TVRs and drive-thru car washes
Discussion
Wouldn't normally consider this but having moved out into the country and driving the equivalent of 18K miles a year in the newly acquired (well, 5 months ago) Tuscan I find that after just a couple of days the Moonraker Black turns to a wonderful matt beige 
! Can't wash the car during the week so by the weekend it's a bugger to clean.
I'm thinking of using one mid week just to keep it respectable and the make the weekend clean less of a chore!
So... have any of you used a drive-thru car wash on your pride and joy without any problems?
PP
! Can't wash the car during the week so by the weekend it's a bugger to clean. I'm thinking of using one mid week just to keep it respectable and the make the weekend clean less of a chore!
So... have any of you used a drive-thru car wash on your pride and joy without any problems?
PP
The problem is where all the water runs after going through the various scoops, vents and er, gaps. For instance, the cover over the plugs/HT leads must be sealed as if you get water in there (and it's 'downhill' from the top of the engine) you will get a misfire due to damp connections.
Not to mention the damage it does to the paintwork/alloys. I used to work in a petrol station with a carwash. People would come in and complain that the cruddy bits behind their wheelarches were not 100% clean. I would explain to them that they probably wouldn't want the whole car scrubbing that hard and the carwash was running at it's optimal. Oh, and every morning I'd have to pick up the 'brushed off' bits of trim every morning before starting it up.
I suggest using a jetwash very carefully for the midweek clean. Black isn't the best colour for winter/country roads.
Not to mention the damage it does to the paintwork/alloys. I used to work in a petrol station with a carwash. People would come in and complain that the cruddy bits behind their wheelarches were not 100% clean. I would explain to them that they probably wouldn't want the whole car scrubbing that hard and the carwash was running at it's optimal. Oh, and every morning I'd have to pick up the 'brushed off' bits of trim every morning before starting it up.
I suggest using a jetwash very carefully for the midweek clean. Black isn't the best colour for winter/country roads.
maddog-uk said:
Perhaps we should all time how fast we can run a quick wash of our own! I reckon I can clean a Tamora in 15 minutes, at least I did today!
If you don't clean the insides of the wheels then they are quite quick to clean, they're no that big and they're usually nicely waxed up so the muck comes off more easily.
Invest in some high wattage external lighting. We can clean our cars in our back yard no problem.
Last time I went in a car wash the egg mayonnaise sandwich I had just eaten made a re-appearance. I made the mistake of looking up when the brushes were moving down the car and ended up with a nasty dizzy attack. Thankfully I still had the Tesco carrier bag that contained the sandwich to relieve myself in.
Last time I went in a car wash the egg mayonnaise sandwich I had just eaten made a re-appearance. I made the mistake of looking up when the brushes were moving down the car and ended up with a nasty dizzy attack. Thankfully I still had the Tesco carrier bag that contained the sandwich to relieve myself in.
Have you not got a hand car wash place near by? There's quite a few opened around here. Alternatively, a garage car wash that has the soft brush attachment, don't bother with the soap power wash, just use the brush, then use the power wash from a distance to allow the mist to rinse the car. Does that make sense?
targarama said:
Perhaps we should all time how fast we can run a quick wash of our own! I reckon I can clean a Tamora in 15 minutes, at least I did today!
If you don't clean the insides of the wheels then they are quite quick to clean, they're no that big and they're usually nicely waxed up so the muck comes off more easily.
Yes I must be honest, my wheels were clean. When I clean those its about 10 minutes per wheel!
maddog-uk said:
Perhaps we should all time how fast we can run a quick wash of our own! I reckon I can clean a Tamora in 15 minutes, at least I did today!
Bloody hell, my record's about 3 hours from dirty to clean - maybe I'm taking it too seriously
Have to agree with everyone else:
TVR plus Car Wash = World's most expensive bath
The missus insisted I took her car to a "hand wash" car wash establishment.
We started off with a high pressure hose, about an inch from the paintwork with a terrific smell of traffic film remover, great for shotblasting a factory floor, but not good on paintwork.
I then cringed, as two gimps attacked the vehicle with, what looked like brooms, they might aswell have gone the full hog & used brillo pads.
This was then followed by a further assault on the metro, with a further shotblast of a putrid smelling liquid, I'm presuming this was the clean rinse.
I wouldn't take the works van to one, never mind the TVR.
We started off with a high pressure hose, about an inch from the paintwork with a terrific smell of traffic film remover, great for shotblasting a factory floor, but not good on paintwork.
I then cringed, as two gimps attacked the vehicle with, what looked like brooms, they might aswell have gone the full hog & used brillo pads.
This was then followed by a further assault on the metro, with a further shotblast of a putrid smelling liquid, I'm presuming this was the clean rinse.
I wouldn't take the works van to one, never mind the TVR.
RUSSELLM said:
The missus insisted I took her car to a "hand wash" car wash establishment.
We started off with a high pressure hose, about an inch from the paintwork with a terrific smell of traffic film remover, great for shotblasting a factory floor, but not good on paintwork.
I then cringed, as two gimps attacked the vehicle with, what looked like brooms, they might aswell have gone the full hog & used brillo pads.
This was then followed by a further assault on the metro, with a further shotblast of a putrid smelling liquid, I'm presuming this was the clean rinse.
I wouldn't take the works van to one, never mind the TVR.
That sounds like quite a nasty one. I must be quite lucky in comparison.
There is a hand wash place near me where they will turn the power hoses down to low pressure for the bodywork and high power for the wheels. They do a great job inside and out! Just as well as I don't really have access to an outside tap and I'm certainly not going to run up and down from the 3rd floor with buckets of water!
I think there is some varioation in cars washes. I take mine to a local Jaguar car wash. My feeling is that if its good enough for a brand new jag its good enough for my car. Only problem is you tend to be in a Q with the dealership jags. Washes the spokes wheels no problems and no streaking. Water is being trown at you gently like a rainshower and is therefore unlikey to cause the car any problems normal rain wouldn't.
Conversly I would never jet wash my car. The wash is far higher pressure than is seen in a carwash. No rubber seal would take 1700psi and therefore I can understand that water would end up where it shouldn't be. Neither should paintwork be subjected to that sort of pressure. It wouldn't see it in normal driving so it shouldn't see it for washing.
In my TVR manual the only thing it says is don't pressure wash the engine bay, and it would take a complete divot to do that.
The only worry I would have is the pressure of the brushes in a carwash on flexible fiberglass, and at this jag one its done by ultrasound distance, not by pressure of the brushes so I think its very reasonable.
Conversly I would never jet wash my car. The wash is far higher pressure than is seen in a carwash. No rubber seal would take 1700psi and therefore I can understand that water would end up where it shouldn't be. Neither should paintwork be subjected to that sort of pressure. It wouldn't see it in normal driving so it shouldn't see it for washing.
In my TVR manual the only thing it says is don't pressure wash the engine bay, and it would take a complete divot to do that.
The only worry I would have is the pressure of the brushes in a carwash on flexible fiberglass, and at this jag one its done by ultrasound distance, not by pressure of the brushes so I think its very reasonable.
Big_M said:
Last time I went in a car wash the egg mayonnaise sandwich I had just eaten made a re-appearance. I made the mistake of looking up when the brushes were moving down the car and ended up with a nasty dizzy attack. Thankfully I still had the Tesco carrier bag that contained the sandwich to relieve myself in.
I think I'd be pretty sick too if I drove into a carwash and realised I'd forgotten to put the roof on too!
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