Car cleaning

[DrFfybes]

How long do you spend cleaning your car?

Is it a quick wash, wash with 2 buckets followed by a dry and polish, or even a wash, polish, and then wax?

Perhaps it is a full detail - wash, polish, clay, wax, and seal, wheel treatment, interior clean, glass polish seal with water dispersant, followed by engine detailing.

The thing is, despite her only having helped was a car twice in the last decade or 2, MrsF. thinks I'm becoming a bit obsessed with keeping the cars clean. Last night when I was in the garage rubbing a bit of plastic renovator on the engine cover, she came into the garage and said it was getting out of hand.

I jumped out of my skin, normally she's fast asleep by 2am.

Paul

[ReformedCharacter]

How long do you spend cleaning your car?

Is it a quick wash, wash with 2 buckets followed by a dry and polish, or even a wash, polish, and then wax?

Perhaps it is a full detail - wash, polish, clay, wax, and seal, wheel treatment, interior clean, glass polish seal with water dispersant, followed by engine detailing.

The thing is, despite her only having helped was a car twice in the last decade or 2, MrsF. thinks I'm becoming a bit obsessed with keeping the cars clean. Last night when I was in the garage rubbing a bit of plastic renovator on the engine cover, she came into the garage and said it was getting out of hand.

I jumped out of my skin, normally she's fast asleep by 2am.

Paul

I never clean mine, it has a good collection of cobwebs and things growing on it, probably the beginning of moss. Cleaning the car falls under my definition of 'wasting time and money', it doesn't appear to make them go any better and I really don't care what anyone else thinks about it. My wife - who gets offended by such things - did clean it a couple of years ago and I seem to remember the kids giving it a go at some point. I do keep the windows and lights cleanish when the rain proves inadequate. Caring about cars is one thing I'm glad to have foregone but then I don't enjoy driving anymore.

RC

[Dod1010]

I am not obsessive about it but I do keep mine clean by giving it a full wash most weeks. I use Zip Wax (a wash and wax in one go). Minimum effort and it then looks good and like my bike did many years ago, they always go better when they are clean. I never open the bonnet except to add oil or windscreen wash if necessary. Oh and I do clean the inside most weeks as well.

For those that do not wash them, if they allow the number plate to be covered with muck they are of course breaking the law.

Dod

[ReformedCharacter]

My cars are generally so old, the cost of Turtlewax would probably double their scrap value. Owning a banger that has been mechanically made good under the bonnet is so much more relaxing than owning a luxury barge, its the only way to drive. There is massive value to be had in having a car which you care zero about. Someone dings it? Who cares? Tight parking? Your paint will probably add value to my vehicle. Theft? Why bother? Its not worth the effort, and it looks like even scrapping it for parts could be wasted time.

Yes, glad I'm not the only one! I am in fact contemplating the replacement of my antique motor with something newer and shinier but I know that if I fall in love with gleaming unblemished bodywork then when it gets dinged I shall regret it. My wife got a nice newish one and then about a week later a slate slipped off the roof and landed on it...

RC

[saechunu]

I've not cleaned a car of mine for 21 years. Every Sunday, I religiously don't clean my car.

It's a proven fact that car cleaning disturbs the protective crust that otherwise naturally forms over the bodywork. Rain may slightly disturb this, but so long as it's left alone the crust should quickly redevelop.

[bungeejumper]

About every three months, 30 minutes total for each car with the pressure hose, carnauba wax wash, wheels and a final hose down. Some days, that's probably the nearest I get to honest exercise. It also helps me to spot any paint chips before they turn septic. And to deal with bird crap before it eats the paint.

The carnauba wax wash (Simoniz, I think) is remarkable stuff - it brings on an excellent deep shine, but it tends to dull slightly quicker than conventional polishes. Quickest way I've ever found to make a car look really good. But you then have to spend 15 minutes getting the wax off the windows, because it smears, and you won't like that at all.

And another hour hoovering out the interior and cleaning the granddaughter's sticky sweets and fizzy drinks and other unspeakable things off the seat fabric. And sorting through the wife's cubic metre of car park tickets, spare change, old batteries, lip salve, dead credit cards, sunscreen, tape cassettes (tape cassettes?), hair grips, supermarket bills, overdue library books and fluff, and more fluff, and yet more fluff.

And then another hour going back and doing the wheels, but properly this time. And doing the inside windows - once to get them clean, and a second time to get the cleaner off the effing glass. Followed by a bulb check and an oil check and a tyre pressure check and a coolant check. It all helps me to get in touch with my inner OCD, I guess?

BJ

[Gersemi]

Once year whether it needs it or not. But I forgot last year.

This year it got bird [expletive deleted] all over it - it was so bad OH washed it! It's a different story with his new motorbike though. That seems to get washed every time he goes out (especially in the winter).

[moorfield]

About every three months, 30 minutes total for each car with the pressure hose, carnauba wax wash, wheels and a final hose down. Some days, that's probably the nearest I get to honest exercise. It also helps me to spot any paint chips before they turn septic. And to deal with bird crap before it eats the paint.

A good point BJ, particularly if one has purchased a car on a PCP deal or might want to resell a newly purchased car after a few years, I think it's important to keep up the washing, and equally understand why bangernomists might be less inclined to do so.

Incidentally, I threw several buckets of water over my motor a few weeks ago and the following morning it whinged about water in the petrol tank when I started it. An unexpected diagnostic - diagnosis: either myself or the missus had not screwed back the filler cap tightly enough!

These days I use Posh Wash for about £12 a pop and take the Sunday papers with me - gets me out of the house for a little "me" time!

M

[Dorn1]

I was trying to decide if "rubbing the plastic renovator" was a euphemism or not?!

Personally: about 30 mins each car every 3 months, but then I have 2 small "helpers" and it quickly gets out of hand with the hose!

C

[redsturgeon]

I clean my car regularly once a year...whether it needs it or not!

John

[Watis]

Once year whether it needs it or not. But I forgot last year.

This year it got bird Manure all over it - it was so bad OH washed it! It's a different story with his new motorbike though. That seems to get washed every time he goes out (especially in the winter).

I might be able to explain this behaviour, Gersemi. A friend who owns both cars and motorbikes mentioned recently how quickly motorbikes deteriorate if not kept clean, when cars now routinely look good for a decade or more. It seems the quality of the chrome and paintwork used on motorbikes has not kept up with what's used on cars - even when the same manufacturer makes both cars and motorbikes!

Watis

[bungeejumper]

A friend who owns both cars and motorbikes mentioned recently how quickly motorbikes deteriorate if not kept clean.

The memory still lingers of the time when I left my shiny new(ish) motorbike in a lay-by on a quiet country lane, and set off for a pleasant stroll through the fields. On my return, I found that a farmer had herded his cattle along the lane, and that the cows had devoted the same kind of attention to my motorbike that pigeons pay to a freshly washed car.

There was cow crap on the tank. Crap on the wheels. Crap on the lights and the handlebars. But, most of all, there was crap on the saddle. The shiny red bike was now in army camouflage colours. It stank. I really didn't want to be anywhere near it, and yet I had to get onto that saddle and drive it home. And believe me, there's only so much ar$e-wiping you can do with fistfuls of long grass. I did my best.

Friends sometimes wondered why, after that experience, I carried an old tea towel in the tool box.

BJ

[didds]

I am in fact contemplating the replacement of my antique motor with something newer and shinier but I know that if I fall in love with gleaming unblemished bodywork then when it gets dinged I shall regret it. My wife got a nice newish one and then about a week later a slate slipped off the roof and landed on it...

RC

Seems that whatever vehicle we get (and we deffo fall into the older cars bracket) within weeks something happens to make it look trash so we don;t bother.

eg wife's passat... for us, a very nicve car. within weeks the fuel cap came off in her hands and somebody reversed into it in a car park.

son's bmw. pride and joy. he is in debt up to his ears for it, borrowed off his nan. Owned it a month and somebody reversed into it in a car park (different car park!). £600 worth of repairs., he earns £1300 a month.

I'm a believer in old cars too. If you can;t afford to have it dinked/scratched etc, you can't afford it.

didds

[bungeejumper]

eg wife's passat... for us, a very nicve car. within weeks the fuel cap came off in her hands

Actually I think they're supposed to do that?

HTH

BJ

[didds]

whatever the flap over the fuel cap wotsit is called then

didds

[bungeejumper]

[ten0rman]

It's quite odd isn't it. Just over four years ago, we bought the first new car we've ever had - as a married couple that is, prior to marriage I had two new ones, but marriage put paid to that idea for a long time.

Anyway, said car has had damage to rear nearside corner, front nearside corner, both rear doors, rear bumper. Most self inflicted, but one probably in a car park. And Mrs T knocked off the internal mirror. Why is it, that the best car we've ever had, is the one to get more damage than any other car we've ever owned?

In respect of cleaning, its deteriorated now to the point until one or other of us is embarrassed by the external state of it. Ditto the inside, but that is cleaned less often.

ten0rman

p.s. I keep wondering about having it done up, but a) it's never off the road; and b) is it worth it? When all said and done, even if we did have it done up, it's still going to be a four & a bit old car.

[richlist]

We have a man in a van come round once a week to clean our cars. Just a wash and dry and a vac of the carpets. A couple of times a year we have a more in depth valet.

Works ok for us although one of ours is kept in its garage most of the time so doesn't need cleaning very often.

Of course the dealership valets the cars every time they go in for a service or repair.....that helps finances and provides the little extras on skiing trips at Christmas.

[bungeejumper]

Anyway, said car has had damage to rear nearside corner, front nearside corner, both rear doors, rear bumper. Most self inflicted, but one probably in a car park. And Mrs T knocked off the internal mirror. Why is it, that the best car we've ever had, is the one to get more damage than any other car we've ever owned?

It likes you. The reason it collects all these dings is that it doesn't want you to ever sell it.

And anyway, just consider what would happen if you ever got all those dings sorted out - at great expense, probably. First, you'd live in terror of collecting any new ones. And second, you'd soon notice that other motorists were treating you with a normal lack of caution. Whereas at the moment (although you may not have noticed it), everyone is giving you a particularly wide berth. Have you ever noticed that nobody wants to park next to you in the supermarket car park?

BJ

[kiloran]

It's quite odd isn't it. Just over four years ago, we bought the first new car we've ever had - as a married couple that is, prior to marriage I had two new ones, but marriage put paid to that idea for a long time.

Anyway, said car has had damage to rear nearside corner, front nearside corner, both rear doors, rear bumper. Most self inflicted, but one probably in a car park. And Mrs T knocked off the internal mirror.

ten0rman
.

I do hope that you don't live anywhere near me. That one car of yours has had as many dings as I've had in 50 years of motoring

--kiloran