Not wanting to start a debate between car wash users and those that think only a hand wash with rare tiger skin and wax from an endangered rattle snake is good enough. 

 

My Yeti will turn up next week and living in Lincolnshire it will get dirty. I pass a Morrisons car wash on the way home and like to get a quick basic £3 go over for the weekend.

 

My question to those in the know is with the shape of the Yeti and the roof bars do car washes tend to miss large areas or are any trip pieces in danger? I also have the big glass roof thing so not sure if that has an effect. 

Edited 20 May, 20179 yr by Nobbi1977

whilst I delight in snowfoaming, claying and polishing my yeti every now and then, I do use the car wash in between as - to be blunt - life is just too short.

 

I always take the roof bars off along with the aerial.

 

As well as the wheels never getting properly clean, the bits that get missed are around the rear numberplate and the bottom rear quarter of the back doors where they're contoured. Other than that it seems fine.

 

The only bit of trim I've had fall off was the rubber on the internal door handle and I don't think i can blame that on the car wash

21 minutes ago, Gyp said:

whilst I delight in snowfoaming, claying and polishing my yeti every now and then, I do use the car wash in between as - to be blunt - life is just too short.

 

I always take the roof bars off along with the aerial.

 

As well as the wheels never getting properly clean, the bits that get missed are around the rear numberplate and the bottom rear quarter of the back doors where they're contoured. Other than that it seems fine.

 

The only bit of trim I've had fall off was the rubber on the internal door handle and I don't think i can blame that on the car wash

 

Thanks that is great input. I am trying the little and often approach on this car as my C1 has a rag top and cannot be used in a car wash so it continually dirty. 

2 hours ago, Gyp said:

whilst I delight in snowfoaming, claying and polishing my yeti every now and then, I do use the car wash in between as - to be blunt - life is just too short.

 

I always take the roof bars off along with the aerial.

 

As well as the wheels never getting properly clean, the bits that get missed are around the rear numberplate and the bottom rear quarter of the back doors where they're contoured. Other than that it seems fine.

 

The only bit of trim I've had fall off was the rubber on the internal door handle and I don't think i can blame that on the car wash

 

When Gyp says he takes the roof bars off, I don't think he means the ones that run front to back, but add ons for a roof box

1 minute ago, CFB said:

 

When Gyp says he takes the roof bars off, I don't think he means the ones that run front to back, but add ons for a roof box

 

Ah yes, that's definitely what I meant.

 

The car gets reasonably clean under the front-to-back bars 

I call for a basic 'hand/power wash' about once a month but I've found that if I go on a day with a 'y' in it then it gets dirty again as soon as I go back out on the road .

We use a fairly gentle jetwash, keeping the wand about 18" from the paintwork,  rather than the tunnel of rotating horrors. 

I jetwash the muck off it, especially round the wheel arches and tyres, and then bucket wash and micro fibre cloth dry it when home. 

I don't think any car washes are as efficient as a proper hand wash. 

Every six months or so I will give the whole car an intensive clean and full wax polish, and religiously after every winter, I get my garage to jetwash all the salty deposits off the underside. 

 

If you have viewed a metallic car in sunlight through a pair of good sunglasses and realised what you are looking at, I doubt you would ever consider putting your pride and joy through a car wash.

 

Colin

Only ever used roller car wash once on a new golf scraped all the roof had to have resprayed but got the owners of the wash to pay for it.

Would never use one again.

 

I think the question you need to ask is; do you like your Yeti? It's like dropping your kids off with the school bully.

15 hours ago, Nobbi1977 said:

Not wanting to start a debate between car wash users and those that think only a hand wash with rare tiger skin and wax from an endangered rattle snake is good enough. 

 

And lo and behold, look what the OP wrote.

 

If an owner wants to wash his car in this manner then so be it; let him carry on.

 

Personally mine gets washed very occasionally, normally after a rally because SWMBO is moaning about the couple of inches of mud or dust stuck to it and getting the back of her legs dirty. If it is lucky it will get a £5 power wash or perhaps a £5 hand carwash by the very good Europeans in one of the local places. 

8 hours ago, Llanigraham said:

 

And lo and behold, look what the OP wrote.

 

If an owner wants to wash his car in this manner then so be it; let him carry on.

 

Personally mine gets washed very occasionally, normally after a rally because SWMBO is moaning about the couple of inches of mud or dust stuck to it and getting the back of her legs dirty. If it is lucky it will get a £5 power wash or perhaps a £5 hand carwash by the very good Europeans in one of the local places. 

My aged mother has the same dirty back of the legs problem when I take her out - 5 minutes after washing the car on a wet day and the sill is dirty again.  I'm thinking of fashioning a little fabric curtain to Velcro to the carpet on the inner sill and flop out when she gets in.

I had a friend who used to service and maintain Automatic roller car washes some years ago.

 

He used to show me photos of the pieces of cars and the piles of grit he used to remove from the brushes. I've never used one since.

 

Fortunately we have one of the best hand wash services locally. 

 

Snow Foam and leave to remove access dirt then jetwash off.

Wash with lambswool mitts and jetwash off.

Wax applied

Dry with microfibre towels.

Windows cleaned and tyres dressed

No acidic products used.

£7

 

I used to be spend most of one day of the weekend washing cars with a shed full of gear but due to changing work and family commitments I've found a place I#'m happy to use.

 

But I have a deep fear of Automatic car washes.

 

Lee

2 hours ago, logiclee said:

I had a friend who used to service and maintain Automatic roller car washes some years ago.

 

He used to show me photos of the pieces of cars and the piles of grit he used to remove from the brushes. I've never used one since.

 

Fortunately we have one of the best hand wash services locally. 

 

Snow Foam and leave to remove access dirt then jetwash off.

Wash with lambswool mitts and jetwash off.

Wax applied

Dry with microfibre towels.

Windows cleaned and tyres dressed

No acidic products used.

£7

 

I used to be spend most of one day of the weekend washing cars with a shed full of gear but due to changing work and family commitments I've found a place I#'m happy to use.

 

But I have a deep fear of Automatic car washes.

 

Lee

 

I have had mine done at a local Polish place once. One dip of the glove in dirty water did the whole car. Not going back there again.

 

Unfortunatly I do not go near any other hand wash places to give them a try

2 minutes ago, Nobbi1977 said:

 

I have had mine done at a local Polish place once. One dip of the glove in dirty water did the whole car. Not going back there again.

 

Unfortunatly I do not go near any other hand wash places to give them a try

 

Yes I've witnessed many with dirty sponges that do the whole car from one dirty bucket.

 

But there are good ones.

 

https://www.facebook.com/LeonsCarValetingCenter

 

Lee

Mine gets washed at home every four months or so whether it needs it or not.

A good heavy rain whilst driving gets most of the dirt off and i wipe the windows, lights, mirrors and numberplates as required.

No swirl marks or scratches evident when i do clean it so this seems to preserve the paintwok undamaged.

Next wash due end June just before the lease company examination before return of car.

^^^^^^ + ^^^^^  Simple solution, continue washing when you want to do, and take your collective wives to the car wash and wash off their legs etc! Who knows, they may enjoy a hand wash by a European! :  -  ))  dooohhh its been a long hot sunday here and the vino has been flowing, my excuse any road up!!

Edited 22 May, 20179 yr by Frenchtone