most people would walk away, but its important to dry the car fully as you'll be left with water marks all over the car, especially noticeable with dark blue and black cars. I use a microfibre cloth to dry the windows first, then the body work and wheels. A bit of tyre silk on the tyres really makes all the difference too, I tend to use it about every 2 weeks.