Petrol stations are campaigning for a ban on drivers washing their own cars in the street and want them to pay to use garage facilities instead.
tinyurl.com/954xads - The Telegraph
Brian Madderson of the Retail Motor Industry Federation, which represents independent petrol stations, has called on the Government to follow the example of parts of Germany where strict laws are in force.
These laws ban drivers from washing their cars in the street because of the damage it is believed this can do to the environment with cleaning chemicals entering the water supply.
He has also called for a ban on unregulated “pop up” hand car wash businesses, which he said were not subject to the same environmental regulations as petrol stations.
Both are seen as a threat to mechanical car washes, a lucrative sideline for forecourts across the country.
|
|
A campaign with no chance of success, unless they find a government desperate to lose an election.
|
|
We have one of those at this moment!
|
Say what you like about pop-up car wash places, but there is clearly demand judging by how many have set up in the last few years.
The government wont pay much attention to this I dont think, I expect its just a poke back in anticipation of the look into fuel prices.
The valeting industry is doing OK at the moment according to my suppliers, which means good tax receipts for the Revenue.
This moron who suggested it forgets that there are eco friendly products on the market which break down to just water, rendering his enviromental argument rather lame. It would not be a great effort to make all products meet these standards if they were compulsary as the tech already exists.
|
Don't do it here !
It is an offence to wash any carriage on a public thoroughfare within the bounds of the City of Manchester.
Manchester Corporation Waterworks Improvement Act 1844.
You heard it here first !
Ted
|
>>
>> The valeting industry is doing OK at the moment according to my suppliers, which means
>> good tax receipts for the Revenue.
>>
You are joking! It's 99% cash in hand, 99% of which gets sent back to whichever country the workers hail from. Pop-up car valets are in fact a big drain on our economy.
We have a Turkish tenant who runs a couple. Running from fixed premises however he does have to comply with Water Company regulations on waste water disposal, unlike the clowns you see in supermarket car parks.
|
|
This government seems to want loose the next election.
|
Seems to me that Brian Madderson is doing his job very well, and doing exactly what his federation would expect of him. And he seems to be using facts and trends in support of his industry. Which part of his job would you prefer he did less well?
However, I would appreciate some clarification, I'm not seeing where the extortion is occuring? Also, you wrote "MORE...extortion". What was the last piece?
Yet more emotive twaddle.
|
>>
>> Yet more emotive twaddle.
>>
It's the male menopause: it starts at 12 years old you know and ends at death.
|
Mr Madderson might have a point about chemicals down the drain with home car washing.
Banning mowing the lawn on a Sunday is a must or before 10am in the morning. When we have a bit of sun putting radio's on full blast in the gardens for nobody's benefit.Autum now piece returns.
|
>> Seems to me that Brian Madderson is doing his job very well, and doing exactly
>> what his federation would expect of him. A
But he's inevitably going to look ridiculous. Whatever goes down the drain from car washing is well diluted and in most cases bio-degradable. IF there'd been a scientifically supported account of street cars wash run off killing wildlife and he'd followed that with an injunction to use commercial washes he'd have had a point.
As it stands just looks like blatant commercialism.
|
|
It could never happen. Just couldn't.
|
Domestic car-washing is virtually negligible in pollutants compared to the crap that is dumped out of washing machines and dishwashers.
|
|
so they are so concerned about people washing their own cars and polluting the planet they forgot all about the risk of fire from people storing petrol that the've just sold them?
|
>> Domestic car-washing is virtually negligible in pollutants compared to the crap that is dumped out
>> of washing machines and dishwashers.
The difference is that washing machines and dishwashers legitimately discharge into a sewer.
|
>>
>> The difference is that washing machines and dishwashers legitimately discharge into a sewer.
>>
Hmm, if I wash my car outside my house, the runoff goes down the drain in the drive, which connects into the same pipe running to the sewer that my washing machine and dishwasher discharge into.......
|
>> >>
>> >> The difference is that washing machines and dishwashers legitimately discharge into a sewer.
>> >>
>>
>> Hmm, if I wash my car outside my house, the runoff goes down the drain
>> in the drive, which connects into the same pipe running to the sewer that my
>> washing machine and dishwasher discharge into.......
>>
We have separate drainage systems for rain water and sewage. The street drains and rain water go into the clean system.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 24 Sep 12 at 13:17
|
>> However, I would appreciate some clarification, I'm not seeing where the extortion is occuring? Also,
>> you wrote "MORE...extortion". What was the last piece?
Oh, the usual stuff. Fuel prices, mark up on food and drink in the forecourt shop, oils and other lubricants, car parts such as bulbs, etc.
But hey, they've got us by the short and curlies. If you want a Kit Kat, or beverage, and there's not a Tescburysons nearby, or you want a litre of oil and there's not a motorist centre nearby. What do you do? You either go without or pay the mark up price.
And don't get me started on motorway service stations. A couple of them on the M4 not too far from me used to have a 30% mark up on everything. Probably more now.
Extortion? Perhaps I should have called it highway robbery instead.
|
|
That'll explain why so many garages are having to close - without a shop fuel sales pretty much can't keep most afloat.
|
>> Fuel prices
What percentage of the fuel price is driven by the retail outlet?
>>, mark up on food and drink in the forecourt
Mark up? You mean profit? So don't buy it. Extortion would imply you were coerced into buying it.
>> oils and other lubricants, car parts such as bulbs, etc.
They threaten to stamp on your cat unless you buy their stuff? Or is it you feel pressured by the urgency at night when Halfords isn't open?
>> But hey, they've got us by the short and curlies.
Who has? And do you mean that if you owned a petrol retail outlet you would sell at no profit, or even a loss?
>> If you want a Kit Kat, or beverage, and there's not a Tescburysons nearby...........
Yeah, well. You've not really got a firm grasp on the meaning of the word extortion, have you.
>> And don't get me started on motorway service stations. A couple of them on the
>> M4 not too far from me used to have a 30% mark up on everything.
30% mark up? Do you even understand that? Do you mean 30% more than they bought the product for? 30% more than the fully allocated product cost? 30% more than you can buy them at the local boot sale?
30% marked up on what?
If you mean 30% more than you could make a profit at, then is there ever a business opportunity awaiting you!
>> Extortion? Perhaps I should have called it highway robbery instead.
Why not. It'd be equally as accurate, and emotive and entirely pointless.
Reactionary crap based on excessive Sun reading.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sat 22 Sep 12 at 00:38
|
>> Reactionary crap based on excessive Sun reading.
Whatever.
|
|
You can wash your car in Germany as long as there are no suds going into a waterway drain. You also have to use these Hitler-approved useless shampoos like the ones sold in LIDL or ALDI.
Last edited by: sooty tailpipes on Sat 22 Sep 12 at 17:11
|
As someone has previously mentioned, more washing machines and dishwashers chuck out more harmful crap. In fact scientists are finding huge amounts of man made fibres swirling around our ocean currents all caused by clothing being washed and the discharge entering water courses and ultimately our oceans.
Eventually it could rain jumpers!
|
|
With the temperature today, that would be a handy thing!
|
I'll use one of his mechanical car washes when the garages will agree to repair any damage their machines do to any of my vehicles.
Some years ago we had a local mechanical car wash which damaged my car and several others after some local 'yoofs' tied some nuts to the rotating brushes, virtually wrote off one side of my car, the garage promptly hid behind some sign which they claimed absolved them of liability and use was at my risk..... Kept the legal insurance bods busy for a while......
My local hand car wash does a better job and has never so much as left a smear on the paintwork, plus the Polish guys who run it are always cheerful, even in the depths of winter when they must be perished; mind you being Polish they're probably better acclimatised than I am ;-)
|
|
So the Poles are good for something.>:)
|
More Fuel Station Extortion. Ban DIY Car Washing - Robin O'Reliant
