Auto Carwashes

There were photos posted up on here, showing the damage. A Fuji from recollection.

It was a long time back, I can't find them.

(07-02-2015 05:52pm)Gary pa28 Wrote:  I sat there next in line and watched as they thru the sponge back at the bucket of dirty water, missed and it landed in the mud dirt ETC , and just picked it up and was about to put it in when I got out and insisted he threw it on the grass so I knew it wouldn't be used ,
But how many times before me has that happened

Exactly as he said, this has happened for years yet folk still go there as I witness in their £40K, £50K, £90K cars etc I guess as perhaps they have too much money to worry about damage & just buy a new car as & when or in some cases so well educated/academic that all common sense has gone out of the window or just so tight that they are wowed by the £5 sign.

At our do-it-yourself car washes in Australia we also have laser brushless wash bays. No brushes at all, you drive in and jets of water and foam used to wash the cars as a frame with jet holes moves around the car. I mostly just use a high pressure hose in one of the do-it-yourself to hose off the dust and dirt I get from driving on a dusty dirt road every day.

If I need to wash the car properly I do above and then drive home and properly wash the car with 2 buckets. My main problem is that living on a rural property our water is rain water captured in tanks and very average pressure. Its fine if we have lots of rain, but when no rain and high dust I have to visit do-it-yourself car washes or my car will be filthy in days.

(08-02-2015 02:44am)Mark^^ Wrote:  At our do-it-yourself car washes in Australia we also have laser brushless wash bays. No brushes at all, you drive in and jets of water and foam used to wash the cars as a frame with jet holes moves around the car. I mostly just use a high pressure hose in one of the do-it-yourself to hose off the dust and dirt I get from driving on a dusty dirt road every day.

If I need to wash the car properly I do above and then drive home and properly wash the car with 2 buckets. My main problem is that living on a rural property our water is rain water captured in tanks and very average pressure. Its fine if we have lots of rain, but when no rain and high dust I have to visit do-it-yourself car washes or my car will be filthy in days.

Thats the type of car wash I am looking for - but no Brushless automated car washes in merseyside

(08-02-2015 02:44am)Mark^^ Wrote:  At our do-it-yourself car washes in Australia we also have laser brushless wash bays. No brushes at all, you drive in and jets of water and foam used to wash the cars as a frame with jet holes moves around the car. I mostly just use a high pressure hose in one of the do-it-yourself to hose off the dust and dirt I get from driving on a dusty dirt road every day.

If I need to wash the car properly I do above and then drive home and properly wash the car with 2 buckets. My main problem is that living on a rural property our water is rain water captured in tanks and very average pressure. Its fine if we have lots of rain, but when no rain and high dust I have to visit do-it-yourself car washes or my car will be filthy in days.

I also use the laser brushless type too, but importantly always spray my car down before i go,cause strangely, i noticed the very first thing it does is spray the soap suds over the car, then the workers there come in and quickly hand sponge the car down before the jet water spray.....well thats just not right, cause if i didn't spray down first, then they'd be sponging the car with dust and dirt mixed in, which is a very big and basic NO NO.
Hard to believe they don't understand this first and basic principle of car washing, when all they have to do is set a different program using a jet spray first.....
1. jet spray
2. soap suds
3. hand sponge
4. jet spray
5. air dry
6. hand chamois

Just need to change number 6 and it's perfect.
Big fluffy waffle towels are the answer, I have one about 2ft x 1ft and I can dry the whole car without squeezing it out.

(07-02-2015 09:49am)Gjh0702 Wrote:  Please 'expand' on 'Waterless wash mit' never heard of be would keen to hear anything that is simple to clean car without leaving 'damage'
Thanks

You basically "wash" your car with a spray bottle of soap. Spray.. wipe... etc. My detailer sold me a kit with special soap but it's probably just standard car wash soap.. (?) Here is the link to the detailer's page explaining it. Again, I doubt it's better than a water and soap wash, but it is kind of nice to wash your car in the garage.

http://www.elitefinishdetailing.com/eco-...detailers/

(08-02-2015 07:19pm)DVFlyer Wrote:  You basically "wash" your car with a spray bottle of soap. Spray.. wipe... etc. My detailer sold me a kit with special soap but it's probably just standard car wash soap.. (?) Here is the link to the detailer's page explaining it. Again, I doubt it's better than a water and soap wash, but it is kind of nice to wash your car in the garage.

http://www.elitefinishdetailing.com/eco-...detailers/

Thanks- Video shows a clean car being cleaned !!

Does it not scratch your car when its very dirty - which is common on an LR ? - if am not able to wash mine unless its been power washed first due to dirt / salt in winter

(08-02-2015 09:19pm)Gjh0702 Wrote:  Thanks- Video shows a clean car being cleaned !!

Does it not scratch your car when its very dirty - which is common on an LR ? - if am not able to wash mine unless its been power washed first due to dirt / salt in winter

Not according to him. I asked him about when it's really dirty etc... He said it didn't matter. He's one of the top detailers in san diego and routinely details Ferrari's, Mclaren's, Lamborghini's etc so I trust him. Even so..... Mine's only been really dirty once since I've owned it and I hosed it off first. Just makes more sense to me. Plenty of detailers use foam, water etc, so I think it's just (1) personal preference and (2) something he can sell to other detailers because of the water conservation idea.

I just washed mine tonight using the wash-mist method. Sun was shining in the driveway so it would have made it more difficult to wash it with the hose. Takes about the same amount of time but I did it in the shade of the garage.

I also have the CQuartz coating on mine along with a clear bra covering the hood, bumper and front fenders, so maybe it's more immune to wash- scratches. I still get some on the black trim pieces as those seem REALLY soft.

(08-02-2015 01:35pm)benzina Wrote:  then the workers there come in and quickly hand sponge the car down before the jet water spray

At the ones I go there are no people/staff involved, all automated so nothing other then the jets of water, soap and a liquid polish. I also mostly hose off the dust if its bad before hand in one of the wash bays and then get the higher cost auto wash is it does the underside as well.