Topic: DYI car wash

[kelli]

Okay.. gotta take the X to the shop tomorrow so i gave it a bath at the DYI car wash place.. you know.. 6 garages side-by-each .. insert coins and clean like a bat outta hell?

Are these a good alternative to doing it at home?

I don't have a good setup at my apt to wash the X, so i do it at my parent's house.. but you can only steal their water so many times before they start to get annoyed.. so i'm wondering if these places are better than the touchless car was as far as paint and damage go.

I gotta say.. it was a helluva lot of fun. running around the car in a race against the clock to get as much done for as little as possible.. it was like a fun carwash game!

I hope these things are safe, because they sure are fun! =)

[Trainman]

Okay.. gotta take the X to the shop tomorrow so i gave it a bath at the DYI car wash place.. you know.. 6 garages side-by-each .. insert coins and clean like a bat outta hell?

Are these a good alternative to doing it at home?

I don't have a good setup at my apt to wash the X, so i do it at my parent's house.. but you can only steal their water so many times before they start to get annoyed.. so i'm wondering if these places are better than the touchless car was as far as paint and damage go.

I gotta say.. it was a helluva lot of fun. running around the car in a race against the clock to get as much done for as little as possible.. it was like a fun carwash game!

I hope these things are safe, because they sure are fun! =)

Its a truck!  You will be getting it scratched and dirty soon anyway.   

I do mine in the driveway, the two DYI's we have here are rip-offs.  Almost $10 to do a good job 

Do your parents have to pay for their water?  Ah, who cares, keeping going there.  Is that not what parents are for? 

[rrocket]

I take my cars to a softcloth place.  They guarantee it won't harm the paint.  At the end of the wash, the car is terry cloth towel dried.  The even open the car door for you before you get back in! All for $10 !!  Add another $10 if you want the interior done top-to-bottom.

[kelli]

I take my cars to a softcloth place.  They guarantee it won't harm the paint.  At the end of the wash, the car is terry cloth towel dried.  The even open the car door for you before you get back in! All for $10 !!  Add another $10 if you want the interior done top-to-bottom.

dude this is sudbury.. i doubt that exists here.

trainman: true.. but it looks so nice when it's shiny!!

[wing]

Snowy will do it for you for a beer

[Wolfe]

I wash my car at one of those DIY wand wash places during the wintertime. It's good for spraying the salt off bottom of the car really thoroughly. I also dry of the car beside the wash bays. Everyone else I've ever seen there just drives off with water dripping off their cars.  Better wet than covered in salt I suppose.

The rest of the year I hand wash it in the driveway. 

[Snowman]

Snowy will do it for you for a beer

There are many things I would do for beers . Being a black SUV it would take me at least 2 hours to get it up to Rut Ro standards. 24 Stella should cover it.

DIY spray cars washes are good for removing most of the dirty but will never be a substitute for a hand wash. Do you still notice the fine haze of dirt left behind especially on black paint? I never go though “touch” car washes, even soft cloth types. They just take the fine dirt on your car which was missed by the pre-rinse and scratch the clear coat.

[tenpenny]

There was a time, when the car was relatively new, and I had spare time (ie, no kids), that I would go to the DIY spray, do a good rinse, followed by the soap, and fill a bucket.  Then I'd take out a cloth, hand wash it well, then use the wand to rinse it.  But it costs a lot, since you'll run out of time, and also, if it's a nice day, there are always impatient people who get ticked off that you are actually washing your car.  I lived in a house with a well at the time, so I never washed it at home.

Now, however, with the car 8 years old, and with kids (read:  no time), I just rinse/soap/rinse, and be done with it.

[kelli]

damn.. snowy's expensive..

I drove to Nissan this morning with my clean X, full of pollen stuck to it.. why do i bother?

[Brigitte]

damn.. snowy's expensive..

I drove to Nissan this morning with my clean X, full of pollen stuck to it.. why do i bother?

Kelli dude... Get that California duster!  My car (dark blue) was also covered in pollen after I washed it on Sunday.  Got rid of it in seconds.   

[kelli]

Kelli dude... Get that Caolifornia duster!  My car (dark blue) was also covered in pollen after I washed it on Sunday.  Got rid of it in seconds.   

I think i'll do that.. plus it's a good excuse to hit Crappy Tire =)

[a4_tom]

Anyone tried to use powerwash to wash their cars at home? I wonder if its an effective way to clean cars after Raincouver weather, or whether it would damage the paintworks?

[locutusx]

I take my cars to a softcloth place. They guarantee it won't harm the paint. At the end of the wash, the car is terry cloth towel dried. The even open the car door for you before you get back in! All for $10 !! Add another $10 if you want the interior done top-to-bottom.

$10 sounds good. is this in Toronto? If so, could you tell us where it is?

[yugrus]

I found that my power washer does not clean up to my expectations. It leaves the same grim as touchless wash at the gas station. It is good in winter though, particularly if you have the nozzle for under-car wash.
If I wash at home, it takes me 3 to 5 hours to complete the job (including waxing). At the end I'm so exhausted that I always promise myself not to do that again. It is just silly to spend that much time on a car wash.
Recently we've got a Car Spa in Burlington. It has the "longest in the world" "touch"-type wash line. I went there to use the coupon, and I was very pleased with the result. Their "brushes" are very soft foam-type, doing a great job. All I had to do after is polish the car with NuFinish, and I was done in about an hour. The applicator did not get any more dirty then it gets when I hand-wash the car.
I did not see any new swirls on the paint this time, and I think this is a good trade-off between paint longevity and maintenance time.
Oh, and the full price for a basic wash was about $13.

[Brigitte]

I found that my power washer does not clean up to my expectations. It leaves the same grim as touchless wash at the gas station. It is good in winter though, particularly if you have the nozzle for under-car wash.
If I wash at home, it takes me 3 to 5 hours to complete the job (including waxing). At the end I'm so exhausted that I always promise myself not to do that again. It is just silly to spend that much time on a car wash.
Recently we've got a Car Spa in Burlington. It has the "longest in the world" "touch"-type wash line. I went there to use the coupon, and I was very pleased with the result. Their "brushes" are very soft foam-type, doing a great job. All I had to do after is polish the car with NuFinish, and I was done in about an hour. The applicator did not get any more dirty then it gets when I hand-wash the car.
I did not see any new swirls on the paint this time, and I think this is a good trade-off between paint longevity and maintenance time.
Oh, and the full price for a basic wash was about $13.

Sounds great, Yugrus.  Is there some place to do the interior as well, or am I stuck with the vacuum cleaner at Petro-Canada? 

[yugrus]

Sounds great, Yugrus.  Is there some place to do the interior as well, or am I stuck with the vacuum cleaner at Petro-Canada? 

In parallel to the automatic wash line they have a conveyor of the same length where people detail the car for you. You can sit there watching the whole ordeal through the glass wall. Pretty cool place, I have to admit. Busy, but very well organized.

[Giant Dwarf]

I think i'll do that.. plus it's a good excuse to hit Crappy Tire =)

   Wow!  What a woman... not only is she asking advice on how to properly wash her vehicle, she also looks for excuses to go to Canadian Tire.   

***

I tend to use the DIY Car Wash bays during the winter months too.  The best value for your buck(s) is if you bring your own pail, car-wash soap and wash mitt(s) and go really early in the morning or well after dark in the evening when nobody's around.  Rinse the car off, fill up soapy bucket of water.  Wash car completely and carefully and then insert a few more coins to rinse off the car.  THey've usually got a "No spot rinse" feature as well -- probably soft water to eliminate a lot of spots and streaks.  I can easily spend an hour and a half doing a careful job washing and drying the car, but it's so gratifying to know that it's been done right... and by me.

Those brushes that they've got at the places should only be used on tires and the painted finish of '85 Dodge Caravans.    They're full of nitty-gritties just waiting to destroy your paint.  Truck or not... gotta keep 'er lookin' shiny! 


***

Snowy, after that 24 of Stella, what will you drink during the second hour?  You must be giving Kelli the Hottie discount. 

[safristi]

Friday and it's soft touch time AGAIN.......

[initial_D]

Saf, that is a nice pic.  again, 3rd time is the charm. Gonna find mee a nicerrrrrr one soon. 



GD, what kind of winter is it that you can spend over 1 hr out doors (almost) playing with water? 

[Snowman]

Saf, that is a nice pic.  again, 3rd time is the charm. Gonna find mee a nicerrrrrr one soon. 



GD, what kind of winter is it that you can spend over 1 hr out doors (almost) playing with water? 

Saff is getting too predictable these days, time for the hook. Send in the next jester.