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Post by rodge on Dec 11, 2023 11:19:29 GMT
Got a car wash this morning, only the second this year.
I used to get the car washed regularly but since moving to the new house, I have neither the facilities nor the inclination to do it.
Too much heavy construction traffic on the roads so the car is constantly dirty.
How regularly do you wash your car(s)?
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Post by Ben on Dec 11, 2023 11:20:43 GMT
Kinda depends. If I feel it needs a wash then I'll do it. Not very often these days though.
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Post by chipbutty on Dec 11, 2023 11:38:15 GMT
When first collected - get a full wash and wax.
I then use snowfoam in a spray canister with hot water and the jet wash every couple of weeks (and wash the wheels).
Unless it's the summer - I only contact wash again when the water beading stops (and the wax/sealant has gone). I then re-wash and use the ceramic wet wax.
Inside - I hoover and wipe down every week. I cannot live with a dirty interior.
Washing cars in autumn/winter is not fun - so I just try and keep them presentable and free from salt and road cack. The truckster is permanently filthy as it spends half it's time at the dog walking field or the stables (girl child into horse riding). The Eff is always grubby as well as it spends most of it's time on A/B roads and they are minging from Sept - March.
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Post by johnc on Dec 11, 2023 12:07:30 GMT
In the summer it's every one or two weeks. I then tend to do it weekly from October until the end of November. December and January I am working daft hours and most weekends so they only get washed when I get a chance. First weekend in February they get properly looked after and then it's a bit weather dependant until April or May. I snowfoam sometimes in December and January, without a full wash if they are particularly manky.
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Post by Martin on Dec 11, 2023 12:25:30 GMT
Less than I used to. Go back a few years and it was 2-3 times a month, then every other week and now it's more as needed which is helped a lot by the ceramic coating. Like Pete and John, I use snowfoam in a spray canister / power wash and clean the wheels in the winter, which gives an 85-90% clean and means you're not wasting time and effort, as it will be dirty again in a couple of miles and I make sure the interior is kept clean all the time. I used to find car cleaning quite therapeutic and relaxing, but it feels like more of an effort these days and my time is more valuable, the problem is I still do like a clean car. I sometimes wish I didn't care and could take it to a hand car wash, but I can't bring myself to do it.
I'm really tempted to talk to a local detailer about getting him to give both cars a proper clean once a month, maybe twice in the summer and I can give them a quick foam/power wash in-between in the winter if needed. I know he does an excellent job as he transformed a neighbours black E Class from a swirly mess to looking like a new car.
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Post by LandieMark on Dec 11, 2023 12:27:40 GMT
I washed the pickup when it came back from Le Mans in June.
I'm on cow duties until May, so it will be pretty mucky by then. I try and keep the interior reasonably clean, but it is a work truck so that hasn't been touched since June either. It's actually not too bad considering how wet it has been.
The Range Rover was done in September when we went to the LRO show and hasn't been touched since. It's pretty mucky, but the interior is clean as we don't use it for mucky stuff.
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Post by Tim on Dec 11, 2023 12:49:15 GMT
Oh dear.
Sometimes would be the best answer.
The KIA hasn't been done since I bought it in January but has only done about 3k miles so isn't too bad.
The BM gets done about once a month.
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Post by racingteatray on Dec 11, 2023 16:25:17 GMT
Ha. Probably once a month, but depends on use. I literally just washed the Macan. But it is the first time I've washed it by hand since I bought it - I usually take it to the local hand carwash, but that's expensive and on this occasion it really just needed a quick once-over to shift some motorway grime so that I could put the cover back on it (I am pretty careful not to put the cover on when the car is dirty). One thing I do notice is that the wheels accumulate almost no brake dust - it has "Porsche Surface Coated Brakes" and they do seem to work as advertised: www.porsche.com/international/aboutporsche/christophorusmagazine/archive/384/articleoverview/article03/The Mini got a full valet last month when it arrived back in London and then was washed again on Saturday by BMW Battersea (it went in for a brake fluid change). So it's all nice and clean ready for its return trip back down to Italy. In Italy, it lives in a warm dry garage and is used relatively infrequently so it doesn't get very dirty - but I usually treat it to a wash before putting it away when we leave. The Fiat...well that's the only one I regularly wash by hand - it's so small that it doesn't take long. But I doubt it gets washed more than once a month - usually once it starts to look more cream than white! |
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Post by Alex on Dec 12, 2023 6:33:47 GMT
Should do more often than I do. The work fuel card can be used for automatic car washes but I tend to use that as a last resort if I'm going to a customer site and just haven't gotten round to washing it by hand. But it does mean you risk getting those horrible hairline scratches all over it.
Like Martin I try to keep the interior clean at all times. Just a shame the kids have other ideas...
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Post by Big Blue on Dec 12, 2023 9:33:54 GMT
Beginning of March to end of October : every three weeks.
Winter: once, but then it’s not used much.
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Post by ChrisM on Dec 12, 2023 21:56:27 GMT
A short commute that doesn't really get the car dirty most days (even when the weather is bad) plus too much to do at home means that for the past year, I've not washed my cars anything like as frequently as I used to do. Maybe once every couple of months unless I do go on a journey that gets one of them dirty in which case it gets a wash on the following week-end.
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Post by Grampa on Dec 14, 2023 14:15:34 GMT
Whenever they get dirty - might be once a week or once a month - since coating with a hybrid ceramic and using a SiO2 wash then drying off with a Woolly Mammoth drying towel it's a lot easier to maintain a really shiny look.
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Post by Roadrunner on Dec 15, 2023 8:09:57 GMT
When time and common sense allow. This time of year the roads are so messy I sometimes don't do much more than a windows and lights wash. When it gets too filthy I do the snow foam and wheel wash routine and this probably happens around every three or four weeks.
One exception is if I am chauffeur for a work trip with colleagues. I can't be nominated driver and turn up in anything other than a pristine car.
In the summer they get a proper wash every two or three weeks.
The Alvis doesn't go out in filthy weather and gets a wipe down before I take it out.
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Post by PG on Dec 15, 2023 21:59:08 GMT
This time of year I think about washing the cars a lot - every time I see them I think "oh shit that's filth, it needs a wash". But actually doing it, no.
If we get a clear and sunny day over the break I might get the power washer out... and definitely the Henry for the interior.
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Post by Blarno on Dec 22, 2023 21:21:38 GMT
As little as possible, I struggle to think of a more tedious task. I last washed the car in September, but to be fair it's done about 100 miles since then.
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Post by alf on Jan 9, 2024 11:28:14 GMT
I did mine just in time for this dry weather. Slightly mis-timed as I then doive it all of 3 miles each way that day to the pool and back in light rain, and had to wipe it over quickly again the next day (the joy of black cars). But now it seems to be staying like this in the current weather. The Porsche has been out multiple times in the rain since it was last washed and still looks as clean, silver and black are opposites in this regard! When the weather is as cacky as it was recently, I never bother to wash either of them - I wash before a dry spell, as I hate losing the beneft of the hard work.  |
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Post by Martin on Jan 9, 2024 12:42:07 GMT
As the week was forecast dry and it was the last free day before we go away at the end of the month, I have both cars a proper clean on Saturday morning. It took about 4 hours, but they look immaculate and I applied Gtechniq C2 to mine, which didn’t take that long at all and has given the ceramic coating an extra slickness and the paint really does sparkle in the sun. Really impressed with the product.
I do like a nice clean car.
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Post by johnc on Jan 9, 2024 14:53:27 GMT
I gave all our cars a wash on Christmas Eve and that will be the last wash they get until the first weekend in February.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 12, 2024 12:04:48 GMT
I am thinking it is time to wash the Fiat - it has got to that point where the window rubbers are gaining a green layer. But it's too cold.
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Post by ChrisM on Jan 12, 2024 18:42:11 GMT
^
Put a pair of Marigolds on, and get the bucket and sponge out !
(other brands of washing-up gloves are available)
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jan 12, 2024 20:27:08 GMT
Men wearing Marigolds make me think of serial killers.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 12, 2024 22:05:57 GMT
Our cleaning cupboard appears to always only contain a number of lefthanded rubber gloves. God only knows what our cleaner does with the righthanded ones.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 14, 2024 21:44:15 GMT
^ Put a pair of Marigolds on, and get the bucket and sponge out ! (other brands of washing-up gloves are available) As instructed albeit no marigolds were involved…   There can’t be many 500s of its vintage that still scrub up so well. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jan 15, 2024 7:31:28 GMT
I still think the 500s are great looking little cars. My wife still misses hers.
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Post by johnc on Jan 15, 2024 8:07:34 GMT
That looks very clean for a car that's 10+ years old, especially one that lives in London. Due credit to its owner.
I made the mistake of quitting the office at 3pm yesterday and going home to give the cars a quick snowfoam wash - they were so dirty it was an embarrassment.
When I was finished they were considerably cleaner and just about presentable but this morning it was -6 at the house and there were two block of ice in the driveway. The doors were welded shut and the wipers were bonded to the windscreen.
It took several jugs of cold water to let me open the door and then over 10 minutes with the engine running to defrost the windows. The ice was so thick the scraper surrendered together with my frozen hands. Only -4.5 at the office but it looks like it will be a nice sunny day.
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Post by Martin on Jan 15, 2024 8:45:50 GMT
That looks very clean for a car that's 10+ years old, especially one that lives in London. Due credit to its owner. I made the mistake of quitting the office at 3pm yesterday and going home to give the cars a quick snowfoam wash - they were so dirty it was an embarrassment. When I was finished they were considerably cleaner and just about presentable but this morning it was -6 at the house and there were two block of ice in the driveway. The doors were welded shut and the wipers were bonded to the windscreen. It took several jugs of cold water to let me open the door and then over 10 minutes with the engine running to defrost the windows. The ice was so thick the scraper surrendered together with my frozen hands. Only -4.5 at the office but it looks like it will be a nice sunny day. Have you tried gummi pflege on the door seals? The Range Rover suffered from frozen door seals unless you ran the FBH for a good 30mins, but that solved it. I’d also recommend the ‘Swedish Ice Scraper’, it’s great at tackling thick ice. It was -3c at home this morning after raining quite a bit yesterday evening, so everything was frozen. I activated the heating through the app about 25mins before I was due to leave and it was fully defrosted and very toasty inside. |
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Post by Tim on Jan 15, 2024 8:49:08 GMT
I liberally sprayed the 4 series door seals with silicon spray and that seems to have overcome the door freezing shut issue.
I was particularly worried about that on the 4 because the windows are frameless and worried there was a chance of damaging something if I was too heavy handed opening a frozen door.
Having said that we've not had such cold temps here on the East coast.
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Post by LandieMark on Jan 15, 2024 10:10:52 GMT
The L200 seems to freeze shut very easily despite silicone, but it is very cold here. It got a wash when it went for service the other day - I have no intention of touching it until the Spring.
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Post by PetrolEd on Jan 15, 2024 10:15:24 GMT
I have a real problem with the 911 at this time of year as the windows have to drop down to open the doors. You can pull the door open without the windows dropping but you can hear the electrical motors having a melt down. Then when you try and shut the doors they wont because the window hasn't dropped. I really don't feel like peeing on the doors every morning so a better solution would be gratefully received.
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Post by Grampa on Jan 15, 2024 10:28:27 GMT
^ Put a pair of Marigolds on, and get the bucket and sponge out ! (other brands of washing-up gloves are available) As instructed albeit no marigolds were involved… There can’t be many 500s of its vintage that still scrub up so well. Hard to get your head around the fact that a 63 plate is now over 10 years old and yours seems none the worse for it - seems like only yesterday that our 65 plate Mini Clubman was a nearly new car and already it's 8 years old. |
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