Car Washes

Volvoboy

I shall no longer be duped into forking out for one again! At €6 a pop for the ''Basic'' i came to see the light (and also saving a few €'s too)

Went into Halfrauds they're doing a 3 for the price of 2 on cleaning products got sponges, car wash formula, and a roll of heavy duty cloth, came to €6.13.

20 mins, garden hose, bucket, and a bit of elbow grease (Good bit of Cardio too) and she looks just as good as she came out of the car wash.


But now i've the gear to give her another wash again, so really free car washes baby!

Up yours local petrol stations!:pac:

Midnight_EG

And + car washes scratch your car and leave horrible swirls in the paint.

Yakult

Never a fan of petrol station car washes. A little bit of elbow grease and warm water does the job, plus you have the satisfaction of looking at the end product. a nice clean car.

beachlife

Volvoboy wrote: »

I shall no longer be duped into forking out for one again! At €6 a pop for the ''Basic'' i came to see the light (and also saving a few €'s too)

Went into Halfrauds they're doing a 2 for the price of 3 on cleaning products got sponges, car wash formula, and a roll of heavy duty cloth, came to €6.13.

20 mins, garden hose, bucket, and a bit of elbow grease (Good bit of Cardio too) and she looks just as good as she came out of the car wash.


But now i've the gear to give her another wash again, so really free car washes baby!

Up yours local petrol stations!:pac:

2 euro in santry,cheaper than doing it yourself!!!!

BadCharlie

Went to Halfrauds my self the weekend and did the same.

milltown

Midnight_EG wrote: »

And + car washes scratch your car and leave horrible swirls in the paint.

So do sponges!

OP, get yourself a wash mitt and an extra bucket for rinsing it out before you put it in the suds again.

pred racer

I'd rather give someone 6 quid than do it myself:D

Bobo78

When it s a nice weather I ll always wash the car myself.
It s only when the car is dirty for few weeks and it s pissing rain that I would go to car wash.
Plus I got a power compressor for washing the car last week for only 33 euro and it works a treat and it makes the job much easier.:pac:

smash

man don't use a sponge on your car!

Top Dog

Volvoboy wrote: »

Went into Halfrauds they're doing a 2 for the price of 3 on cleaning products got sponges, car wash formula, and a roll of heavy duty cloth, came to €6.13.

They're living up to their Halfrauds nickname then :pac:

Volvoboy

Top Dog wrote: »

They're living up to their Halfrauds nickname then :pac:

, i'm not to worried about swirls on a 13 year old car, and besides i polish it weekly.

biko

steve06 wrote: »

man don't use a sponge on your car!

What do you suggest instead?

Also, if you have a lawn wash the car on it rather than the driveway. This is to trap dirt and oil so they don't go into the street drain.

.Longshanks.

Magnus wrote: »

What do you suggest instead?

Also, if you have a lawn wash the car on it rather than the driveway. This is to trap dirt and oil so they don't go into the street drain.

Microfibre mitten and two buckets of water

DUBLINHITMAN

Magnus wrote: »

What do you suggest instead?

Also, if you have a lawn wash the car on it rather than the driveway. This is to trap dirt and oil so they don't go into the street drain.

WTF
DIRT AND OIL
dirt of the car you'd rather have on your lawn
oil from washing it ,
makes no sense to me
thats why drains are in peoples drive ways for dirt ,
the amount off dirt that comes out of the gutter after heavy rain should be brushed onto your lawn or let it go down the drain?????

maybe i misunderstood you

E39MSport

steve06 wrote: »

man don't use a sponge on your car!

Can't say I concur with this statement. I use a sponge on mine and there are no marks caused by it.

biko

DUBLINHITMAN wrote: »

WTF
DIRT AND OIL
dirt of the car you'd rather have on your lawn
oil from washing it ,
makes no sense to me
thats why drains are in peoples drive ways for dirt ,
the amount off dirt that comes out of the gutter after heavy rain should be brushed onto your lawn or let it go down the drain?????

maybe i misunderstood you

Few people realize that washing our cars in our driveways is one of the most environmentally un-friendly chores we can do around the house.

Unlike household waste water that enters sewers or septic systems and undergoes treatment before it is discharged into the environment, what runs off from your car goes right into storm drains -- and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands where it poisons aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc.
After all, that water is loaded with a witch’s brew of gasoline, oil and residues from exhaust fumes -- as well as the harsh detergents being used for the washing itself.

The many different products we use to wash our cars are harmful to water quality and aquatic life. When we hose off the cars in the driveway, street or parking lot, the dirt and detergent flow along the gutter and into the storm drain.
Sanitary sewers go to treatment plants - storm sewers go to streams.

alpina

E39MSport wrote: »

Can't say I concur with this statement. I use a sponge on mine and there are no marks caused by it.

Small stone/heavy grit on car prior to washing - a sponge has a flat base, so one is pressing the stone/grit etc into the paintwork & then you agitate away thinking you are doing wonders - results, scratches. Micro fibre cloths/sponge gloves, have loose floppy bristles, no flat surface, no horrible scratches....:)

DUBLINHITMAN

Magnus wrote: »

Few people realize that washing our cars in our driveways is one of the most environmentally un-friendly chores we can do around the house.

Unlike household waste water that enters sewers or septic systems and undergoes treatment before it is discharged into the environment, what runs off from your car goes right into storm drains -- and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands where it poisons aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc.
After all, that water is loaded with a witch’s brew of gasoline, oil and residues from exhaust fumes -- as well as the harsh detergents being used for the washing itself.

The many different products we use to wash our cars are harmful to water quality and aquatic life. When we hose off the cars in the driveway, street or parking lot, the dirt and detergent flow along the gutter and into the storm drain.
Sanitary sewers go to treatment plants - storm sewers go to streams.

well untill the local council enforce this eco rule i'll be washing cars where and when i want.
and when they do i'll apply for waste water treatment licence'
or just use rain water in a water tank 'then its recycled water .


i really hate these eco rules and regulations , FFS it all gets recycled anyway.
maybe if they banned cigarettes instead of making them more expensive and upping the tax on every thing just to pocket the money for them selfs

fookin eco warriors hug a tree better still dont be in the motor section
makes no sense



http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=101974&highlight=rain+water

biko

DUBLINHITMAN wrote: »

fookin eco warriors hug a tree better still dont be in the motor section

Talking to me?

Anyway, just by moving the car from the tarmac to the grass you can still wash it, just that the soil will trap the dirt from the car.

benj

aaah just when i was about to set up a chain of car washes operated
by bikini clad babes....oh well no point now if all of you are going to
wash your cars at home

mink_man

its too dear!

E39MSport

alpina wrote: »

Small stone/heavy grit on car prior to washing - a sponge has a flat base, so one is pressing the stone/grit etc into the paintwork & then you agitate away thinking you are doing wonders - results, scratches. Micro fibre cloths/sponge gloves, have loose floppy bristles, no flat surface, no horrible scratches....:)

Aha - that makes sense. I gets rid of the clingons with a heavy duty power washer before I physically touch it.

milltown

Magnus wrote: »

Few people realize that washing our cars in our driveways is one of the most environmentally un-friendly chores we can do around the house.

Unlike household waste water that enters sewers or septic systems and undergoes treatment before it is discharged into the environment, what runs off from your car goes right into storm drains -- and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands where it poisons aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc.
After all, that water is loaded with a witch’s brew of gasoline, oil and residues from exhaust fumes -- as well as the harsh detergents being used for the washing itself.

The many different products we use to wash our cars are harmful to water quality and aquatic life. When we hose off the cars in the driveway, street or parking lot, the dirt and detergent flow along the gutter and into the storm drain.
Sanitary sewers go to treatment plants - storm sewers go to streams.

Out of curiosity, where do you think the bulk of the dirt we're washing off our cars came from? The road!

.Longshanks.

Just a quick one that’s kinda off topic.

The wheels on my car have started to go a bit yellowish / brownish at the corners of the spokes. This is just a build up of road dirt, brake dust and god knows what else I’ve picked up along the roads….. Anyways I have always use some alloy wheel cleaner from halfords (can’t remember exact brand off top of my head) on the wheels but each time I wash the car this build up is getting harder and harder to shift.

Last night when I was washing the car again I tried some tar and bug remover on a small section of one of the wheels. Alone with plenty of elbow grease this worked a threat – the build up of the scum isn’t totally gone but it did make a big difference.

Now there’s nothing on the label of the tar and bug remover bottle to suggest I shouldn’t use this stuff on my wheels – but could this lead to damage to the wheel lacquer etc?

Cheers

TomMc

Tar removers will not do any harm to your wheels as such. Acidic wheel cleaners will. They strip off the lacquer/clear coated finish if used over and over again. They should be diluted, rather than used neat from the bottle or better still not at all. If wheels are kerbed, chipped or lightly scuffed acid gets in under the coating to do further damage. Plastic centre caps on alloy wheels can also go yellow permanently as a result of acidic products. The best thing to do is to clean the wheels properly once a year (off the vehicle, inside and out) and then seal them with a proper sealant or wax and you will not need acidic or caustic cleaners to keep them looking good, just a standard shampoo.

TomMc

E39MSport wrote: »

Aha - that makes sense. I gets rid of the clingons with a heavy duty power washer before I physically touch it.

Power washing is hardly not physically touching it, now is it. It is pounding the dirt into and along the paint at far greater force than anything else. More like police water cannons on humans. You wouldn't like to be on the wrong end of one of those. Snow foam was invented to do the job you are saying (loosen and remove heavier dirt particles) without the use of excessive force, a pressure washer or the need for any rubbing or scrubbing.

I think if people use non-detergent washes, free of phosphates and harmful chemicals, so a biodegradable pH balanced shampoo, that is much kinder to the environment.

E39MSport

TomMc wrote: »

Power washing is hardly not physically touching it, now is it. It is pounding the dirt into and along the paint at far greater force than anything else. More like police water cannons on humans. You wouldn't like to be on the wrong end of one of those. Snow foam was invented to do the job you are saying (loosen and remove heavier dirt particles) without the use of excessive force, a pressure washer or the need for any rubbing or scrubbing.

I think if people use non-detergent washes, free of phosphates and harmful chemicals, so a biodegradable pH balanced shampoo, that is much kinder to the environment.

I'll get back to you on that one.