I was in Norfolk recently helping a relative move. Whilst up there, I noticed that quite a few of the cars, even the newer ones, were REALLY DIRTY (to the point of being unable to read the no. plate). I've also noticed in Dublin that there are alot of new cars, but alot of them are not very clean. Now our car could benefit from a wash, but we do clean it monthly at a minimum. It never gets as dirty as that.
Is this a chance thing, or are there regional variations in how often people wash their cars? Is it practical and based on dirty rural roads etc?
It's apropos of nothing at all, just my curiosity.
Thoughts?
Alex.
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Twice a week now I have white wheels.
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In the winter my car gets neglected as I only have a bucket and sponge. I did take it to a petrol station over the weekend and paid money there, it is a lot cleaner now. I also cleaned it out inside.
I suspect now the weather is warmer I will go back to the weekly routine of my Autoglym waxing :).
I have a 9 month old car, I at least need to make sure it looks clean :).
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Due to the state of the roads out here in the winter I have a muddy tarmac coloured car... but always with sparkly clean lights, windows and number plates... plus the bit where you fumble for the tailgate latch.
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I have to clean a fleet of 14 lorries of varying sizes every weekend. They all travel pretty much anywhere in the UK, e.g. if it's been wintry in the North at least half of them will be bogging.
Last week was dead easy because it hadn't rained anywhere, the gritting season has finished and the fly season hasn't started yet ;)
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>> I will go back to the weekly routine of my Autoglym waxing :).
Weekly waxing! Jeezo Rattle :-) Waxing's hard graft, i can't bring myself to do it more than once a month, thankfully the wax i'm using (Megs Gold Class) doesn't start to show needing topped up until about the 3.5 week mark.
Random useless info:
To test the wax, spray the hose over the car and let the water run off. Look at the beads that form.
Small tightly packed beads == no need to top up.
50% or more Large beads == needs topping up.
If you've a lot of large beads, take a mildly damp terry towel and using your finger twist it against the surface, if it squeaks you've left it too long, the wax is gone from that point.
If you wax too often, it yellows. Also carnuba is a dust magnet, although thankfully it's not used in too high concentrations in most affordable car waxes.
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I did mine the weekend before last, in between downpours. It's done about 700 miles since, and is still looking pretty good, although the mk4 Golf tailgate has some sort of hidden crud attracting device which gives it a light film of dirt after a hundred miles or so. Some odd aerodynamic property, I guess.
Didn't get chance to wax it, but the Mer shampoo by itself gives decent beading for a few weeks afterwards.
I claim not to care about cleaning my cars, but having done the outside a fortnight ago, and the inside last weekend, it is nice to get into something that doesn't resemble a moving lump of crud outside, and a half filled skip inside.
I even got the Shake n' Vac out last weekend. :-)
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"the mk4 Golf tailgate has some sort of hidden crud attracting device " it's still there on the Mk6. This is the only car I've ever driven where the rear wash / wipe was utterly essential rather than extremely convenient.
John
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>> it's still there on the Mk6
And on my old man's C-class estate. I've never had a car as good as his at picking up enough grime to completely obscure the numberplate within only a few days of normal motoring.
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>> although the mk4 Golf tailgate has some sort
>> of hidden crud attracting device which gives it a light film of dirt after a
>> hundred miles or so. Some odd aerodynamic property, I guess.
All hatchbacks and estates or anything else you care to mention that have a near vertical drop off at the back will attract dirt - the aerodynamics are really poor, the air is sucked into the back of the car. If you observe a saloon or an estate or hatchback with a gently sloping rear screen, they don't have thick dirt stuck to them - the aerodynamics allow the air to flow over the shape and break away from the back e.g. Ford Focus. Although the best examples would be the motorway munchers like Mondeo's, Accords, Avensis (not the estate versions though)
Last edited by: corax on Tue 8 Mar 11 at 18:00
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>> I suspect now the weather is warmer I will go back to the weekly routine
>> of my Autoglym waxing :).
Wow!!!!
Mine is once a month if its lucky!
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Waxing? Blow that for a game of soldiers.
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>> I will go back to the weekly routine of my Autoglym waxing :).
>>
Autoglym super resin polish is mildly abrasive, (thats what polish is, an abrasive). With a car as new as yours you should use a "Top coat sealer" which is not abrasive. you only need to use an abrasive polish twice a year. I find that Turtle Wax Platinum Series Sealant is excellent.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 8 Mar 11 at 15:31
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I aim to do mine (and 'ers) twice a year but usually only manage once. It's still beading.
John
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By wax I just meant the Autoglym shampoo with added wax. I give it a wax properly every year, it helps prevent scratches.
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I try not to drive into things, that helps me to prevent scratches :)
I wash my car weekly with Wilkinsons wash&wax at £1 for a litre bottle - 1 capful to a bucket, it lasts for ages. Wax it twice a year with a 500ml bottle of Turtle Wax I got cheap in Woolworths, looks like it'll run out sometime next year though.
People were always commenting on how shiny the Escort was, I did the Mondeo when I got it last week and it's still spotless.
Last edited by: Dave_TD {P} on Tue 8 Mar 11 at 18:38
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I don't drive into things either, sadly the idiots dropping their kids off at the stupid school near by where they teach evil seem to think otherwise.
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Its an urban based car Ratts, dings are a fact of life. I have friends and relatives who live in London who would not contemplate buying a new car for that reason. They use three to five year old cars and accept that they will get dinged and scratched. They get the paintwork tidied up before sale.
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"I was in Norfolk recently helping a relative move. Whilst up there, I noticed that quite a few of the cars, even the newer ones, were REALLY DIRTY "
Better things to do with our time in Norfolk
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>>Better things to do with our time in Norfolk
Yeah, I've heard rumours about that. ;>)
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I swear I can hear "Duelling Banjos" now.
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"I swear I can hear "Duelling Banjos" now."
You gonna do some prayin' for me, boy. And you better pray good.
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is it true that people from norfolk' high six' each other when they greet?
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They are too busy hossing and hoiking about.
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>> is it true that people from norfolk' high six' each other when they greet?
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Nah, that's Telford, where both parents appear strangely similar.:-)
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Waxing a motor ?? are you all mad ?
Haven't waxed a car since cellulose days. Even the Jowett only gets a brush and bucket wash...last did it in July '10. £1.99 spinning brushes do the rest, very occasionally !
The Vitara's looking a bit disreputable, though. reversed into a low, invisible, tree stump before Christmas. Pushed the corner piece of the o/s rear bumper up to the tyre. It creased in two places but I have now discovered that a hot air paint stripper and a 3lb lump hammer straightens it up nicely. A few tie-wraps to get it back in position and Bob's yer nobs...you'd never know. Apart from the paint where the hammer fell.....it's plastic, so who needs paint on it ?
Amazingly, the fog light in the bumper where it hit is still working fine....saved another job !
Ted
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Since arriving in the UK yesterday I've noticed lots of cars with really filthy number plates. Presumably this is an anti-camera ploy?
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How clean? Filthy...but then I haven't washed it since 2009 I think - about 40k miles ago. Snow does a fairly good job of sliding some of the dirt off! I did vac out the inside lst summer before we went on holday as the boot ws half full of bits and pieces of firewood and bark...
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>> How clean? Filthy...but then I haven't washed it since 2009 I think - >>
Some people have standards, some don't. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 9 Mar 11 at 08:08
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>>Nah, that's Telford, where both parents appear strangely similar.:-)<<
Where abouts in Cornwall is Telford I wonder :-D
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Just for general interest. Today I went into an A1 Motor Store to buy some car care products as a birthday present and one I selected was a one litre bottle of AutoGlym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner (£9.99).
Got to the end of the aisle and discovered various large packs of similar products; amongst them was a five litre container of said Shampoo Conditioner.
Price £19.99. Five times as much for twice the price is too good to miss...:-)
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" five litre container of said Shampoo Conditioner. Five times as much for twice the price is too good to miss"
When you get to my age, at one capful to the wash bucket, and one car wash every 3 months or so - it's a waste of money ...............Except to my kids who would inherit most of it!!
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Actually forced to wash the Note at home yesterday. Car wash out of order for last few days.
SWM bullying me.
Hated it, Sun in my eyes one way...other side in the shade. Metallic black car, can't see where you've missed bits until it's dried off a bit.
Hot water, dash of Fairy, long handled soft brush and hose with trigger so I didn't flood the place. Bit of old bath-towel from the workshop rag box sorted the alloys and door shuts.
Will wait 'til wash is fixed or I pass another to do the Vitara. Give the man in the garage £1.99, punch a code in the machine and sit there or get all the stuff out at home as above ? No contest !
That's quite enough for me ! Ugh.
Ted
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I take it to the local asylum seekers day release centre, where a fiver gets about 10 people swarming all over your car and a ruddy good job done. Never found swirl marks or scratches, and there are always a couple of very shiny "prestige" cars on the forecourt too.
Though probably the gangmasters - still can't believe that's an acceptable term. In 10 years time I suspect it'll have gone the same way as n*****.
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How clean is your car? - Stuu
